The darkest section of the chain of dependent origination is undoubtedly that which links “attachment” with “existence.” In the texts, Ananda takes this chain of course, but it is not obvious at all. Moreover, it is a priori unimaginable.
Translating more correctly the fragment of Mahanidana Sutta, the paragraph that explains it would look like this:
Existence
It was said: "With emotional dependence as a condition there is existence."
How, Ananda, should be understood in this way: If there were absolutely and totally no emotional dependency of any kind anywhere, that is, not to depend emotionally on the pleasures of emotional reaction, nor to depend emotionally on the points of Sight, not to depend emotionally on precepts and observances, or to cling to a personality doctrine - then, in the complete absence of emotional dependence, with the cessation of dependence, would existence be detected?
"Of course not, venerable sir.
“Therefore, Ananda, this is the cause, source, origin and condition of existence, namely, emotional dependence.”
That “Of course not,” is not so clear.
The neo-Darwinist concept of “LIFE” defines everything that is born, replicates and dies. With this definition the memes enter in their own right in the category of “living beings” which is curious and useful in many cases, but it is not certain.
However, if we define life to that which develops any kind of emotional dependence, we will be defining the five kingdoms that group all life forms, these are: Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Protista, and Monera. But we will also define existences in other planes that do not have to be replicated, but that do act and generate conditionality based on that emotional dependence.
The Buddha made no distinction as to respect for life. Life in any form.
Memes, however, by themselves lack all activity although they are conditioning factors of consciousness. For example, a poison is inert in itself, but is poisonous to the swallower.
On the other hand, while you are existing you are depending emotionally.
As previously discussed emotional dependence depends on happiness, which can also be described as welfare. From the simplest amoeba, we see that it moves if it feels wrong, and remains still if it feels right. Attachment and aversion are the two direct consequences of happiness. Now we also see that it is the motor of life. As we also saw that is the engine of History.
Now we will see that ignorance in the form of dependence on happiness is an engine of Samsara.
And that emotional dependence is a drug addiction, strictly speaking in the case of humans, to be a pathological addiction to serotonin. That is, the so-called “attachment” is "drug addiction."
Every addict centers a good part of activity on pleasing his vice.
Emotional dependence is what maintains Citta’s conditionality with respect to nama-rupa. Because emotional dependence, this addiction, makes Citta dependent on nama-rupa. And while Citta is dependent, with the disappearance of a nama-rupa, he will look for another since it depends on it.
An illustrative example: the liking of a drunkard to alcohol … is emotional dependence, it is attachment. Why does Citta have to process everything that Nama-rupa sends him? … just as the drunk has to digest the alcohol in the bottle.
If the drunk runs out, the bottle will continue to look for more bottles. For many bottles to be finished, there will always be more bottles for him. If the drunk eradicates his addiction, eradicates his dependence, he will stop drinking. And if he stops drinking, when he finishes his last bottle, it is finished. In the same way, Citta ceases to depend emotionally on Nama-rupa, when Nama-rupa disappears (at the moment of death) Citta will be totally liberated.
Citta is a drunk who consumes the lives looking for happiness. One after another. Endless.
Every life is a bottle that contains happiness. With little graduation is hell or with much are the skies of the devas. With little graduation you have to consume a lot and abstinence is fierce. With much graduation is the opposite, with little effort you have a lot of happiness, which greatly increases dependence. That is why the Devas, when they see it lose its brightness, just before their death, go through moments of terrible suffering.
The best bottle to stop drinking, is the human, a bad wine bullfight without too much alcohol so that it does not engage excessively, nor too little that we are excessively anxious to drink, with an insatiable thirst.
The Samsara is a drunken lunatic asylum. They howl with pain, they moan of suffering, but they do not release the bottle. There are some who, tired of how bad his bottle is, breaks it believing that he fixes his problems, but what he finds is with the bottle nobody wants, oozing drool and more misery.
Do not they are asleep, they are drunk. And many are dangerous. The smart thing is to get out of her
