Prof. Suwanda H J Sugunasiri (writing from Canada)

The BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Conditioned Co-origination Formula, in Pali Paticcasamuppada, that nothing comes out of nothing, comes in two versions. Nine links in one (Mahanidana Sutta), with while three more (1, 2 & 5 below) in the other (Nidanasamyutta). But itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not the number that matters, but that the addition allows a novel perspective.

Basically, each link reads something like, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-conditioned by A is BƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Thus we have in 1, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”IgnoranceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, serving as a condition for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ForcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. These are the physical, psychological and verbal ones lodged in our minds, but dead wrong because of our ignorance.

Next, 2. Conditioned by ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ForcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ConsciousnessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Taking next ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”MindbodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢y (4), we could say that our having a mindbody implies, going backward, having a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ConsciousnessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (3). Going forward, it means having ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Six sensesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (5). Seeing a beautiful thing, i.e., with or getting money into our hands (ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ContactƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (6)),, thereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s excitement: (7) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SensationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Next we ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ThirstƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for it (8), meaning, come to love it. Your salary goes up, but ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ClingingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (9) setting in, you decide, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Not enoughƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. Seen any strike action lately? ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Social drinkingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ ending up ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”habitual drinking / addictionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢? How about Wall Street entrepreneurs lining their pockets? The process finally peaks into a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”BecomingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (10).

So far so good. It all relates to living human beings. But then, when we come to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”BirthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (11) and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”DeathƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (12), we begin to wonder. If up to now there was a living being, getting drunk, greedy and acting in ignorance, why ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”BirthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at this point in the chain? The being is already born! So then we begin to wonder if 11 and 12 perchance refer to another life, not this.

Then there is also at the beginning, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”IgnoranceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (1) and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ForcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (2), from an earlier life. So, three lives? Indeed it is, if you were to take the prevailing view. As in the Abhidhamma.
But the two renderings began to prompt me in the direction of understanding the Formula as relating to a single lifetime. How so then?
Now this is where the fun begins!

Though a moot point Canonically speaking, it may be envisioned that a given individual has had a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”first timeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in oneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s life as a human,. Today the world population is higher than in the BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s time. So the increase could have come only with new human beings appearing on earth. In the context of a hypothetical first-time life, then, we may identify the source of Ignorance and Forces conditioning a new offspring as being none other than the parents themselves!

Ignorance of each parent, from a Buddhist perspective, of course, would be in relation to the Four Noble Truths. That is, like the rest of us commonfolk , not wanting to face the reality of dukkha, or take seriously enough the need for or the possibility of liberation from it all that comes with Nibbana. Had there been no ignorance in these two parents, they wouldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ve been ones with defilements cut off, i.e., Arhants. Since, by definition, the very fact of producing an offspring establishes theyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢re, like all of us, steeped in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”sense-thirstƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, the ignorance of each of the parents can be said to pass on their ignorance to the offspring that would result from their union.

Conditioned by Ignorance are the Forces, goes the first link. And they are here aplenty indeed! First and foremost, of course, is the parental body-generated force, sexual union itself being the high point. Then there are the standard sense-thirsts, through their six senses. Finally, the forces generated by word, given that there would have been talk of having a child, language being preceded by the psychological process of conceptualization.

Quite independent of the personally generated ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”forcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, thereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s also, of course, the evolutionary force for the continuity of the species, which by definition goes counter to the process of producing the state of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”unbornƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (ajaata), meaning Nibbana.

Conditioned by parental and evolutionary forces, themselves conditioned by Ignorance (link 1), then, is Consciousness (link 3) of a new life generated. While in the standard understanding this would be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”relinking consciousnessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of one already in samsara, here it would simply be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”linking consciousnessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

The consciousness can be said to be conditioned by the linking, namely, the multiple cybernetic interactions between the mom-DNA and dad-DNA, that take place following the impregnation of the egg by the sperm, setting off the fertilization process when in a few days, the first cell comes to be. The process could even be called, in a tongue in cheek twist, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”re-linkingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, meaning ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”again and againƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, the twin DNA experimentally and experientially trying to figure out which of the traits of each of them (mom and dad) should the offspring come to have. It is the outcome of this (re)linking process, then, that can be said to be the Consciousness conditioned by Ignorance and Forces.

The resulting first cell can then be said to be the Mindbody conditioned by Consciousness (link 4). So, here, dear reader, then is your first Mindbody of a first-lifetime!

Diagram 1: Basic Cell showing its Parts

In the figure, there is a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”nucleusƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at the top centre, with a cell wall around it. We may then consider the cell nucleus the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mindƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, since it carries all the genetic information needed for its growth into a full-blown human being. The cell wall, of course, is the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”bodyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

But, just as we have three square meals a day in order to keep our mindbody going, so our tiny first Mindbody, invisible to our naked eye as it may be, can be expected to starve to death if itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not fed. Uh oh, minor problem. It has no mouth. But worry not. Let us note that the cell wall at least comes into contact with the mother. Now thereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s a term. Contact, which the Buddha says is one form of four forms of food ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”contact foodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. ThereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the contact through the umbilical chord, and with the amniotic fluid in the sac. Then there is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”consciousness foodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, a second kind of nutriment in the BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s list, from Consciousness itself. Then there is the
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”mind-volitional foodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ generated by Ignorance, inherited from the parents, but now part of the new sentience.

This Mindbody, at this point in time, of course, is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”born of mother and fatherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, as in the Samannaphala sutta. But s/he is yet to be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-complete in all limbs and facultiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. It cannot e.g., get drunk, greed, compose this page, etc. But soon we begin to see the initial steps towards a being that does all of the above and more.
The first cell divvying itself up – 2, 4, 8, 16ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ etc., over time, there begin to appear the organs – body, nose, tongue and ears, with eyes last, and, of course, the mindsense. Thus we have 4. Mindbody < Six Sense-bases (5), incidentally the third addition in the Samyutta version.

Senses condition, again, Contact (6), which brings Sensations (7) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the warmth in the womb; oh, but itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s cramped in here; IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢m hungry, etc. The growing life begins to not only thirst for food, but also ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Thirst to growƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (8) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a variation of bhava tanha, one of the three thirsts sentient beings live on. Getting what it wants, growing now comes to be its agenda (Clinging) (9). (So clinging is not always bad, eh!)
By the end of the ninth / tenth month, senses now fully functional (including the malfunctions, of course), the new life can said to have ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”BecomeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (10),. This we may take as being ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”complete in all limbs and facultiesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Excellent, 10 out 10! And behold a becoming face, too, oh, shy, still hiding in the womb.

The new sentient being is now ready to take the plunge into the blinding light of the sun and a confusing universe, leaving behind a cozy womb. Soon we have the midwife / doctor congratulating a pacing husband in the room adjacent to the delivery room. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-YouƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢re the proud father of a baby girl/boy.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Birth (11)!

But unknown to dad, mom and baby, something else has been at work. Decay / Ageing (12). Of course, it was a process begun at the birth of the very first cell itself. For the cell to grow into two, it has to first break up. To break up, it has to have an existence, even if itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s for a nanosecond, or a mindmoment as in the Abhidhamma. To have existence, it must have first come to be. To put another way, each cell goes through the phases of arising, staying put and breaking up. This is the process of decay that continues throughout, first helping the seed grow into a full-blown tree, but then beginning to wither away (as cells that die outpaces those that are born), the very final break up of the last cells resulting in Death (12 again).

Birth and Death, of course, is of the same sentient life that began with Ignorance and Forces generated by the parents.
So we can see that all through 1 to 12, the conditioning can be just in relation to the fetus.
Here, then, is a figure graphically capturing the idea of the twelve conditioning-conditioned links as relating to a single lifespan:

Diagram 2: The BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Conditioned Co-origination Formula as Relating to a Single Lifetime

Looking at the diagram centre, can you hear the embryo talking to us, in its best warbled language, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I am growing my organs in her uterusƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚? Or as in the diagram, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢m, like, in utero, growinƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ mah organsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Wow! The linguistic sophistication ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” in utero! Even street language – ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦like.

Thus it is then that Ignorance and Forces, traditionally linked to rebirth in the standard interpretation, will still not be able to torpedo the ship of conditionality, and will continue to be a relevant paradigm for the understanding of the origin of dukkha as well as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The Dharma of Natural SystemsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ as characterized by the American Scholar Joanna Macy.

Of course, our interpretation of the Conditioned Co-origination Teaching, is to be seen as an heuristic device, and not intended to deny rebirth or to replace the conventional interpretation.
(Condensed from a longer article by the same title, distributed at the celebration of WESAK in Toronto, on May 5, 2012. See www.buddhistcouncil.ca for the longer version..)

(Well-known Buddhist scholar and currently President, Buddhist Council of Canada, Professor Sugunasiri is a Poet, and Author of the novel, Untouchable Woman’s Odyssey, based in Sri Lankan context (Distributor: Vijitha Yapa)).