A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada
by Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw | 62,614 words
The Paticcasamuppada refers to 鈥淭he Doctrine of Dependent Origination鈥�. This is the English translation done by U Aye Maung Published by U Min Swe Buddhasasana Nuggaha Organization Rangoon, Burma....
Paticcasamuppada refers to four groups of factors involved in the chain of causation viz., the first group of causes in the past, the second group of effects in the present life, the third group of causes in the present and the last group of effects in the future. The groups are labelled //sangaha// or //sankhepa// in Pali. They may also be translated as layers.
There are three links for the four layers - the link between the past and the present involving sankhara as cause and vinnana as effect, the link between the present effect and present cause with vedana and tanha as cause and effect, and the third link between present cause and future with bhava as cause and jati (birth) as effect.
Then, there are twenty factors (akara) involved in the psycho physical process viz., five causes in the past, five effects in the present, five causes in the present and five effects in the future.