Thank you, venerable — excellent work. Your enthusiasm for the practice and study of the suttas always comes through in your writing. Here is a relatively short review I wrote in case others here are interested or it is beneficial to you.
(If you ever need to cite a review, feel free to include any part of mine below with or without my name.)
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This study of dependent arising is extremely thorough and detailed, but filled with delightful illustrations that beautifully demonstrate the concepts and references along the way. The style is rather casual, but the content quite profound. The book is an especially excellent reference for understanding the links of ‘sankhārā,’ ‘viññāna*,’ and ‘nāmarūpa’ in their original context and in relation to the rest of the Buddha’s teachings. It is clear to me that the writing comes from a place of sincere personal interest and practice, and it will certainly be useful for Buddhist practitioners themselves — both in becoming familiar with the language, imagery, and thought-world of the Pāli discourses, and in their own mental cultivation.
The main thrust of the arguments presented in the book could be summarized as follows: the teachings on dependent arising (paticcasamuppāda) in the early Buddhist discourses are primarily concerned with the conditions for the arising of and, conversely, freedom from the cycle of rebirth. This entails the arising and continuation of consciousness — understood as ultimately undesirable — and liberation found in the cessation of consciousness, rather than a separate form of consciousness outside of the realm of rebirth. The latter idea — of a special awareness being the post-mortem state of awakened beings — is refuted by the principle of dependency and would be a mistaken reading of the early passages and similes surrounding dependent arising. The emphasis on rebirth does not detract from the applicability and real-life relevance of dependent arising; rather, these teachings point to the sheer profundity of the teaching and the insights that can be gained from understanding it.
Clear textual references and doctrinal demonstrations for the above points prevail in the writing. One particularly beneficial and elucidating subject is the two-fold division of consciousness into its manifestation through sense-impressions and its general stationing in continued existence shaped by kamma and fuelled by craving. This division helps shed light on the experiential and practical side of understanding dependent arising, and how the larger principles of existence and rebirth are visible through personal existential inquiry and refined mental development. The same can be said of the discussion surrounding the two chains of dependent arising (one from ignorance to sensation; the other from craving to suffering) that are combined into the twelve link list and which interrelate in interesting ways. The structural illustrations and various diagrams included demonstrate these concepts well.
The work is organized in such a way that it is fairly easy to select any given topic and reference the concepts there as needed, though there is certainly a gradual progression over the course of the individual analyses. It would be nice if there were a more concise, focused collection of the canonical references and conclusions for the main points made — perhaps something less than 100 pages. While the detail provided is much warranted and very beneficial, it does make some of the larger points about core concepts in the book less accessible to a wider audience. As the writing style is at times quite informal and personal, these writings may be more accessible to some with less academic inclinations.
For a more broad depiction of the language and phrasing of the discourses, I recommend following the reading along with other translations — such as those made publicly available by Bhante Sujato or Bhikkhu Bodhi — and preferably the relevant Pāli passages themselves if possible. The author’s translations are elucidating and shed light on the perspectives developed in the study, but are also rather unconventional and at times less orderly than pre-existing translations. They at times seem not to stand alone, but make more sense in the context of the book’s exploration and discussion of concepts outside of the translated passages. Nonetheless, the translations offer a refreshing new array of terminology and phrasing that contribute not only to the current exegesis, but also for the student in general.
May the work be of much benefit to the author and the audience alike. Sadhu!
I wrote the preface about a year ago, probably even longer.
(frightened. Just sayin’)
It’s also a nice example of what the SuttaCentral software can do for other websites.
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. I can change it whenever. Your suggestions I’ve added.