Reading materials

Analysis of Dependent Origination

Paticca-samuppada-vibhanga Sutta

At one time the Blessed One was dwelling at Savatthi,

then he addressed the monks:

Monks! I will describe and analyse the Dependent

Origination.

What is Dependent Origination?

From ignorance as a requisite condition come formation.

From formations as a requisite condition comes

consciousness.

From consciousness as a requisite condition comes

namarupa(name and form).

From namarupa as a requisite condition come the six

sense doors.

From the six sense doors as a requisite condition comes

contact.

From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.

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From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.

From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging.

From clinging as a requisite condition comes becoming.

From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.

From birth as a requisite condition, then aging and death,

sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into
being.

Such is the origination of this entire mass of suffering.

What is aging and death?

Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, greying,

wrinkling, decline of life force, weakening of the faculties
of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that
is called aging. Whatever deceasing, passing away,
breaking up, disappearance, dying, death, expiry of time,
break up of the aggregates, casting off of the body,
interruption in the life faculty of the various beings in this
or that group of beings, that is called death.

What is birth?

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Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, coming to be,
coming forth, appearance of aggregates, and acquisition
of sense faculties of the various beings in this or that
group of beings, that is called birth.

What is becoming?

There are three becomings: sensual becoming, form

becoming, and formless becoming. This is called
becoming.

What is clinging?

These four are clingings: sensuality clinging, wrong view

clinging, wrong precepts and practice clinging, and self
conceit clinging. This is called clinging.

What is craving?

There are six classes of craving: craving for forms,

craving for sounds, craving for smells, craving for tastes,
craving for tactile sensations, craving for ideas. This is
called craving.

What is feeling?

There are six classes of feeling: feeling of eye contact,

feeling of ear contact, feeling of nose contact, feeling of

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tongue contact, feeling of body contact, feeling of
intellect contact. This is called feeling.

What is contact?

There are six classes of contact: eye contact, ear contact,

nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, intellect
contact. This is called contact.

What are the six sense doors?

These are the six sense doors: the eye door, the ear door,
the nose door, the tongue door, the body door, the
intellect door. These are the six sense doors.

What is name and form?

Feeling, perception, mental intention and formation,

contact, and attention: This is called name. The four basic
elements: ie earth, water, fire, and air, and the form
dependent on the four basic elements, this is called form.
This name and form are called namarupa.

What is consciousness?

There are six classes of consciousness: eye consciousness,

ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue
consciousness, body consciousness, mind or intellect
consciousness. This is called consciousness.

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What are formations?

There are three formations: bodily formations, verbal

formations, mental formations. These are called
formations.

What is ignorance?

Not knowing about suffering, not knowing about the

origination of suffering, not knowing about the cessation
of suffering, not knowing about the way of practice
leading to the cessation of suffering: This is called
ignorance.

(What is Cessation of Origination?)

From the (without residual) diminishing and cessation of

the ignorance comes the cessation of formations.

From the cessation of formations comes the cessation of

consciousness.

From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation

of name and form.

From the cessation of name and form comes the cessation

of the six sense doors.

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From the cessation of the six sense doors comes the
cessation of contact.

From the cessation of contact comes the cessation of

feeling.

From the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of

craving.

From the cessation of craving comes the cessation of

clinging.

From the cessation of clinging comes the cessation of

becoming.

From the cessation of becoming comes the cessation of

birth.

From the cessation of birth, then aging and death, sorrow,

lamentation, pain, distress, and despair all cease. Such is
the cessation of this entire mass of suffering."
(SN. XII.2)

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