Vedana in Paticcasamuppada
Vipassana Research Institute
Paticcasamuppadapaticcasamuppada, or the Law of Dependent Originationlaw of dependent
origination, is fundamental to the teaching of the Buddha. Emphasising its importance,
the Buddha said-
Yo paticcasamuppadam passati, so dhammam passati;
Yo dhammam passati, so paticcasamuppadam passati.1
One who sees the paticcasamuppada sees the Dhamma.
One who sees the Dhamma sees the paticcasamuppada.
Paticcasamuppada explains that samsarasamsara, the process of repeated existences,
is perpetuated by a chain of interconnected links of cause and effect; it also
reveals the method of breaking this chain and putting an end to the process. The
Buddha said-
Tanhadutiyo puriso, dighamaddhana samsaram;
Itthabhavannathabhavam, samsaram nativattati.2.
The man with craving as his companion has been flowing in the stream of repeated
existences from time immemorial. He comes into being, experiences various types
of miseries, dies again and again, and does not put an end to this unbroken process
of becoming.
This is samsara, the world of suffering, as explained by the Buddha. He further
said-
Etam adinavam natva, tanham dukkhassa sambhavam;
Vitatanho anadano, sato bhikkhu paribbaje.3
Rightly understanding the perils of this process, fully realizing craving as its
cause, becoming free from craving and attachment, one should mindfully lead the
life of detachment.
Such an approach, he said, will have great benefit-
Nandi-samyojano loko, vitakkassa vicaranam
Tanhaya vippahanena, nibbanam iti vuccati.4
Pleasure is the binding force in the world.
Rolling thought processes are its ever-changing base.
With the complete eradication of craving,
The state called nibbananibbana is attained.
These statements made by the Buddha describe the nature of samsara, the state
of suffering, and the nature of nibbana, the state of final emancipation. But
how can detachment be developed, and craving eradicated?
This is the practical aspect of Dhamma discovered by Siddhattha Gotama, the realisation
that made him a Buddha, and that he in turn revealed to the world by the doctrine
of paticcasamuppada.
According to this doctrine, twelve linkstwelve links form the wheel of becomingwheel
of becoming (bhavacakkabhavacakka). They are-
1. avijjaavijja (ignorance)
2. sankharasankhara (volitional activities)
3. vinnanavinnana (consciousness)
4. nama-rupanama-rupa (mind and matter)
5. salayatanasalayatana (six sense doors)
6. phassaphassa (contact)
7. vedanavedana (sensation)
8. tanhatanha (craving)
9. upadanaupadana (clinging)
10. bhava (becoming)
11. jatijati (birth)
12. jara-maranajara-marana (decay and death)
Dependent on avijja there arises sankhara; dependent on sankhara there arises
vinnana; dependent on vinnana there arises nama-rupa; dependent on nama-rupa there
arises salayatana; dependent on salayatana there arises phassa; dependent on phassa
there arises vedana; dependent on vedana there arises tanha; dependent on tanha
there arises upadana. Thus this vicious circle of misery rolls on. In other words,
the origin of each link depends upon the preceding one. As long as this chain
of twelve causal relations operates, the wheel of becoming (bhava-cakka) keeps
turning, bringing nothing but suffering. This process of cause and effect is called
anuloma-paticcasamuppadaanuloma-paticcasamuppada (direct Law of Dependent Origination).
Every link of anuloma results in dukkha, suffering, as a result of avijja, which
is at the base of every link. Thus the process of anuloma clarifies the first
two Noble Truths: dukkha-sacca, suffering, and samudaya-sacca, its origination
and multiplication. Our task is to emerge from the bhava-cakka of dukkha. Explaining
how to do so, the Buddha said that when any one of the links of the chain is broken,
the wheel of becoming comes to an end, resulting in the cessation of suffering.
This is called patiloma-paticcasamuppadapatiloma-paticcasamuppada (the Law of
Dependent Origination in reverse order) which clarifies the third and fourth Noble
Truths, nirodha-sacca the cessation of suffering and nirodha-gamini-patipada-sacca,
the path that leads to the cessation of suffering. How can that be achieved? At
which link can the chain be broken? Through deep insight, the Buddha discovered
that the crucial link is vedana. In the anuloma-paticcasamuppada, he says 'Vedana-paccaya-tanha'.
Vedana is the cause of tanha, which gives rise to dukkha. In order to remove the
cause of dukkha or tanha, one must not allow vedana to connect with tanha; in
other words, one must practise Vipassana meditation at this juncture so that avijja
becomes vijja or panna (wisdom). One has to observe vedana, to experience and
to comprehend the truth of its arising and passing away, anicca. By Vipassana
meditation, as one experiences vedana in the proper way, one comes out of the
delusion of nicca-sannanicca-sanna (perception of permanence) by the development
of anicca-bodha or anicca-vijja (the wisdom of impermanence) towards vedana. This
is practised by observing with equanimity the arising and passing away of vedana.
With anicca-bodhaanicca-bodha, the habit pattern of the mind changes. Instead
of the earlier pattern of vedana-paccaya tanha, through anicca-vijjaanicca-vijja
it becomes vedana-paccaya pannavedana-paccaya panna. As panna becomes stronger
and stronger, naturally sanna, and with it, tanha, becomes weaker and weaker.
The process of multiplication of suffering with the base of avijja then becomes
the process of the cessation of suffering, with vijja as the base. As this process
continues, a time comes where there is the complete cessation of vedana as well
as tanha- 'Vedana-nirodha, tanha-nirodhovedana-nirodha, tanha-nirodho'. This state
of emancipationstate of emancipation is a state beyond mind and matter, where
both vedana and sanna cease. One can experience this for a few seconds, minutes,
hours, or days when, according to one's own capacity, one becomes established
in nirodha-samapatti by practising Vipassana. After the period of nirodha-samapattinirodha-samapatti,
when one comes back to the sensual field of mind and matter, one again experiences
vedana. But now the whole habit pattern of the mind has been changed, and continued
practice leads to the stage where one does not generate aversion or craving at
all because anusaya and asava (the deep-rooted mental impurities) are eradicated.
In this way, by the breaking of one linkthe breaking of one link-vedana, the whole
process is shattered and the wheel of repeated existencewheel of repeated existence
is completely broken.
If we want to advance on the path of liberationpath of liberation, we have to
work at the level of vedana because it is here that the wheel of misery can be
arrested. With vedana starts the turning of the bhava-cakkabhava-cakka, leading
(because of avijja) to vedana-paccaya tanha, which causes suffering. This is the
path which ignorant persons (puthujjana) follow, since they react to vedana and
generate tanha. And from here also the dhamma-cakkadhamma-cakka, or the wheel
of cessation of suffering (dukkha-nirodha-gamini-patipada) can start to rotate,
leading to vedana-nirodha, tanha-nirodho-the end of craving, as a result of anicca-vijja
or panna, leading to the cessation of suffering. This is the path which wise persons
(sapannasapanna) follow by not reacting to vedana, because they have developed
anicca-bodha by the practice of Vipassana.
Many of the contemporaries of the Buddhacontemporaries of the buddha held the
view that craving causes suffering and that to remove suffering one has to abstain
from the objects of craving. Having learnt to examine the depths of his mind,
the Buddha realized that between the external object and mental reflex of craving
is a missing linkmissing link-vedana (sensation). Whenever we encounter an object
through the five physical senses or the mind, a sensation arises; and based on
the sensation, tanhatanha arises. If the sensation is pleasant we crave to prolong
it, and if it is unpleasant we crave to be rid of it. It is in the chain of Dependent
Origination that the Buddha expressed his great discovery.
Phassa-paccaya vedana Vedana-paccaya
tanha.5
Dependent on contact, sensation arises.
Dependent on sensation, craving arises.
The immediate cause for the arising of cravingimmediate cause for the arising
of craving and of suffering is, therefore, not something outside of us but rather
the sensations that occur within us. To free ourselves of craving and of suffering
we must deal with this inner reality of sensations. Doing so is the practical
way to emerge from suffering. By developing anicca-vijja (the wisdom of impermanence),
we learn to cut the knots of our misery and witness the true nature of Dhamma.
Therefore vedana is the cause of our bondage when not properly observed, as
well as the means of liberation when properly observed by understanding the
Dhamma, the law of paticcasamuppada.
Notes: (All references VRI edition)
1. Majjhima Nikaya 1.306
2. Suttanipata 745
3. Ibid. 746
4. Samyutta Nikaya 1.1.64
5. Mahavagga (Vinaya Pitaka) 1