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Dependent Origination (`paṭiccasamuppādo`)

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Dependent Origination

paṭiccasamuppādaṃ (dependent origination, or the chain of causes, or causal co-arising) is allegedly the thought process that led to the Buddha’s liberation (from suffering), or ‘awakening’. The concept is the central thesis and core of the Buddha’s teachings and basis for the soteriology.

Dependent Origination (paṭiccasamuppādo)

Section titled “Dependent Origination (paṭiccasamuppādo)”

3. “And what, Bhikkhave, is paṭiccasamuppādo (dependent origination)?

  • With avijjā (ignorance) as cause, Bhikkhave, saṅkhārā (mental constructions) [arise];
  • with mental constructions as cause, viññāṇaṃ (consciousness) [arises];
  • with consciousness as cause, nāmarūpaṃ (phenomenal objects) [arise];
  • with phenomenal objects as cause, saḷāyatanaṃ (the six sense bases) [arise];
  • with the six sense bases as cause, phasso (contact) [arises];
  • with contact as cause, vedanā (feeling) [arises];
  • with feeling as cause, taṇhā (craving) [arises];
  • with craving as cause, upādānaṃ (fuel for existence: the will to live) [arises];
  • with fuel as cause, bhavo (existence of a false perception of an eternal independent “self” (atta)) [arises];
  • with existence as cause, jāti (birth of suffering) [arises];
  • with birth as cause, jarāmaraṇaṃ (ageing and death), sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure and despair come into being.

Thus is the origin of this whole mass of dukkha (suffering). This, Bhikkhave, is called dependent origination.

4. But

  • with the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of mental constructions;
  • with the cessation of mental constructions comes the cessation of consciousness;
  • with the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of phenomenal objects;
  • with the cessation of phenomenal objects comes the cessation of the six sense bases;
  • with the cessation of the six sense bases comes the cessation of contact;
  • with the cessation of contact comes the cessation of feeling;
  • with the cessation of feeling comes the cessation of craving;
  • with the cessation of craving comes the cessation of fuel for existence;
  • with the cessation of fuel comes the cessation of existence (constructed self);
  • with the cessation of existence comes the cessation of the birth (of suffering);
  • with the cessation of birth, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure and despair cease.

Thus is the cessation of this whole mass of suffering.” This the Bhagavā said. Those bhikkhū, delighted, rejoiced in the Bhagavā’s words.

7D/2.1 Paṭiccasamuppāda:

  • hetu (root, cause, reason, condition)
  • nidānaṃ (cause, ground, underlying and determining factor)
  • samudayo (rise, origin)
  • paccayo (support, requirement, reason, cause, ground, motive, means, condition)

The phenomenological framework of dependent origination

Section titled “The phenomenological framework of dependent origination”

At its heart paṭiccasamuppādaṃ is a phenomenological framework. Our perception of the world around us (and our concept of “reality”) is formed from our experiences and our perception of “phenomena” through our senses (and also imagined by our minds).

Therefore our viññāṇaṃ (consciousness and sense of “identity” or “self”) is “constructed” and ephemeral, and based on the aggregation of saṅkhārā (mental constructions). Furthermore, we are unaware or ignorant of the “constructed” or transient nature of our consciousness, and hence avijjā (ignorance) is the starting point of this chain of dependencies.

Cause Description
avijjā a lack of clarity regarding the nature of one’s own experience and nature of “reality”
saṅkhārā mental constructions, conditioned patterns of thought and volition, past experiences, mental states, ideas, thoughts, perceptions, biases, prejudices.
viññāṇa moment-to-moment consciousness, that results in our “personality” and sense of identity
nāmarūpa a collection of sensed “forms” that can be “named”, leading to a “subject-object duality” - separation between ourselves and the external world
saḷāyatana our experience of these forms through the six sense bases – the faculties of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking
phassa “contact” or “interface” between sense base, object, and consciousness
vedanā our resultant reaction or feeling to that contact – pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral
taṇhā craving or aversion – a reactive desire for pleasant feelings to continue or unpleasant ones to cease
upādāna our attachment to craving acts as a source or “fuel” to a survival instinct or “will to live”
bhava the process of perpetuating these patterns and the sense of an ongoing self caught within them
jāti the “birth” or arising of suffering
jarāmaraṇa (ageing and death), understood here as the decay and cessation inherent in all conditioned phenomena
dukkha the associated emotional and psychological dissatisfaction and suffering: sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair

From the above analysis, our ignorance of the ephemeral and conditioned nature of our consciousness is what ultimately leads to dukkha, which is a general dissatisfaction and unease regarding the nature of our existence. We crave what we cannot have: permanence, comfort and stability, but our sense of “self” is impermanent, perennially uncomfortable and unstable.

Therefore, armed with the knowledge of the above, we can dispel our ignorance and cease the production of non-optimal mental constructions; the entire phenomenological structure then collapses, and in this way we will no longer experience dukkha.

This was what the Buddha experienced, which led to “the bliss of liberation” and allowed him to dispel “Māra’s army” (Māra is the personification of all the accumulated sub-optimal factors that have clouded his consciousness and created craving, attachment and ultimately suffering).

The relationship between ignorance, our constructed sense of self, and existence

Section titled “The relationship between ignorance, our constructed sense of self, and existence”

Some have been perplexed by the specific ordering of the chain of causes in the dependent origination links. Why is avijjā (ignorance) the start of the chain? Why does bhava (existence) come before jāti (birth)? Others have speculated that the 12 links correspond to three “lives” (our previous life, our current life, and our next life).

A simpler explanation, aligned to the Buddha’s concept of the constructed or generated sense of “self”, is to understand that the specific sequence or order of “cessations” is crucial in order to achieve “liberation” from dukkha (suffering).

Working backwards from suffering:

  • Why is there dukkha (suffering)?
  • Because of jarāmaraṇa (ageing and death).
  • But ageing and death are just physical processes. The “universe” does not “suffer” simply because individuals age and die. So “suffering” is jāti (“born”: arises in our minds) - it is “constructed”. “Suffering” is a concept that only exists in our minds.
  • How is suffering constructed? Because bhava (we exist), or rather, we have a sense of “self” that exists. “To live is to suffer”. We “suffer” from “ageing and death” because we are fearful of the thought of our bodies decaying and eventually dying, thus losing our “self”. Our sense of “self” is like a fire burning, and fire needs a “fuel”.
  • Where does this sense of “self” come from? It is also “constructed”, it is an upādāna (fuel) formed by our will to live, our “survival instinct”.
  • Where does this “fuel” (will to live) come from? It comes from our taṇhā (“craving” or “desire”) to continue to exist, to continue to have a sense of “self”.
  • Where does this “craving” come from? It comes from our vedanā (feelings) - the “fear” of losing one’s “self” or being disadvantaged in life.
  • Where do feelings come from? They come from our phassa (contact) with the world around us, which is mediated by our saḷāyatana (six sense bases). We construct a “world of experience” based on identification of nāmarūpa (phenomenal objects).
  • How are these phenomenal objects and our “world of experience” constructed? They are constructed by our viññāṇa (consciousness) which is based on our saṅkhārā (mental constructions).
  • We are in avijjā (ignorance) of the above chain of causes, and hence we are ignorant of the constructed nature of our sense of “self”.

In order to eliminate suffering, we don’t necessarily deconstruct our sense of “self”. Rather, we dispel or eliminate our ignorance that our sense of self is constructed. Hence ignorance has to be the start of the chain of causes:

  • By dispelling ignorance, we understand that our sense of “self” is constructed and ephemeral.
  • Therefore, we understand our mental constructions are part of this constructed sense of “self” and we can control what we generate, and more importantly, not generate. In particular, we can avoid generating mental constructions that lead to suffering.
  • Our consciousness can also be controlled, and in particular by avoiding the generation of mental constructions that lead to suffering, suffering no longer is a part of our consciousness.
  • Therefore, we avoid generating or considering phenomenal objects that lead to suffering.
  • By avoiding phenomenal objects that lead to suffering, we avoid generating or considering the six sense bases, the contact, the feelings, the craving, the fuel, the sense of self that ultimately lead to suffering. Therefore our existence no longer includes suffering.
  • Suffering is no longer “born” (arises within us).
  • Therefore, we are liberated from suffering and we no longer “suffer”.

This does not imply a nihilistic interpretation or non-existence. We are not avoiding the world or our experiences; we are simply avoiding the generation of mental constructions that lead to suffering. We are not “non-existent”; we are simply not generating suffering.

Implications on “meditation” and “kamma”

Section titled “Implications on “meditation” and “kamma””

It is extremely unlikely that the Buddha would have advocated “meditation”. Meditation is a solution to the wrong problem, based on a misunderstanding of dependent origination. Meditation is an attempt to quell the sense of self, in effect to stop the generation of “self” or to “deconstruct” it. But the key to unravelling the dependent origination chain is not deconstruction of the “self” but simply the deconstruction of ignorance. The Buddha clearly retained a strong sense of “self” throughout his life; he was not permanently in a state of meditative stupor. For more information refer to Did the Buddha teach meditation?.

Similarly, the Buddha would not have advocated the concept of “kamma” in the sense that most Buddhists understand it today. As detailed in Kamma and Rebirth, the concept that our actions result in “kamma” which affects our future is a Jainistic concept, and incompatible with dependent origination. If our sense of “self” is constructed and ephemeral, then the “person” who committed an act in the past is a different “person” today, and will be another “person” in the future. The future person carries the memories of past “selves” and therefore “suffers” the consequences of their past actions, but “kamma” is not some universal law of justice that follows a person’s existence, because there is no permanent “self” that carries the “burden” of “kamma”; rather, the constructed “self” evolves because of the consequences of past actions.

Again, dispelling the “ignorance” of the constructed nature of the “self” is the only effective way of getting rid of “kamma”, because by understanding the “self” is not permanent, we can avoid creating mental constructions based on previous actions that ultimately lead to suffering.

Considerations and Interpretation

Section titled “Considerations and Interpretation”

Points to note:

  • It would have made more sense for the Buddha to reference dependent origination in the first discourse to the ascetics, as that was the process that led to his own liberation.
  • It would seem at this stage that it is possible to gain almost instantaneous understanding upon hearing the Buddha teach, which is exemplified by Koṇḍañña. Yet, presumably it took some time (days and possibly weeks) for the rest of the group of five to be liberated, as the text refers to part of the group seeking alms while the others were taught by the Buddha. Even so, it is clear that liberation is achievable within a short period of time for those who are in the right frame of mind and disposition, and certainly achievable within a single lifetime. Contrast this with later teachings which seem to imply it is almost impossible to gain realisation in one lifetime and multiple stages are required (stream-enterer etc.).
  • More importantly, this discourse predates the development of the “four stages of awakening” (sotāpanna (stream-enterer), sakadāgāmī (once-returner), anāgāmī (non-returner), arahant (liberated one)) that would come to dominate Theravāda thinking.
  • The expansion of the four realisations into three phases and 12 aspects seems overly pedantic and does not really add much to the context. It would seem this may be yet another late addition to align with the notion of rolling out the Dhamma wheel.

In Bronkhorst’s The Buddhist Noble Truths: Are They True? (Bronkhorst, 2023), Bronkhorst questions if the four realisations are true, using recent neuroscience (Mark Solms’ theory) (Solms, 2021) and psychology. As the truths are presented as verifiable psychological statements, Bronkhorst uses various tools to evaluate their truth claims as scientific hypotheses. Bronkhorst offers a hypothesis that dukkha can be interpreted as unresolved needs arising from perceived threats to an idealised homeostasis. Individual sensitivity to these unresolved needs varies, and it may be possible that meditative or absorptive states suspend awareness of these needs but don’t solve underlying issues. Bronkhorst proposes a potential solution: memory reconsolidation allows consolidated emotional memories to be updated or erased if reactivated and met with a “prediction error” (mismatch) within a specific time window. Therefore, erasing the emotional charge of memories underlying conflicting needs could lead to the cessation of suffering. Desire or ‘wanting’ (motivation/desire) may create “mini-addictions” (habits/personality traits). Resolving these traits via memory reconsolidation reduces both suffering and ‘wanting’ (desire/thirst). Bronkhorst theorises that accessing these consolidated, often non-declarative, memories is a key challenge as they may reside in the domain of the subconscious. Bronkhorst then speculates that deep absorption might allow focus on normally unconscious memories by suspending competing needs/associations. Other elements of the eightfold path may facilitate deep absorption and the necessary mismatch (e.g., equanimity).

I find Bronkhorst’s theory plausible, but question whether absorption allows access to unconscious memories. To me, the key question is how does one rewire and reduce innermost desires and needs embedded in the subconscious? Here the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in Pessoa - The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together (2022) (Pessoa, 2022) may prove useful, as discussed in The Buddha’s liberation as a case study of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB).

However, in Polak’s Language, Conscious Experience and the Self in Early Buddhism; A Cross-cultural Interdisciplinary Study (Polak, 2018), Polak explores how language and concepts shape conscious experience and influence human functioning, particularly the arising of the self (attā). It uses a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary approach, drawing parallels with Western philosophy and cognitive science to reconstruct the Buddha’s teachings, and examines the relationship between the five collections (khandhas) and the individual, discussing agency and subjectivity. These ideas form a framework for understanding the Buddha’s second discourse.

In subsequent discourses, the Buddha defines the “world” (loko) not just externally, but primarily in terms of the human cognitive apparatus and experience: the six senses, their objects, consciousness, contact, feeling, and the five strands of sensuality. Apperception (saññā) is a complex mental process involving labelling, categorising, recognising based on features (nimitta), interpreting sensory input, and conceptualising abstract ideas. The common answer that a person is merely the five collections (khandhas) is likely a reductionist interpretation, not the original intent. Khandhas represent aspects of phenomenal experience used for contemplation (understanding anicca, dukkha, anattā), not a complete objective analysis of a human being (Gethin, 1986; Hamilton, 2000; Wynne, 2009).

Khandhas represent subjective, conscious experience. Identifying them as attā reflects the common-sense view that consciousness is the locus of agency and subjectivity. Cognitive science challenges this: most information processing is unconscious, parallel, and modular; consciousness has limited capacity (cf. Global Workspace Theory) (Baars, 2003). Thoughts, decisions, and acts of will largely originate non-consciously; conscious awareness often follows the neural readiness potential (Libet, 1999; Wegner, 2017). Consciousness serves more for global broadcast and integration into a narrative. The Buddha’s critique of attā aligns with this: the “self” as speaker (vado) and feeler (vedeyyo) arises from misinterpreting the nature and content of conscious experience (khandhas), facilitated by language (saññā, papañca). The actual locus of agency and subjectivity may reside more holistically in the sentient body (saviññāṇaka kāya), not reducible to the khandhas. Concepts like citta and practices like kāyānupassana might point towards this.

Self-delusion isn’t just theoretical; identifying with the narrative self maintained by inner speech causes suffering (dukkha). There’s a correlation between self-reflexive consciousness, the subjective experience of psychological time, and suffering (Thompson, 2011; Zahavi, 2011). Increased self-awareness often coincides with time dragging and unhappiness. Moments of happiness or “flow” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) often involve reduced self-awareness and distorted time perception (absorption). Misunderstanding this, people pursue external objects/activities associated with past pleasure, failing to see pleasure often lies in the temporary absence of self-consciousness. This pursuit is doomed to fail. Absorption states might not leave declarative memory traces because they lack the self-reflexive conscious experience needed for such encoding (Bronkhorst, 2012). Self-delusion can be seen as a “virus” or harmful “software” running on the “hardware” of the sentient body, possibly an evolutionary adaptation for competitiveness but inherently causing suffering. The Buddha’s soteriology aims to remove this “virus”.

dvādasaṅga

Section titled “dvādasaṅga”

12-link dependent origination

stateDiagram-v2
  [*] --> avijjā
  state fork_state <<fork>>
  state join_state <<join>>
  avijjā --> saṅkhārā
  saṅkhārā --> viññāṇaṁ
  viññāṇaṁ --> nāmarūpaṁ
  nāmarūpaṁ --> viññāṇaṁ : SN 12.67
  nāmarūpaṁ --> saḷāyatanaṁ
  saḷāyatanaṁ --> phasso
  phasso --> vedanā
  vedanā --> taṇhā
  taṇhā --> upādānaṁ
  upādānaṁ --> bhavo
  bhavo --> jāti
  jāti --> fork_state
  fork_state --> jarāmaraṇaṁ
  fork_state --> sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā
  jarāmaraṇaṁ --> join_state
  sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā --> join_state
  state jarāmaraṇaṁ {
    [*] --> jarā
    [*] --> maraṇaṁ
  }
  state sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā {
    [*] --> soko
    [*] --> paridevo
    [*] --> dukkho
    [*] --> domanassaṃ
    [*] --> upāyāso
  }
  join_state --> [*]

Transcendental Dependent Origination

Section titled “Transcendental Dependent Origination”
flowchart TB
  subgraph paṭiccasamuppādo
    direction LR
    avijjā --> saṅkhārā
    saṅkhārā --> viññāṇaṁ
    viññāṇaṁ --> nāmarūpaṁ
    nāmarūpaṁ --> saḷāyatanaṁ
    saḷāyatanaṁ --> phasso
    phasso --> vedanā
    vedanā --> taṇhā
    taṇhā --> upādānaṁ
    upādānaṁ --> bhavo
    bhavo --> jāti
  end
  subgraph transcendental
    direction LR
    saddho --> pāmojjaṃ
    pāmojjaṃ --> pīti
    pīti --> passaddhi
    passaddhi --> sukho
    sukho --> samādhi
    samādhi --> yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṃ
    yathābhūtañāṇadassanaṃ --> nibbidā
    nibbidā --> virāgo
    virāgo --> vimutti
    vimutti --> khayeñāṇaṁ
  end
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> transcendental

Wrong vs Right practice

Section titled “Wrong vs Right practice”
sequenceDiagram
  alt micchāpaṭipadā
    avijjā->>saṅkhārā: paccayā
    saṅkhārā ->> viññāṇaṁ: paccayā
    viññāṇaṁ ->> nāmarūpaṁ: paccayā
    nāmarūpaṁ ->> saḷāyatanaṁ: paccayā
    saḷāyatanaṁ ->> phasso: paccayā
    phasso ->> vedanā: paccayā
    vedanā ->> taṇhā: paccayā
    taṇhā ->> upādānaṁ: paccayā
    upādānaṁ ->> bhavo: paccayā
    bhavo ->> jāti: paccayā
  else sammāpaṭipadā
    avijjā->>saṅkhārā: asesavirāganirodhā
    saṅkhārā ->> viññāṇaṁ: asesavirāganirodhā
    viññāṇaṁ ->> nāmarūpaṁ: asesavirāganirodhā
    nāmarūpaṁ ->> saḷāyatanaṁ: asesavirāganirodhā
    saḷāyatanaṁ ->> phasso: asesavirāganirodhā
    phasso ->> vedanā: asesavirāganirodhā
    vedanā ->> taṇhā: asesavirāganirodhā
    taṇhā ->> upādānaṁ: asesavirāganirodhā
    upādānaṁ ->> bhavo: asesavirāganirodhā
    bhavo ->> jāti: asesavirāganirodhā
  end

Analysis

Section titled “Analysis”
mindmap
  paṭiccasamuppādo
    avijjā
      dukkhe aññāṇaṁ
      dukkhasamudaye aññāṇaṁ
      dukkhanirodhe aññāṇaṁ
      dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya aññāṇaṁ
    saṅkhārā
      kāyasaṅkhāro
      vacīsaṅkhāro
      cittasaṅkhāro
mindmap
avijjā
  dukkhe aññāṇaṁ
  dukkhasamudaye aññāṇaṁ
  dukkhanirodhe aññāṇaṁ
  dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya aññāṇaṁ
mindmap
saṅkhārā
  kāyasaṅkhāro
  vacīsaṅkhāro
  cittasaṅkhāro
mindmap
viññāṇaṁ
  cakkhuviññāṇaṁ
  sotaviññāṇaṁ
  ghānaviññāṇaṁ
  jivhāviññāṇaṁ
  kāyaviññāṇaṁ
  manoviññāṇaṁ
mindmap
nāmarūpaṁ
  nāmaṁ
    vedanā
    saññā
    cetanā
    phasso
    manasikāro
  rūpaṁ
    cattāro mahābhūtā
    catunnañ mahābhūtānaṁ upādāyarūpaṁ
mindmap
saḷāyatanaṁ
  cakkhāyatanaṁ
  sotāyatanaṁ
  ghānāyatanaṁ
  jivhāyatanaṁ
  kāyāyatanaṁ
  manāyatanaṁ
mindmap
phasso
  cakkhusamphasso
  sotasamphasso
  ghānasamphasso
  jivhāsamphasso
  kāyasamphasso
  manosamphasso
mindmap
vedanā
  cakkhusamphassajā vedanā
  sotasamphassajā vedanā
  ghānasamphassajā vedanā
  jivhāsamphassajā vedanā
  kāyasamphassajā vedanā
  manosamphassajā vedanā
mindmap
taṇhā
  rūpataṇhā
  saddataṇhā
  gandhataṇhā
  rasataṇhā
  phoṭṭhabbataṇhā
  dhammataṇhā
mindmap
upādānaṁ
  kāmupādānaṁ
  diṭṭhupādānaṁ
  sīlabbatupādānaṁ
  attavādupādānaṁ
mindmap
bhavo
  kāmabhavo
  rūpabhavo
  arūpabhavo
mindmap
jāti
  jāti
  sañjāti
  okkanti
  abhinibbatti
  khandhānaṁ pātubhāvo
  āyatanānaṁ paṭilābho
mindmap
jarāmaraṇaṁ
  jarā
    jarā
    jīraṇatā
    khaṇḍiccaṁ
    pāliccaṁ
    valittacatā
    āyuno saṁhāni
    indriyānaṁ paripāko
  maraṇaṁ
    cuti
    cavanatā bhedo
    antaradhānaṁ
    maccu
    maraṇaṁ
    kālakiriyā
    khandhānaṁ bhedo
    kaḷevarassa nikkhepo
mindmap
āhāro
  kabaḷīkāro āhāro
    oḷāriko
    sukhumo
  phasso
  manosañcetanā
  viññāṇaṁ
mindmap
dasabalasamannāgato
  rūpaṁ
    samudayo
    atthaṅgamo
  vedanā
    samudayo
    atthaṅgamo
  saññā
    samudayo
    atthaṅgamo
  saṅkhārā
    samudayo
    atthaṅgamo
  viññāṇaṁ
    samudayo
    atthaṅgamo
mindmap
vesārajjaṃ
  imasmiṁ sati idaṁ hoti
  imassuppādā idaṁ uppajjati
  imasmiṁ asati idaṁ na hoti
  imassa nirodhā idaṁ nirujjhati

paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā (Dependent origination characteristics)

Section titled “paṭiccasamuppannā dhammā (Dependent origination characteristics)”

This sutta is written in a satirical style (similar to that in AN 3.136) where the Buddha uses the formula for dependent origination to refute core Vedic beliefs, including the Vedic creation myth. The satirical text plays on the Vedic preoccupation with dhamma as regular, invariant natural principles.

The parallels between the Dependent Origination links and core Vedic beliefs are explored by Joanna Jurewicz in Playing with Fire: The pratītyasamutpāda from the perspective of Vedic thought, Journal of the Pali Text Society 26 (2000) pp. 77 – 103.

flowchart LR
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> aniccaṁ
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> saṅkhataṁ
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> paṭiccasamuppannaṁ
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> khayadhammaṁ
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> vayadhammaṁ
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> virāgadhammaṁ
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> nirodhadhammaṁ

Naḷakalāpīsutta

Section titled “Naḷakalāpīsutta”
flowchart LR
  c1>na sayaṅkataṁ]
  c2>na paraṅkataṁ]
  c3>na sayaṅkatañca paraṅkatañca]
  c4>nāpi asayaṅkāraṁ aparaṅkāraṁ adhiccasamuppannaṁ]
  subgraph paṭiccasamuppādo
    direction TB
    viññāṇaṁ --> nāmarūpaṁ
    nāmarūpaṁ --> saḷāyatanaṁ
    saḷāyatanaṁ --> phasso
    phasso --> vedanā
    vedanā --> taṇhā
    taṇhā --> upādānaṁ
    upādānaṁ --> bhavo
    bhavo --> jāti
    jāti --> jarāmaraṇaṁ
  end
  c1 --> paṭiccasamuppādo
  c2 --> paṭiccasamuppādo
  c3 --> paṭiccasamuppādo
  c4 --> paṭiccasamuppādo
  paṭiccasamuppādo --> bhikkhu
  subgraph bhikkhu
    direction LR
    nibbidāya --> dhammaṁ
    nibbidāya --> paṭipanno
    nibbidāya --> vimutto
    virāgāya --> dhammaṁ
    virāgāya --> paṭipanno
    virāgāya --> vimutto
    nirodhāya --> dhammaṁ
    nirodhāya --> paṭipanno
    nirodhāya --> vimutto
  end

Training

Section titled “Training”
mindmap
  jarāmaraṇe yathābhūtaṁ ñāṇāya
    sikkhā karaṇīyā
    yogo karaṇīyo
    chando karaṇīyo
    ussoḷhī karaṇīyā
    appaṭivānī karaṇīyā
    ātappaṁ karaṇīyaṁ
    vīriyaṁ karaṇīyaṁ
    sātaccaṁ karaṇīyaṁ
    sati karaṇīyā
    sampajaññaṁ karaṇīyaṁ
    appamādo karaṇīyo

References

Section titled “References”
Baars, B. J. (2003). The global brainweb: An update on global workspace theory. Science and Consciousness Review, 2, 1–16.
Bronkhorst, J. (2012). Absorption: Human Nature and Buddhist Liberation. University Media.
Bronkhorst, J. (2023). The Buddhist Noble Truths: Are They True? Religions, 14, 82. https://doi.org/https:// doi.org/10.3390/rel14010082
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Collins.
Gethin, R. (1986). The five khandhas: Their theatment in the nikāyas and early abhidhamma. Journal of Indian Philosophy, 14(1), 35–53.
Hamilton, S. (2000). Early Buddhism: A New Approach : the I of the Beholder. Curzon. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=ji9EvkprnPsC
Libet, B. (1999). Do we have free will? Journal of Consciousness Studies, 6(8–9), 47–57. http://pacherie.free.fr/COURS/MSC/Libet-JCS1999.pdf
Pessoa, L. (2022). The Entangled Brain: How Perception, Cognition, and Emotion Are Woven Together. The MIT Press. http://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph-pdf/2231824/book_9780262372107.pdf
Polak, G. (2018). Language, Conscious Experience and the Self in Early Buddhism A Cross-cultural Interdisciplinary Study. Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, 14, 37–76.
Solms, M. (2021). The hidden spring: A journey to the source of consciousness. Profile books.
Thompson, E. (2011). Self-No-Self? Memory and Reflexive Awareness. In Siderits (Ed.), Self, No Self: Perspectives from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions. Oxford University Press.
Wegner, D. M. (2017). The illusion of conscious will. MIT press.
Wynne, A. (2009). Early Evidence for the “no self” doctrine? A note on the second anātman teaching of the Second Sermon. Thai International Journal for Buddhist Studies, 1, 64–84.
Zahavi, D. (2011). The Experiential Self: Objections and Clarifications. In Siderits (Ed.), Self, No Self: Perspectives from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions. Oxford University Press.

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