3.1.6 Pratityasamutpada

Question 1

What is Pratityasamutpada?(4)

Answer 1

• Dependent arising or origination - all things come from previous things.
• Nothing arises by chance or out of nothing.
• It is the idea of cause and effect - everything is dependent on something else for its existence.
• Everything in the Cosmos is interrelated - the existence of all things is caused by the existence of other things.

Question 2

How is Pratityasamutpada apart of Dharma?

Answer 2

It is a truth about the universe.

Question 3

What formula is Pratityasamutpada often expressed in?

Answer 3

When this is, that is
From the arising of this, comes the arising of that
When this is not, that is not
When this ends, that ends

Question 4

Why is Pratityasamutpada an important concept for Buddhists?(5)

Answer 4

• The Buddha taught that all our happiness and suffering has a cause
• If we can understand the cause, we can overcome the effect
• If we can understand the cause of suffering, we can overcome suffering and be free of it
• Give up the cause and the effect (the problem) cannot arise
• It links to the concept of Karma