Hi,
I would like to share a view about:
7.11. RELATION OF DEPENDENT CO-ARISING, FIVE CLINGING-AGGREGATES, SIX SENSE BASES:
7.11.1. Integrated into the four noble truths:
Three core teachings - dependent co-arising, five clinging-aggregates, six sense bases, are categorized into the noble truths of origination and cessation of suffering, respectively the second and the third of the four noble truths.
Each of those three core teachings is presented in form of origination and cessation of suffering, which is similar to the usual description of origination and cessation of suffering in the four noble truths.
7.11.1.1. Origination of suffering:
7.11.1.1.1. The usual description:
The usual description: SN 56.11 (Thanissaro - “And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of dissatisfaction (stress, suffering, discontentment): … craving for non-becoming”)
7.11.1.1.2. dependent co-arising:
The teaching on dependent co-arising is presented, for example in SN 12.10 (Thanissaro - “Thus: From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications, … Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering”) with the chain in an order: ignorance, fabrication, consciousness, name-&-form, six sense media, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair). Then there is a confirmation “Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering”.
7.11.1.1.3. Five clinging-aggregates:
The teaching on five clinging-aggregates is presented, for example in SN 22.5 (Thanissaro - “There is the case where one enjoys, welcomes, & remains fastened … This, the origination of consciousness.”), for each of five clinging-aggregate (form, feeling, perception, fabrication, consciousness) with the chain in an order: enjoy, welcome, remain fastened to, delight, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair). Then there is a confirmation “Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering”.
7.11.1.1.4. Six sense bases:
The teaching on six sense bases is presented,
for example in MN 38 (Thanissaro - “On seeing a form with the eye, he is infatuated … On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he is infatuated … Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering.”)
and SN 12.43 (Bodhi - “And what, mendicants, is the origin of suffering? … In dependence on the mind… This is the origin of suffering.”),
for each of six sense bases (eye & form, ear & sound, nose & aroma, tongue & flavor, body & tactile sensation, intellect & idea) with the chain in an order: internal sense base, external sense base, consciousness, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair). Then there is a confirmation “Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering”.
7.11.1.1.5. Evaluation:
So here, there is a similar structure for all those three core teachings. They all use “dependent co-arising” style for the chain: six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair). This means dependent co-arising is present in both five clinging-aggregates and six sense bases.
Actually, all those three core teachings are intertwined with each other. The five clinging-aggregates are present in twelve links of dependent co-arising.
In particular, form clinging-aggregate is form in the link “name-&-form”. Feeling clinging-aggregate is the link “feeling”.
Perception clinging-aggregate is in “name” of the link “name-&-form”. Fabrication clinging-aggregate is the link “fabrication”.
Consciousness clinging-aggregate is the link “consciousness”.
In addition, the five clinging-aggregates are also present in six sense bases, as stated in MN 28 (Thanissaro - “Now if internally the eye is intact … [End]”). The meeting of three factors (functioning internal sense bases, external sense bases in range, appearance of corresponding type of consciousness) is engagement or contact, then “The form of what has thus come into being is gathered under the form clinging-aggregate.
… feeling… perception… fabrications… consciousness”.
Particularly, in SN 22.56, five internal sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body) are of form clinging-aggregate, while the sixth internal sense base (intellect) has the brain as its faculty (which is also form clinging-aggregate).
Consciousness clinging-aggregate has six internal sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, intellect) and six external sense bases (form, sound, aroma, flavor, tactile sensation, idea) as requisite conditions.
Feeling clinging aggregate includes feeling born of eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, intellect-contact.
Perception clinging-aggregate includes perception of form, sound, aroma, flavor, tactile sensation, idea, which are born of corresponding contact (eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, intellect-contact).
Fabrication clinging-aggregate includes intention with regard to form, sound, aroma, flavor, tactile sensation, idea, which are born of corresponding contact (eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, intellect-contact).
The other thing is all of those three teachings end with a confirmation “Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering”. This confirmation after explanation of origination of suffering puts them all into the noble truth of origination of suffering - the second of the four noble truths.
7.11.1.2. Cessation of suffering:
7.11.1.2.1. The usual description:
The usual description: SN 56.11 (Thanissaro - “And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of dissatisfaction (stress, suffering, discontentment): … letting go of that very craving.”)
7.11.1.2.2. dependent co-arising:
The teaching on dependent co-arising is presented, for example in SN 12.10 (Thanissaro - “Thus: From the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of fabrications, … Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering”) with the chain in an order: cessation of ignorance, cessation of fabrication, cessation of consciousness, cessation of name-&-form, cessation of six sense media, cessation of contact, cessation of feeling, cessation of craving, cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming, cessation of birth, cessation of aging & death (along with cessation of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair). Then there is a confirmation “Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering”.
7.11.1.2.3. Five clinging-aggregates:
The teaching on five clinging-aggregates is presented, for example in SN 22.5 (Thanissaro - “There is the case where one doesn’t enjoy, welcome, or remain fastened … This, the disappearance of consciousness.”), for each of five clinging-aggregate (form, feeling, perception, fabrication, consciousness) with the chain in an order: doesn’t enjoy, welcome or remain fastened to, cessation of delight, cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming, cessation of birth, cessation of aging & death (along with cessation of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair). Then there is a confirmation “Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering”.
7.11.1.2.4. Six sense bases:
The teaching on six sense bases is presented, for example
in MN 38 (Thanissaro - “On seeing a form with the eye, he isn’t infatuated … On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he isn’t infatuated … Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering.”)
and SN 12.43 (Bodhi - “And what is the ending of suffering? … Mind consciousness arises … This is the ending of suffering.”),
for each of six sense bases (eye & form, ear & sound, nose & aroma, tongue & flavor, body & tactile sensation, intellect & idea) with the chain in an order: internal sense base, external sense base, consciousness, contact, feeling, cessation of craving, cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming, cessation of birth, cessation of aging & death (along with cessation of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair). Then there is a confirmation “Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering”.
7.11.1.2.5. Evaluation:
So here, there is a similar structure for all those three core teachings. They all use “dependent co-arising” style for the chain: six sense bases, contact, feeling, cessation of craving, cessation of clinging, cessation of becoming, cessation of birth, cessation of aging & death (along with cessation of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair). This means dependent co-arising is present in both five clinging-aggregates and six sense bases. Similar to that in the section of origination of suffering, all these three core teachings are intertwined with and present in each other.
The other thing is all of those three teachings end with a confirmation “Such is the cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering”. This confirmation after explanation of cessation of suffering puts them all into the noble truth of cessation of suffering - the third of the four noble truths.
7.11.2. Order of the three teachings:
7.11.2.1. dependent co-arising:
Those three core teachings - dependent co-arising, five clinging-aggregates, six sense bases, all involve the chain “contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair)”. So which one of those three comes first?
Twelve links of dependent co-arising are presented in backward order, from aging & death back to the very root - ignorance. That is how they are discovered, by tracing backward, as SN 12.10 points out. This makes sense because of the natural flow of logical reasoning: starting by looking at the current issue - aging & death, then asking the right question “Aging-&-death exists when what exists? From what as a requisite condition comes aging-&-death?”, then with “appropriate attention there came the breakthrough of discernment: ‘Aging-&-death exists when birth exists. From birth as a requisite condition comes aging-&-death.’”. Then similarly, “Birth exists when what exists”… becoming … clinging … craving … feeling … contact … six sense media … name-&-form … consciousness … fabrication … ignorance … [similar for cessation]. This knowledge lays out the map to show where to go on the journey to release. It shows that the task is to end ignorance and craving. The knowledge of dependent co-arising is the starting point of the path, it is right view - the first factor of the noble eightfold path.
7.11.2.2. Five clinging-aggregates:
For the teaching on five clinging-aggregates, the chain “contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair)” is presented in forward order. Where does this knowledge come from? Is it from previously one has already known dependent co-arising? The chain of links of dependent co-arising is discovered by tracing backward from aging & death to ignorance. So, the chain from contact to aging & death in the teaching on five clinging-aggregates cannot come out of nowhere. It must be discovered either from tracing backward, just like twelve links of dependent co-arising, or using the knowledge of dependent co-arising which has been discovered before. But, tracing backward the teaching on five clinging-aggregates from aging & death to contact is actually discovery of dependent co-arising, as stated above, that the teachings on dependent co-arising and five clinging-aggregates are intertwined. One is present in the other. So eventually, the teaching on five clinging-aggregates is based on and comes after the teaching on dependent co-arising.
Additionally, while the knowledge of dependent co-arising is right view, the starting point of the path, the practice of contemplating on five clinging-aggregates belongs to remaining focused on phenomena (mental qualities) in and of themselves, which belongs to four establishings of mindfulness, which is the content of right mindfulness - the seventh factor of the noble eightfold path.
And as MN 117 (Thanissaro - “Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? In one of right view, right resolve comes into being … and the arahant with ten.”)
stated the arising order of the noble eightfold path, right view comes before other factors, even right mindfulness. So, once again, the knowledge of dependent co-arising comes before the practice of contemplating on five clinging-aggregates, corresponding to the order of the noble eightfold path that right view comes before right mindfulness.
Furthermore, DN 14 (Sujato - “Then Vipassī thought: ‘When what exists is there old age and death? … Meditating like this his mind was soon freed from defilements by not grasping.”) confirms that after the realization of dependent co-arising, the practice of contemplating five clinging-aggregates takes place and leads to release.
7.11.2.3. Six sense bases:
In relation to the teaching on dependent co-arising, similar to the teaching on five clinging-aggregates, for the teaching on six sense bases, the chain “contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, aging & death (along with sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair)” is presented in forward order. Where does this knowledge come from? Is it from previously one has already known dependent co-arising? The chain of links of dependent co-arising is discovered by tracing backward from aging & death to ignorance. So, the chain from contact to aging & death in the teaching on six sense bases cannot come out of nowhere. It must be discovered either from tracing backward, just like twelve links of dependent co-arising, or using the knowledge of dependent co-arising which has been discovered before. But, tracing backward the teaching on six sense bases from aging & death to contact is actually discovery of dependent co-arising, as stated above, that the teachings on dependent co-arising and six sense bases are intertwined. One is present in the other. So eventually, the teaching on six sense bases is based on and comes after the teaching on dependent co-arising.
Additionally, while the knowledge of dependent co-arising is right view, the starting point of the path, the practice of contemplating on six sense bases belongs to remaining focused on phenomena (mental qualities) in and of themselves, which belongs to four establishings of mindfulness, which is the content of right mindfulness - the seventh factor of the noble eightfold path.
And as MN 117 (Thanissaro - “Of those, right view is the forerunner. And how is right view the forerunner? In one of right view, right resolve comes into being … and the arahant with ten.”)
stated the arising order of the noble eightfold path, right view comes before other factors, including right mindfulness. So, once again, the knowledge of dependent co-arising comes before the practice of contemplating on six sense bases, corresponding to the order that right view comes before right mindfulness.
7.11.3. Conclusion:
Three core teachings - dependent co-arising, five clinging-aggregates, six sense bases, are categorized into the noble truths of origination and cessation of suffering, respectively the second and the third of the four noble truths. As for dependent co-arising, MN 9 even applies format of the four noble truths to each of twelve links of dependent co-arising.
The knowledge of dependent co-arising comes before the practice of contemplating five clinging-aggregates and six sense bases.
Thank you for your patience!
Cheers,
For more information: https://goo.gl/rBf3i6