The Buddha introduced a number of things that are unique to all religions and spirituality. Two of these are The Four Noble Truths and Interdependent Origination. The Buddha claimed that one could not attain enlightenment without understanding both of these intuitively, or with the heart, and not only the mind.
Interdependent means dependent upon something else for its existence; something comes first; a cause, which causes an effect. Cause and effect . . . action and consequences. This is the basis of Interdependent Origination which when understood releases human beings from their constant stress by explaining the cause of that stress, and how to eliminate its cause.
Nothing exists that is not dependent upon Interdependent Origination - from the mighty galaxies in the universe to the bean sprouts in our gardens. Even we are dependent upon Interdependent Origination, and understanding its steps is what can release us from its prison of endless rebirths.
The bean sprout is dependent upon many causal factors, such as sunlight, water, and basic consciousness. Likewise, rebirth of a human being is dependent upon twelve causal factors, which are:
1. Ignorance,
2. Volition,
3. Consciousness,
4. Name and form,
5. Six sense spheres,
6. Contact,
7. Feeling,
8. Craving,
9. Clinging,
10. Becoming,
11. Birth,
12. Old age and death.
If we can break the chain of causality at any point along this 12-point chain, we can become free of rebirth.
1. Ignorance is the basis of all of our stress. Ignorance is why we crave sense pleasure, we crave existing, or sometimes not existing. Ignorance causes us to cling to pleasant experiences, ideas, and most importantly, to the idea of a permanent self, or an "I" thought. Therefore, our ignorance, craving and clinging are the cause of our actions.
2. Volition is our habits formed from our particular points of view that develop in our stream of consciousness, or our life-continuum consciousness. These habits or mental formations are our kamma, and are formed by our repeated actions, which become our personality that we take into our next lifetime, and which consists of our past lifetime, augmented by our actions in this present lifetime.
3. Consciousness is the result of kamma or volition above. Because of our past habits and mental formations, we form in our minds the idea of a self, or an "I" thought, and this is what seeks consciousness again after death.
4. Name and form is the body and mind that is born into the world.
5. The six sense spheres result from the birth of the body; eyes, ears, nose, tongue, bodily sensations, and mind.
6. Contact results when one of these sense spheres contacts an object; we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, or think something.
7. Feeling. When we make contact with a sense object, we feel either attachment toward it, aversion, or neutrality.
8. Craving. If we feel attachment, we will crave that object.
9. Clinging. If we attain the object, then we will cling to it.
10. Becoming. The one who clings and craves, and the one who attaches and averts is nothing but an illusionary self. Clinging and craving is the form of creation that becomes a self, and in turn the illusion of this self becomes another being after rebirth.
11. Birth is the formations because of becoming and clinging to the "I" thought.
12. Old age and death is the result of birth, and the cycle continues.
The first way we can understand the 12 links is over the course of our past life, this present life, and the future life. Ignorance and volition belong to our past life. They represent the conditions that propelled us into this lifetime.
Consciousness, name and form, the six sense spheres, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, and becoming belong to this life. Birth, old age and death belong to a future life.
The second way that we can understand the 12 links by dividing them into three cyclical components; afflictions, volition, and becoming.
Afflictions consist of ignorance, craving and clinging. Actions are made up of volition and becoming, and sufferings are made up of consciousness, name and form, the six sense spheres, contact, feeling, birth, and old age and death.
If we tie all of this together, we see that ignorance, craving and clinging result in actions, both in previous lives and this lifetime, which result in habit patterns, volition, or kamma very similar to our old lifetime.
Then, these volitions create a self, or "I" thought, which the idea of which carries forward after death seeking another form in which to carry on the illusion in the form of rebirth consciousness. From this arises consciousness, name and form, the six sense spheres, contact between the sense speres and objects, then arises feelings because of this contact, craving and clinging results, and then follows becoming, or the idea of self that attaches or averts. This then is the cause of rebirth, and subsequent old age, disease and death.
Breaking this cycle of birth and death is the goal of a Buddhist. If you were looking for an address in a strange town and couldn't find it, going around and around, eventually you would ask for help, or access a map. Then you could follow the instructions and find the address. Similarly, we go around and around in lifetime after lifetime with no road map. Interdependent Origination is the map. All we have to do is break the 12-point chain at some point.
Interdependent Origination falls between personality belief and nihilism. An independent, eternal self is seen through as an illusion, but the kammic residue that causes rebirth negates nihilism. Therefore, something continues, but not the ego. Clinging to either scenario only continues the 12 point cycle.
This all opens the door to enlightenment.
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