Exploring the Path: Introduction

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa

Introduction to 3.10.12 Tikapaṭṭhāna – Paccayaniddeso – Exposition of the Conditions

Evametaṃ abhiññāya, bhikkhu buddhassa sāvako;

Gambhīraṃ nipuṇaṃ suññaṃ, paccayaṃ paṭivijjhati.

Kammaṃ natthi vipākamhi, pāko kamme na vijjati;

Aññamaññaṃ ubho suññā, na ca kammaṃ vinā phalaṃ. ...¹

When this gets realized with complete knowledge,

A monk, a Buddha’s disciple,

Penetrates such deep, delicate and void conditionality.

There is no kamma in result, nor does result exist in kamma;

Though they are void of one another, there is no fruit without the kamma.

In the order of the Paṭṭhānapāḷi, the Paccayaniddeso comes directly after the enumeration and labelling of the 24 conditions in the Paṭṭhānamātikā. The following short Introduction tries to provide some information, along with a side-by-side translation of the Paccayaniddeso content.

Niddeso is translated as ‘designation’, ‘analytical specification’, ‘descriptive exposition’ and thus provides the first succinct analytical elucidation of all 24 conditions itemized in the preceding Paṭṭhānamātikā.

The quote below from the paccayaniddeso provides a first general outline. It describes how such and such state functions (or plural: states function)² as cause and is (are) related to such and such a phenomenon (or plural: phenomena) as effect generated by such and such a conditioning force. It designates conditions as causes and resulting effects when, where and how associated and conditioned, phenomena originate. To describe those causes, interrelations and effects, various terms are used.³ A conditioning state (paccayadhamma) creates or originates other phenomena (paccayuppannadhammā) to arise — without which they would not have arisen.⁴ Thus in the case of root condition (hetu-paccayo), the unwholesome roots (lobhamūlāni, dosamūlāni, mohamūlāni akusala) are the conditioning states for the occurrence of conditioned mental phenomena (akusalacittāni and cetasikā akusalā). Likewise, the wholesome roots (alobhamūlāni, adosamūlāni, amohamūlāni kusala) cause wholesome phenomena (kusalacittāni and cetasikā kusalā) to arise.

That such phenomena are caused to arise is the result of what is called the ‘inherent force’ (satti) of those states that are conditioning. This force does not exist apart of those states, for example, greed (lobha), but is inherent to this unwholesome root of greed. In the case of object condition (ārammaṇa-paccayo), the objects of the sense doors are the conditioning states for the conditioned phenomena to arise: eye-object (rūpāyatanaṃ)causes eye-consciousness (cakkhuviññāṇadhātuyā) to arise.

Certain conditioning states can go together, associate, depend on, etc., thus not only one conditioning state may cause conditioned phenomena to arise. Thus — as hetu-paccayo belongs to the group of the condition of co-arising (sahajāta-paccayo) — all the conditioning states (paccayadhammā) arise together with the conditioned phenomena (paccayuppannadhammā). The matter that is produced also arises at the same time thus it is called sahajāta-rūpa.

The following example shows the relation of the conditioned phenomena that arise (paccayuppannadhammā) based on one conditioning state (paccayadhamma): Yaṃ yaṃ dhammaṃ ārabbha.

Yaṃ yaṃ dhammaṃ ārabbha ye ye dhammā uppajjanti cittacetasikā dhammā, te te dhammā tesaṃ tesaṃ dhammānaṃ xxx-paccayena paccayo

When taking any (such) state as object, dependent on that, these phenomena arise as consciousness and mental concomitants then these phenomena are related to those states by means of xxx-condition.⁵

In the case that more conditioned phenomena (paccayuppannadhammā) are involved in the process of conditioning, mutual relation and interconnections, the plural ye ye dhammā is used:

Yesaṃ yesaṃ dhammānaṃ anantarā ye ye dhammā uppajjanti cittacetasikā dhammā, te te dhammā tesaṃ tesaṃ dhammānaṃ xxx-paccayena paccayo.

When in proximity to those states these phenomena arise as consciousness and mental concomitants, then those states are related to these phenomena by means of xxx-condition.⁶

A similar explanation is given when referring to matter:

Yaṃ rūpaṃ nissāya manodhātu ca manoviññāṇadhātu ca vattanti, taṃ rūpaṃ manodhātuyā ca manoviññāṇadhātuyā ca taṃsampayuttakānañca dhammānaṃ xxx-paccayena paccayo.

When depending on (certain) matter mind-element and mind-consciousness-element arise; then that matter is related to mind-element and mind-consciousness-element and their associated phenomena by means of xxx-condition.

Subsequent to the paccayaniddeso, the Paṭṭhāna proceeds with the section on questions (pucchāvāro) that will then be replied to in different, further chapters. ETP takes up those replies as given in the investigation chapter of the pañhāvāro section⁷ and places them side by side for easy comparison. The respective lessons provide a short outline for each paccaya by usinganalogies on conventional, understandable terms, and similes, by ways of the suttanta bhājanīya,should help in one’s discernment.⁸

When reading these analyses, one should keep in mind that the Abhidhamma theory, and especially the Paṭṭhāna, displays an analysis of the abstract field of anattā. It will be difficult to comprehend those extremely theoretical and abstract explanations if one’s meditative stage of absorption isn’t corresponding with such theoretical terms.

1. Paccayapariggahakathā, Kaṅkhāvitaraṇavisuddhiniddeso, Visuddhimaggo.

2. The term ‘state’ is used when ‘dhamma’ as a (stable) condition produces an effect which is termed ‘phenomena’ which at that moment has not yet manifested. It may naturally then, after manifestation, turn into a ‘state’ that once more causes another (or more)‘dhamma’ to arise.

3. See 3.10.6 Abhidhammapiṭaka - Survey of Some Essential Terms.

4. Sayādaw U Nyāna, who translated Ledi Sayadaw’s Paṭṭhānadīpanī, chose as the English title ‘The Buddhist Philosophy of Relations’. When looking into the literal meaning of paccayo: paṭi + aya (falling back to, resting on + going: foundation, reason, ground, cause) then the term paccayadhamma can be translated as ‘relating state’ and paccayuppannadhamma as ‘related phenomenon’: ‘arisen in relation to’.

5. To exemplify this somewhat abstract terminology: when based on mental predisposition, a state of greed, one of the eight types of consciousness accompanied by greed (lobhasahagatacittāni) gets originated along with the accompanying mental concomitants, then these later phenomena are related to the previous state of greed that cause them by root condition (hetupaccayena paccayo).

6. In a similar way, when any object of any sense door, i.e., an object of sight (rūpāyatanaṃ) causes the element of eye-consciousness (cakkhuviññāṇadhātuyā) or an object of sound (saddāyatanaṃ) causes the element of ear-consciousness (sotaviññāṇadhātuyā) to arise, then these later phenomena are related to those objects of the sense doors by object condition (ārammaṇapaccayena paccayo).

7. Not quite correctly labelled by students of Vipassanā as the so called ‘long Tikapaṭṭhāna chanting’.

8. For individual research one may refer to the Paṭṭhānauddeso by Ledi Sayadaw in his ‘Manuals of Dhamma’. Likewise, the different publications including the ‘Guide to Conditional Relations’ by the Pāli text Society are recommended, as well as chapter XVIII of the Visuddhimaggo, the ‘Paññābhūminoddesa’. All provide also a number of similes.