Chapter 1 - An Effect Depends On A Cause

Natural Law of the Universe provides that cause and effect are related to one another. If there is cause there must be effect. Without a cause there cannot be an effect. The effect again becomes a cause, which, in turn, produces its effect and thus the cycle of cause and effect goes on ad infinitum.

The central theme of this doctrine of Paticca Samuppada is that every phenomenon is produced depending on cause and conditions. All mental and physical states are being produced depending on other state of mind and matter, which, in turn, are produced depending on still other states. In reality, there is nothing that can arise of its own accord or lead an isolated life, quite independent of everything else.

The doctrine of Paticca Samuppada is the real foundation on which the entire philosophy of Buddhism is built up. Paticca Samuppada is a combination of Pali words. Paticca meaning "depending upon", Sam meaning "well" and Uppada meaning "arising of effect', hence it is known in English as the Law of Dependent Origination or Cycle of Birth and Death of a being.

It is to be borne in mind that Paticca Samuppada pertains to nothing but your own self, your own aggregate (Khandha )of Mind and Body (Nama and Rupa). It shows the casual continuum of your so-called self, the process of arising and passing away of Mind and Matter. In other words, the series of sufferings since indefinite time and space.

Paticca Samuppada actually is in itself the cyclic order of arising and passing away of the aggregate of Mind and Body. One phenomenon gives rise to another in an endless continuum. This process is therefore only the arising and passing away of Mind and Matter, or Law of Casualty, in which there is no semblance that can be taken for I, you, he, she, man, woman, self or ego, etc.

In the Digha Nikaya, the Buddha Himself has said, "O Bhikkhus, one who understand Paticca Samuppada does understand the Dhamma, and who understands the Dhamma understands Paticca Samuppada". And, soon after His Enlightenment, the Buddha meditated on the Wheel of Life and proclaimed to the world of beings how He had realized the actual stratum of the links of life, the Buddha therefore uttered a Paean of Joy (Udana) on this very Doctrine of Paticca Samuppada.

In this chain, we see one incident depends upon another one previous to it, and gives rise to one after it. Everything that we find in the world can be brought under a chain of cause and effect; nothing can originate without depending on something else previous to it, and no originated thing can be conceived of which does not give rise to something else in its turn.