paticcasamuppada - Dependent Origination
So you know the basics - the four noble truths, the eightfold path, and the five aggregates of a human being. These Buddhist teachings all focus on the "whats" of existence.
Q. What is the nature of the world?
A. Four noble truths.
Q. What is the appropriate response/method to eliminating distress and living more skillfully?
A. Noble eight-fold path.
Q. What is a human being?
A. Five Aggregates.
Paticcasamuppada or dependent origination moves into the realm of the "hows?"
Q. How does suffering arise?
A. Paticcasamuppada.
Q. How does joy arise?
A. Paticcasamuppada.
Q. How does anger arise?
A. Paticcasamuppada.
Q. How is any part of existence/experience made manifest?
A. Paticcasamuppada.
With the exception of the Four Noble Truths, no other teaching is as crucial to Buddhist thought as paticcasamuppada (dependent origination). Paticcasamuppada is the heart of Buddhist causality and all that it entails. In essence, it is the Buddhist functional definition of existence.
The April BIG meetings will focus on this key teaching.
As always, each meeting will begin with a thirty minute meditation session, followed by a presentation and group discussion. Normally, the first meeting of the month will draw on a primary text from Buddhist scripture and the second meeting will focus on a modern commentary, but in April we will reverse that order a bit. The first meeting will give an overview of paticcasamuppada and the second meeting will offer resources for reading about dependent origination in the Buddhist scriptures.
Both meetings will offer opportunity for discussion. Please look for individual posts for each meeting subtitled "paticcasamuppada / dependent origination - 2005AprMtg1" and "paticcasamuppada / dependent origination - 2005AprMtg2" for details on meeting leader, date, time, location, and online resources.
This is an information-only post and cannot accept comments. The posts for the individual meetings will accept and, hopefully, encourage discussions through the postings. . .
