Dear Venerable Bhikkhus and others
I understand dependent origination in an entirely different way. I think most of the controversies and disagreements about DO stem from an inaccurate understanding of DN15.
In the document attached, I have attempted to explain how I understand DN15. If you care to read it, I am sure all issues discussed in this cordial discussion will be solved, or at least I hope so.
This is the third chapter of the book on DO that will be published soon by Buddhist Cultural Center in Sri Lanka.
An Analysis of Mahānidāna Sutta*-*DN15
The background for this important sutta is the remark made by Venerable Ānanda that dependent origination, although deep and appears deep, it seems to him as plain as can be.
The Buddha then cautioned Venerable Ānanda against this view emphasizing that dependent origination is deep and appears deep. He explained that it is because of not understanding and not penetrating this teaching that this population has become tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread, and matted like rushes and reeds. He further added that the population would not escape the places of loss, the bad places, the underworld and transmigration as a result of that.
The Buddha began the sutta with old age and death, the final link in the chain of dependent origination, and worked backward to consciousness, the third link, elucidating the conditional relationship between each pair of links. Then he established a reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form[i].
“When asked, ‘Is there a specific condition for name and form?’ you should answer, ‘There is.’ If they say, ‘What is a condition for name and form?’ you should answer, ‘Consciousness is a condition for name and form.’”
“When asked, ‘Is there a specific condition for consciousness?’ you should answer, ‘There is.’ If they say, ‘What is a condition for consciousness?’ you should answer, ‘Name and form are conditions for consciousness.’”
Then, the Buddha concluded with the statement “That is how the entire mass of dukkha originates”. This is how he concluded the Ud1.1 and Ud1.2 too, discussed above. The only difference between DN15 and Ud1.1,2 is that DN15 is much more explanatory because its purpose is to show Venerable Ānanda how deep dependent origination really is. Apart from that difference, DN15 also exhibits the same essential universal truth of the law of nature …. and specific conditionality as Ud1.1,2.
Having established the reciprocity between consciousness (viññāṇa) and name & form (nāmarūpa)[ii], the Buddha began with the last link and explained each link up to feeling in greater detail what each link meant, with special emphasis on the universal truth. For instance, he said, ‘Rebirth is a condition for old age and death’ and ‘the continued existence is a condition for rebirth’.
“Continued existence is a condition for rebirth - that is what I said. And this is a way to understand how this is so. Suppose there were totally and utterly no continued existence for anyone anywhere.”
“That is, continued existence in the sensual realm, the form realm, or the formless realm. When there is no continued existence at all, with the cessation of continued existence, would rebirth still be found?”
“No, sir.”
“That is why this is the cause, source, origin, and reason of rebirth, namely continued existence.”
This means that to the extent that there is a continued existence, there is rebirth, which is the universal truth of the natural law…. and specific conditionality between continued existence and rebirth. This, however, does not mean that continued existence and rebirth are simultaneous. Rather, it means that the rebirth is inevitable when there is a continued existence. Said another way, if there is continued existence, there is a rebirth, like a shadow that does not go away. This is the universal truth between the continued existence and rebirth. Similarly, when continued existence ceases, rebirth inevitably ceases.
Having established similar interdependencies among all links leading up to feeling (vedanā), the Buddha underscored a conditional relationship amongst feeling, craving, seeking and gaining which culminates in unskillful actions such as stinginess, safeguarding and finally divisive speech and lies.
“‘Feeling is a condition for craving’-That is what I said. And this is a way to understand how this is so. Suppose there were totally and utterly no feeling for anyone anywhere. That is, feeling born of contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. When there is no feeling at all, with the cessation of feeling, would craving still be found?”
“No, sir.”
“That is why this is the cause, source, origin, and reason of craving, namely feeling.”
“So it is, Ānanda, that feeling is a cause of craving. Craving is a cause of seeking. Seeking is a cause of gaining material possessions. Gaining material possessions is a cause of assessing. Assessing is a cause of desire and lust. Desire and lust is a cause of attachment. Attachment is a cause of ownership. Ownership is a cause of stinginess. Stinginess is a cause of safeguarding.”
“Owing to safeguarding, many bad, unskillful things come to be: taking up the rod and the sword, quarrels, arguments, and disputes, accusations, divisive speech, and lies.”
At this point, the Buddha established a connection between seeking and craving and concluded with “Thus, Ānanda, these two phenomena, being a duality, converge into a unity in feeling”.
The phenomena are the seeking and craving. They are called phenomena because seeking and craving happen mutually. For instance, the phenomenon of seeking happens due to the phenomenon of craving, and the phenomenon of craving happens due to the phenomenon of seeking which is why they are called a duality. In other words, where there is craving, there is seeking and where there is seeking, there is craving which is the universal truth of the law of nature…..and specific conditionality between each other.
When the Buddha stated that this duality “converges into a unity in feeling,” he meant that feeling is the common origin of craving and seeking. If there is no feeling whatsoever, for instance, feeling born of contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, then there is no craving and seeking. This is because what drives the unlearned ordinary persons to crave and seek to gain is the feeling. It also means that feeling, craving and seeking coexist with each other. In other words, where there is feeling, there is craving and seeking as a universal truth.
Furthermore, craving, as the cause of dukkha, represents the Second Noble Truth, and also the second strand of ignorance. This means that under the influence of ignorance, sentient beings crave sense stimuli that have conditioned a feeling through contact, seek them out, and engage in unskillful actions such as divisive speech and lies to acquire them. This reflects the universal truth of the law of nature….and specific conditionality amongst ignorance, feeling, craving, their actions associated with seeking and continued existence.
Here again, the universal truth is not literal. Instead, it signifies that while ignorance serves as the foundational mental state, craving, seeking, gaining, and so on, arise as discrete mental states in response to feeling. Analogically, it can be compared to the feeling of hunger that sets off a chain reaction leading to the mental states of craving, seeking and gaining etc., where hunger represents ignorance.
The Buddha then explained how feeling arises.
“‘Contact is a condition for feeling’ - That is what I said. And this is a way to understand how this is so. Suppose there were totally and utterly no contact for anyone anywhere. That is, contact through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. When there is no contact at all, with the cessation of contact, would feeling still be found?”
“No, sir.”
“That is why this is the cause, source, origin, and condition of feeling, namely contact”.
The Buddha’s explanation of how feeling arises emphasizes the foundational role of contact (phassa), which he identified as the cause, source, origin, and condition for feeling (vedanā). Without contact through the six senses - eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind - feeling would not exist. As mentioned earlier, this highlights that contact serves as the hub for existential dukkha, being the point of origin for the feelings that lead to craving, seeking, gaining, divisive speech, and lies, all of which coexist with ignorance (avijjā), in accordance with the universal truth.
Further, the statement “that too is contact” mentioned earlier, serves to underscore this primacy of contact in this chain that depicts existence because dukkha includes whatever is felt and feeling conditions the Second Noble Truth of craving accompanied by seeking.
Here, however, a question as to the status of seeking, gaining …. divisive speech, and lies, etc., within the overall scheme of the twelve links naturally arises as the Buddha has not explicitly listed them as links. But as is clear, they cannot be external to the twelve links. Logically speaking they are the intentional actions associated with seeking that constitute the existence itself because they are what the unlearned ordinary persons do on a daily basis as part of their existence. Besides, seeking cannot happen without intention.
In this special sutta addressed in particular to Venerable Ānanda, the Buddha has avoided the first two links found in the standard version which is the one given in the Paṭhamabodhi Sutta above. The first two links are ignorance and intentional formation (saṅkhārā). Ignorance is the not-knowing of the Four Noble Truths and intentional formation is the intentional actions carried out by body, speech and mind.
Although the Buddha is not specific about the types of actions in this sutta, the activities involved in seeking and gaining can be grouped under three broad headings as meritorious, de-meritorious and imperturbable actions carried out by body, speech and mind. It, therefore, appears that the Buddha’s avoidance of the first two links is intentional. For instance, he replaces the first two links with the bigger picture of existence that results from craving without explicitly saying they are intentional actions carried out due to ignorance.
As we noted, feeling that the Buddha established as the single cause of craving for acting intentionally to seek and gain, is conditioned by contact. Therefore, let us try to understand how contact comes to be as the source of feeling.
“It was said: ‘With name & form as condition there is contact. How that is so, Ānanda, should be understood in this way: If those features, traits, signs, and brief descriptions (ākāra, liṅga, nimitta, uddesa) through which there is a description of the name group (nāmakāya) were all absent, would designation-contact (adhivacanasamphasso) be discerned for the form group (rūpakāya)?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
“If those features, traits, signs, and brief descriptions (ākāra, liṅga, nimitta, uddesa) through which there is a description of the form group were all absent, would impingement-contact (paṭighasamphasso) be discerned in the name group?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
Ākāra, liṅga, nimitta, uddesa translated respectively as features, traits, signs, and brief descriptions are found in both nāmakāya and rūpakāya respectively translated as name group and form group. They are the distinctive marks, attributes and characteristics that describe both name and form groups. Designating is naming and impinging is impacting. Here again, we find a reciprocal relationship between the name group and the form group. For instance, the name group must have certain features and traits etc., for designating the form group with a name. Similarly, the form group too must have certain features and traits etc., for impinging on the name group.
This brings us to two questions. First is, “what is name & form” and the second is, “what is the name group (nāmakāya) and the form group (rūpakāya)”? Let us try to find out the answer with a practical example.
The flower, Carnation, is both the name & form[iii] because the flower is a form (rūpa) with a name (nāma) such as Carnation. The form, Carnation, has certain distinctive marks, attributes or characteristic features, such as shape and color, representing its overall appearance. It also has a particularly distinctive scent.
When the form (rūpa) of the Carnation falls within the vision path of the eye, a mental image representative of its features, traits, signs and descriptions generates in the mind. This mental image is the form group (rūpakāya) or the form derived (upadaya rūpa) from the form, flower, whose name (nāma) is Carnation. It is also the grasping aggregate of form. It is this form group or mental image or the grasping aggregate of form that does the impinging on the name group.
However, for contact to happen, an impinging by the mental image is not sufficient because, according to the Buddha’s interpretation, contact is like a two-way street. As such, for contact to happen there needs to be a two-way movement - an impinging by the form group on the name group and a designating the form group by the name group. This is where the features, traits, signs, and brief descriptions of the name group come in.
For instance, when impinging happens by the form group, a spontaneous mental response such as “Wow, this is a beautiful Carnation” occurs. This response is accompanied by a pleasant feeling and a positive perception with a subtle intention to pick it while attention is focused on the Carnation represented by the form group. These mental factors, such as feeling, perception, intention and attention (manasikāra)[iv] represent the features, traits, signs and descriptions of name. At the same time, feeling, perception and intention constitute the name group (nāmakāya) which also represents the grasping aggregates*.*
It is very important to understand this point because it is the impinging by the form group that elicits a response from the name group. The impinging happens because the sense stimuli of Carnation is already established in the mind with craving as something beautiful through the name group & form group of aggregates. This is the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form which the Buddha explained as an “establishment” (patiṭṭhitaṁ) of consciousness*.*
For instance, if a little kid is given a ball for the first time in his life, it will try to bite it because the kid does not know that it is a toy. While attempting to bite it, the ball might slip out of his hands and bounce away. An adult also might help the kid realize that it is not something to bite but something to play with. After a little while, the kid realizes that it is a plaything and starts to play with it. This experience with the name & form, the ball, registers in his mind through the name group & form group of grasping aggregates known by the grasping aggregate of consciousness. If the child is not given the ball afterward, it will start to cry asking for the ball because his consciousness is already established on the ball with craving as a plaything through the five grasping aggregates and the kid does not want to let go of the enjoyment that it has already experienced.
Due to the same reason, the child remembers the experience from its name – “ball”. For instance, when the name “ball” is mentioned, the child spontaneously looks in the direction from where the sound comes because the name – “ball” - is firmly established in the kid’s mind with craving through the five grasping aggregates.
All sense stimuli in the conventional world, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and thoughts, establish in the mind in a similar way.
This is why in the Nāma sutta[v], the Buddha says that the name has everything under its sway.
“What oppresses everything?”
“What is nothing bigger than?”
“What is the one thing that has everything under its sway?”
“Name oppresses everything.”
“Nothing’s bigger than name.”
“Name is the one thing that has everything under its sway.”
However, the names are language specific meaning that name of the same commodity, form, sense stimulus, can vary from community to community or from country to country. For instance, the commodity that is named “bread” in English speaking countries, is named “paan” in Sri Lanka. As a result, the reaction that the name garners is dependent on whether or not the person who hears the name understands the language. This means that someone who does not understand English language does not react to the name “bread” with feeling, perception and intention.
Further, a name with the same phonetic such as “paan” can mean two entirely different things in two different countries. For instance, in India the name “paan” represents beetle leaves while in Sri Lanka it represents bread. This means that although the name oppresses, oppression is limited to the language.
The name group & form group are commonly referred to as name & form. In fact, it is only in the Mahānidāna Sutta, that the two terms “name group (nāmakāya) and form group (rūpakāya)” are found. They are known by the aggregate of consciousness culminating in contact. This means that when something that is already established in the mind with craving comes into contact with the senses, the unlearned ordinary person responds because they cannot resist the gratification that they have enjoyed previously. The sense stimuli which are names and forms always enter the six senses through name group & form group of grasping aggregates because they cannot enter the six senses physically.
The form group consist of the aggregate of form derived from the six sense stimuli – sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and mental bases - that accompany the impinging. Name group[vi], on the other hand, consist of the aggregates of feeling, perception and intention that accompany the designating of six sense stimuli in response to impinging by the form group.
Consequently, the term “name” in ‘name & form’ is both the proper name or whatever name given to the sense stimulus for the purpose of identification and as well as the grasping aggregates of feeling, perception, intention and attention that accompany designating. Similarly, the term “form” in ‘name & form’ is both the sense stimulus and the grasping aggregate of form derived from the form, sense stimulus.
Although attention is included in name group, it is not an aggregate that is grasped.
This explains how the name group & form group come about from the name & form of sense stimuli mentioned in the previous chapter.
As a rough guide, when “name & form” is used along with consciousness as in “consciousness and name & form” it refers to the five grasping aggregates that represent the sense stimuli because consciousness cannot hold the sense stimuli physically. In other words, consciousness holds the form – the sense stimuli - through aggregates. When “name & form” is used without the word “consciousness”, in most situations, it refers to the sense stimulus of form with a name. But the context might suggest that they refer to grasping aggregates that represent the name & form of sense stimulus.
Having explained the basic process of contact which conditions feeling, the Buddha continued to further instill in Venerable Ānanda the importance of both impinging and designating for contact to happen.
“If those features, traits, signs, and descriptions through which there is a description of the name group and the form group were all absent, would either designation-contact or impingement-contact be discerned?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
Features, traits, signs, and descriptions that describe the name group are the feeling, perception, intention and attention. Features, traits, signs, and descriptions that describe the form group are those features, traits and signs, that describe the form. Form is grasped when those features, traits and signs impact the mind, the name group. In the absence of both the name group and the form group, which is cognized by consciousness, contact cannot happen. This highlights the importance of the features and traits etc., of form because in their absence an impinging that is necessary for designating does not occur. In other words, the hub of contact to condition a feeling does not occur without the features, traits, signs, and descriptions of form group impacting the name group.
For instance, it is because of the attraction caused by the features, traits, signs, and descriptions that someone would grasp it mentally. In fact, what their consciousness define as beautiful are those features, traits, signs, and descriptions.
It is noteworthy that the contact is thus split into two vital components as the impinging contact and the designating contact, without which contact as commonly used in most other suttas cannot happen.
“If those qualities, traits, signs, and indicators through which there is a description of the name group and the form group were all absent, would either designation-contact or impingement-contact be discerned?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
“If those qualities, traits, signs, and indicators through which there is a description of name and form were all absent, would contact be discerned?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
“Therefore, Ānanda, this is the cause, source, origin, and condition for contact, namely, name and form.”
It is noteworthy that the Buddha first says, “if…..a description of the name group and the form group were all absent” and then says, “if…..a description of the name and form were all absent”. It appears that this is done for two purposes. First, the Buddha makes sure that they both mean the same. For instance, name is both the given name of the stimulus and the grasping aggregates of feeling, perception, intention and attention. Form is both the stimulus, and the mental image derived or the grasping aggregate of form. Secondly, he drives home the point that without the impinging aggregate of form derived and the designating aggregates of feeling, perception, intention and attention cognized by consciousness, contact between the six senses and sense stimuli cannot happen. This is the point he made in the previous question.
This makes sense because although the name & form of sense stimuli are available in abundance, they do not make physical contact with the senses. Instead, contact always happens through the grasping aggregates which is the two-way reciprocal movement of name group and form group.
As explained earlier, this means that name group and form group are the same as name & form of grasping aggregates that represent the name & form of sense stimuli.
In the next question, the Buddha introduced consciousness into the discussion of contact using the term “descend” (okkamma) which has polarized the Buddhist community.
“Consciousness is a condition for name and form. How that is so, Ānanda, should be understood in this way: If consciousness were not to descend into the mother’s womb, would name & form take shape in the womb?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
Here, it must be pointed out at the very outset that consciousness descending into a womb signifies rebirth. While I am not disputing this, the Buddha’s main intention here seems to be highlighting the essential role of consciousness in enabling contact. The Buddha’s focus here is not to explain the process of rebirth itself but to show that name & form of sense stimuli result in contact only when cognized by consciousness. It is this contact that serves as the hub to the continuation of existential dukkha.
For instance, when the Buddha says that consciousness is a condition for name and form, it means that the sense stimuli cannot make contact with consciousness without the aggregates of the form group and the aggregates of the name group. In essence, it means that contact cannot happen without consciousness recognizing the aggregates representative of the name & form of sense stimuli. In other words, consciousness’s being a condition for name & form, means contact.
To put it another way, three elements must always come together for contact to arise. They are consciousness, sense stimulus and a sense organ.
This aligns with the concept discussed previously, where contact involves the meeting of consciousness, a stimulus and a sense faculty. The difference here is that the Buddha delves into the mental processes involved. For instance, a stimulus enters the mind through the grasping aggregates, which represent the two-way reciprocal interaction of name group and form group. Name represents the designating contact, accompanied by feeling, perception, intention, and attention. Form represents the impinging contact, accompanied by the derived form or mental image. Both are cognized by consciousness.
The polarization within the Buddhist community arises from the Buddha’s brief mention of consciousness entering a womb without elaborating on the conditions leading to this event. Perhaps this briefness is intentional, as Venerable Ānanda, being highly learned and experienced, would not require a detailed explanation. Unfortunately, the various controversies prevalent nowadays suggest that the Buddhist community is not prepared to engage deeply with the concept of consciousness arising with name group & form group in the process known as contact.
Therefore, let us go back to the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form that the Buddha established earlier in the sutta to unravel the reasoning for his abrupt switching from talking about contact to consciousness entering a womb.
As the following indicates, the sentient beings are stuck in the reciprocity between their consciousness and name & form of grasping aggregates. By extension, they are stuck in contact too because consciousness and the name & form of aggregates mean contact. It means that their consciousness moves in and out of name & form of sense stimuli without a discernible interval between one instance and the next. This is why the Buddha compared the thoughts (citta), mind (mana) or consciousness (viññāṇa) to a monkey that jumps from branch to branch in the Assutavā Sutta*[vii]**.*
“When asked, ‘Is there a specific condition for contact?’ you should answer, ‘There is.’ If they say, ‘What is a condition for contact?’ you should answer, ‘Name and form are conditions for contact.’”
“When asked, ‘Is there a specific condition for name and form?’ you should answer, ‘There is.’ If they say, ‘What is a condition for name and form?’ you should answer, ‘Consciousness is a condition for name and form.’”
“When asked, ‘Is there a specific condition for consciousness?’ you should answer, ‘There is.’ If they say, ‘What is a condition for consciousness?’ you should answer, ‘Name and form are conditions for consciousness.’”
In the above context, name & form represent the sense stimulus of name & form and as well as the name group and form group of aggregates. They are conditions for contact because without an impinging by the form group representing the features, traits, signs and descriptions of the sense stimulus, which is spontaneously designated by the name group, contact cannot happen.
Consciousness is a condition for name & form of grasping aggregates representing the sense stimulus because they need to be cognized by consciousness. And name & form of aggregates are conditions for consciousness because the minds of unlearned ordinary persons always seek gratification of the features and traits etc., of sense stimuli through the grasping aggregates. In brief, it means that when the features and traits etc., of sense stimuli entice the mind, the unlearned ordinary persons fall prey to their consciousnesses due to craving that coexists with their ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. As such, the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form of grasping aggregates continues to prevail. Existence is this prevalence.
This is similar to the little kid who is stuck in the reciprocity between his consciousness and name & form of grasping aggregates representative of the name & form of ball.
Since mind is the forerunner and chief of all six senses, this reciprocity can be understood as the reciprocity between mind consciousness, mind and thoughts which is mind contact.
Due to their being stuck in the reciprocity, the unlearned ordinary persons are constantly engaged in intentional activities such as seeking, gaining …… safeguarding and lying etc., because contact always gives them a feeling to crave and seek. These activities are the usual intentional activities that every unlearned ordinary person carries out in an existence due to craving.
In other words, existence is just this reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form of grasping aggregates accompanied by a physicality appropriate to the realm in which the reciprocity is. For instance, in the sensual realm, human has a physicality that is appropriate for the sensual realm. It can also be understood as being mentally stuck in the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form in parallel with the passage of time. It continues from realm to realm, which is why it is translated as continued existence. This is also the universal truth of the law of nature..…and specific conditionality between ignorance and existence, because when this reciprocity operates in them, they are ignorant of the Four Noble Truths.
Therefore, consciousness conditioning name & form means the arising of contact so that a feeling is available for the unlearned ordinary persons to always concentrate on. Death happens quite unexpectedly because no one prepares for death. In other words, death happens while the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form or mind contact is active which is existence. The consciousness descending into a mother’s womb therefore means existence continuing into a rebirth. Said another way, when death takes place, mind consciousness moves into a mother’s womb because contact does not stop at death.
These are the details that the Buddha has not specifically told Venerable Ānanda. As mentioned above, it is not necessary for the Buddha to explain these details because he expected Venerable Ānanda to know it as the treasurer of the teaching. But the statement that Venerable Ānanda made about dependent origination shows that he had not taken such a key concept seriously. Perhaps it is the reason why the Buddha abruptly shifts the conversation from reciprocity or contact to rebirth.
When it was said that the Buddhist community is polarized and they have not engaged deeply, what was meant was that the community has not sufficiently considered these details surrounding the consciousness entering a womb. More specifically, consciousness descending into a womb means the contact or the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form which is the existence continuing because consciousness is not a standalone phenomenon.
Therefore, if we were to allocate the consciousness entering the mother’s womb to a particular link, it would be the link “rebirth” (bhavapaccayā jāti). This means that the third and fourth links of dependent origination cannot represent consciousness entering a mother’s womb. Instead, the third and fourth links illustrate the alignment of consciousness with the name and form aggregates, which, together with the mind as the fifth link, enable contact - the sixth link. The mind is taken as the fifth link because it serves as the forerunner and chief of all six senses.
However, it does not mean that the other five senses are not part of the fifth link. Rather, it means that the mind takes the position of the chief because the other five senses do not process sensory data. For instance, as soon as a seeing happens, the task performed by the eye comes to an end. But the memories of what has been seen remain in the mind in the form of grasping aggregates. Mind works in the same way for the other four senses and the mind itself. Thus, the fifth link can be understood as the mind encompassing all sensory functions.
The Buddha then summarized his explanations to Venerable Ānanda using nine links instead of the standard twelve links.
“So: name and form are conditions for consciousness. Consciousness is a condition for name and form. Name and form are conditions for contact. Contact is a condition for feeling. Feeling is a condition for craving. Craving is a condition for grasping. Grasping is a condition for continued existence. Continued existence is a condition for rebirth. Rebirth is a condition for old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and despair to come to be.”
“That is how this entire mass of dukkha originates.”
As explained earlier, the reason for the omission of the first two standard links can be understood as the need to put the emphasis entirely on the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form which constitutes existence. This focus on the bigger picture of existence is crucial because Venerable Ānanda had not given it the seriousness it deserved. This is clear from the context. In other words, what is at stake is the bigger picture. Therefore, it was not necessary for the Buddha to include the first two links because given Venerable Ānanda’s understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, it was unlikely that he was unaware that intentional activities such as seeking and gaining arise due to ignorance.
This explains the Buddha’s rationale for not including the first two links.
The fifth link is not included because as already mentioned, the mind as the forerunner and chief is where the name group and the form group of aggregates remain active as well as dormant. Thus, it is quite understandable that the contact that happens is the mind contact. In other words, it is not necessary to include the fifth link because it is obvious that mind is the repository for all senses. This underscores the fact that dependent origination primarily serves as an analysis of the workings of the mind.
It is now possible for us to rearrange the links with the missing links added and in accordance with the universal truth of law of nature, …… specific conditionality etc. However, before doing so, it is helpful to explore the intricate operation of existence as depicted through the twelve links.
As we have seen, the formation of contact results when the two-way reciprocal movement of form group and name group is cognized by consciousness. Contact consists of the five grasping aggregates, including the grasping aggregate of consciousness. However, while all five aggregates manifest at contact, the unlearned ordinary person reacts primarily to the aggregate of feeling, as this is the only aspect they immediately recognize during the process of contact.
When they feel, they concentrate on it with craving. This act of concentrating, unfolding overtime is grasping. At this stage, the intention to acquire the sense stimulus that generated the pleasant feeling through contact comes into play. The time spent dwelling on the gratification offered by the feeling can span moments, months, or even years. As described in the Cetanā Sutta, during this prolonged period, the intention remains latent in the subconscious mind, where it continues to act as a support for the persistence of consciousness and by extension, to the continuation of existence.
“Mendicants, what you intend or plan, and what you have underlying tendencies for, that becomes an object for the establishing of consciousness.”
“There being an object, there comes to be the establishment of consciousness.”
“When that consciousness is established and grown, there is rebirth into a new state of existence in the future.”
This is the concept of contact, intention and consciousness acting as nutriments for the continuation of existence as explained in the Atthirāga Sutta, mentioned above.
This means that it is not necessary to act immediately with the intention to maintain the continuity of the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form which is existence. Further, even if an action is initiated on impulse, the action does not happen within the same contact in which the intention first arose because contact is transient and rapidly evolving. This means that the two intentions are different from each other at least by a few seconds.
As discussed earlier, according to the Khajjanīya Sutta*[viii]**,* intention does a sort of converting. Specifically, in the case of an unlearned ordinary person, intention specially forms (abhisaṅkhara) not only the formed aggregate of intention *(saṅkhata) *but the other four aggregates as well into result (vipāka) producing aggregates.
As we learned earlier from the Nibbedhika Sutta, the intention is action (kamma) meaning that when one intends under substantiality view, it infuses kammic energy into all five aggregates.
When more and more contacts get activated by intention in a similar way, existence gets lengthened moment by moment or contact by contact to allow the resultant actions kamma, to bear fruit. Conversely, if the intention is not acted upon under substantiality view, the contact simply passes without contributing to kammic existence.
Let us consider the hypothetical scenario where a sense stimulus is acquired with intention five minutes after the initial contact that produced a pleasant feeling. During these five minutes, numerous other contacts arise and cease. Some of these contacts are acted upon immediately, while others are deferred for future action. The intention formed five minutes earlier, however, does not dissipate but remains latent in the subconscious mind, held together with the other aggregates in what might be called a “kammic mode.”
When the intention is finally enacted after five minutes, it does not occur within the original contact that gave rise to the pleasant feeling. Instead, it occurs within an entirely new contact formed by a fresh two-way interaction between name group and form group. As intention is part of the name group, the new intention, although not identical to the previous one, is connected to it through its latent presence in the subconscious mind.
During this period of five minutes, the gratification that can be obtained from the stimulus that is about to be acquired is contemplated. This is grasping. “Grasping conditions existence” is the existence during this period of five minutes. This is what the Buddha meant when he said, “ intention is action, kamma”. Solid and soft food, contact, consciousness and mental intention serve as nutriments[ix] for this period, five minutes of existence. During this entire period, the twelve links operate in the mind. During this period of existence, other than the five aggregates grasped, there is nothing substantial. This period of existence is dukkha because the aggregates grasped, the sense stimuli they represent, and the corporeal body are subjected to the toll of impermanence. When the Buddha said, “In brief, the five grasping aggregates are dukkha” he meant the reality of this period of existence.
This period of time also represents the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form during which the so called beings are stuck as prisoners.
While existence continues in this way, death inevitably occurs. This inevitability arises because the above mentioned four great elements of which the corporeal body is made up and the four nutriments that maintain the existence are not permanent. The four nutriments are the solid and soft food, contact, consciousness and mental intention. They represent another way of describing the five grasping aggregates.
Death immediately results in a rebirth because the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form remain latent without ceasing even for a moment. This transition too represents an arising and a ceasing of a contact just like a monkey moving from one branch to another. If consciousness transitions into a mother’s womb immediately after the death, the time spent in the womb becomes part of existence. This is because the rebirth, as the Buddha explained in the Vibhaṅga Sutta, is a process lasting nine to ten months and not just an emergence from the womb. Rebirth is dukkha because the womb is not a safe place for existence.
“The rebirth, inception, conception, reincarnation, manifestation of the aggregates, and acquisition of the sense fields of the various sentient beings in the various orders of sentient beings.”
This illustrates the seamless continuation of existence from one mind contact to the next, without any pause in between death and rebirth. With this understanding of continuous existence, the twelve links can now be rearranged as follows in accordance with the specific conditionality (idhappachchayatha).
1. Ignorance (avijja) conditions intentional formation (saṅkharā).
Ignorance is not knowing the Four Noble Truths, dukkha, its origin, its cessation and the path for cessation.
Dukkha as mentioned above includes ordinary dukkha, dukkha due to conditioned states and dukkha due to change. Dukkha originates due to craving. Cessation of dukkha is awakening or extinguishment. The path for cessation is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Since the twelve links operate in the mind contact by contact, this pair illustrates how ignorance connects with the rest of the links. For instance, intention belongs in the name group which, together with the form group, make up contact. Intention becomes action, kamma, only when it is specially formed by regarding it as “This is mine, this I am, this is my self”, the substantiality view. Since intention cannot be singled out, the substantiality view applies to the entire contact being grasped in the present moment[x] (paccuppanna).
This pair, as the first, signify that when someone regards intention as self, that person is ignorant of the fact that their intention is action, kamma, that results in the consequence of prolonging the existential dukkha at present. This happens due to lack of radical attention accompanied by mindfulness and awareness to the process of contact.
Intentions that cannot be acted upon immediately linger in the subconscious mind, sustained by craving, until implemented or given up.
Therefore, “when ignorance is, intentional formation is.
2. Intentional formation conditions consciousness.
Intention arises in the process of contact, which is a meeting of three, the first being consciousness. This pair, therefore, illustrates the connection between intention and contact.
Therefore, “when intention is, consciousness is.
3. Consciousness conditions name & form.
As the second component of contact, name & form here represent the aggregates grasped in respect of name & form, the sense stimulus, which is the object of feeling that the present contact is conditioning. Therefore, this pair too illustrates its connection to contact.
This means that consciousness is inherently entwined with the grasping aggregates, representing the names and forms of sense stimuli in relation to the contact being experienced in the present moment.
Therefore, when consciousness is, name & form are.
4. Name & form condition the six senses (of which mind is the forerunner)
Mind is the third component of contact. This link illustrates that the aggregates being grasped in the present moment are related to the six senses. However, since the mind is the forerunner and chief of all phenomena, this means that the mind is the active sense organ in the present moment.
This pair also illustrates that mind is being defiled by greed or hatred under delusion of the reality of mind contact in the present moment.
Therefore, when the name & form are, the six senses (of which mind is the forerunner) are.
5. Six senses (of which mind is the forerunner) condition contact.
This pair illustrates the unification of three, consciousness, name & form and mind as the forerunner in the present moment. Since the second link, intentional formation, is in this contact, this pair also illustrates its connection to ignorance.
Therefore, when the six senses (of which mind is the forerunner) are, mind contact is.
6. Contact conditions feeling.
This is the feeling being experienced in the present moment in relation to mind contact. Dukkha includes whatever is felt. Therefore, this indicates that a contact representing dukkha is present at all times regardless of whether the feeling being experienced in the present moment is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
As mentioned above, feeling is the prominent force for the person to react although other aggregates too are present at this stage.
Therefore, when mind contact is, feeling is.
7. Feeling conditions craving.
Feeling is always accompanied by craving for the sense stimulus that causes a pleasant or unpleasant feeling through mind contact. Intention to act, the second link, is a result of seeking the sense stimulus, the object of feeling, with craving.
Therefore, when feeling is, craving is.
8. Craving conditions grasping.
This is the momentary contemplation on the gratification in relation to the sense stimulus, the object of feeling, being sought after with craving in the present moment.
Therefore, when craving is, grasping is.
9. Grasping conditions existence.
This is the existence in the present moment that pertains to the contact being grasped. An existence comes to be contact by contact when contacts are being accumulated by grasping them with craving under substantiality view.
This means that while grasping goes on, there exists a form rūpa conventionally known as a being within whose mind the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form operates in parallel with time. In other words, existence is just this relationship between consciousness and name & form. This being is being maintained in the present moment by the four nutriments of solid and soft food, contact, consciousness and mental intention which is simply the present mind contact.
Therefore, when grasping is, the existence is.
10. Existence conditions rebirth.
Rebirth is an inevitable consequence of existence because existence temporarily ends due to lack of substance in it.
Therefore, when existence is, rebirth is.
However, the specific conditionality between existence and rebirth does not mean they both happen at the same time, simultaneously. It rather means that to the extent that an existence is there, there is the potential for rebirth as soon as death happens. Death is inevitable at any time because the physical aspect made up of the four great elements is impermanent. And, as the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form or the four nutriments do not cease at death, rebirth too is inevitable.
Both death and rebirth are included in the definition of dukkha in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta mentioned earlier because they are felt through contact.
“Rebirth is suffering; old age is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering; association with the disliked is suffering; separation from the liked is suffering; not getting what you wish for is suffering. In brief, the five grasping aggregates are suffering.”
Therefore, rebirth can be understood as an opportunity for the conditionality between ignorance and existence to continue so that intentional actions carried out prior to death can bear fruit. Rebirth represents the continuation of existence and death is the disintegration of the physical body. This means that birth and death are not momentary (arising) and (ceasing) of aggregates.
However, when anyone who completes the Noble Path dies, there will not be a rebirth as all defilements have ended with nothing to transmigrate. In such situations, the death is the final death that marks the end of the cycle of birth and death.
11. Rebirth conditions dukkha.
Dukkha includes the three types of dukkha mentioned above. Since the existence continues due to delusion, it is inherently dukkha.
For instance, when three things, consciousness, name & form and mind, come together, contact comes to be. When contact conditions feeling, the gratification that feeling provides is contemplated with craving. This is grasping. While this contemplation goes on, the intention is regarded in relation to the substantiality view. Then, the intention to seek and acquire the sense stimulus, the object of feeling, is implemented by body, speech and mind. The time that passes by from the moment the intention is regarded through substantiality view is the continued existence sustained by the nutriments of contact, consciousness and mental intention. When the existence continues, the states of dukkha such as rebirth, old age, illnesses and death etc., are inevitable.
As noted earlier, the rebirth process that takes place within the womb too is existence which is dukkha. This link, therefore, illustrates the continuity of dukkha conditioned by the universal truth of conditionality without a break between death and rebirth. In other words, there is an existence accompanied by dukkha at all times regardless of where the rebirth occurs.
In the sensual realm, this applies to all four types of rebirths that the Saṅgīti Sutta[xi] mentions, rebirth from an egg, from a womb, from moisture, or spontaneously.
Therefore, it appears that the reason for the last two links is to accommodate the inevitability of death and rebirth while the existential dukkha or the reciprocity between consciousness and name group & form group continues.
Therefore, when rebirth is, dukkha is.
This uninterrupted cycle means that the twelve links of dependent origination remain perpetually interconnected mind contact by mind contact, maintaining the universal truth of law of nature…..and specific conditionality between ignorance and dukkha.
In other words, the last link, dukkha, is connected to the first link, ignorance of the Four Noble Truths in the present moment. This is because the present contact in which the intentional formation of kamma being carried out under ignorance, is connected to feeling, craving, grasping, existence, rebirth and dukkha in the present moment.
Sentient beings are continuously trapped in this existence which is a dynamic interplay between their mind consciousness and the name & form of grasping aggregates. In essence, they are perpetually driven by craving and seeking, as contacts provide a constant basis for feelings to arise.
Let us now rearrange the twelve links beginning with the last link to further illustrate the momentary unification of the twelve links that represent the existential dukkha which is the same as the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form.
1. When dukkha is, the rebirth is.
2. When the rebirth is, continued existence is.
3. When continued existence is, grasping is.
4. When grasping is, craving is.
5. When craving is, feeling is.
6. When feeling is, contact is.
7. When contact is, the mind as the forerunner and chief of all six senses is.
8. When the mind as the forerunner and chief of all six senses is, name group & form group of grasping aggregates are.
9. When name group & form group of grasping aggregates are, consciousness is.
10. When consciousness is, intentional formation is.
11. When intentional formation is, ignorance is.
This arrangement beautifully illustrates that dukkha is present at all times in existence because as mentioned above, there is no discernible time gap between death and rebirth. And the rebirth process that lasts nine to ten months too is existence which is dukkha. This means that there is an existence accompanied by the three types of dukkha mentioned above at all times. In other words, when dukkha is, rebirth is, when rebirth is, continued existence is…….when consciousness is, intentional formation is and when intentional formation is, ignorance is. Therefore, dukkha is connected to all other links at every passing moment of mind contact. Said differently, every passing moment of contact is dukkha.
The Ñāṇavatthu Sutta*[xii]*** beautifully illustrates the momentary unification of twelve links when it says that a disciple understands each link except the first link, ignorance, in four ways so that it is immediately effective (akālikena).
The four ways are, for instance, the disciple understands intentional formation, its origin, its cessation and the way leading to its cessation which is the Noble Eight Fold Path.
The first link, ignorance, is omitted perhaps, because when a disciple has reached this state they do not have ignorance in them.
Existence continues primarily as a consequence of intentional actions carried out due to ignorance. Actions result from craving and seeking which is a result of feeling. Feeling results from contact which is the meeting of consciousness, name & form of aggregates and mind as the forerunner and chief. This means that the minds of unlearned ordinary persons are always defiled by the defilements of greed, hatred and delusion because it is due to the presence of these defilements in the mind that craving and seeking converge to feeling.
Consequently, the twelve links in the forward order illustrate how dukkha – First Noble Truth - originates due to craving – the Second Noble Truth. In other words, they illustrate how an existence filled with nothing but dukka momentarily builds up when actions by body, speech and mind are intentionally carried out due to craving.
Since impermanence does not discriminate, existential dukkha operates in parallel with existence irrespective of where it occurs. The Buddha’s statement, “In brief, the five grasping aggregates are dukkha,” reflects this reality. Understanding this reality embodied in the universal truth of conditionality enables the disciple to realize the futility of existence. This understanding is the right view. The disciple established on the right view can follow the Noble Path to quickly end the continuity of dukkha.
This means that existence will persist unless the relationship between consciousness and name & form is broken. Put differently, intentional actions must cease for existence to cease. To end actions, it is necessary to understand that intention is a formation that should not be regarded as “This is mine, this I am, this is my self”. To not regard the intention as such it is necessary to understand the universal truth of conditionality that operates amongst links.
As mentioned above, the community is polarized because they have not invested sufficient time and effort to correctly understand the discourse on great causation – the Mahānidāna Sutta. To reiterate, while it is undeniable that consciousness entering the womb signifies rebirth, the common misconception lies in viewing the third and fourth links as representing rebirth itself. This misunderstanding arises from a misreading of the context. It is hoped that the clarification provided above helps dispel this confusion.
Further, it is often overlooked that all twelve links of dependent origination pertain to the mental dimension of existence rather than a combination of the mental and physical. While there is a physical element to existence, even this is experienced and maintained within the mind, through the grasping aggregates. The physical aspect is maintained by the solid and soft foods the consumption of which also results in contact between the tongue and the food with consciousness and intention accompanying.
In essence, only mind is needed for the frequent seeking to happen through contact. In other words, consciousness and name & form of aggregates mean mind contact because consciousness always arises in relation to one of the six senses of which mind is the forerunner and chief. In the final analysis, it is due to lack of restraint on the part of the mind, the forerunner and chief, that existential dukkha continues.
We can now further explain why the Buddha quite abruptly speaks about consciousness descending into a womb. It is because he has compassion, and he wants Venerable Ānanda to understand that it is contact that descends into the womb because consciousness means mind contact. In other words, consciousness does not arise in isolation because it always arises within the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form which is contact.
Contact always provides a feeling for craving and seeking to converge to, so that existence continues into a new existence with the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form intact. That transition is rebirth. It is only by giving up craving for sense stimuli when they come into contact with the six senses in the present moment, can one prevent their consciousness from descending into a womb. This can be accomplished by maintaining radical attention accompanied by mindfulness and awareness as contact originates.
Although the controversies surrounding this sutta have been sufficiently addressed already, further explanations in respect of the other examples that the Buddha has used to illustrate the importance of consciousness to contact are provided below.
“If, after descending into the womb, consciousness were to depart, would name & form be generated into this present state of existence (itthatta)?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
Many take the Buddha’s question to mean that name & form refers to what is born, equating consciousness with name and the physical body with form. However, as explained above, name & form encompass both the sense stimuli and the grasping aggregates. In other words, what is born is the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name group and form group of aggregates. It represents the name and form of sense stimuli grasped with name group and form group of aggregates accompanied by craving due to ignorance.
In this instance, name & form is sense stimuli which is the physical fetus in the womb that is grasped by the handle of name & form of grasping aggregates with consciousness knowing. Said another way, the fetus lasts in the womb only until contact, the unification of mind consciousness, and name & form of grasping aggregates representative of the fetus and mind, continues in the womb. As previously noted, the five grasping aggregates are the same as the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form. Existence is also this same relationship.
In other words, the physical fetus develops in the womb because its consciousness continues to grasp it (the fetus) through the five grasping aggregates with craving. This grasping can, in fact, be understood as the tangle within (antojata). This is what was meant when it was said that the physical aspect of existence is carried on in the mind through the grasping aggregates. This means that existence is sustained not only by external sense stimuli but also by the six internal sense organs.
The tangle without (bahijaṭā) on the other hand, is the consciousness and name & form relationship in respect of external sense stimuli or the grasping aggregates that represent them with craving.
Consciousness departing, therefore, signifies that contact has ended while in the womb. But if the consciousness departs or contact ends even while in the womb, it means that the existence has ended. This demonstrates that consciousness is essential for contact, and in its absence, existence cannot persist, even within the womb. This is the point the Buddha seeks to convey through this explanation.
The Buddha continued*.*
“If the consciousness of a young boy or girl were to be cut off, would name & form grow up, develop, and reach maturity?”
“Certainly not, venerable sir.”
“Therefore, Ānanda, this is the cause, source, origin, and condition for name & form, namely, consciousness.”
The fact that the Buddha uses the terms “boy or girl” and “name & form” in the same sentence makes it abundantly clear that name & form represent the sense stimuli of boy or girl. However, the fact that the Buddha says: “this is the cause, source, origin, and condition for name & form, namely, consciousness”, confirms that the name & form of boy or girl continues to exist because of the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form of aggregates. In other words, the physicality, boy or girl, is always carried on in the mind through the mind contact which is the meeting of mind, mind consciousness and the name group and form group of grasping aggregates representing the physicality.
The cutting off of consciousness refers to death. Therefore, the Buddha reiterates the vital role of consciousness and name group & form group in facilitating contact, allowing the existence of the boy or girl of name & form to persist - just as it did while in the womb.
The Buddha then confirmed how the process of rebirth happens stating that the origin of unsatisfactory rebirth is due to consciousness getting established in sense stimuli through name group & form group of grasping aggregates. This underscores the continuity of the reciprocal relationship between consciousness and name & form or contact.
“It was said: ‘With name & form as condition there is consciousness.’ How that is so, Ānanda, should be understood in this way: If consciousness were not to become established (patiṭṭhaṁ) in name and form, would the coming to be of the origin of dukkha - of rebirth, old age, and death in the future - be found?”
“No Sir,”
“That is why this is the cause, source, origin, and condition of consciousness, namely name and form. This is the extent to which one may be reborn, grow old, die, pass away, or reappear.”
The Buddha’s final statement, particularly his use of the word patiṭṭhaṁ (establishing), confirms that consciousness becoming rooted in name & form of sense stimuli of boy or girl through the representative grasping aggregates constitutes existence. This signifies being stuck in the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form - precisely what is conveyed in the Cetanā Sutta, quoted above.
For instance, as already explained, “with name & form as condition there is consciousness” means that if there is the name group and the form group of grasping aggregates representative of internal and external sense stimuli of name & form, there is consciousness and contact. It is true the other way around too. That is, if there is consciousness, there are the name group and the form group of grasping aggregates, which again is a reference to contact.
Consciousness establishing (patiṭṭhaṁ) in name & form also means the same. For instance, it means that consciousness getting a foothold in the names and forms of sense stimuli through their representative grasping aggregates due to craving that feeling conditions. This is the existence because it is during this period of time that seeking and craving converge to feeling that contact conditions. It continues in spite of death with the inevitable consequence of dukkha, rebirth, ageing, illnesses etc. It should be remembered that consciousness too is a grasping aggregate. As said above, consciousness arises only in dependence. This means that whenever the grasping aggregate of consciousness is, there is a meeting of three, mind consciousness, mind and thoughts. This is mind contact. Mind contact does not pause at death and recommence sometime later but continues uninterruptedly with death being a nonevent. In other words, death cannot be regarded as important because it is an unavoidable ordinary event that takes place within the continuation of existence. Rebirth then immediately follows[xiii].
In this context, death and rebirth in relation to existence can be compared to a snake shedding its worn-out skin and moving along. Snakes usually shed their skins slowly while in motion. Therefore, existence is one that continues like a snake with death and rebirth being momentary unimportant occurrences such as the snake shedding its worn-out skin. As said earlier, this illustrates that there is dukkha at all times in the existence because existence continues without a discernible break. This also negates the concept of a transitional or an intermediate state (antarābhava).
With this final example, the Buddha drives his point home. The point is that in the absence of craving, consciousness does not continue to know the form group and name group of grasping aggregates that represent names & forms or sense stimuli whether internal or external in which case there is no contact. When there is no contact, there is no existence, because in that case there is no feeling for craving and intentional seeking to converge to. What is meant by “no contact” here means that contact is no longer grasped with craving or regarded as “This is mine, this I am, this is my self” which is the substantiality view.
However, the absence of craving and by extension the absence of contact does not imply a complete disappearance of names & forms of sense stimuli[xiv].
The Buddha then explained the other by products of the existence of state of being or name & form together with consciousness.
“This is how far the scope of language, terminology and description extends; (adhivacanapatho, niruttipatho, paññattipatho) how far the sphere of wisdom extends; how far the cycle of rebirths continues (vaṭṭaṁ vattati) so that this state of existence (itthatta) is to be found; namely, name and form together with consciousness.”
Language (adhivacana) is a convention that enables the sharing and communicating of one’s experiences with others. Those who are naturally gifted with the ability to speak use various languages to convey their experiences while those who are not so fortunate use sign language. This shows how extensively language is used as a by-product of existence of state of being which is consciousness and name group & form group relationship or contact.
Terminology (nirutti), a fundamental aspect of language, relies on names and terms to create definitions, allowing experiences to be described adequately (paññatti).
The Buddha’s point here again is that as long as the grasping aggregate of consciousness stays with the name & form of grasping aggregates representative of name & form - internal and external sense stimuli - which is contact, there is an existence or a state of being (itthatta). Said another way, as long as craving and seeking converge to feeling there will be rounds of contact (vaṭṭa). The concatenation of these contacts in parallel with time is existence. The language, terminology and descriptions are meaningful only to that extent.
In other words, language, terminology, and descriptions are unnecessary in the absence of states of being. Absence here denotes absence of the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form or simply the absence of existence.
The Buddha concludes with “this is how the entire mass of dukkha originates” because, as is explanatory from this discussion, existence lacks any substantiality except dukkha caused by the impermanence of the four nutriments that sustain it. As mentioned earlier, the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form too represents the four nutriments.
This ends the analysis of the discourse on great causation, the understanding of which is crucial for understanding the doctrine of dependent origination. As the Buddha himself stated at the beginning of this important sutta, it is due to not-understanding dependent origination that sentient beings then and now are tangled like in a string, knotted like a ball of thread, and matted like rushes and reeds, without an escape from the places of loss, the bad places, the underworld and transmigration.
[i] In the Naḷakalāpī Sutta (SN12.67) Venerable Sāriputta explained the reciprocity between consciousness and name & form in relation to two bundles of reed.
“Suppose there were two bundles of reeds leaning up against each other.”
“In the same way, name and form are conditions for consciousness. Consciousness is a condition for name and form. Name and form are conditions for the six sense fields. The six sense fields are conditions for contact. … That is how this entire mass of dukkha originates. If the first of those bundles of reeds were to be pulled away, the other would collapse. And if the other were to be pulled away, the first would collapse.”
“In the same way, when name and form cease, consciousness ceases. When consciousness ceases, name and form cease. When name and form cease, the six sense fields cease. When the six sense fields cease, contact ceases. … That is how this entire mass of dukkha ceases.”
[ii] A similar reciprocal relationship is found in the Nagara Sutta (SN12.65).
[iii] The fact that name & form can be external is evident from the Bālapaṇḍita Sutta (SN12.19) wherein it says;
So there is the duality of this body and external name and form. Contact depends on this duality. When contacted through one or other of the six sense fields, the fool experiences pleasure and pain.
[iv] The attention, in the case unlearned ordinary persons, is unradical meaning that they do not use it in such a way that they can understand the process of contact from its very beginning. The practicing disciple, on the hand, uses their attention so as to understand its arising in dependence. Therefore, they are able to avoid unwholesome intentions as and when they arise.
Therefore, attention in respect of unlearned ordinary persons is unradical attention (ayonisomanasikāra), while the attention in respect of disciples is radical attention (yonisomanasikāra).
[v] SN1.61.
[vi] As explained in DN15, there must be a reciprocal interplay between form group and name group for contact to arise. However, according to MN9 (Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta) name group consists of feeling, perception, intention, contact and attention. Although it appears that the two suttas conflict with each other, contact too can be considered as part of name group because contact is the unification of form group and name group cognized by consciousness.
In other words, contact too is a mental phenomenon because it too has to be known by consciousness.
[vii] SN12.61.
[viii] SN22.79.
[ix] SN12.64 (The Atthirāga Sutta). SN12.63 (Puttamaṁsa Sutta) also explains the four nutriments.
[x] “Pachchuppanna” literally means the present.
[xi] DN33.
[xii] SN12.33.
[xiii] In the Sila Sutta (SN46.3), the Buddha explained a type of extinguishment as follows.
“If not, with the ending of the five lower fetters, they are extinguished between one life and the next (antarāparinibbāyī).”
Although this gives the notion that the passing away into Nibbāna can happen at an interim state, the message that the Sutta conveys is that it is the relationship between consciousness and name & form which is an existence that goes from one life to the next.
[xiv] This concept is discussed in the Appendix under unresponsive consciousness.
With Metta
not as a further argument, but to sum things up and show that this discussion was just about a theoretical difference.
If not, Ajahn or others should correct me.
