(The Buddha's revelation on causation)
Everything in this world comes into existence as a result of the interaction of a variety of causes and conditions. Nothing can therefore be said to have a truly independent existence. When the relevant causes and conditions that bring about a phenomenon dissipate, that phenomenon will no longer exist. Furthermore, phenomena that have newly arisen will effect new causes and conditions which, when interacting with those of existing phenomena, will lead to further new causes and conditions. The complexity of such chained interactional relationships underlies the basic explanation to the formation of what we know of as the universe. This very profound and impartial rationale behind causation is what we call 'dependent origination' or 'dependent arising'. This was exactly what the Buddha evidenced when he first accomplished enlightenment under the Bodhi tree on a starry night.
This basic doctrine of dependent arising has made Buddhism unique among religions. However, it is not a theory hypothetically formulated by the Buddha. It is necessarily an inherent principle underlying the existence of life and the universe to which the Buddha was awakened. Subsequently, he revealed this to us in his discourses on causation which state that: All things arise as a result of causes and conditions. The main and stronger forces constitute the causes, while the weaker secondary forces constitute the conditions. All phenomena come into existence only through the interaction of the two. For example, a seed which is sown in the soil will require water, air and sunlight to grow into a tree. Here, the seed is the 'cause'; the soil, sunlight, water and air are the 'conditions'. The interaction of all these will result in a tree. When this principle is used to explain the life cycle of sentient beings, the Buddha told us that the formation of life was not the creation of a creator. Instead, life cycles are the result of a sequence of twelve linking factors. They are: ignorance, volitional formation, consciousness, mentality and physical form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, aging and death.
The manifestations of dependent arising
With the recognition of the principle of dependent arising, it becomes obvious that everything is interdependent, and therefore has no absolute individuality by nature. As demonstrated by the example of the seed growing into a tree, we can see that the tree is the 'effect' of the 'cause' and 'conditions' provided respectively by the seed and the soil, water etc.. Thus the law of cause and effect is clearly manifested in the principle of dependent arising. The 'cause' is necessarily the inherent and direct force, while 'conditions' are the external and indirect influences that make it possible for the 'cause' to take 'effect'. From this same principle, we can deduce that all external phenomena we see around us have no intrinsic nature of their own. They are deemed to be in existence only for as long as the conditions required for them to exist are present.
In the law of cause and effect, one logical rule has to be acknowledged. It is the rule that 'such a cause will produce such an effect'. This is often described as ' the seed of a marrow will grow into a marrow; the seed of a pea will grow into a pea plant'. Obvious as it may seem, the significance of this rule, which is crucial in helping us to determine how to lead our lives, is often neglected.
Another manifestation derived from the above law is that a single cause may not only lead to a single effect. One grain of seed can grow into a tree with many leaves, branches, flowers and fruits, which in turn will affect many other things. In other words, one single causal factor can trigger off a series of effects. In Buddhist teachings, this principle is reflected in the concepts of 'equating one to many' and 'the proliferation of many from one'.
Another realisation which emerges from the principle of dependent arising is that, for things to 'have' or 'not to have' their existence, there must be an initial state of emptiness. Take the example of a table. It is made of wood that comes from a tree, which in turn comes from a seed. This roughly describes the 'cause' element of it. The soil, water, sunlight and air etc. which help the seed grow into the tree, and the circumstances under which the wood is finally made into a table, all attribute to the 'conditions' which give rise to the existence of the table. Yet, without emptiness as a prerequisite, the table's existence will be rendered meaningless. Along the same principle, without a piece of empty land, a house cannot be built; and a bag needs to be empty before it can be used to hold things in.
Therefore, although we say that the table has no independent and intrinsic nature of its own, it does not mean that there is no table. It does exist, and it has a purpose to serve once it is formed against a background of emptiness.
When the Buddha first accomplished enlightenment, he said that all sentient beings possess the Buddha nature, and that it is only due to their delusions that they have not attained enlightenment. This implies that everyone can become a Buddha if only their delusions are discarded, and proper understanding of the cycle of life and death is resumed. As stated in the principle of dependent arising, all things and phenomena come to exist through a series of causal relationships. Similarly, the delusions within us which are blocking out our Buddha nature (true wisdom) have also been effected by a long chain of causes and conditions which have become so deep rooted in us that we have mistaken them for true reality. By uprooting our entrenched delusions layer by layer, however, we can be certain that our original pure wisdom can be resumed. This is one of the most important manifestations of the principle of dependent arising as it clearly supports the Buddha's assertion that all beings can attain Buddhahood.
Its relevance to life
On the basis of the principle of dependent arising, we can understand the source of human suffering and happiness. This knowledge makes us realise that to live a happy life, we must plant and nurture good 'causes' and 'conditions' that are conducive to a good and happy life. When we meet with misfortune, we will no longer be plunged into grumpish bewilderment because we know that it is only the fruition of the 'effect' of some bad 'causes' we had planted in the past.
It also reveals to us the impermanence and unpredictability of all worldly phenomena. Changes occur all the time. We should be grateful for the good times, and keep on planting good seeds for further fortune. Bad times will come to pass, and as long as we have faith and keep on planting good seeds, the future will still be bright. In realising that nothing has an intrinsic individual nature of its own, we must also learn not to grasp on the notion of the 'self'. Once we have truly perceived impermanence and selflessness in all existence, we will have no more attachments and defilement, the major hindrances to liberation.
