The Twelve Links of Dependent Co-Arising

Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit; Pali: paṭiccasamuppāda), commonly translated as dependent origination, or dependent co-arising, is a key doctrine in Buddhist thought which states that, all dharmas ("phenomena") arise in dependence upon other dharmas: "if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist".

The principle is expressed in the links of dependent origination a linear list of twelve elements from the Buddhist teachings which arise depending on the preceding link. Traditionally the list is interpreted as describing the conditional arising of rebirth in saṃsāra, and the resultant duḥkha (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness). An alternative Theravada interpretation regards the list as describing the arising of mental formations and the resultant notion of "I" and "mine," which are the source of suffering. Traditionally, the reversal of the causal chain is explained as leading to the annihilation of mental formations and rebirth.

The Pratityasamutpada teachings assert neither direct Newtonian-like causality nor a single causality. Rather, it asserts an indirect conditioned causality and a plural causality.

Here is a nice 12 Links site to check out.

How To Read Red Pine’s Heart Sutra, pp. 56-66

As the translator informs us, he has arranged the text of the Heart Sutra into four sections.

This week we are looking at Section One (which includes lines 1-11).

nota bene:

Each section is made up of numbered lines.

Each numbered line has a heading.

Each heading has a commentary.

Each commentary has three parts.

PART 1. A discussion of the heading’s translation and meaning

PART 2. Select Chinese commentaries

PART 3. Red Pine Final Note

Beginning with page 29, note the structure of the information:

Pages 29 through the first half of 32 are PART 1-discussion of ‘prajna’ and ‘paramita’

Pages 32 through the first half of 35 are PART 2-commentaries by five Chinese monks and masters.

The last paragraph of this is PART 3 Red Pine’s Final Note, p. 35.

I mention all of this because the material here is densely-packed with tongue-twisting Sanskrit words, references to unusual states of mind, and intricate lists of how the world is put together. In an effort to provide some focus, we will “zero in” on the five skandhas as described on pages 56-66.

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