The Compendium of Relations
Paccaya - Sangaha - Vibhago

1. Sankhatadhammanam - To the conditioned nama and rupa described in the previous chapters.

2. Paticcasamuppada - Paticca = because of, on account of; samuppada = arising, origination. Although the literal meaning of the term is 'arising because of' or dependent arising or origination, it is applied to the whole causal formula which consists of twelve interdependent causes and effects, technically called paccaya and paccayuppanna.

S. Z. Aung renders paticcasamuppadanaya by 'The Law of happening by way of cause'.

3. Patthananaya - According to the Ceylon Commentary here the prefix 'pa' means 'various' (nanappakara). Ledi Sayadaw says 'principal' (padhana). Thana (lit. station) signifies 'cause' (paccaya) which is paraphrased by 'upakarakadhamma' - aiding or supportive conditions. These various or principal causes are described in detail in the Patthanapakarana, the seventh book of the Abhidhamma Pitaka. The system expounded in this treatise is called Patthananaya.

The difference between the two understood as follows:

4. Tabbhavabhavibhavakaramatta; bhavakaramatta = the simple happening of a state; tabbhavabhavi = dependent on its antecedent state.

5. Avijja, lit., not-knowingness, i.e., of the four Noble Truths. It is also explained as 'that which causes beings to run in the endless Samsara' (antavirahite samsare satte javapeti). 'Whereby the fruit is produced' is termed 'paccaya', which is the cause. When ignorance is destroyed and turned into knowingness, all causality is shattered as in the case of Buddhas and Arahats.

6. Sankhara - This is a multisignificant term which should be understood according to the context. Here the term signifies immoral (akusala), moral (kusala), and unshakable (ane񪼦ont FACE="Times New Roman">a) volitions (cetana) which constitute Kamma that produces rebirth. The first embraces all volitions in the 12 types of immoral consciousness; the second, all volitions in the 8 types of Beautiful (kusala) consciousness and the 5 types of kusala rupa-jhana consciousness; the third, all volitions in the 4 types of kusala arupa-jhanas. Where is no proper English equivalent which gives the exact connotation of this Pali term. Sankhara, as one of the five aggregates, implies the 50 mental states excluding feeling and perception.

The volitions of the four supramundane Path consciousnesses (lokuttara-magga-citta) are not regarded as sankhara because they tend to eradicate ignorance. Wisdom (pa񱼦ont FACE="Times New Roman">a) is predominant in Supramundane types of consciousness, while volition (cetana) is predominant in the mundane types of consciousness.

Ignorance is predominant in immoral activities, while it is latent in moral activities. Hence both moral and immoral actions are regarded as caused by ignorance.

7. Vi񱼦ont FACE="Times New Roman">ana - strictly denotes the 19 types of rebirth-consciousness (patisandhi vi񱼦ont FACE="Times New Roman">ana) described in chapter V. All the 32 types of resultant consciousness (vipaka-citta) experienced during lifetime, are also implied by the term.

The foetus in the mother's womb is formed by the combination of this relinking-consciousness with the sperm and ovum cells of the parents. In this consciousness are latent all the past impressions, characteristics and tendencies of that particular individual life-flux.

This relinking-consciousness is regarded as "radiant" (pabhassara) as it is either devoid of immoral roots of lust, hatred and delusion (as in the case of rootless resultants - ahetuka-vipaka), or accompanied by moral roots (as in the case of resultants with roots).

8. Nama-rupa - This compound should be understood as nama alone, rupa alone, and namarupa together. In the case of arupa planes there arises only mind; in the case of mindless (asa񱡩 planes, only matter; in the case of kama and rupa planes, both mind and matter.

By nama are here meant the three aggregates - feeling (vedana), perception (sa񱼦ont FACE="Times New Roman">a) and sankhara - that arise simultaneous with rebirth-consciousness. By rupa are meant the three decads* kaya, bhava-vatthu - that also arise simultaneous with rebirth-consciousness conditioned by past kamma. The second and third factors pertain to the past and present. The third and fourth factors, on the contrary, are contemporaneous.

Sex-decad (bhavadasaka) and base-decad (vatthudasaka) also consist of the first nine and sex and seat of consciousness respectively.

From this it is evident that sex is determined by past Kamma at the very conception of the being.

Here kaya means the sensitive part of the body. Sex is not developed at the moment of conception but the potentiality is latent. Neither the heart nor the brain, the supposed seat of consciousness, is developed but the potentiality of the seat is latent.

9. Salayatana - During the embryonic period the six sense-bases gradually evolve from the psycho physical phenomena in which are latent infinite potentialities. The insignificant, infinitesimally small speck now develops into a complex six-sense-machine which now operates almost mechanically without any agent like a soul to act as the operator. The six sense-bases are eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The first five refer to the sensitive organs that evolve by degrees. Mind-base has already been explained.

10. Phassa - See Chapters 1 and 2.

11. Vedana - Ibid.

12. Tanha (Craving) is threefold, namely, craving for sensual pleasures (kama-tanha), craving for sensual pleasures associated with the view of eternalism (bhava-tanha) i.e., enjoying, pleasures thinking that they are imperishable, and craving for sensual pleasures associated with the view of nihilism (vibhava-tanha) i.e., enjoying pleasures thinking that everything perishes after death. The last is the materialistic point of view.

Bhava-tanha and vibhava-tanha are also interpreted as attachment to rupa and arupa Planes respectively. Usually these two terms are rendered by craving for existence and non-existence.

There are six kinds of craving corresponding to the six sense-objects such as form, sound, and so on. They become 12 when they are treated as internal and external. They are reckoned as 36 when past, present and future are taken into consideration. When multiplied by the foregoing three kinds of craving they amount to 108.

13. Upadana, derived from upa + a + ֠da, to give, is intense craving or firm grasping. Tanha is like groping in the dark to steal an object. Upadana corresponds to the actual stealing. Grasping results with attachment and error. It gives rise to the false notions of 'I' and 'mine'.

14. Bhava, lit., becoming, is explained as both moral and immoral action which constitute Kamma (kamma-bhava) - active process of becoming - and the different planes of existence (upapattibhava) - passive process of becoming. The only difference between sankhara and kammabhava is that the former pertains to the past and the latter to the present. It is only the (kamma) bhava that conditions the future birth.

15. Jati, strictly speaking, is the arising of the aggregates (khandhanam patubhavo). Ignorance is shown as the past cause that conditions the present, and Craving as the present cause that conditions the future.

17. Asavas or Defilements, latent in all worldlings, are cited as the cause of ignorance.

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The Law of Casual Relations
Patthananayo

18. Hetu-paccaya - Here paccaya presents some difficulty. It is defined as that by means of which an effect comes to be. In other words it is the cause. Furthermore, it is explained as a 'serviceable or supportive factor' (upakarako dhammo). Hetu is defined as 'that by which an effect is established'. It is used in the sense of 'root' (mulatthena). Like the roots of a tree are hetu; like water and manure that aid its growth are paccaya. In the Abhidhamma these two related terms are used in two different senses. In the Suttas, however, they are invariably employed as Synonymous terms, without any distinction, as, for example ko hetu, ko paccayo - what is the reason? what is the cause?

In the Patthana 24 such paccayas are enumerated, and hetu is one of them. Hetu-paccaya is explained as 'hetu itself is a paccaya' or 'as hetu it becomes a paccaya'. It is interpreted as a supportive or serviceable factor in the sense of root (mulatthena upakarako dhammo). The causal relation by way of 'root' may be suggested as the closest rendering. (See Compendium, p. 279; Journal of the Pali Text Society, 1915-1916, pp. 29-53.)

'Roots are purely mental. They are the six moral and immoral roots. See Chapter I.

19. Arammana - or alambana. The former is derived from a + ֠ram, to delight in; the latter from a + ֠lamb, to hang upon. Things which the subject delights in or hangs upon are 'objects'. There are six classes of objects. A form, for instance, acts as a causal relation to visual-consciousness by way of an 'object'. It should be stated that there is nothing mundane or supramundane that does not become an object for mind.

20. Adhipati - Lit., mastery or lordship over one's own. 0ne of the four dominant factors - namely, wish, thought, effort and reasoning - may, at one time, causally relate itself to coexistent mental states and material phenomena by way of predominance. "Whenever such phenomena as consciousness and mental states arise by giving predominance to one of these four factors, then this phenomenon is to the other phenomenon a condition by way of predominance". (Patthana)

21. Anantara and Samanantara - In meaning there is no difference between the two terms. They differ only in etymology. According to Buddhist philosophy one thought-moment perishes, immediately giving birth to another. The succeeding thought-moment inherits all the potentialities of its immediate predecessor. The perishing preceding states causally relate themselves to immediately following states by way of contiguity and immediacy.

22. Sahajata - The causal relation by way of conascence, as, for instance, the four mental aggregates, the different mental states that simultaneously arise in a particular type of consciousness, the four Great Essentials that arise together, the appearance of the three 'decads' at the moment of conception, etc. In the paticca-samuppada it may be mentioned that both contact and feeling which appear as causes and effect are conascent.

A mental state may be conascent with a mental state, a mental with a physical, a physical with a physical, and a physical with a mental.

23. A񱡭a񱡼/b> - Just as the legs of a tripod are reciprocally helpful, even so mental or physical state or states may be causally related by way of reciprocity (or mutuality). Causal relations of conascence and reciprocity should be differentiated. They are not identical. For instance, mind-born material phenomena are not reciprocally related to the coexisting mind, nor are the material derivatives to the coexisting Great Essentials. As a rule, mind and matter are reciprocally related.