The Cycle of Life — Dependent Origination (Q&A 2021/03/21)

 Q&A 2021/03/21

Verse 75

Suffering and accumulation become entangled with one another. 

Death and birth arise from dependent origination 

Which has twelve links, as taught by the Buddha. 

They are like a castle or a fruit tree.

~ The Way to Buddhahood

1. Dependent origination as a “vertical” explanation vs “horizontal” explanation of the first and second noble truth. What does vertical mean?  What does horizontal mean?

Dependent origination is a “vertical” explanation of the mutual production of accumulation and suffering, complementing the horizontal explanation of the first and second Noble Truths. ~ The Way to Buddhahood

~> The concept of horizontal and vertical is occasionally used in the interpretation of Buddhism.

~> The horizontal concept is mostly used in the analysis of the static (immobile) state, in other words, it’s an observation that does not involve the concept of time.

~> As for the concept of vertical, it is a dynamic analysis, which involves the concept of time, it is an observation how things change from past to present, from present to future.

~> Actually, the teaching of Dependent Origination and Noble Truth are the teachings that unveil the facts of CAUSE and EFFECT. The author tries to remind us that both of the teachings shared the same purpose, but reveal the facts in a different manner.

2. What does accumulation mean? What’s being accumulated? Karma?

3. This book describes the second noble truth as accumulation. How is that different from another version that says the cause of suffering is craving?

The Buddha said that there was no beginning to birth and death. Just as in the case of accumulation and suffering — suffering comes from accumulation and accumulation also arises from suffering — birth and death occur in a circular fashion. ~ The Way to Buddhahood

~> The Second Noble Truth, it is called samudaya in Pali, has many different translations in English. 

~> Indeed, it is the CAUSE of suffering mainly due to craving. 

~> However, when we observe the CAUSE of suffering, it is not just one or two cause(s), it’s like a “complicated bundle”, and that’s why in English, words like “accumulation, aggregate or exacerbation” are use to describe “samudaya” (集).

4. This section describes a castle being Guarding the door to liberation. Who are the guards? Are they our own afflictions. Is the only exit here referencing the path.

The Buddha used different parables to explain the twelvefold dependent origination. First, he said it is like a castle. Sentient beings are like people enclosed in a castle unable to get to the door. The only exit is blocked by guards, so if they approach a door they are unable to get out. ~ The Way to Buddhahood

~> Absolutely, the GUARDs here are our afflictions. We are trapped in the CASTLE, the twelve links of Dependent Origination. 

~> The PATH (the practices) is the TOOL to find the EXITs and the EXIT-PASS, so that we can show to the Guard. This is what I'm going to share with you in Section 4 when you’ve finished the reading.

The Cycle of Life — Dependent Origination

Progress suggestions:

Section 1: Brief talk about the 12 terms in Dependent Origination by Ven. Ekāyana (30-45 minutes)

Section 2: Read the article written by Joseph Goldstein 

Section 3: Read the contents in the The Way to Buddhahood verse: no. 75, 76 & 77

Section 4:  Let’s talk about the daily application of Dependent Origination with Ven. Ekāyana 

Related to The Way to Buddhahood verse: no. 75, 76 & 77

Verse 75

Suffering and accumulation become entangled with one another. 

Death and birth arise from dependent origination 

Which has twelve links, as taught by the Buddha. 

They are like a castle or a fruit tree.

Verse 76

Cloaked in ignorance, 

Bound by the knots of desire,

The body with consciousness continues, 

Ceaselessly continues.

Verse 77

Originating in consciousness there is name and form. 

From these come the six sense organs. 

The meeting of faculties and objects forms contact. 

From contact comes sensation. 

Through sensation arises desire. 

Increasing desire becomes clinging. 

Therefore they accumulate to form existence in the future, 

And birth, aging, and death all follow.

Article Reading: 

Dependent Origination: The Twelve Links explained by Joseph Goldstein

Food for thought:

Can I see the Dependent Origination in my daily life or work?

Q&A 2021/2/28

Is it possible if we just cut one link we could then be liberated? If so which one? 

～ This is a good question, I will talk about it in Section 4.

Q&A 2021/3/07

1. Is walking meditation a part of practice for sensual consciousness?

~> First of all, when we talk about sensual consciousness, these include senses from eyes, ears, nose.....the six sense organs.

~> If we walk without noticing, we usually miss those sensual consciousnesses. However, if we walk mindfully, means that we see mindfully while we walk, we feel mindfully when our feet touch the ground etc., then the whole process can be considered as “a practice of walking meditation”.

2. Page 2, paragraph 2, from the bottom line 3 - the author mentions "All the elements of matter", does that mean the four elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind?

~> Indeed.

 3. If rebirth consciousness is considered at the moment of conceiving, what would be the Buddhist point of view on abortion?

~> Traditionally, most Buddhist Master will highlight “Do not kill” on the issue of abortion.

~> My view points personally as below:

(1) No one and no scripture can decide “what we should/can do or what we shouldn’t/cannot do” for us, as well as no one can vote for us for what we shall/shall not do. (refer Kalama Sutta) 

(2) We observe the precept of “Do not kill” in order to respect and appreciate living beings, but it is inappropriate to  observe it blindly or forcefully. 

(3) “Should a person having abortion” is the RIGHT for the person-involved, they are free to make their own decision after seeking professional advice from a psychologist or physician.

(4) Of course, if we have alternative options to take good care of the fetus and mother, physically and mentally, I will definitely be on the side of not aborting. 

(5) A quote worth contemplating: “Buddhism is a demanding moral practice; it turns over to each person the power to decide what is right to do in any given moment. Buddhist morality is not imposed by an outside authority. Our morality is imposed from within, from our felt sense of what is true. There is no single catechism.” (~ excerpted from A life in her hand by Sallie Tisdale)

4. Is Craving stronger than feeling? Is Feeling always present before craving / desire?

~> Maybe we can put aside the concept of stronger or weaker, just recognize that Feeling is the cause for Craving to arise.

~> When we have Unpleasant Feelings we CRAVE for something to soothe our mind and body.

~> When we have Pleasant Feelings we CRAVE for something to maintain our happiness or comfortableness.

5. The differences between desire and carving, could one have desire without craving? 

~> I will say yes, with strong mindfulness. Maybe you all can give me some real life scenarios, then we can discuss them in detail accordingly.

~> In Buddhist scriptures, we have a term which is “善法欲”, literally means “seeking to cultivate wholesome factors”. With the sense of “Craving the right dharma; wanting to know the teaching. Thus, the strong desire to become a Buddhist practitioner and assiduously cultivate oneself in the practice of Buddhist principles.”

6. Please share an example of when neutral feelings arise? What are the karmic implications of neutral feelings?

~> An ordinary person, maybe not easy to notice their neutral feelings, which appear in between pleasant feelings and unpleasant feelings. Coupled with not taking any obvious action (mentally, bodily and verbally), human beings barely notice those neutral feelings.

~> However, when people get involved with more and more Dharma Practices, they will see the neutral feelings easier and more clearly, on what they see, hear, taste etc. Actually, the practitioners are training themselves to see things / phenomenal as they are, when they do that (just seeing / merely hearing etc.) their ups and downs in the feelings are controllable by their mindful practices. As a result, they are experiencing more and more neutral feelings.

~> Neutral feelings don’t have strong and obvious karmic forces compared to pleasant and unpleasant feelings, hence, their karmic force is just maintaining a person’s life silently.

~> Some of our “automatic actions”, such as blinking our eyes unintentionally, breathing and heart beating, are related to the neutral feelings.