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Buddhist Philosophy
[CH.
rūpa, sadāyatana, sparsa, vedanā, trsnā, upādäna and the bhava (leading to another life) of the present actual life. This bhava produces the jāti and jarāmarana of the next life?
It is interesting to note that these twelve links in the chain extending in three sections over three lives are all but the manifestations of sorrow to the bringing in of which they naturally determine one another. Thus Abhidhammatthasangaha says "each of these twelve terms is a factor. For the composite term 'sorrow,' etc. is only meant to show incidental consequences of birth. Again when 'ignorance' and 'the actions of the mind' have been taken into account, craving (trsņā), grasping (upādāna) and (karma) becoming (bhava) are implicitly accounted for also. In the same manner when craving, grasping and (karına) becoming have been taken into account, ignorance and the actions of the mind are implicitly) accounted for, also; and when birth, decay, and death are taken into account, even the fivefold fruit, to wit (rebirth), consciousness, and the rest are accounted for. And thus :
Five causes in the Past and Now a fivefold 'fruit.'
Five causes Now and yet to come a fivefold 'fruit' make up the Twenty Modes, the Three Connections (1. sankhāra and viññāna, 2. vedanā and tanhā, 3. bhava and jāti) and the four groups (one causal group in the Past, one resultant group in the Present, one causal group in the Present and one resultant group in the Future, each group consisting of five modes)."
These twelve interdependent links (dvādaśānga) represent the pațiccasamuppāda (pratītyasamutpāda) doctrines (dependent origination) which are themselves but sorrow and lead to cycles of sorrow. The term paticcasamuppāda or pratītyasamutpāda has been differently interpreted in later Buddhist literature.
This explanation probably cannot be found in the early Pāli texts; but Buddhaghosa mentions it in Sumangalavilāsini on Mahānidāna suttanta. We find it also in Abhidhammatthasaigaha, viII. 3. Ignorance and the actions of the mind belong to the past; “birth," "decay and death” to the future; the intermediate eight to the present. It is styled as trikāņdaka (having three branches) in Abhidharmakośa, III. 20–24. Two in the past branch, two in the future and eight in the middle "sa pratītyasamutpădo dvādaśāngastrikāndakah purvāparāntayordve dve madhyestau." 2 Aung and Mrs Rhys Davids' translation of Abhidhammatthasangaha, pp. 189-190.
The twelve links are not always constant. Thus in the list given in the Dialogues of the Buddha, II. 23 f., avijjā and sankhāra have been omitted and the start has been made with consciousness, and it has been said that “Cognition turns back from name and form; it goes not beyond."
4 M. V. p. 5f.
vatthasonga.decay and deat having thre
Wha, VIII. 3.
que to the future; thes) in Abh
