Abhidhammattha Sangaha - The Law of Dependent Arising

Abhidhammattha Sangaha ( A Manual of Abhidhamma )

Translated by Narada Maha Thera
Published By the Buddhist Missionary Society

Chapter VIII
Paccaya—Sangaha—Vibhago
_______
§1.Yesam sankhatadhammanam ye dhamma
paccaya yatha
Tam vibhagam’ih’edani pavakkhami
yatharaham.
_______
§2.Paticcasamuppadanayo, Patthananayo c’ati
paccayasangaho duvidho veditabbo.
Tattha tabbhavabhavibhavakaramattopalakkhi-
to paticcasamuppadanayo.
Patthananayo pana ahaccapaccayatthitim’ arabbha
pavuccati. Ubhayam pana vomissetva papancenti acariya.
Tattha avijjapaccaya sankhara, sankhara-paccaya
vinnanam, vinnana-paccaya namarupam, namarupa-
paccaya salayatanam, salayatana-paccaya phasso, phassa-
paccaya vedana, vedana-paccaya tanha, tanha-paccaya
upadanam, upadana-paccaya bhavo, bhava-paccaya jati,
jati-paccaya jara — marana — soka — parideva-dukkha-
domanass’ upayasa sambhavanti. Evam’ etassa kevalassa
dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti’ ti ayam’ ettha
paticcasamuppadanayo.
Tattha tayo addha; dvadasangani; visatakara;
tisandhi; catusankhepo; tini vattani; dve mulani ca
veditabbani.

Katham? avijja, sankhara atito addha; jati, jara,
maranam anagato addha; majjhe attha paccuppanno
addha’ ti tayo addha.
Avijja, sankhara, vinnanam, namarupam, salayatanam,
phasso, vedana, tanha, upadanam, bhavo, jati, jara-
maranan’ti dvadasangani. Sokadivacanam pan’ ettha
nissandaphalanidassanam.
Avijjasankharaggahanena pan’ettha tanhupadana-
bhava pi gahita bhavanti. Tatha tanh’ upadanabhavag-
gahanena ca avijjasankhara, jatijaramaranaggahanena ca
vinnanadiphalapancakam’eva gahitanti katva,
Atite hetavo panca idani phalapancakam
Idani hetavo panca ayatim phalapancakanti
Visatakara, tisandhi, catusankhepa ca bhavanti.
Avijja tanhupadana ca kilesavattam; kammabhava-
sankhato bhav’ekadeso; sankhara ca kammavattam;
upapattibhavasankhato bhav’ ekadeso; avasesa ca
vipakavattanti tini vattani.
Avijjatanhavasena dve mulani ca veditabbani.
1.Tesam’ eva ca mulanam nirodhena nirujjhati
Jaramaranamucchaya pilitanam’ abhinhaso
âsavanam samuppada avijja ca pavattati.
2.Vattam’abandham’ iccevam tebhumakam’
anadikam
Paticcasamuppado’ti patthapesi mahamuni.

Chapter 8
The Compendium of Relations
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Introductory
§1.I shall now explain here, in a fitting manner, how
causal states act as relations to the conditioned states (1).
§2.The compendium of relations is twofold:—
A.The Law of Dependent Arising (2), and
B.The Law of Causal Relations. (3)
Of these, the law of Dependent Arising is marked by the
simple happening of a state dependent on its antecedent
state (4).
The Law of Causal Relations is said with reference to
the existence of conditions that relate to one another.
Teachers explain them by mixing both methods.
_______
The Law of Dependent Arising
Therein:—
Dependent on Ignorance (5) arise Conditioning
Activities (6).
Dependent on Conditioning Activities arises
(Rebirth) Consciousness (7).
Dependent on (Rebirth) Consciousness arise Mind
and Matter (8).
Dependent on Mind and Matter arise the six (Sense)
Bases (9).

Dependent on the six (Sense) Bases arises
Contact (10).
Dependent on Contact arises Feeling (11).
Dependent on Feeling arises Craving (12).
Dependent on Craving arises Grasping (13).
Dependent on Grasping arises Action or Becoming (14).
Dependent on Action arises Birth (15).
Dependent on Birth arise Decay, Death, Sorrow,
Lamentation, Pain, Grief, and Despair.
Thus arises the whole mass of suffering.
Herein this is the Law of the Dependent Arising.
It should be understood that there are three periods,
twelve factors, twenty modes, three connections, four divi-
sions, three rounds, and two roots.
How?
Ignorance and Conditioning Activities belong to the
past; Birth, Decay, Death belong to the future; the inter-
mediate eight to the present. Thus there are three periods.
Ignorance, (moral and immoral) Activities, (Rebirth)
Consciousness, Mind and Matter, Six Sense Bases, Con-
tact, Feeling, Craving, Grasping, Action, Birth, Decay and
Death are the twelve factors. The terms Sorrow and so on
are shown as incidental consequence (of Birth).
Here, by taking ignorance and activities, craving,
grasping, and action are also taken. Likewise, by taking
craving, grasping, and action, ignorance and activities are
also taken. By taking birth, decay and death, the five

effects with consciousness and so on are taken also. Thus
there are:—
Five causes pertaining to the past, and five effects to
the present; five causes pertaining to the present, and five
effects to the future.
There are twenty modes, three connections and four
divisions.
The three Rounds—
1.Ignorance, craving, and grasping belong to the
Round of Passions;
2.One part of becoming (bhava) known as action
and (moral and immoral) activities belong to the Round of
Kamma.
3.One part of becoming known as renewed existence
(uppity bhava) and the rest belong to the Round of Effects.
Ignorance and craving should be understood as the two
roots. (16).
133
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Summary
By the destruction of these roots does the Round cease.
The ignorance, originating from defilements (17),
increases in the constantly oppressed who faint by decay
and death.
The Great Sage has thus expounded this entangled,
beginningless existence in the triple sphere as the ‘Law of
Dependent Arising.’
133. See diagrams XVI, p. 401 and XVII, p. 402.

Notes:—
Section1
1.Sankhatadhammanam—To the conditioned nama
and rupa described in the previous chapters.
_______
Section2
2.Paticcasamuppada134—Paticca—because of, on
account of; samuppada = arising, origination.
Although the literal meaning of the term is ‘arising
because of’ or dependent arising or origination, it is
applied to the whole causal formula which consists
of twelve interdependent causes and effects, techni-
cally called paccaya and paccayuppanna.
S. Z. Aung renders Paticcasamuppadanaya by
‘The Law of happening by way of cause’.
In this chapter the Law of Dependent Arising is
not mixed up with the Patthananaya as in the
Visuddhimagga.
3.Patthananaya—According to the Ceylon Commen-
tary here the prefix ‘pa’ means, ‘various’ (nanappa-
kara). Ledi Sayadaw says ‘principal’ (padhana).
òhana (lit.station) signifies ‘cause’ (paccaya) which is
paraphrased by ‘upakarakadhamma’ — aiding or sup-
portive conditions. These various or principal causes
134.For details see “The Buddha and His Teachings” pp. 418–431.

are decribed in detail in the Patthanapakarana, the
seventh book of the Abhidhamma-Pitaka. The system
expounded in this treatise is called Patthananaya.
The difference between the two nayas should be
understood as follows:
i.Because of A arises B. Because of B arises C. When
there is no A there is no B. When there is do B there
is no C. In other words ‘this being so, that is; this not
being so, that is not’ (imasmim sati, idam hoti; imas-
mim asati, idam na hoti). This is the Paticcasamup-
padanaya.
ii.When we say that A is related to B in thc way of co-
existence’, ‘interdependence’ we get an illustration of
Patthananaya.
See Journal of the Pali Text Society, 1915–1916,
pp.21–53.
4.Tabbhavabhavibhavakaramatta; bhavakaramatta
= the simple happening of a state; tabbhavabhavi =
dependent on its antecedent state.
5.Avijja, lit., not-knowingness, i.e., of the four Noble
Truths. It is also explained as ‘that which causes beings
to run in the endless Samsara’ (antavirahite samsare
satte javapeti). ‘Whereby the fruit is produced’ is
termed ‘paccaya’, which is the cause. When ignorance
is destroyed and turned into knowingness, all causality
is shattered as in the case of Buddhas and Arahants.

6.Sankhara—This is a multisignificant term which
should be understood according to the context. Here
the term signifies immoral (akusala), moral (kusala),
and unshakable (anenja) volitions (cetana) which con-
stitute Kamma that produces rebirth. The first embraces
all volitions in the 12 types of immoral consciousness;
the second, all volitions in the 8 types of Beautiful (kus-
ala) consciousness and the 5 types of kusala Rupajhana
consciousness; the third, all volitions in the 4 types of
kusala Arupajhanas. There is no proper English equiva-
lent which gives the exact connotation of this Pali term.
Sankhara, as one of the five aggregates, implies the
50mental states excluding feeling and perception.
The volitions of the four supramundane Path con-
sciousness (lokuttaramaggacitta) are not regarded as
sankhara because they tend to eradicate ignorance.
Wisdom (panna) is predominant in supramundane
types of consciousness while volition (cetana) is pre-
dominant in the mundane types of consciousness.
Ignorance is predominant in immoral activities, while
it is latent in moral activities. Hence both moral and
immoral actions are regarded as caused by ignorance.
7.Vinnana—strictly denotes the 19 types of rebirth-
consciousness (patisandhi vinnana) described in
chapter V. All the 32 types of resultant consciousness
(vipakacitta), experienced during lifetime, are also
implied by the term.

The foetus in the mother’s womb is formed by the
combination of this relinking consciousness with the
sperm and ovum cells of the parents. In this conscious-
ness are latent all the past impressions, characteristics
and tendencies of that particular individual life-flux.
This relinking-consciousness is regarded as “radi-
ant” (pabhassara) as it is either devoid of immoral
roots of lust, hatred and delusion (as in the case of
‘rootless resultants—ahetukavipaka), or accompanied
by moral roots (as in the case of ‘resultants with roots’).
8.Namarupa—This compound should be understood as
nama alone, rupa alone, and namarupa together. In
the case of arupa planes there arises only mind; in the
case of mindless (asanna) planes, only matter; in the
case of kama and rupa planes both mind and matter.
By nama are here meant the three aggregates—
feeling (vedana), perception (sanna) and sankhara—
that arise simultaneous with rebirth-consciousness.
By rupa are meant the three decads
135 kaya, bhava,
135.The body decad (kayadasaka) is composed of the four elements—namely, i.
the element of extension (pathavi) ii. the the element of cohesion (apo), iii.
the element of heat (tejo), iv. the element of motion (vayo); its four derivatives
(upadarupa)—namely, v. colour (vanna) vi. odour (gandha), vii. taste (rasa),
viii. nutritive essence (oja), ix. vitality (jivitindriya), and x. body (kaya).
Sex-decad (bhavadasaka) and base-decad (vatthudasaka) also consist of
the first nine and sex and seat of consciousness respectively.
From this it is evident that sex is determined by past Kamma at the very
conception of the being.
Here kaya means the sensitive part of the body. Sex is not developed at
the moment of conception but the potentiality is latent. Neither the heart nor
the brain, the supposed seat of consciousness, is developed but the potentiality
of the seat is latent.

vatthu—that also arise simultaneous with rebirth-
consciousness, conditioned by past kamma. The sec-
ond and third factors pertain to the past and present.
The third and fourth factors, on the contrary, are con-
temporaneous.
9.Salayatana—During the embryonic period the six
sense-bases gradually evolve from the psycho-physical
phenomena in which are latent infinite potentialities.
The insignificant, infinitesimally small speck now
develops into a complex six senses-machine which
now operates almost mechanically without any agent
like a soul to act as the operator. The six sense bases
are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The first
five refer to the sensitive organs that evolve by
degrees. Mind-base has already been explained.
10. Phassa—See Chapters 1 and 2.
11.Vedana—Ibid.
12.Tanha (Craving) is threefold, namely—craving for
sensual pleasures (kamatanha), craving for sensual
pleasures associated with the view of eternalism
(bhavatanha) i. e., enjoying pleasures thinking that
they are imperishable, and craving for sensual pleas-
ures associated with the view of nihilism (vibha-
vatanha) i. e., enjoying pleasures thinking that every-
thing perishes after death. The last is the materialistic
point of view.

Bhavatanha and Vibhavatanha are also inter-
preted as attachment to Rupa and Arupa Planes
respectively. Usually these two terms are rendered by
craving for existence and non-existence.
There are six kinds of craving corresponding to
the six sense-objects such as form, sound, and so on.
They become 12 when they are treated as internal
and external. They are reckoned as 36 when past,
present and future are taken into consideration.
When multiplied by the foregoing three kinds of
craving they amount to 108.
13.Upadana, derived from upa + a +
√ da, to give,
is intensive craving or firm grasping. Tanha is like
groping in the dark to steal an object. Upadana cor-
responds to the actual stealing. Grasping results with
attachment and error. It gives rise to the false notions
of ‘I’ and “mine”.
14.Bhava, lit., becoming, is explained as both moral and
immoral action which constitute Kamma (kamma-
bhava)—active process of becoming—and the differ-
ent planes of existence (upapattibhava)—passive
process of becoming. The only difference between
Sankhara and Kammabhava is that the former per-
tains to the past and the latter to the present. It is only
the (kamma) bhava that conditions the future birth.
15.Jati, strictly speaking, is the arising of the aggregates
(khandhanam patubhavo).

16. Ignorance is shown as the past cause that conditions
the present, and Craving as the present cause that
conditions the future.
17.âsavas or Defilements, latent in all worldlings, are
cited as the cause of ignorance.