Reply To: Post on Viññāna and Sankhāra – Connection to Paticca Samuppāda

#26449
Lal
Keymaster

Tobias asked: “Is there a PS sequence for functional behavior (kriya)?”

Normally, we deal with PS cycles that either lead to suffering (akusala-mula PS) or that lead to the stopping of future suffering (kusala-mula PS).
– The first kind starts with “avijja paccaya sankhara” and the second kind starts with “kusala-mula paccaya sankhara.”

But there are PS processes called Avyākata Paticca Samuppāda, see, “Avyākata Paticca Samuppāda for Vipāka Viññāna.”
– These describe kamma vipaka.
– However, it seems that these also do not include just “neutral actions.” Such neutral actions do not lead to suffering or the cesation of suffering.

Another way to look at this is the following. In some suttas, like Upādā­na­pari­pa­vat­ta Sutta (SN 22.56), saṅkhārā are DEFINED as:
Katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā? Chayime, bhikkhave, cetanākāyā—rūpasañcetanā, saddasañcetanā, gandha­sañ­cetanā, rasasañcetanā, ­phoṭṭhab­ba­sañ­cetanā, dhamma­sañ­cetanā. Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā…”
– Therefore, saṅkhārā (that we are concerned with) arise due to sañcetanā (“san” + “cetana”).
– There is a connection to “san”, see, “What is “San”? Meaning of Sansāra (or Samsāra).”