Eastern Philosophy: The Basics by Harrison Victoria S

Author:Harrison, Victoria S. [Harrison, Victoria S.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: -
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2012-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

DEPENDENT CO-ARISING

The key to the Buddhist account of the causal relations that generate our experience of ourselves and of our world is the theory of dependent co-arising (sometimes translated as ‘dependent origination’, the Pāli is pratītya samudpāda). Essentially this is an elaboration of the Buddha’s second insight about the arising of dukkha, and it is based on the claim that everything that exists has a cause for its existence. The application of this theory to the case of the self is illustrated in the following sequence (see Sourcebook: 278; and Rahula 1978: 53ff.):

1 Ignorance generates karma. (I.e. the actions one performs in ignorance lead to particular karmic formations, in this sense, karma depends upon ignorance for its existence.)

2 Karma generates consciousness. (I.e. the karmic formations determine that one will possess consciousness, in this sense, consciousness depends upon karma for its existence.)

These first two steps in the sequence apply to the past life and are supposed to explain the mechanism by which a set of causal antecedents gives rise to another embodiment. The next steps (3 to 8) purport to explain the sequence leading to the experience of suffering.

3 Consciousness generates a body. (I.e. body depends upon consciousness for its existence.)

4 Body generates the six organs of sense. (The six organs of sense are: eyes, ears, tongue, nose, skin, mind. These depend upon the body for their existence.)

5 The six organs of sense generate contact. (I.e. without the sense organs there would be no contact with objects in the world. Contact depends upon the sense organs.)

6 Contact generates sensation. (I.e. without contact with objects we would have no sensations. Sensations depend upon contact.)

7 Sensation generates desire. (I.e. we cannot desire objects that we cannot experience. Without sensation there would be no desire, in this sense, desire depends upon sensation for its existence.)

8 Desire generates attachment. (I.e. because we desire things, we become attached to them. If there were no desire, there would be no attachment – desire depends upon attachment for its existence.)

Step 9 takes us into the next embodiment. Steps 10 and 11 give a concise account of the next life that then leads back to the beginning of the sequence, so step 1 is also, in a sense, step 12.

9 Attachment generates continuity. (I.e. our attachment to things generates continuity between one set of aggregates and a future one. If there were no attachment, there would be no continuity.)

10 Continuity generates birth. (I.e. if there were no continuity, there would be no birth. Birth depends on continuity.)

11 Birth generates old age and death, sorrow, lamentation, misery, grief, and despair. (I.e. if there were no birth, there would be no old age, death, and so on. These things depend upon birth for their existence.)

This sequence is found, with minor variations, in a number of early Buddhist texts. It is taken for granted by all Buddhist thinkers, although they do not all interpret it in exactly the same way.

In the previous two chapters we have already been introduced to Nāgārjuna. He

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