Breaking the Chain - The Twelve Links of Interdependent Arising Explained Part I

The Twelve-Links of interdependent Origination

One of the most distinctive aspects of how living beings perceive the world is that it is made of discrete 'things' that appear and exist, and then dissapear. The issue of 'existence', what does that mean, and do I exist? Do things exist? If so, how? In short subject (the observer, I), and the objects (the things) are not truly existent. Even though they appear, they lack any essential nature - including the subject (I). The way things appear is refered as 'interdependent arising', and dependent arising is equivalent to saying that all things are empty of true existence.

The topic of interdependent arising is one of the most difficult to penetrate among the teachings of Buddhism. It could be tempting to simply think of cause and effect as in for example when an object is pushed with sufficient force it moves. However, this simple 'direct causality' that we can observe in the material world is only one of the many layers and interconnections that comprise the topic of interdependent arising.

When analyzed from the prespective of the relative appearing reality, dependent arisign is in itself the nature of all that appears; however, the analysis taken to its full completion will lead to the conclusion that dependent arising is great emptiness. As Nagarjuna states in the Root Verses on the Middle way:

Whatever is dependently arisen
That is explained to be emptiness.
That itself, being a dependent mere designation,
Is itself the great middle way.

Later on the text Nagarjuna approaches this from another angle stating that:

If dependent arising is denied,
Emptiness itself is rejected.
This would contradict
All of the worldly conventions.

It is not in the scope of this article to delve into the details of the explanations on emptiness and the meaning of it; however as we will be explore the twelve-links of interdependent arising from the point of view of the Abhidharma teachings, as in accordance with the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, it is good to keep in mind from the start that the explanations on the twelve links are not establishing Samsara and all those links and elements as anything ultimately existent - the twelve links explain how things appear in the relative sense, and how samsara keeps on churning - however, it is good to keep in mind that in the end, dependent arising is also empty of true existence.

In the Rice Seedling Sutra it is written:

ignorance causes formations. Formations cause consciousness. Consciousness causes name and form. Name and form cause the six sense sources. The six sense sources cause contact. Contact causes sensation. Sensation causes craving. Craving causes appropriation. Appropriation causes becoming. Becoming causes birth. And birth causes aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, despair, and anxiety. Thus does this entire great heap of suffering arise.

In the same Sutra also it says:

whoever sees dependent arising sees the Dharma. Whoever sees the Dharma sees the Buddha.

Interdependent arising is one of the most distinctive and unique teachings of the Buddha, it is profound and hard to penetrate. This principle alone can lead to the complete cessation of ignorance and suffering and reveal the Buddha nature.

Modes of Dependent Arising

In general when speaking of dependent arising there are several aspects:

1) dependent on causes and conditions

a) outer causality (such as seeds and sprouts)

b) inner causality (inner workings of karma and mental factors)

2) dependent on parts or elements

3) dependent on a labeling consciousness

When considering dependent arising there are several aspects.

The first relates to the fact that all that appears is a result of causes and conditions. Outer causality is easily observed in the world. We can see how rice seeds produce rice plants. We can see how a ball rolls down a hill and so on. It is based on the understanding of outer causality that we understand how to function in the world, and how disciplines such as physics, biology and so on are able to produce results.

The other aspect of causality is inner causality. This is harder to understand and not easily visible. In order to understand the twelve links of interdepedent arising we will need to base ourselves in this process of inner causality.

We can also undersand dependent arising in terms of parts and elements - that is to say that whatever phenomena we perceive does not have a uniform, self-contained essence, instead it is dependent on many different parts or elements. For example a car is dependent upon the engine with all its many parts, the chassi and so on. When looking in this way we see that we cannot find a car apart from all the parts, and yet the parts are not the car. This however would now lead us into the discussion of emptiness.

Finally the last one, it means that all that appears would not be so without a consciousness to label it and conceive to be so. Without a consciousness to designate 'car', there is no car. Even if we say that there are some pieces of metal and plastic - but thats not a car. A car only exists dependent upon a labeling consciousness.

Inner Dependent Arising

The main point explained here is related to the inner aspect of causality, specifically in the form of the twelve links as taught by the Buddha. Understanding this aspect of inner causality is very important for a few reasons. If we understand this principle it counters the idea that there is some controlling force (like a god) that determines what happens to us; it also counters the idea that things just happen and there is some randomness associated in conjunction with the deterministic biological and physical laws of the universe. Finally it counters the idea that there exists a real agent, a doer of actions that has control over what happens. Once these ideas are dispelled we are one step closer to understanding our real nature and the nature of existence.

Let us explore now in greater detail each of the twelve links, relating them to the images usually displayed in the wheel of life. In the image that is on the top of this page there are many different elements that will be explained throughout this article, but first let us start with the twelve links themselves.

The Twelve Links

1st - Ignorance or unawareness

The image usually associated with this, as its found commonly in the depictions of the wheel of life, as its visible in the image above, its a blind person walking with a cane.

This image represents the factor of unawareness which is the fundamental ignorance of our true nature. It is due to this unawareness that livings beings grasp to a truly existent self and project a world of dualism, clinging to themselves as truly existent and at all the empty appearances as truly existing phenomena. The entire manifestation of the six realms of Samsara arises due to this ignorance, and so it is the first link.

2nd - karmic-formations

In the second link the image depicts a potter making clay pots, giving shape and solidifying the pots. The second link which follows straight from ignorance is karmic-formations. That is to say that due to the fact that living beings are not aware of their true nature, the non-dual empty luminous buddha-nature, they grasp at themselves and others are real, in this way they perform all kinds of actions. There are actions done with the body, the speech and the mind. These actions, rooted in ignorance, are the seeds that will later ripen into results. These are the karmic forms that are 'collected' due to ignorance - the second link in the wheel.

3rd - consciousness

In this one the image is usually of a monkey sitting on a tree filled with fruits. This means that due to the prior two links, the karmic seeds that formed will then result in a particular 'shape' of consciousness that perceives objects, and a mode of cognition that comes associated with it - in other words, one will develop a particular form of consciousness, such as the 'type' of consciousness of human being, or of a dog, a bird, or any being within the six realms. The monkey represents consciousness that now observes the fruits of their past actions.

4st - name and form

In this one we see some men sitting on a boat going down a river. The boat represents the body and the people the other aggregates. That is to say that once conscioussness forms (in the previous link), from that now the remaining four aggregates manifest based on that - feeling, perception, formations (name) and then once entering the womb the form manifests. Hence its called name and form.

5th - sense bases

In this image we see a house with six windows. This represents that once consciousness and all the aggregates are formed, the six sensory spaces manifest, that is, the basis for vision, hearing and so on arise so that such experiences happen.

6th - contact

In this image we see a couple embracing. Once the five aggregates are established, and the six sense bases are active, there is contact - contact between the visual consciousness and the visual object for example.

7th - feeling

This image depicts someone with an arrow in their eye. The eye is very sensitive so it is a very illustrative image to point to 'feeling', that is to say that once contact happens it generates a response that we call 'feeling'. Feeling will be of three types: Like, Dislike, neutral; or love, hate, indiferent. and so on.

8th - craving

In this image we see someone receiving a drink, representing thirst. That is to say that once we have experienced contact and feeling we develop craving for pleasurable sensations and to obtain the things we love.

9th - grasping

Here we see a man, or a monkey, picking fruit. This represents a continuation from the previous link, however here the focus is on concrete 'doing', in the sense that from craving for desirable things and experiences, we move with grasping to chase after them.

10th - becoming

This is often shown as an image of a pregnant woman, or a couple having intercourse. This link is more subtle and has different conotations. On one hand it represents the fact that due to everything up to this point, up to grasping together with all the actions that are done in the process, we are creating the karmic seeds that will become the results in the future. On another hand, one can say that the link of becoming is equivalent to the link of karmic formations but in this case it is seen from the prespective of the causes created in one lifetime that will result in the formation of consciousness in the next.

11th - birth

This image is of a young woman giving birth. It represents that from all the actions that were done out of craving and grasping, once the seeds of becoming are established they will propel us into the next life and a new birth based on our accumulated actions.

12th - ageing and death

This image shows a dead corpse being carried. The last link points to the obvious fact that if birth happens (the previous link), then death is sure to follow, and it is death as the last link that truly becomes the point of transition and connection that keeps this 'wheel' of the twelve links turning and turning.

On important point to understand, or to come to understand through reflecting on the twelve links is that all conditioned phenomena are just the manifestation of dependent arising, they have not occurred just by themselves, but also they not arise from some truly existing 'other'. Also they do not arise through both self and other; and also they do not appear without causes – so phenomena are said to be unarising and unoriginated, appearing, and yet of the nature of illusion. In other words, phenomena appear, but are totally empty of true existence, they appear in a manner that is beyond the four extremes of existing, not-existing, both and neither. One other way to explain this four extremes that relates closely to dependent arising is: things do not appear caused by something else, neither are they caused by themselves, neither from both themselves and other things, but also they do not appear without a cause - therefore it is said, they are dependent arisings, empty of true existence.

In the chart above there are more layers and more details that are very useful to understand, read the second part of this article where the explanation continues.

The Twelve Links Explained Part II (coming soon)

With love

by Ajanatha