Dependent Origination as The Law of Nature

Monks, with ignorance (unknowing of true reality) as condition, volitional formations (choices/decisions) [come to be];

With volitional formations as condition, consciousness;

with consciousness as condition, name-and-form;

with name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases;

with the six sense bases as condition, contact;

with contact as condition, feeling;

with feeling as condition, craving;

with craving as condition, clinging;

with clinging as condition, existence;

with existence as condition, birth;

with birth as condition, aging-and-death, sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be.

Such is the cause of this whole mass of discontentedness.

And what, Monks, is aging-and-death?

The aging of the various beings in the various orders of beings, their growing old, brokenness of teeth, greyness of hair, wrinkling of skin, decline of vitality, degeneration of the sense bases; this is called aging. The passing away of the various beings from the various orders of beings, their perishing, breakup, disappearance, mortality, death, completion of time, the breakup of the aggregates, the laying down of the carcass; this is called death. Thus this aging and this death are together called aging-and-death.

With the arising of birth, there is the arising of aging-and-death. With the elimination of birth, there is the elimination of aging-and-death. Just this Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of aging-and-death; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is birth?

The birth of the various beings into the various realms of beings, their being born, descent [into the womb], production, the coming together of the aggregates, the obtaining of the sense bases. This is called birth.

With the arising of existence, there is the arising of birth. With the elimination of existence, there is the elimination of birth. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of birth; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is existence?

There are these three kinds of existence: sense-sphere existence (six sense bases), form-sphere existence (form realms), formless-sphere existence (formless realms). This is called existence.

With the arising of clinging, there is the arising of existence. With the elimination of clinging, there is the elimination of existence. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of existence; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is clinging?

There are these four kinds of clinging: clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rules and vows, clinging to a notion of self. This is called clinging.

With the arising of craving, there is the arising of clinging. With the elimination of craving, there is the elimination of clinging. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of clinging; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is craving?

There are these six classes of craving: craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for odors, craving for flavors, craving for physical objects, craving for mental objects. This is called craving.

With the arising of feeling, there is the arising of craving. With the elimination of feeling, there is the elimination of craving. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of craving; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is feeling?

There are these six classes of feeling: feeling born of eye-contact, feeling born of ear-contact, feeling born of nose-contact, feeling born of tongue-contact, feeling born of body-contact, feeling born of mind-contact. This is called feeling.

With the arising of contact, there is the arising of feeling. With the elimination of contact, there is the elimination of feeling. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of feeling; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is contact?

There are these six classes of contact: eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, mind-contact. This is called contact.

With the arising of the six sense bases, there is the arising of contact. With the elimination of the six sense bases, there is the elimination of contact. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of contact; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, are the six sense bases?

The eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, the mind base. These are called the six sense bases.

With the arising of name-and-form, there is the arising of the six sense bases. With the elimination of name-and-form, there is the elimination of the six sense bases. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of the six sense bases; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is name-and-form?

Feeling, perception, volitional formation (choices/decisions), contact, consciousness: this is called name. The four great elements and the form derived from the four great elements: this is called form. Thus this name and this form are together called name-and-form.

With the arising of consciousness, there is the arising of name-and-form. With the elimination of consciousness, there is the elimination of name-and-form. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of name-and-form; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, is consciousness?

There are these six classes of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness. This is called consciousness.

With the arising of volitional formations (choices/decisions), there is the arising of consciousness. With the elimination of volitional formations, there is the elimination of consciousness. This Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of consciousness; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

And what, Monks, are volitional formations?

There are these three kinds of volitional formations (choices/decisions): the bodily volitional formation, the verbal volitional formation, the mental volitional formation. These are called the volitional formations.

With the arising of ignorance (unknowing of true reality), there is the arising of volitional formations. With the elimination of ignorance, there is the elimination of volitional formations. Just this Noble Eight Fold Path is the way leading to the elimination of volitional formations; that is, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple thus understands the condition; thus understands the cause of the condition; thus understands the elimination of the condition; thus understands the way leading to the elimination of the condition, he is then called: A Noble Disciple who is accomplished in view, (who is) accomplished in vision, who has arrived at these true Teachings, who sees these true Teachings, who possesses a trainee’s wisdom, (who possesses) a trainee’s true wisdom, who has entered the stream of The Teachings, a Noble One with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless (Enlightenment).

(Reference: SN 12.2)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares Dependent Origination. Dependent Origination is the ultimate description of the “cause and effect” relationship of how ignorance (unknowing of true reality) leads to discontentedness and continued rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth. Dependent Origination is a series of twelve (12) conditions that lead from one to another ultimately causing rebirth and continued discontentedness.

The elimination of ignorance (unknowing of true reality) through acquiring wisdom is what leads to the elimination of discontentedness and continuous rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth. Learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings with guidance from a Teacher to independently discover the truth is how a Practitioner acquires wisdom.

It is ignorance (unknowing of true reality) that leads to volitional formations (choices/decisions) in a previous life that are uninformed leading to unwholesomeness. Through lacking wisdom an individual will make unwise decisions producing harm in the world which will be returned to you due to The Natural Law of Kamma.

Kamma is “cause and effect” or “action and result”. Essentially, Kamma is the results of your decisions. So it is one’s volitional formations (choices/decisions) that lead to the results we experience in life producing a new life.

Consciousness, or the mind, then comes into being through The Cycle of Rebirth leading to name-and-form. Name-and-form is essentially the physical body. The consciousness and physical body come together forming The Six Sense Bases.

The Six Sense Bases are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These are formed within the womb, developing and maturing outside the womb. An unEnlightened human being experiences agreeable and disagreeable forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical objects, and mental objects through The Six Sense Bases.

Contact leads to feelings being produced in the mind. Feelings are results of experiences in the mind through contact with The Six Sense Bases experiencing forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical objects, and/or mental objects.

Craving, or mental longing with a strong eagerness, is produced when the mind has longing and yearning through The Six Sense Bases for pleasant feelings thinking this will satisfy the mind.

The mind will then be interested to cling, or hold on to, forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical objects, and/or mental objects to continue to experience the pleasant feelings.

This leads to continued existence as craving is the fuel that causes rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.

With continued existence, there is birth leading to the accumulation of The Five Aggregates as a new being.

When there is birth, there will be aging-and-death with sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair in life.

Dependent Origination is explaining the detailed “cause and effect” relationship of how discontentedness of mind comes to be in The Cycle of Rebirth. It describes how beings continue to experience discontentedness and constant rebirth.

It is through ignorance (unknowing of true reality) that beings continue to experience discontentedness in continued wandering and roaming through The Cycle of Rebirth. The unEnlightened mind does not understand what it does not understand. By not understanding the causes and conditions that create discontentedness and continued rebirth, a being continues to roam and wander through countless rounds of rebirth within The Cycle of Rebirth hindered and plagued by its own ignorance (unknowing of true reality).

It is the elimination of ignorance (unknowing of true reality) that allows a Practitioner to undo or unravel the entire massive amount of discontentedness experienced through continuous rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth. Ignorance is eliminated through acquiring wisdom. Wisdom is acquired through learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings with guidance from a Teacher to independently discover the truth. A Practitioner will need to investigate these Teachings applying energy and effort in a determined, dedicated, and diligent development of their life practice. Through consistent ongoing learning, reflection, and practice of these Teachings, a Practitioner can observe for themselves that the condition of the mind and one’s life continues to improve.

As wisdom is gradually increased and practiced in daily life through wise decision making, discontentedness is gradually decreased from the mind. For example, a Practitioner can observe that situations that once produced anger or frustration in the mind no longer has the same result. A Practitioner can observe that the same situation that once produced discontentedness can reoccur but through practicing these Teachings the mind will have diminished and then eliminates 100% of all discontentedness. The mind can reside peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy as a Practitioner learns, reflects, and practices these Teachings training the mind to no longer be affected by its own ignorance (unknowing of true reality).

With the mind having eliminated 100% of all discontentedness, a Practitioner will know for themselves that there is no longer any rebirth as the mind has been fully and completely trained residing peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy - permanently.

The Practitioner has removed the conditions that are keeping the mind trapped in The Cycle of Rebirth. They have dismantled and destroyed all the “causes and conditions” that are creating continuous rebirth, namely ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and the mind is Enlightened.

A Stream-Enterer will not have accomplished the goal of eliminating ignorance (unknowing of true reality) from the mind but they will understand Dependent Origination and know that this is the training method to eliminate discontentedness to attain Enlightenment. They will be deeply practicing The Eight Fold Path as the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness while fully understanding Dependent Origination.

It is not until a Practitioner eliminates all Ten Fetters that the mind will have completely eliminated ignorance (unknowing of true reality) and be fully practicing these Teachings no longer experiencing any discontentedness or any more rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.