Dependent Co-Arising: Review First Nine Steps

The teaching of dependent co-arising that we’re exploring could be considered an elaboration on the second noble truth. Which says the condition for suffering is the arising of craving. With the arising of craving is the arising of suffering. So it’s a co-arising. When craving arises, suffering arises. So the teaching of dependent co-arising is a set of conditions that basically describes the process by which suffering comes to be in our human system.

Transcript

We're looking at one of the primary insights the Buddha discovered,

The insight into how things arise dependent on other things.

The teaching of dependent co-arising that we're exploring could be considered an elaboration on the second noble truth which says that the condition for suffering is the arising of craving.

So with the arising of craving,

Of clinging,

Is the arising of suffering.

So it's a co-arising.

When craving arises,

The wanting,

Suffering arises.

So the teaching of dependent co-arising is a set of conditions that basically describe the process by which suffering comes to be in our human system.

It's complex.

Some of the links are hard to understand how it's hard to understand how they condition each other.

One of the keys is that it describes suffering as a conditioned human process that is in all of us.

So we can begin to understand that we experience suffering and it's not because something is wrong with us or that somehow we failed or made a mistake.

It's just part of a natural process of being human when certain conditions are happening.

And for most of us,

These conditions are happening on a regular basis,

Right?

So if we're feeling uncomfortable,

If we are suffering on some level,

If there is pain and we don't understand the nature of that pain,

Or if we're reacting unconsciously in ways that kind of perpetuate our unhappiness,

You know,

We'll continue to struggle.

But if we use this wisdom to turn and to look at the suffering,

Then we can kind of break the cycle.

We can break the chain that this dependent co-arising is really.

It's illustrated as a chain,

All these links that lead to our unhappiness.

So if I'm suffering,

One of the ways to break the chain is to stop and bring attention to what it is I'm suffering about.

What it is that I'm experiencing.

Where am I clinging?

Where is there craving?

So if we look at the suffering,

And I'm using suffering very broadly here,

The definition of dukkha is very broad.

Most literally it's translated as pain.

So if we're looking at our pain in a non-reactive way,

And we're not reacting to it,

Then it's much harder for that pain to operate,

That suffering to operate.

Because we're looking right at it.

So this is part of the teaching.

And because it's conditioned,

There can be changes to the conditions.

Because suffering pain is conditioned when craving arises,

Suffering arises.

Craving is the reaching out,

This clinging,

This wanting.

So because that's conditioned,

There can be changes to that condition.

And that is what the Buddha taught.

Mainly he taught about how to change the conditions so that this process becomes untangled.

It's like a knot.

We're untangling the knot.

So the Buddha taught that to bring the condition of wise mindfulness,

Of bringing wisdom and mindfulness to our experience,

That actually can reshape and change the conditions of this cycle dramatically.

So this cycle doesn't have to lead to craving.

So this teaching,

Being so complex to myself,

I find that there are certain places that are much easier to land and understand.

You know,

The first ignorance conditions mental formations,

Conditions consciousness.

It's not the easiest place to start this conversation.

Yet this is where I started with you.

So I'm learning too how to bring these teachings where they might land,

Where they might be understood.

So forgive me if these past weeks have been a little confusing.

I started in a tough spot.

So today,

I just want to keep it really simple and say that we have a mind and a body and we have mental and physical processes.

And our mind and body has six senses.

Seeing,

Hearing,

Tasting,

Touching,

Sensing and the sixth sense is thinking.

So given that we have this mind and this body and these six senses,

I think we we all are kind of familiar what it means to have sight,

Sound,

Smell,

Taste,

Touch and things that come up in the mind.

And these are known as sense impressions.

The six are sense impressions,

There's contact with these sense impressions.

And with each of them,

There is a corresponding feeling tone.

And that feeling tone is a very simple experience of pleasant,

Of unpleasant or neutral.

And it's understood that every sense impression has a feeling tone of pleasant,

Unpleasant or neutral.

And we can know this in a way by knowing that we like certain foods and other people don't like those foods.

It's not inherent in the food that it will be pleasant or unpleasant.

There is some conditioning that we have had prior conditioning that shapes what we take to be pleasant,

Unpleasant or neutral.

So feeling tones are conditioned by prior experience,

How we feel about something.

And the reason that I speak of this is that feeling tones are a condition for the arising,

The co-arising of craving.

That's the eighth link of the chain of dependent origination,

Craving.

So for most of us habitually,

The pleasant feeling tends to lead to wanting,

Wanting more pleasant feelings,

Right?

It feels good.

We like it,

We want it.

So we move in the direction to try and get more pleasant.

When something's unpleasant,

We don't want it.

We crave it not to be there.

We don't want to be associated with it.

In other words,

Craving is a reaction to feeling tones.

So many of our desires are responses to feelings of pleasant and unpleasant.

So craving is a necessary condition for the ninth process grasping,

Grasping.

So feeling tones is conditioned for the arising of craving and craving is the necessary condition for grasping.

And Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the difference between craving and grasping with an analogy.

He says,

If you think about how a thief goes through a house,

He's going to go out into the house and steal things.

The reaching out to take the thing is the craving.

And when they actually pick it up,

That's the grasping.

So we're not going to cling to something unless we crave it,

Right?

So the reaching out is the craving.

And when we pick it up,

It's the grasping.

So the next link in the chain is called becoming.

And we'll talk more about this next time.

It's kind of a congealing of identity around maybe an idea that we've picked up.

I am this or a thing that we've picked up.

Now I'm riding my bike.

I'm a biker.

So we've grasped onto something.

We've picked something up.

And I've got this thing.

So in the service of keeping this thing,

To make sure it stays mine,

This becoming is the sense of identity around it.

It's mine.

I'm going to control this.

I'm going to manage this.

So this is actually where the sense of self starts to come in.

What I want,

What I need,

How do I keep it?

You know,

On the Wednesday group,

I'm teaching about these three characteristics which really correspond well with these teachings of dependent co-arising.

And next week,

We're getting into not self.

And what we're looking at is the establishment of self.

We tend to like becoming.

In this chain,

The feeling of craving,

That wanting is kind of unpleasant.

It's part of the motivation to kind of act,

To get rid of the craving.

So when we do something,

To get something,

When we grasp onto whatever we've craved,

It's like,

Oh,

I got it.

There's a little bit of relief now.

Like I've got this and that tends to reinforce,

Oh,

This is the way to happiness.

When I get that thing,

I'm less miserable.

I'm less uncomfortable than what I'm just craving that thing.

The wanting is gone temporarily.

So becoming tends to feel good.

The identity that comes from now,

You know,

I've got this thing now.

I figured this out.

I'm going to control it.

I'm going to have it.

I'm going to do great things with it.

We like the sense of feeling like we're in control.

We like the sense that we know how to take care of ourselves,

How to keep difficulty at bay,

Right?

It reinforces that this is the way to find happiness.

This becoming,

This getting this thing.

And it is a way,

Okay?

But it's not lasting.

It's not reliable.

And it keeps us on this wheel of dependent origination of suffering.

So I'll stop here today.

And unfortunately,

I can't stay for,

I can stay for maybe one question,

Maybe two,

But I have to end by eight to take my son to a camp.

So,

But we'll finish this up next week.

So I invite any burning desires at this time.

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Gratitude 🙏🏾 V