Dependent Origination

To the extent which (paccaya) the mind has not comprehended (avijja) Truth, habitual drives (sankhara) manifest and condition (paccaya) awareness into a discriminative mode (vinnana) that operates in terms of (paccaya) subject and object (nama-rupa) held (paccaya) to exist on either side of the six sense-doors (salayatana).

These sense-doors open dependent (paccaya) on contact (passa) that can arouse (paccaya) varying degrees of feeling (vedana). Feeling stimulates (paccaya) desire (tanha) and, according to (paccaya) the power of desire, attention lingers (upadana) and so personal aims and obsessions develop (bhava) to give (paccaya) the cycle of maturing and passing away (jaramaranam) with the resultant sense of sadness (soka) varying from sorrow (parideva) depression (dukkha) and emotional breakdown (upayasa).

When the mind looks into the sense of loss and comprehends Truth (avijja- nirodha), habitual drives cease (sankhara-nirodha) and the awareness is no longer bound by their discrimination (vinnana-nirodha); so that the separation of the subject and object is no longer held (nama-rupa nirodha). The sense-doors open for reflection, rather than being dependent on contact (phassa-nirodha) and impingement does not impress itself into the mind (vedana-nirodha). So there is freedom from desire (tanha-nirodha) and attention does not get stuck (upadana-nirodha) and grow into selfish motivations (bhava-nirodha). When no personal image is created, it can never bloat up, nor can it be destroyed (jara-maranam-nirodha). So there is nothing to lose, a sense of gladness, uplift, joy and serenity (soka-parideva- dukkha-domanass-upayasa-nirodha).

This Reflection by Ajahn Sucitto is from The Way It Is, pp. 9-10.