the special theory of pratityasamutpada

8/13/2019 The Special Theory of Pratityasamutpada

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THE JOURNAL

OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OFBUDDHIST STUDIES

E D I T O R - I N - C H I E FA.K. Narain

University of Wisconsin, Mad ison, USA

E D I T O R StL .M.Joshi Ernst Steinkellner

Punjabi University Universityoj ViennaPatiala, India Wien, Austria

Alexander W. Macdon ald Jikido TakasakiUniversile deParis X Universityof Tokyo

Nanterre, France Tokyo,JapanBardwell Smith Robert Thurma nCarleton College AmherstCollegeNorthfield Minnesota, USA Amherst Massachusetts, USA

A S S I S T A N T E D I T O RRoger Jackson

Fairfield U niversityFairfield Connecticut, USA

Volume 9 1986 Number 1


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C O N T E N T S

I . AR T I C L E ST h e Me a n i n g o f Vijnaptiin V asub and hu ' s Co ncep t o fM ind ,byBruceCameronHall 7Signless M edi ta t ions in Pali B ud dh ism ,

byPeter Harvey 2 5D oge n Casts Off W hat : An Analysis of ShinjinDatsuraku,bySteven Heine 53Bu ddh ism and the Cas te Sys tem,byY. Krishan 71T h e Early Ch inese Buddh is t U nd er s ta nd ing o f thePsyche : Ch en Hui ' s Co m m enta ry on theYin Chihju Ching byW halen Im 85T h e Special Th eor y o fPratityasamutpdda: T h e Cycleo f D e p e n d e n t Or i g i n a t io n ,by GesheLhundub Sopa 105

I I . B O O K R E V I E W SChineseReligions in W estern Languages: AComprehensiveandClassified Bibliographyof Pub lications in Eng lish,

FrenchandGermanthrough 1980, by L au ren ce G.T h o m p s o n(Yves H er vo ue t) 121TheCycleofDayandNight by Na m kha i N orbu(A.W. H an son -B arb er ) 122Dharma andGospel: TwoWaysofSeeing edited by Rev.G.W. Hous ton(Ch r i s topher Cha pp ie ) 123MeditationonEm ptiness,by Jeffrey H op kin sQ.W . de Jo ng ) 124


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5. Philosophyof Mind in Sixth Century China, Paramdrtha 's'Evolution of Consciousness, 'by D ianaY.PaulJ.W.deJong) 129D iana Pau l Re plies 133J .W.deJongRe plies 1356. SevenWorksofVasubandhu: The BuddhistPsychologicalDoctor by Stefan A na ck er( A . W . H a n s o n - B a r b e r ) 1 3 67. TsongKhapa s SpeechofGoldintheEssense of T ru eE l o q u e n c e :Reason and Enlightenment in the CentralPhilosophyofTibet t ranslated by Rober t A.F.T h u r m a n(Jan et Gya tso) 138

I I I . N O T E S A N D N E W S1. Election Re sults, IAB S 1432. C o n f e r e n c e A n n o u n c e m e n t s 1 448th Con ference, I ABS 144

32ndICANAS 1457th World Sanskrit Con ference 1453. A A R Bu ddh i sm G r ou p 146

O B I T U A R I E SL I ST O F C O N T R I B U T O R S 147156


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The Special Theory ofPratityasamutpada:The Cycle of Dependent Origination 1

byGeshe Lhundub SopaWhoever sees dependent originationsees the Dharma. Whoever sees theDharma sees the Buddha. (MajjhimaNikdya, 1:28)

The idea of dependent or ig ina t ion , the see ing of which i ssaid to be coextensive with the seeing of the Dharma itself, isclear ly one of the most central theories in al l of Buddhism.T h e re is bo th th e gen era l theory an d a special theo ry . T h eform er is coextens ive wi th the sp ect r um of par t icu lar ly Bu ddh is ttheories accounting for genesis in general . The lat ter refers toa special applicat ion of the general theory to an explanat ion ofthe genesis of a l iving sent ient being in sarnsara and the meansof that being 's potent ial release f rom such a samsaric bir th . I tis to th is specia l theory of d ep en de n t or ig in a t ion tha t the above-ci ted sutra passage refers .

This special theory is that of the cycle of the twelve nidanas,or twelve co m pon en t s o f de pe nd en t o r ig ina t ion . Ha v ing a l r eadydeal t b r ie f ly wi th the genera l theory of dependent or ig ina t ionin a prev ious p ap er (JIABS V ol. 7 , N o. 1, p . 125 ff. ), we pro cee dthen to look a t the cycle of twelve components , beginning wi thignorance and end ing wi th age ing and dy ing .

/. AvidyaThus , what i s the nesc ience {avidya)of w hich it is said th atbecause of nescience formatives {samskdra)ar ise ?2Nescience genera l ly means s imply not knowing someth ingor jus t a s ta te of unk no w ing . H ow ever , w i th in the t rad i t ions ofBuddhism, th is nesc ience i s no t a mere absence of knowing or

105


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106 J IABSV OL.9N O. 1an absence of a t rue unders tanding , bu t ra ther the cont rary ofor incom pat ib le to t rue u nd er s ta nd ing . I t is jus t as un t ru th fu l ness does no t mean a mere absence of speaking the t ru th bu tra ther a speaking someth ing which i s the oppos i te of the t ru th ,i .e . , ly ing, or jus t as the un fr iendl ine ss betw een two p erso nsdoes not mean a mere absence of fr iendl iness but rather theopposite of friendliness, i .e. , their enmity. Thus, i t is stated inth e Abhidharmakosa, Ne scien ce is a qua li ty wh ich is a con tra ryto unders tanding , l ike un t ru thfu l , inamicable , e tc . , 3 Likewise,th ePramarpavattika says, . . . bec aus e i t is a co ntr ar y to k no w ing ,an d becau se it is a pe rce pt io n u n d e r the inf luence of a secon darym e n t a l c o m p o n e n t {caitta), nescience is a wro ng perc eiving . 4In an sw erin g the quest io n, W hat is nescience? , th ePratityasamutpada-vibhanga-nirdesa-sutra say s,

Not knowing the limits of the past, and not knowing the limitsof the f u tu r e .. . not knowing actions a nd their ma turations . . . not knowing misery, and not know ing itsgenesis . . . and not know ing cause . . . and not know ing virtueand nonvirtue, and not knowing transgression and nontransgres-sion, and the to-be-cultivated and the not-to-be-cultivated. . . etc. . . .5

On the surface, the sut ra seems to be s ignifying a mereabsence of knowing the past , future, cause and effect , the fourt r u t h s , good and evi l , e tc . However, the commentaries , l ikeAsariga'sAbhidharmasamuccayaa n d V a s u b a n d h u ' s Pratityasamut-pada-vibhanga-nirdesa r ight ly explain the sut ra ' s real meaning ofnot kno w ing as that kind of no t kno w ing which falsely m isapprehends these ob jec t s . Thus , genera l ly speaking , nesc ience refers to a secondary mental condi t ion, or caitta, which becauseof its na tu ra l de lus ion m isap pre he nd s i ts own pr op er ob jec t.Nescience m ay furth er be subdiv ided from the poin t of viewof the two t ruths(satya dvaya) in to a perverse mispercept ion ofconventional objects l ike cause and effect , etc. , and a perversemispercept ion of the ul t imate real i ty of no-self.H er e, the form er, nescience in gene ral , is cal led in th eAbhidharmakoia a ground of enormous af f l i c t ion (klesa) becauseit is a co nc om itant of every s ingle affl ic t ing m en tal m o m e n t 6and consequent ly i t may be presen t to bo th sense percept ionand to mental consciousness .


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PRATITYASAMUTPADA 107The l a t t e r , on the o th e r ha nd , becauseit is the g r a s p e r ofa self, is presen t on ly in menta l consc iousness ,but not in sensep e r c e p t i o n . H e r e , theA bhidharmakosa says:In the desire realms (kdmadhdtu), attachment should be knownasa concomitant of all the six consciousnesses. Nescience also,like attachm ent, should beunderstoodto be so.7

M o r e o v e r , all the schools of B u d d h i s m , b o t h u p p e r andlower , agree that the nescience which binds sent ient beings tosarnsara and which is the r o o t of all the other afflictions, likea t t a c h m e n t , etc., is the inna te g ra sp ing of m e and m i n e orthe nescience which is a m ispe rcep t ion of the reality of no-self(nairdtmya). On this ,the Pramdnavdrttika says:All these evils originate from a (false) view of the perishableaggregates. Thisisnescience. From this (nescience), attachmentarises,and from this (attachment), aversionand thelike arise.8

Likewise , Nagarjuna s ta tes in the Ratnavali:As long asonegraspstheaggregates,solong will one ap pre he ndanI. Ifthereis thegraspingof an I,there is action (karma),andfrom that (action) again there isbirth.9

In theM adhyamakdvatdra, Candrak l r t i says :O n seeing with true discernm ent th at without exception th e afflic-tors and their ills arise from a (false) view of the perishableaggregates,theyogin,byutilizing the self sanobject, will nullifythe self.10

Also,I prostrate myselftocompassion forthose who , likethe turningofawater wheel,goth roug h sarnsara involuntarily, first becom ing fond of a self called I and creating attachments tothingscalled mine. 11

T s o n g kha pa, one of the g rea t Madhyam ikas of Tibet saysin hisPraiseofDependent Origination:


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108 J I A BSV O L.9N O . 1Nescience is the roo t of whatever m isfortune the reisin the world.D epe ndent origination is taug ht to be that by the seeing of whichone brings about a reversal.

Like this , one might go on quot ing s imilar passages f rom theBuddhis t su t ras and commentar ies fo r a very long t ime.T h u s , for reasons al ready ment ioned above, that nesciencewhich is the fi rs t of the twelve co m po ne nts of d ep en d en t or iginat ion may be def ined s imply as a mental component which isde lusio n as to reali ty and which is a pr im e mo tiva tor of a see din gact ion (karma) .In the T ibeta n l i t e ra ture dea l ing wi th the sub jec t, a nu m be rof in terest ing discussions ar ise. For example, the Abhidhar-masamuccayaof Asariga stat es:

Delusion (moha) is twofold: delusion as to the r ipenin g of a result,and delusion as to the real. On account of delusion as to theripening of a result, unmeritorious actions are accumulated. Onaccount of delusion as to the real, meritorious and immutable(acala) actions are accumulated.12T h u s , i t is s tated tha t unw ho leso m e act ions are impel led bynescience as to cause an d ef fect. I sn ' t th is s tate m en t the n incon sistent with the ab ove definit ion of nesc ience as de lusio n as tothe real which is a motivator of a seeding action? On closeex am ina t ion , the re is actually no inconsis tency he re, for Asa hga 'ss ta tement about the impuls ion of unmer i to r ious ac t ions by delusion as to cause and effect is made from the point of view ofthe motivat ion which is synchronic with the act ionitself.O n theother hand, i t is from the point of view of a primary causalm otivat ion tha t he explains the nescienc e which is delu sion asto the real , i .e. , the nescience which grasps a self and which isthe m otivato r of a see ding k arm a. I t is , m ore ov er , ju s t th is pr i ma ry causal motiva t ion w hich is the actual imp el ler of the act ion,w here as th e synch ronic m otivat ion is mainly the t rain of ideat ionwhich occurs s imultaneously with the act ions . This kind ofA bh id ha rm a discussion is of ten ra th er diff icult to re n d er in toEngl ish brief ly in an easily un de rs ta nd ab le way. T h e im po r there is that Asariga's two statements are from the point of viewof two diffe rent m od es of causali ty, an d we are lef t with d elu sion


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PRATITYASAMUTPADA 109as to th e real as th at ne scien ce wh ich is th e nescien ce signifiedby the f irs t of the twelve components .

/ / . SamskdraThe second component of the cycle is variously called theformat ive (samskdra)of de pe nd en t o r ig ina t ion o r fo rma t ive action (samskdra-karma). Like nescience, a formative action is am e n ta l c om pone n t , o r caitta. It is a thrust, or proclivity, or inclina t ion , o r impulse (cetand). Generally speaking, i t is an impulse

which is motivated by nescience and which projects or seedsthat future l ife which is i ts own proper projectory or target . I ti s threefold: a mer i tor ious ac t which seeds a b i r th among thefor tuna te t r ansmigran ts in the des i re r ea lms (kdmadhdtu); anun m er i to r io us ac t which seeds a b i r th am on g the un for tu na tet ransmigrants of the des i re rea lm; and th i rdly , an acala karma,or act which is immutable as to i ts outcome and which seeds abir th among the t ransmigrants in the two higher rea lms, i . e . ,the rea lms of form and of no-form.Ag ain, this form ative action is often ex pla ine d as tw ofold,i . e . , impulse ac t ion and ga ther ing ac t ion. ' s Here, it is said inth e Abhidharmasamuccaya, W ha t is act ion (karm a)? It is im pu lseac t ion and ga ther ing ac t ion, for th is i s the epi tome of ac t ion. 1 4Also, in the Abhidharmakosa, Im pu lse is a m enta l ac tion, andfrom this there develops bodily and vocal act ion. 1 0 H e r e ,m oreo ver , im pu lse ac t ion is a m enta l ac t ion, wh ereas g a th er in gaction is ex pla ine d as bodily an d vocal act ion . T h e Vaibhasikaand Prasar ig ika Madhyamika schools of Buddhis t thought re gard th is ga ther ing ac t ion of body and speech as corporea l . TheSautrant ika , Yogacara , and Sva tantr ika Madhyamika schools ,on th e ot he r ha n d, accept it a s a m enta l com po ne nt wh ich occurstogether with the activi ty of body and speech.

In the Sdlisambhava-sutra, the Buddha e xp la in s samskdrabyway of analogy with causation in the external world. The accum ula t io n of seedin g ac t ions re fe rs to the p la nt in g of the w holesome and unwholesome seeds which projec t the b i r ths of sent ient be ings in any of the for tu na t e or unf or tu na te rea lms respect ively by the power of the nescience (avidyd) which grasps aself.H er e , the me an ing of to projec t a b i r th is to cause whatev er


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110 J IA B S V O L. 9 N O . 1birth occurs to occur modal ly, as that kind of sent ient beingwh o is bo rn whe n the seed ing cause enco un te rs the ap pro pr i a t egerminat ive condi t ions such as craving (tr ria),a p p ro p r i a t i o n{upadana), etc . I t i s analogous to a farmer 's plant ing at the veryou tset the variou s kinds ofseeds ,such as rice, w he at, barley , etc.T his seed ing ac t ion is accu m ula ted by every k ind of c om m onindiv idual (prthagjana) but i s not accumula ted by the aryan , orBu dd his t sa in t , for by the pow er of the aryan ' s d i rec t p erc ept io nof the reali ty of no-self, the potent ia l of accumula t ing seedingact ion bec om es qui te debi l i ta ted , even t ho ug h th er e still rem ainsa re sid uu m of a subt le self-grasping . I t is ju st as, in a st rug gle,a weak person does not defea t a powerfu l one . Here , Nagar junasays, T o on e wh o sees the t ru th th ere is no sowing. T o o newho is free of craving there is no rebirth . 1 6

In the l i fe of the aryan, there is no fresh accumulat ion ofseeding ac t ion , even though the potent ia l s of previous seedingactions sown formerly while that being was st i l l in the stages oford inary indiv idual i ty are aroused f rom dormancy by germinat ive ac t ion and craving . 1 6 a From the s tages of the a t ta inment ofthe aryan pa th up to the achievement of a rhantsh ip , sarnsar icbirth st i l l occurs under the power of action and affl ictors, foras is taught in the above, each and every sarnsaric bir th mustbe rouse d f rom la tency by germ inat ive ac tion an d the m ois tureof craving.

T h u s , even though seeding ac t ions have been accumula ted ,unless they are aroused f rom dormancy by the threecraving ,app rop r i a t ion , and becom ing they will no t p ro du ce reb i r th insam sara , ju s t as a dry seed w i thout m ois ture wi ll no t pr od uc e asp ro u t . Th e re fo re , N a g a r j u n a ' s Pratityasamutpadahr,daya says,Fo r o n e w ho is free from crav ing th er e is n o reb irth , for withthe a t ta i nm en t of a rha nts h ip th ere is the rea liza t ion of n i rvan aand the eradica t ion of reb i r th in samsara .

Again , ac t ions are threefo ld : seeding ac t ions , germinat iveact ions , an d com ple t ing ac t ions . By a seeding ac t ion , jus t thena tu r e which may be r ipened is m ad e to em erg e . By a ge rm inat ive act ion, the actual r ip en in g is m ad e to occu r. By a com ple t ingact ion, th e life which is m ad e to arise by see ding an d ge rm inat iv eact ions is furnished with i ts individual pecul iari t ies of fortuneand misfor tune . On th is , the Abhidharmakosa says, O n e life issown by a single seeding act ion, but i t has many complet ingac t ions . 1 7


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PRATITYASAMUTPADA 111T h u s , four possibil i t ies of birth in samsara may be discussedwi th respect to wh olesom e an d unw hole som e seeding an d fin ishing act ions. First , both seeding and complet ing act ions arewholesome, as in the birth of dei t ies and the most fortunate ofhumans. Secondly , both are unwholesome, as in the b i r ths ofthe three unfor tunate rea lms. Thi rd ly , seeding ac t ion i s wholesome, whereas comple t ing ac t ions are unwholesome, as in ins tances of the b i r ths of humans whose l ives are impover ished ,ai l ing and short . Final ly , seeding act ion is unwholesome,whereas complet ing act ion is wholesome, as in the instances ofth e births of anim als who l ive as pets in ease and com fort u n d e rsomeone's loving care.

/ / / . VijndnaT h e th i rd com po nen t o f the cyc le o f de pe nd en t o r ig ina t ionis con sciou sne ss, an d i t is ex pla ine d as twofold: as a co nsc ious nes sat the t ime of the cause, or a causal consciousness, and as a

con sciou snes s at th e t ime of th e effect , or an effect con scio usn ess.Here, a causal consciousness refers to the prime consciousnesson which is f ixed the impression deposi ted by a seeding act ion.Whenever e i the r a who lesome o r an unwholesome seed ing ac t ion is done, i ts impression or seed has to cont inue on withoutin terrupt ion f rom the t ime of the las t moment of the ac t ionunt i l the t ime of the r ipening of the seed of that act ion. Thekind of consciousnes s which is the dep osi to ry o r ke ep er of th eseed is a causal consciousness.When, then , the impress ion or seed r ipens and g ives r i seto som e sort of bir th la ter on, tha t f irst m o m e n t of co nsciousn essbecoming conjoined with a l i fe in a mother ' s womb is what ismeant by an effect consciousness. According to the Yogacarins,this kind of causal and effect consciousness is dlayavijndna, o rfoundat ion consciousness. In the systems of both the Vaibhasikaand the Sautrant ika, as wel l as in those of the Madyamika, i t i sa stabler sort of mental consciousness, or manovijnana.IV. Ndmarupa

T h e n a m e / f o r m (ndmarupa) of the cycle of dependent origi-


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112 JIAB SV OL .9NO . Ina t ion is the four th co m po ne nt . Very roug hly spe aking , it corresponds to what in the non-Buddhis t sys tems might be ca l ledbody and soul , or a t least a phase of i t . Buddhism, of course ,avoids such a label because i t is referr ing specif ically to a tempora l or deve lopmenta l phase of a mul t ip le composi te . We maytake the example of a human l i fe . From the t ime of a consciousness ' f i r s t union wi th an embryo in the mother ' s womb up tothe t ime of the evolvement of the s ix sense organs, the f ivepsycho-physica l aggrega testhe f ive skandhas of Buddhismare a l ready present . Among these f ive , the body, cons is t ing ofthe mixed paren ta l b lood an d sem en, is des ig na ted form,whereas the remaining four menta l aggrega tes as they exis t inth is deve lopm enta l pe r iod a r e des igna ted na m e because theyform a basis or referent for naming.

All the schools of Buddhism accept that in the realms ofdes i re an d of form th ere is bo th na m e an d form. Ho wev er ,som e of these schools accept tha t corpo rei ty is ent i re ly abs entin the realm of no-form (arupyadhdtu), and for these there existsonly name, or the four noncorporea l aggrega tes in the formlessrea lm. On the o ther hand, the o thers accept tha t whereas thereis n o gross body in the formless realm , the re is no ne the less anext remely subt le corpore i ty . For these , both the name and formare present even in the formless realm. Such dif ferences notwithstanding, for the Buddhist schools the pr incipal basis orpr im ary re fe rent wh ich is be ing des ign a ted by na m es like sent ient be in g, l if e, pers on , persona l i ty , e tc . , a re the fourmenta l aggrega tes and not form or body.

V. o4dyatanaThe s ix sense organs (sa4ayatana)of the cycle of d ep en d en tor iginat ion is the f i f th component . Again, we can look a t ahuman l i fe as the example . Dur ing the per iod of ges ta t ion inthe m oth er ' s wo m b, the sense org an s dev e lop gradua l ly in s tages.T h u s , the six sense org an s re fe rs to the dev e lop m en ta l pha se

f rom the t ime of the comple t ion of the evolvement of the senseorgans up to the drawing toge ther of objec t , organ, and consciousnessalbei t in a dif fuse mannerup to the t ime of thede ve lop m en t of the capabil ity of ex pe r ienc ing an objec t as a t t rac -


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PRA TITY ASAM UTPAD A 3tive, una t t r ac t ive , o r neu t ra l . Buddhism d is t ingu ishes fourmodes of bir th: from a womb (l ike humans); from an egg ( l ikebirds); from warmth and moisture ( l ike certa in insects) ; and bya miraculous bir th ( l ike gods) . In instances of the three formerkinds of bir th, the sense organs are sa id to develop in s tages.In instances of divine bir th as well as bir th in the intermediatesta te {antarabhava,bardo),i t is sa id th at t h er e is no gra du al evolve-ment of the sense organs but that they occur wholely and a l l a tonce . Thus , wi th the comple t ion of name and form, an essent ia laspec t of embodiment is rea l ized. Next , wi th the comple t ion ofthe organs of sense the specif ic physical propert ies of such embodiment a re rea l ized , and the reby the phys ica l componentsbecome ut i l izable ins t ruments .

VI. SparsaCon ta c t (sparsa) is the s ix th co m po ne nt . Th is contac t depen ds on the mee t in g o r d raw ing tog e the r o f the th re e , an o u te r

objec t of cogni t ion, an inner sense organ, and a moment ofconsc iousness o r cogni t ion . In de pe nd en ce on th i s m ee t in g th e rearises the capacity to utilize fluctuations of the object-field interm s of a t tractiv enes s , and neu tra l i ty , an d this is con tact . Sixkinds of con tact are dis t i ng uis he d: tact ile , visual, au dit ory , olfactory , gus ta tory , and menta l .

VII. VedanaFeel ing {vedana) is the seventh component of the cycle ofde pe nd en t o r ig ina t ion . Th is fee ling is the appe a ran ce o f anypleasant , disagreeable , or indifferent feeling consis tent with therealiza tion by co nta ct of th e thr eefo ld fluctuation of th e objectf ie ld. This is s imply to say that on encountering an a t tractiveobjec t there a r ises a p leasant fee l ing; on encounte r ing an una t

t rac tive objec t th ere is a d isagreea ble fee l ing; and on en co un te r ing a ne ut ra l object the feeling is on e of indifferen ce. T h u s,con tact is th e object s ide of ex pe rie nc e, an d feeling is th e subjects ide , on the la t te r of which the r ipe nin g of ac t ion (karm a) pr im ari ly occurs . Consequent ly , when these two a re comple ted, then


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114 J IABSVOL.9NO.1the full potentiality of e x p e r i e n c in g isa lso com ple ted .

From nesc ience up to here cons t i tu tes one set of c o m p o n e n t s of the cycle of d e p e n d e n t o r i g i n a t i o n , i.e., a causal sequence wh ich is based on seeding ac t ion . From the po in t ofview of the cause of seeding ac t ion , there is a threefold seriesof causes consistingofnescience, formatives ,and consciousness .F r o m the po in t of view of the effect or the resul t sown, thereisthe fourfold series consistingofn a m eand fo rm,the six senseorgans , contac t , and feeling.

IntheSdlisambhava-sutra,lH theseareexp la inedon theana l ogyof the p r o d u c t i o n of a c rop . Thus nesc ience is c o m p a r a b l eto the f a r m e r who sowsa field, formatives or formative act ionto the field itself, and consciousness to the seed sown, fromwhich arises the s p r o u t of n a m e and form. Similarly, from thepo in t of view of the causes which are the sower of a bir th ,nesc ienceis thesower bec auseit is thepr im e m over of an ac t ion .T h e n , j u s t as from the field various good and bad c rops arepro du ce d , f rom act ion a lso th er eis ap r o d u c t i o nofvar ious gooda n d bad matu ra t ion r esu l t s , and so these act ions are like thef ield , and consciousness , because it con ta ins the po ten t i a l top r o d u c e the fruit of ac t ion , is like the seed . Thus , wi th theset h r e e are c o m p l e t e d the principal causeson wh i c h d e p e n d thesowingof a samsaric bir th or life that willnot be u n t o u c h e d bymisery.T h e s a m e is the case with regard to the p r o d u c t i o n of thesamsaric resul t . From the p o i n t of viewof the g e n u sor typeofbir th , this isj u s t n a m e and form or theactual izat ionof the fiveskandhas . From the po in t of viewof the further specificsof thelife, t h e r e is the body and the r a n g e of e x p e r i e n c e . Of these ,the body iss u b s u m e dby the sixsense o rgan s ,and the r a n g eofe x p e r i e n c ebycon tact to ge th er with feel ing,thefo rm er r e fe r r ingto the ob jec t ive exper ience componen t and the lat ter to thesub jec t ive componen t . In t h i s m a n n e r , the resu l t or that whichhas been sewn into samsara may be exp la ined as fourfold.

VIII. Tr naT h e e igh th com po nen t is c r av ing{tr^rpa).InBu ddh ism , crav -


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PRATITYASAMUTPADA 115in g in g e n e r a l isseen asthreefo ld : des i re-crav ing ,as in wishingto mee t wi th happ ines s ; apprehens ion -c rav ing as in wish ing toavoid them ise rab le ; and exis tent ial-cravingas in bein g covert lya t t ached to one 's body and bases of per sona l i ty . Here , as theeighth component of the cycle of dependent or ig ina t ion , c rav ingis particularly the craving which spr ings f rom the exper ienc ingof feeling which is the matu re f ru i t of a seed sown in previouslife and which f i rs t awakens from dormancy the seeds or p r o pensi t ies sown by a seeding ac t ion . On a c c o u n t of this lattercharacter is t ic , craving ini t ia tes a series of germinat ive causes .

IX. UpadanaT h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n {upadana) of the cycle of d e p e n d e n tor ig ina t ion is the n in th componen t . Th i s r e fe r s to the a t t ach men t wh ich g rea t ly augmen tstheabove crav ingand s t r eng thensand assists the actual izat ion of the po tency of a p ropens i tydepos i ted by a seeding ac t ion . Four k inds of a p p r o p r i a t i o n are

d is t ingu i shed : appropr ia t ion by d e s i r e ; a p p r o p r i a t i o n by falsev iews; appro pr ia t io nby ape rcep t ion of aself; and a p p r o p r i a t i o nby false ethicsand false religious activity. Examplesoftheseareas follows: of the first, desire for a t t rac t ive shapes and sounds ,a n d for life; of the s e c o n d , a t t a c h m e n t to bad views, with theexcep t ion of the wrong v iew which grasps a self; of the th i rd ,the wrong v iew which grasps a self; and finally, the four th isa t t a c h m e n t to worthless systemsof ethicsand to worthless rel i g ious me thods and dut ies .

X. BhavaT h e t e n th c o m p o n e n tofth e cycleofd e p e n d e n t o r ig i n a ti o nis a m o d e of exis tence {bhava).The p rev ious two,craving andappropr ia t ion , have a l r eady a roused f rom dormancy and

s t r e n g t h e n e d the procl ivi ty deposi tedby a seeding ac t ion .Now,t h e r e is a fur ther germinat ive ac t ion which ac tua l izes a fu turelife,and this act ion, which s traightaway withoutan i n t e r r u p t i o nor in tervent ionof any other l i fe actual ly br ings aboutthe fu turelife, iscal led exis tenc e or m o d e of exis tence {bhava).Again ,


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116 J I A B S V O L . 9 N O . 1using th e ana log ue of extern al causa t ion, th is is ju s t as wa rm th,mois ture and a l l the o ther necessary causes r ipen and condi t iona seed so that a sprout i s s t raightaway produced wi thout theseed 's ly ing dormant for any longer period of t ime.T h u s , to accomplish the product ion of a samsaric bi r th ,there is a need for two dis t inct ive periods of causat ion, both aperiod of seeding and a period of germinat ion, or of actual izat ion. These two kinds of act ion are l ike father and mother , andeach period requires a complete set of aff l ic tors coupled wi thaction . For the pe rio d of see din g cau ses, nesc ience is th e afflictorand format ives are the act ion. For the period of germinat ive oractual izing causes , both craving and appropriat ion are the aff l ictors , and exis tence, or mode of exis tence, i s the act ion. Here,N aga rjun a says, T h e f irst, e ig hth , an d ninth are affl ic tors . T h esecond and ten th are ac t ion . 1 9 Likewise, Vasubandhu s tates inthe Abhidharmakosa, T h er e are thre e affl ic tors and two act i ons . 2 0

General ly speaking, th is exis tence (bhava) an d sarnsara, orthe round of suf fer ing ex i s tences , a re synonyms. When onesubdiv ides them, there are four subper iods cons t i tu t ing theround of exis tence, i .e . , in termediate exis tence, natal exis tence,pre-death ex i s tence , and dying ex i s tence . The f i r s t per iod , o rin ter m ed ia te ex i s tence , is the per iod be tw een th e dy ing ex i s tenceof the former l i fe and the natal experience of this l i fe . Thesecon d p erio d is ju s t the fi rs t m o m en t of co nc ep t ion in th em othe r ' s wo m b. T h e th i rd is f rom the m om en t im med ia te lyfol lowing the f i rs t moment of concept ion to the moment jus tbefore de a th . T h e four th is the ac tua l m om en t of dea th .

XI. JdtiThe e l even th component of de pe nd en t or ig ina t ion is b i r th ,which here in the cycle of the twelve designates the state of thematura ted f ive aggregates a t the moment when by the force ofthe above mode of exis tence they f i rs t become conjoined in

bir th . Buddhism explains the places of samsaric bi r th as fourfold, i .e . , womb bir th , egg bi r th , heat and mois ture bi r th , andmagical creat ion bi r th . Denizens of the hel ls , dei t ies , and thebeings of the intermediate s tate are only magical ly born. Pretas


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PRA TIT Y AS AM UTP AD A 7are genera l ly m agica lly born , a l tho ug h so m e are said to be w om bborn. Men and animals are sa id to share a l l four places of bir th.H e r e , t he Abhidharmakosa says, A m on g th e fou r places of thebir ths of sentient beings, bir th from eggs, e tc . , men and animalsshare the four. Hell denizens, deit ies , and the beings of theinte rmedia te s ta te a re magica l ly born. Pre tas a re born f rom thewomb a l so . 2 1

XII. JaramaranaT h e twe lf th co m po ne nt is age (jam) a nd de a th {marana).From the second moment o f b i r th un t i l dea th , the now ma tur a ted f ive aggregates become older and older , and this aspect ofthe i rs i s the age ing of the cyc le of dependent or ig ina t ion. Thedes t ruc t ion of the cont inuum of the seemingly ident ica l individual is what is signified as death in the cycle. The two arecounted as one , s ince dea th may occur wi thout the whi te ha i r ,wr inkles , e tc ., which a re convent iona l ly un de rs to od by the p roc

ess of ageing. Also, the sorrow, lamentation, misery, despair ,and anguish , even though they a re expla ined as the concomitants of o ld age and dea th , a re not reckoned as separa te f romthe twelf th component, for the s imilar reason that these do notinevitably ar ise in every experiencing of the death of the l ifewhich was born from action and aff l ic tors , for there are somewh o , l ike monks who mainta in an exce l lence of ilia, die withthe ir minds and bodies a t ease . Nonethe less , these a re taughttoge ther wi th o ld age and dea th in order to show the objec t ion-ableness of bir th in samsara .

W ith this we com e to the end of o u r abbrevia ted descr ip t ionof the twelve co m po ne nt s of the cycle of de pe n d en t or ig ina t ion.Many essentials remain yet to be set forth, for the cycle ofthe twelve components does not come to l ife unti l one looks a tthe i r t radi t iona l gro up ing s and dis t r ibut ion s as causes an d effects. Some of the major of these pa t te rns of causa t ion needespecia l ly to be looked a t , in part icular: their grouping into aseeding cause and effect and a germinative cause and effect;into a threefold, afflictors (klesa),actions (karma), and miseries{dutpkha)', in to th e realities of m isery an d its gen esis; an d finally


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118 J I A B S V O L . 9 N O . 1into se ts of one and two l ives. Thus, these twelve are var iouslyseen to form a cycle of causal genesis which perpetual ly renewsitself. Moreover , for Buddhism, there exists the possibi l i ty ofthe cycle 's being stopped by the ext i rpat ion of the nescience bywhich i t is p er pe tu at ed . Th es e are subjects which I h o p e to beable to t reat a t some l i t t le length a t another t ime.

N O T E S1. This paper i s a cont inua t ion of a t rea tment of the subjec t of depen

dent or ig ina t ion (pratltya samutpdda) or ig ina lly be gu n in T he Tib e tan Wheelof Life: Ic onogra phy a n d D ox ogra p hy , J IA BS V ol . 7 , N o . 1 , pp . 12 5-1 45 . Itwas del ivere d a t the IA BS Co nfe ren ce a t Bolo gna , I taly in Ju ly of 19 85. 1wish to than k E lvin W. Jo ne s for his l i terary and edi toria l assis tance.2. Tibetan Tripitaka, Peking Edition (TTPE) ed . D .T. Suzuki (Tokyo-Kyoto, 1957), v. 34, p. 306. Also, see my transla t ion in JIABS Vol . 7, No. 1,p p . 1 3 7 - 1 4 0 .3. T T P E , v. 115, p. 119.4. TTPE, v . 130, p . 87 .5. TTPE, v . 34 , p . 306.6. E.g. , Delusion [i .e ., nescie nce], heed lessn ess, lack of fai th, m enta lsloth and fascinat ion are a lways pre sen t to an afflic ted m ind . T T P E , v. 115,

p. 118.7 . Tibe tan Tr ip i taka , sDe dge edi t ion , prese rved a t the Facul ty of Le t te rs Univers i ty of Tokyo fTTDG) (Tokyo, 1980) .8.TTPE v.130 p.81.9.TTPE v.129 p.174.10.TIPE v.98 p.104.11.TTPE v.98 p.100.12.TTDG v.12 p.43.13 . Im pu lse ac t ion and ga th er in g ac t ion a re a f ree t rans la t ion , orra the r a pa ra phra se , o f sems pa'i las a n d b sam pai las respect ively.14 . T T D G , v. 12, p . 43 .15. T T P E , v. 115, p. 120.16 . TTPE, v . 120, p . 302.16a. Having a lready ident i f ied an important dist inct ion between act ions(and l ikewise causes) as seed ing and g erm inat i ve , we co nt in ue to ident ify thesedis t inc t ions ana logica l ly as seedin g and ge rm ina t ing ra t he r than use them ore com m on projec t ing an d ac tua l iz ing , which l it e ra lly t rans la te 'phen

byedkyilasa n d 'grub byed kyilas respectively.17. T T P E , v . 115, p . 122.18 . TTPE, v . 34 , p . 305.19 . T T P E , v. 115, p. 119.20 . T F P E , v . 115, p . 119.


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PRA TiTYASAM U TPADA 92 1 . Pretas are general ly said to be born magical ly , however, in theAbhidharma system some are sa id to be born f rom the womb, and th i s i s them ea nin g of the a l so .

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