Tetsuo wrote: “As a result, the mind is beginning to observe for itself the arbitrariness of attachment, in the sense that it clearly depends on conditions rather than being something intrinsic.”
- This is a critical observation and is the basis of Paṭicca Samuppāda.
- The mind’s response to a sensory input always depends on the ‘state of the mind.’ This is the ‘conditional aspect’ (‘paccayā‘) in Paṭicca Samuppāda. For example, the ‘vedanā paccayā taṇhā‘ step depends on the strength of the vedanā experienced. The strength of the vedanā (which is ‘samphassa-jā-vedanā‘) can be different, for example, if one is drunk. This is why people tend to commit more immoral deeds while drunk. Also, one can be ‘drunk’ not only with alcohol, but also with money, power, etc. One would generally commit fewer immoral deeds when living a simple, moral life; the temptations are less.
- The most critical step in Paṭicca Samuppāda is ‘avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra,’ where the Paṭicca Samuppāda process is triggered. The trigger for avijjā to arise is the ‘kāma saññā‘ for us in the kāma loka. That step is blocked for an Arahant (for all sensory inputs) because an Arahant has ‘seen with wisdom’ that the ‘kāma saññā‘ (colors, tastes, smells, etc.) are ‘mind-made’ and are mirages.
- This is what I tried to explain in “What Does ‘Paccayā’ Mean in Paṭicca Samuppāda?”
