Exploring the Buddhist Concept of Paṭiccasamuppāda: A Brief Study Based on Pāli Manuscripts By Dr. Sanjoy Barua Chowdhury

The doctrine of Paṭiccasamuppāda is considered a “central principle” of the Buddha’s teachings (Bodhi 1995, 1). The Buddha acknowledged that the doctrine of Paṭiccasamuppāda appeared to him as an astonishing and eye-opening discovery that brought him vision, knowledge, wisdom, and a deep understanding on the occasion of his enlightenment (See S II 104). In clarifying its doctrinal value along the path of awakening, the Buddha asserted that the realization of the Paṭiccasamuppāda is like the understanding of his “subtle and profound teachings”, i.e., the Dhamma (See D II 91). Because of its doctrinal prominence, the discourse of Paṭiccasamuppāda is frequently found in the mainstream Pāli manuscripts from Tipiṭaka. On the basis of canonical scriptures, scholars and Buddhist monks described the Paṭiccasamuppāda in various ways for thousands of years.
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The concept of the Paṭiccasamuppāda describes the vision of life through demonstrating twelvefold links – from birth to death. Examining the depth of every connection brings an explicit notion that everything is interconnected and inseparable, i.e., nothing exists independently of its cause and condition. The causal relationships of the law of the Paṭiccasamuppāda assert that the process of life and its motion are a part of the chains of twelvefold links. The Buddha’s teaching of the Paṭiccasamuppāda clearly outlines the taproot of suffering and its path to cessation.
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Despite the four noble truths (cattāri ariyasaccāni) are regarded as the Buddha’s awakening discovery, the concept of the Paṭiccasamuppāda is the methodological approach to how to end suffering along the path to ultimate freedom. The four noble truths and the concept of the Paṭiccasamuppāda are integral to each other because the principal object of both doctrines is to clarify the taproot and cessation of suffering, i.e., dukkha (S II 3-4). In addition to Pāli manuscripts, it clarifies that there is a deep connection between the concept of the Paṭiccasamuppāda and the four noble truths. If realizing the four noble truths is considered to be the ultimate aim for seekers and followers, the understanding of the doctrine of the Paṭiccasamuppāda– also known as the attainment of nibbāna – is applied as the Buddhist soteriological methodology.
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In conclusion, the doctrine of the Paṭiccasamuppāda is unquestionably the most profound, distinctive, and dynamic yet subtle teaching in Buddhist doctrine. By providing a landscape of its historical genesis, explicit meaning, annotated tradition, interpretation, and doctrinal significance, the discourse of the Paṭiccasamuppāda can be considered the pivotal Buddhist teachings that succinctly articulate the path of ultimate liberation. The Buddha’s objective was to present the teaching of the Paṭiccasamuppāda to delineate clear steps and motions of life from womb to tomb, in addition to seeking out the taproot of suffering and the method to vanquish it. The concept of Paṭiccasamuppāda is valued for the teaching of the Buddhist method of eradicating Dukkha as well as directions for an ethical life, which is how its doctrinal relevance and significance are expressed.
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References
Bodhi, Bhikkhu. The Great Discourse of Causation: The Mahānidāna Sutta and its Commentaries. Kandy: Buddhist Publications Society, 1995.
Bodhi, Bhikkhu. The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, 2 Vols. Translated by Samyutta Nikaya. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2000.
Chowdhury, Sanjoy Barua. 2022. “The Buddhist Concept of Paṭiccasamuppāda Based on Pāli Manuscripts: Genesis, Meanings, Annotated Translation, Interpretation, and Doctrinal Significance”. Poligrafi 27 (105/106):3-20. https://doi.org/10.35469/poligrafi.2022.336.