Question 95: WHAT ARE THE TWELVE LINKS OF DEPENDENT ORIGINATION?

Answer: The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination describe the process of samsara (the cycle of birth and rebirth), combining psychological and karmic factors in the following order:

Ignorance (Avijjā): This is the fundamental delusion or lack of understanding inherent in all sentient beings. This ignorance is the root cause of the entire chain of dependent origination.
Volitional Formations (Saṅkhāra): These are the mental formations or activities driven by the ego. Ignorance leads to the rise of these formations, where the ego begins to assert itself
Subconsciousness (Viññāṇa): This refers to activities of the subconscious, also known as the vegetative nervous system. Due to the ego’s emergence, the subconscious mind becomes active. This subconsciousness is the basis for the arising of mental and physical phenomena in an individual.
Name-and-Form (Nāma-Rūpa): This refers to the activities of the conscious mind and the physical body. The subconscious mind’s subtle activities lead to the manifestation of conscious thought and physical existence. “Name” refers to the mental components, and “Form” refers to the physical body.
Six Sense Bases (Saḷāyatana): These are the six faculties or sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) that arise due to the existence of Name-and-Form. As the mind and body function, the six senses become the means through which beings perceive the world.
Contact (Phassa): This refers to the interaction between the six sense bases and their corresponding objects. Through the senses, beings come into contact with the external environment (sensory contact) – Without fully functioning senses, a being may seem disconnected from their surroundings.
Feeling (Vedanā): The sensations or feelings (pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral) that arise from contact with objects through the senses. Due to interaction with the world, beings experience a variety of joys and sorrows, influenced by life’s complex circumstances.
Craving (Taṇhā): This is the emergence of desires and aversions that arise based on feelings. Driven by feelings of pleasure and sorrow, beings develop complex emotions, loving what brings joy and hating what causes suffering.
Clinging (Upādāna): This refers to the actions that create karma. Driven by attachments and aversions, beings engage in various actions that generate complex good and bad karma.
Becoming (Bhava): This is the formation of a future existence. The karma created through one’s actions lays the groundwork for the conditions of future rebirths, essentially designing the blueprint for future lives.
Birth (Jāti): This is the actual rebirth into a new life. Once the blueprint is formed, rebirth inevitably follows, leading to a new existence.
Ageing and Death (Jarāmaraṇa): This encompasses the inevitable cycle of ageing, illness, death, and all the suffering that accompanies existence, such as sorrow, lamentation, pain, and despair. A being born into this world naturally experiences ageing, sickness, death, and all the associated suffering.

To eliminate ignorance and cease the cycle of rebirth, one must diligently practice the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Author

JANNA is the pen name of a certain monk who does not wish to use his real name. He is likely mature enough to understand that fame, wealth, and glory are as fleeting as morning mist.

In Pali, “JANNA” means purity, so it’s unclear which country he’s from. However, he seems to have studied the Nikaya scriptures.

Although he writes about Buddhism, he appears to desire unity with other religions to contribute to the cause of world peace. He attempts to demonstrate how differences can complement one another…