“Bhikkhus (Monks), these two extremes should not be followed by one who has gone forth into homelessness. What two? The pursuit of sensual happiness in sensual pleasures, which is low, vulgar, the way of worldlings, ignoble, unbeneficial; and the pursuit of self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, unbeneficial. Without veering towards either of these extremes, the Tathāgata (Buddha) has awakened to the middle way, which gives rise to vision, gives rise to knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna.

“And what, bhikkhus, is that middle way awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives rise to vision … which leads to Nibbāna? It is this Noble Eightfold Path, that is:

1. Right View (samma ditthi),
2. Right Motivation (samma sankappa),
3. Right Speech (samma vaca),
4. Right Action (samma kammanta),
5. Right Livelihood (samma ajiva),
6. Right Effort (samma vayama),
7. Right Awareness (samma sati),
8. Right Concentration (samma samadhi).

This, bhikkhus, is that middle way awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives rise to vision, which gives rise to knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna” (SN II, 1844, translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi).

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Everything (excluding Nibbāna) has a cause and everything (excluding Nibbāna) has an effect. However, nothing is produced by a single cause and the world does not proceed from a single cause that is called God, or Puruṣa, or Mahābrāhma, or any other name. Not from God or from any other cause, since there is succession. How is that?

If things were produced by a single cause, they would arise all at the same time, but we know that they arise successively. Besides, the emergence of the world, of this whole mass of suffering, comes from ignorance and craving.

If there is craving, there is ignorance.

From craving comes clinging, from clinging – becoming. From becoming come birth, old age and death.

We do not know, we do not see causality and as a consequence we do not understand and cannot accept that the existence itself is an outcome of causes and conditions and as such, existence is suffering.

The process of existence is an occurrence having Ignorance as its condition.

How is that?

“With ignorance as condition, Bhikkhus, there are formations also called mental constructions, karmic impulses, or karmic probabilities this or that to happen, to arise, to come into being. Whether Perfect Ones (Buddhas) arise or do not arise, there yet remains that element, relatedness of states, regularity of states, specific conditionally. The Perfect One discovers it, penetrates to it. Having discovered it, penetrated to it, he announces it, teaches it, makes it known, establishes, exposes, expounds and explains it: ‘See,’ he says, ‘With ignorance as condition there are mental formations’ …

“These are called the dependently-originated states, Bhikkhus … The states that are conditions should be understood as the dependent origination. The states generated by such and such conditions are dependently-originated states” (VisuddhiMagga, VM, 533-534).

In other words, we do not see that the cause, the force of conditionality or the karmic potential is what brings about the relations between the causes and effects. And without an understanding of conditionality the Buddha’s teaching cannot be grasped.

He who sees dependent origination sees the Dhamma (MN I, 191)

Further, we cannot admit that the cause for the arising of suffering is this thirst, this clinging to the five skandhas (Pāli: khandha) of existence. We simply refuse to admit that the cause for the arising of suffering is craving and thus we don’t see craving by way of the Second Noble Truth. Likewise we don’t see that the cause for ceasing of suffering is ceasing of this very craving, which is the Third Noble Truth. Hence the Noble Eightfold Path is foreign and in most cases, meaningless to us, therefore we do not see the reason to follow it and with time we become completely negligent of the Fourth Noble Truth, which is this same Noble Eightfold Path. But above all, we do not see and therefore do not admit that what we call “life” and “existence” is Suffering, and thus we become completely negligent of the First Noble Truth. This misunderstanding, this not knowing the Four Noble Truths Buddha defines as Ignorance.

But how does ignorance come into play? What is the cause of ignorance?

“Ignorance is impermanent, Bhikkhus, formed, dependently originated, subject to destruction, subject to fall, subject to fading away, subject to cessation” (VM, 534).

Ignorance comes into play because of not knowing the Four Noble Truths.

The cause of ignorance is the neutral, indifferent feeling. It is a feeling towards some object which appears as lacking strong features or characteristics and therefore to us it is uninteresting, neither distinctly painful nor clearly pleasant. Pleasant feeling is habitually linked with enjoyment and desire; unpleasant feeling – with aversion and neutral feeling – with boredom and confusion, and also with ignorance and as such it is a foundation of wrong views. Without the presence of awareness, without understanding the dimensions of neutral feeling, this neutral feeling tends to impel a search for something else that is more stimulating. The mind becomes bored and searches for something more exciting. For example, the mind does not want to listen to the Dhamma, ignores it and starts scanning for something else – more pleasant and exiting! Thus neutral feeling has the underlying tendency to lead to ignorance and the average reaction to neutral feeling is precisely this: “ignore it, ignore it”, or “put it in a box an forget it”! Therefore knowing the arising and disappearance of neutral feelings enables us to escape from neutral feelings and thereby from ignorance. If we pay no attention towards the arising and vanishing of feelings, especially towards neutral feelings, the ignorance will grow stronger and stronger by unopposed continuance.

“When, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu has abandoned the underlying tendency to lust in regard to pleasant feeling, the underlying tendency to aversion in regard to painful feeling, and the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, then he is called a Bhikkhu without underlying tendencies, one who sees rightly. He has cut off craving, severed the fetters, and by completely breaking through conceit, he has made an end to suffering.” (SN 36:3).

We don’t know that we don’t know.

We don’t know that Dependent Origination is the law of cause and effect. And what this law says is that there are only appearances, dhammas or phenomena in various combinations, resulting from our intentional actions, following the law of karma – action-result; cause and effect.

“If this exists, then that exists”.

Neither less, nor more!

The process of existence is occurrence.

It is undisputedly true that the law of Dependent Origination is universal, for just as everything arising in the physical world is dependent on some preceding state as its cause, in just the same way it happens with the mental world and mental states. Thus our mental and physical existence, nāma–rūpa, name-and-form, is dependent upon causes and nothing whatsoever can come into existence without a previous cause. And as nothing (except Nirvana, which is not a “thing”) is permanent, everlasting and therefore indestructible, no constant or invariable element could ever persists from one moment of consciousness to the next or pass over from one life to another.

Our life, our existence is but a series of ever changing mental and physical (nāma–rūpa) processes and states.

Nothing endures the next moment, i.e. no entity, nothing whatsoever transmigrates from one moment to the next, from one life to another life. Buddha teaches that there is neither self, nor soul that “leaves” this life here and “takes” a new life or a new existence there. This is so because each and every moment dies. Yes, the moments die too. Time dies, perishes, and slips out of existence. Neither Space nor Time, nor Space-Time is a continuum. One moment or one state only possesses the ability (the force) to condition the next moment or state to arise, to come into being, to manifest itself. And when it has manifested itself, it conditions the next moment or state, whether mental or physical, to arise and after that it perishes, dies. This cyclic process goes on and on all the way to the death and one life equals one series of many processes and states arising and dying. Death (except the death of an Arhat) is no interruption of this series.

Series, or saṁtana, means the material and mental khandhas succeeding without interruption in a row which has an action for its original cause. The successive moments of this row are different: there is then evolution (parināma), or transformation of the series. The last moment of this evolution possesses a special efficacy, the capacity of immediately producing the result: it is distinguished, in this regard, from other moments; it is then termed viśeṣa, or the ultimate moment of evolution. For example, when the mind at death is “associated with attachment,” it possesses the capacity of producing a new existence. This mind has for its antecedents many actions of all types: nevertheless, it is the efficacy projected by a weighty action that informs (or qualifies) the last thought; in the absence of heavy action, the efficacy is projected by near action; in its absence by habitual action; and in its absence by the action of a previous life.

What happens at the moment of death?

The moment of death (cuti) or the state of the mind at the moment of death has a special name, cuti-citta. Cuti, death, is the end of the kammic (karmic) energy of the old life. This is the last citta vithi  –  the mind which receives and analyzes all sensory inputs in a series of 17 cittas during the process of cognition. This  moment is bodily and mentally “weak” (mandikā), but when a person has habitually practiced a certain defilement, this defilement becomes “projected” and thus becomes active at the moment of death. The last cuti-citta is immediately followed by this active defilement and this active defilement receives also a special name of patisandhi-citta or patisandhi-viññana (rebirth-linking consciousness). This very moment, the moment of the arising of  rebirth-linking consciousness,  possesses the capacity of producing a new existence. Thus the process of existence turns round again (Skt: pravartita, Pali: pavattana) rolling on forward, causing the next existence to take place. Death is not an interruption. Death is not the end, except the death of an Arhat.

What happens when an Arhat dies? Arhat means “worthy, venerable, respectable, deathless, one who is no longer subject to the cycle of birth and death, one who has destroyed the defilements, who has lived the life, who has done what should be done, who has laid aside the burden, who has attained his goal, who has destroyed the fetters of existence, … who has overcome all doubts about the triratna, namely, the Buddha, his teachings (Dhamma), and the Order (Sangha); non-existence of soul; and the law of causation, who… is delivered, … who is alive without adding fresh karma“.

A living being consists of 5 components or groups of existence, called khandhas. They constitute the body and mind of all sentient-beings in the realm of desire (Kamaloka) and the realm of fine forms (Rupaloka) and act as a stream or a series of constantly changing physical and mental processes. 

With the death of an Arhat his series of constantly changing physical and mental processes is terminated, meaning that the continuation of the arising of the five khandhas is ended and  patisandhi-citta (rebirth-linking consciousness) cannot not arise anymore because it depends upon kamma and an Arhat has stopped generating new kamma, and “no new kamma” implies “no rebirth”. 

Not accidentally Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion, was the first teaching given by Buddha in Sarnath after he attained enlightenment. He declares: “… The knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘Unshakable is my liberation. This is my last birth. There is no more renewed existence for me.” 

Because of ignorance, because of not knowing the Four Noble Truths, a person engages in volitional actions, wholesome and unwholesome activities of body, speech, and mind that give rise to mental constructions or karmic impulses. They are this “will”, this “urge to act” or this “intention”, cetanā, which in turn sustains consciousness from one moment to the next, from life to the next, determining the direction, “the path of karma” or the “place” where next consciousness will re-arise. This is how mental constructions or karmic impulses condition consciousness. Along with consciousness, beginning with the moment of conception, comes nāma–rūpa (mind-and-matter), the living being with its physical form (rūpa) and its mental capacities (nāma). The living being is equipped with six sense bases or six sense sources (sadāyatana) from where all mental processes pass. These are the sense bases of the five physical organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body) and the mind as organ of cognition. The sense sources make possible contact (phassa) between consciousness and its object to take place, and contact conditions feeling (vedanā) to be experienced. Running after pleasant feelings, craving, or thirst (taṇhā) arises, and when craving intensifies it gives rise to clinging (upadāna), tight attachment to the objects of desire. Impelled by one’s attachments, one again turns its attention to the objects of desire and engages in volitional actions longing for new becoming (bhāva) this or that. At death this craving for new existence is updated in a new life beginning with birth (jāti), ending in aging-and-death (jarrimaraṇa).

In Saṁyutta Nikāya, The Book of Causation (Nidānavagga), 533 is said:

“And what, Bhikkhus, is ignorance? Not knowing suffering, not knowing the origin of suffering, not knowing the cessation of suffering, not knowing the way leading to the cessation of suffering. This is called ignorance.

“Thus, Bhikkhus, with 1) ignorance as condition 2) mental formations arise; with mental construction as condition, 3) consciousness; with consciousness as condition, 4) name-and-form (nāma–rūpa); with name-and-form as condition 5) the six sense bases or sources; with the six sense bases or sources as condition 6) contact; with contact as condition 7) feeling; with feeling as condition 8) craving; with craving as condition 9) clinging; with clinging as condition 10) becoming; with becoming as condition 11) birth; with birth as condition 12) aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering …

“But with the traceless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes cessation of mental constructions; with the cessation of mental constructions comes cessation of consciousness; with the cessation of consciousness comes cessation of nāma–rūpa; with the cessation of nāma–rūpa comes cessation of the six sense bases; with the cessation of the six sense bases comes cessation of contact; with the cessation of contact comes cessation of feeling; with the cessation of feeling comes cessation of craving; with the cessation of craving comes cessation of clinging; with the cessation of clinging comes cessation of becoming; with the cessation of becoming comes cessation of birth; with the cessation of birth comes cessation of aging-and-death. Such is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.”

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“Once Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side and said to him: “It’s incredible, sir, it’s amazing, in that this dependent origination is deep and appears deep, yet to me it seems as plain as can be.” “Don’t say that, Ānanda, don’t say that! This dependent origination is deep and appears deep. It is because of not understanding and not comprehending this teaching that this population has become tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread, and matted like rushes and reeds, and it doesn’t escape the places of loss, the bad places, the underworld, transmigration.” (Mahānidāna Sutta, Digha Nikāya, 143, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato).

As long as ignorance and craving remain, the round of rebirths continues on … Thus karma, or the round of rebirths, rolls on and on, and conditions suffering to accumulate and continue.

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This is only a brief summary of the Dependent Origination. We highly recommend you to listen to the lecture of Bhikkhu Samāhita, who, it is with deep sorrow to say, has passed away in October, 2019:

We should remember that Dependent origination states that no phenomenon can arise from nothing, nor can it exist by itself independently. In other words nothing except Nibbāna exists outside of causes and conditions.

If this exists then that existK