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All things arise from causes and conditions. A sprout, for example, arises from
a seed but it depend on soil, moisture, air and sunlight for its growth. If any
of these conditions is missing, then the sprout will not growth. The flame of an
oil lamp depends on the wick and oil. When either the wick is totally burnt up
or the last drop of oil is used up, the flame will die out. In the same way,
life arises from cause and conditions, and not through mere chance.
Dependent Origination and Rebirth
Just as the flame of an oil lamp depend upon the wick and the oil for its
existence , so rebirth and suffering occur dependent on an impure mind and
actions (karma).
The mind is impure so long as it is not free from ignorance, craving and
clinging. Ignorance is failing to see thing as they really are. Out of
ignorance, people crave for pleasant experience arise, they cling to them. They
fail to understand that pleasant experience such as wealth, friendship, youth
and even life, are impermanent. All these will eventually slip through their
fingers like a handful of sand.
As a result of an impure mind, people commit unwholesome acts to obtain the
things they crave for and soon become used to acting in the same way. If some
people find that they can obtain what they want by dishonest means on one
occasion, they may be tempted to do it again on future occasions. Eventually,
dishonesty becomes a habit. However, other may find that they can succeed by
hard work. As a result, they are encouraged to work hard at each task and hard
work becomes a habit for them.
In the same way, other habits are formed and become part of the personality.
When people come face to face with a new situation, they will respond to it in
their accustomed way and so reinforce their habits. At death, an impure mind
with its habitual actions becomes the cause of a person’s rebirth just as the
seed which is supplied with soil, moisture, air and sunlight, is the cause of a
sprout. So long as people’s minds are not freed from ignorance, craving and
clinging, they will continue to act in their accustomed way, and so long as they
act in this way, they will be reborn.
Rebirth is suffering because experience conditioned by
ignorance, craving and cling is never satisfactory. Even the pleasant experience
which people crave for and cling to, are impermanent. Consequently, people
experience the suffering of loss, ageing, death, sorrow and grief.
To end rebirth and suffering, people need to purify their minds of ignorance,
craving and clinging. When they have freed their minds of impurities, action
(karma) will not take place. Then rebirth and suffering will also cease and
freedom from the cycle of birth and death is achieved
Dependent Origination and Relativity
At the beginning of this topic, it was seen how a sprout and the flame of an
oil lamp depend on a combination of causes and conditions for their existence.
this means that the sprout and the flame, like all things, do not exist
independently. They exist only in relation to other things. This is called
relativity or "emptiness" in Buddhism and is another aspect of
Dependent Origination.
Things are what they are, only in relation to other things, for instance, the
same man is a father to his son and a son to his father. His identity depends
upon his relation to another, and is relative.
The distance between London and Italy is long in relation to the distance
between London to Ireland, but in relation to the distance between London and
New York, it is short. Short and long, like father and son, are therefore
relative. They exist and make sense only in relation to other things.
Relativity or "emptiness" means that because things do not exist
independently, they do not have an unchanging nature of their own. One is not
independently or by nature a father. A man becomes a father of his relation to
his son. "Emptiness" does not mean nothingness. On the contrary, it means
openness and infinite possibility. Any son can become a father if the right
combination of causes and conditions is present. Similarly, anyone can be
enlightened if he cultivates Good Conduct, Mental Development and Wisdom.
The principle of Dependent Origination is the central teaching of the Buddha.
Through the understanding of Dependent Origination, the Buddha attained
Enlightenment. He said, "Deep indeed is Dependent Origination. It is by not
realising this principle that all men have become entangled like a ball of
thread, unable to stop suffering and rebirth" .
Law of Dependent Origination
It states that all phenomenon arise depending upon a number of casual
factors. In other word, it exists in condition that the other exist; it has in
condition that others have; it extinguishes in condition that others extinguish;
it has not in condition that others have not. For existence, there are twelve
links in the chain:
1. Ignorance is the condition for karmic activity;
2. Karmic activity is the condition for consciousness;
3. Consciousness is the condition for the name and form;
4. Name and form is the condition for the six sense organs;
5. Six sense organs are the condition for contact;
6. Contact is the condition for feeling;
7. Feeling is the condition for emotional love/craving;
8. Emotional love/craving is the condition for grasping;
9. Grasping is the condition for existing;
10. Existing is the condition for birth;
11. Birth is the condition for old age and death;
12. Old age and death is the condition for ignorance; back to (1) and
the cycle continues...
Part of the information of this page is
extracted from
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/5215/do.html
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