Paṭicca Samuppāda explains how a living being accumulates kamma that sustains future suffering via greed, anger, and ignorance. Ignorance is ‘not realizing that the ‘world’ is built on a ‘faulty foundation.’ There are no enticing sensory attractions in the world; those are generated by the mind itself. Modern science has recently confirmed that, but they attribute such ‘distorted perceptions’ to the brain.
October 4, 2021; rewritten August 27, 2026
Resources in the Tipitaka
1. In the Saṁyutta Nikāya 12 in the Sutta Piṭaka, there are over 100 suttas on Paṭicca Samuppāda. However, the first 70 are the most critical. The series starts with the “Paṭiccasamuppāda Sutta (SN 12.1).” That first sutta introduces the terms in Paṭicca Samuppāda, and the second one, “Vibhaṅga Sutta (SN 12.2),” provides brief descriptions of the terms in Paṭicca Samuppāda.
- Of course, many other vital suttas and sections are spread throughout the Tipiṭaka because it is the essence of the Buddha Dhamma. For example, “Mahānidāna Sutta (DN 15)” is a key sutta on Paṭicca Samuppāda.
- However, most sections of the Tipiṭaka can be set aside by a person who is trying to attain the Sotapanna stage of Nibbana. That is the first step in the Noble Path, where one understands the key concepts taught by the Buddha. It could save a lot of time by figuring out which concepts to focus on.
- That ‘blueprint’ to the Sotapanna stage is in the Saṁyutta Nikāya 12 in the Sutta Piṭaka. See “Sotāpanna Stage – Essential and Unnecessary Concepts.”
- As emphasized there, the Buddha taught only one version of Paṭicca Samuppāda. I have also written posts on ‘akusala-mula Paṭicca Samuppāda’ and ‘kusala-mula Paṭicca Samuppāda.’ Such posts are dated prior to 2023/2024. I am in the process of rewriting them. If you see a post with them, please ignore it; I haven’t had time to revise all of them.
A Novel Approach
2. Almost all explanations of Paṭicca Samuppāda follow the standard sequence starting with “avijjā paccayā saṅkhāra.” That is because the main cause for the rebirth process is avijjā, and its result is suffering (the last step in Paṭicca Samuppāda, i.e., “jāti paccayā jarā, marana, soka-paridēva-dukkha-dōmanassupāyasā sambhavan’ti”).
- As we have discussed, the rebirth process and all that suffering arise due to ignorance of the Four Noble Truths/ Tilakkhana/ Paṭicca Samuppāda; see, “Buddha Dhamma – Noble Truths, Paṭicca Samuppāda, Tilakkhana.”
- However, in real life, we don’t start acting with avijjā without reason. Our unwise actions ALWAYS begin based on an ārammaṇa that comes through one of the six senses.
Mind “Turns On” With an Ārammaṇa
3. Our minds are inactive if we are unconscious or deeply asleep. While in a deep sleep, we are unaware of the “world” around us. But, of course, we are still alive, and our bodies are kept alive by kammic energy.
- We take action in response to an external stimulus called an ārammaṇa. Some actions are “morally bad,” some are “morally good,” and others are “neutral.”
- An ārammaṇa can come in on its own. For example, while walking, we may see and hear various things. Most are “neutral,” and we ignore them.
- But if we see something “eye-catching,” we may even stop and look. If we hear a loud noise, we may walk away. In such cases, we take action based on such an ārammaṇa.
- The inputs coming through the five physical senses are easy to recognize. But many ārammaṇa come through the mind itself. For example, thoughts about meeting a friend last week or a planned activity for tomorrow may come to mind while waiting to fall asleep. We may act on those too. For example, if thoughts about an old friend come to mind, one may decide to call that friend.
What Happens When an Ārammaṇa Brings a Sensory Input?
4. It is helpful to see how the Buddha described what happens when an ārammaṇa comes to mind. That will help us analyze how a Paticca Samuppada process is initiated.
- If we see something while walking, our eyes capture an image of a particular object, say a person (X). This happens simply because that person was also walking on the road. Even though the eyes capture that image, the eyes don’t “see” that person. It is our mind that “sees.” We don’t need to understand the details, but here is what happens: The image of person X captured by the eyes is processed by the brain and then transmitted to the cakkhu pasāda rupa in the “mental body” or the gandhabba.
- At the SAME MOMENT, the cakkhu pasāda rupa (abbreviated as “cakkhu”) receives such an image from the brain; it passes that image (called “rupa“) to the seat of the mind, hadaya vatthu. That is how the mind becomes aware of that person X, i.e., how a “cakkhu viññāna” arises.
- That interaction between the cakkhu and a rupa leading to the “awareness of an external object” is written in Pāli as, “cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhu viññāṇaṃ.” For details, see the post, “Phassa (Contact) – Contact With Pasāda Rupa.”
- Don’t be discouraged by these Pāli words. Try to get the basic idea. The main point is that “seeing” does not happen in the physical eye. The mind sees (not the eyes and not the brain)!
5. The Pāli verse, “cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhu viññāṇaṃ,” is commonly translated as “eye-consciousness arises dependent on the eye and sights.” But we must remember that the “contact” is NOT between the PHYSICAL EYES and the PHYSICAL OBJECT (a person in our above example).
- In that verse, “cakkhu” refers to the cakkhu pasāda rupa, and “rupa” refers to the “image of person X” (formed by the brain based on the image received from the physical eyes). The “meeting of the cakkhu and rupa” is indicated by “paticca” in the above verse, which leads to the mind “seeing an image of person X” (cakkhu viññāṇa or eye-consciousness).
- Therefore, there are a few CRITICAL things to remember: “cakkhu” is not physical eyes; “rupa” is not the actual object (a person in this example); “cakkhu viññāna” does not arise in the eyes or the brain or even in the cakkhu pasāda rupa (cakkhu.) That cakkhu viññāna (eye-consciousness) arises in one’s mind!
- The other processes involving ears, nose, tongue, and the physical body (touch) must be understood similarly.
Two Meanings of Paticca
6. The Pāli word “paticca” has TWO possible meanings, depending on the context. The term “Paṭicca Samuppāda” means “getting attached willingly” or “pati” + “icca“ (“pati” means to “bind.”) See “Paṭicca Samuppāda – “Pati+ichcha” + “Sama+uppāda”
- However, in the above verse, paticca implies “two entities (that are compatible) making contact.” A rupa does not “make contact” with one of the other four indriya like “sota pasāda rupa” or “ghāna pasāda rupa.” Similarly, a sound (sadda) does not “make contact” with “cakkhu pasāda” or “ghāna pasāda.”
- In the “Saṃyojana Sutta (SN 44.9),” the Buddha explains the second meaning: “Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, telañca paṭicca vaṭṭiñca paṭicca telappadīpo jhāyeyya” OR “Bhikkhus, an oil lamp burns in dependence on oil and a wick (oil getting soaked in the wick).” An old-fashioned oil lamp has a wick partially immersed in oil. The oil soaks the wick, reaches the burning tip, and sustains the flame. Therefore, oil and wick are compatible and will “paticca.” If one puts a “wick made out of plastic” in oil, the oil will not soak the plastic; i.e., they are incompatible and thus would not “get together” or paticca.
- Now let us return to our example of “seeing a person.”
Cakkhu Vinnana Is More Than Just “Seeing”
7. Suppose that person X is a friend. The moment we see person X, we identify him. Think about it. It does not take more than a split second to identify X. How does that happen?
- A complex process happens in the mind during the event of “cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjāti cakkhu viññāṇaṃ.” That process happens in a single citta that lasts less than a billionth of a second. Only a Buddha can discern something that can happen that fast. We can verify that only by seeing that it is compatible/consistent with nature.
- The mind needs to compare it with previous experiences to identify X as a friend. Otherwise, how would it identify person X?
- It is possible because the mind can access our memories “stored” as the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha)! To understand that process, one must understand “The Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandha)” (see the first six posts there) and “Where Are Memories “Stored”? – Connection to Pañcakkhandha.”
- As we have discussed, the mind can access our past experiences and future hopes (within an unimaginably short time). Rupakkhandha is of 11 types, including “past rupa we have experienced,” and the same is true for the other four aggregates: vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, viññāna. The mind can scan our memories/hopes and IDENTIFY the sense object (we have had prior experiences with it). That is how the mind identified person X as “a friend.” The amazing thing is that it happens so fast. See “Amazingly Fast Time Evolution of a Thought (Citta).”
- Further details and examples in “Arising of the Five Aggregates With an Ārammaṇa.”
References in the Chart
Ref. 1: “What Did the Buddha Mean by a “Loka”?“
Ref. 2: Rest of the posts in the subsection: “Paṭicca Samuppāda, Tilakkhana, Four Noble Truths.“
- That should be enough to get to at least the Sotapanna Anugāmi stage.
