An Informative Dependent Origination Workshop

Please visit www.seekingheartwood.com to see details on my documentary project exploring Buddhism in America.
This is Sister Khema delivering a course on the 12 Links of Dependent Origination at the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center.
Resources and documents mentioned in the video can be obtained at www.dhammasukha.org.
Feel free to contact Sister Khema at [e-mail] if you have any questions or comments about the content of this video.

[@Dharmaku56]

Constructive, direct and helpful. Thank you, sister, for helping understanding dependant origination!

[@lindablanchard1803]

Oh Sister Khema, I am going to miss you so much. How did you leave us so soon?

[@Dhammadhatu]

4th link. Materiality-mentality is defined in the suttas. Mentality is feeling, perception, (internal) contact, intention & attention. For example, when the mind feels & perceives the sankhara of the 2nd link in meditation and when the mind uses intention & attention in meditation, this is 'nama'. An extended definition is found on MN 111, which includes mindfulness, decision, etc, within nama. In terms of dependent origination, when nama is overcome/blinded by ignorance, nama has no mindfulness, thus the process rolls towards dukkha (suffering). As for rupa, it is conditioned by the bodily-sankhara. For example, if ignorance causes the bodily-sankhara (2nd link) to be agitated, the physical body (4th link) becomes agitated. Again, refer to Thanissaro's 'Shape of Suffering'.

[@justalittledust]

At 39:45, Sister Khema describes aging-and-death as an acronym, but Professor Gombrich taught me a better word for what it is we are doing when we use "a piece for the whole" or "a whole to represent a piece" or even "a related concept to mean the concept" is metonymy (metonym). Or, if you can pronounce it (which I can't!) synecdoche. Examples might be to say "my wheels" when meaning "my car" (part for whole) or "my ride" for "my car" or even for the person who is coming along to give you a ride. I still *really* love this talk, and thank Sister Khema for giving it, and Adam for filming and sharing it.

[@justalittledust]

Or another way I put it is that "aging and death" is short-hand for "what's really happening."

[@boonpaul8749]

What happening after Aging and death are all sufferring

[@beruangah]

Excellent Sister Khema (Lou Overstreet).....very well spoken. Metta. -Swan

[@samathavipassanatrust]

HI Swan... I am so slow finding comments. hahaha. hope you are still out there and well.... too

[@IdentMusic]

The Buddha never said that there was or was not a self, when asked directly, he remained silent. "No self" is a misinterpretation of "anatta", which refers to "not self" aka impersonality, luminosity; to interpret the dharma in terms of "no self" is as much of a misunderstanding as interpreting that a "self" exists. Just to be clear, I can see that we're saying the same thing here but, as you know, it's a subtle business and clarity is necessary. Peace.

[@samathavipassanatrust]

I suggest you listen to MN-148 and consider it in terms of a lesson of letting go of taking things personally... There of course is a self in conventional terms. But the teaching was about the impact of the consequences of this belief more deeply that resulted in taking things way too seriously, nacissistically... versus seeing things as they are, clearly having an impersonal nature... these two perspectives lead to entirely different behavior.....

[@MikeTooleK9S]

@@samathavipassanatrustits nothing personnel, kid :3

[@raonbowdash2639]

11:10 "You don't personally come back" - Well said! Thank you!

[@Dhammadhatu]

The 2nd link is not 'formations'. It is 'fabricators' or 'conditioners'. Please read MN 44. The bodily sankhara is the breathing in & out; the verbal sankhara is applied & sustained thought; the mind sankhara is perception & feeling (per MN 18). These sankhara are the same meditation objects found in Steps 4, 7 & 8 of the Anapanasati Sutta, which are observed & calmed (per SN 36.11) to develop samadhi & end suffering . For a practical explanation, refer to Thanissaro's internet book called 'Shape of Suffering'.

[@samathavipassanatrust]

If you are going to say fabrication,, then please tell us Who fabricates?

[@IdentMusic]

Beautiful and insightful, the always wonderful Sister Khema lays down the dhamma in her simple, yet incredibly powerful way. Thanks for posting this, it's helped me get a more practical understanding of Dependent Origination. Metta and Mudita

[@losnuevosvideos]

Just what I was looking for! This is the last piece of the puzzle I need it to put together. Thank you so much, really, my best regards.

[@justalittledust]

Very clear instructions on how to put Dependent Arising into practice in life, thank you. I especially liked the way the initial links were described as "potentials". I think of them as "givens" myself... "Given that we are ignorant of what's actually happening here" is where I usually start from. Thanks for the talk, and thanks for posting it.

[@Dhammadhatu]

'Habitual tendency' is not necessarily related to 'becoming' (10th link) since new objects of becoming also happen throughout an ordinary life (for example, the 1st time a boy falls in love with a girl due to reaching sexual puberty). In fact, the 2nd noble truth refers to craving that leads to new becoming.

[@Dhammadhatu]

Craving is not necessarily personal. There can be craving without the "I" clinging & becoming. Refer to MN 148.

[@YaduMathur]

a very useful and patiently recorded video.....

[@pearyangkor]

Very Details.....I was wondering if you could kept producing such a good interpretation like this with other points of Buddha teaching. Meanwhile, thanks a lot for your explaination and i strongly hope to watch others from you!!

[@ecuadorprofundo]

Beautiful. So, broadly speaking, is it somewhat accurate to say that the mind is trapped in an impersonal body? or is this not a useful way to think about things? Kindly.

[@anthonybrown7964]

This is fine to be aware of it, but the whole reason behind buddhist meditation is to see this for yourself. So yes, it's good to be aware of it, but knowledge of it wont liberate you, only looking deeply into this will. I highly recommend watching Bhante Vimalaramsi and his videos on TWIM meditation. His relax step method are absolutely the best way to view this... especially for a lay person. We can excel in meditation very easilly by following his steps... attaining jhana is actually a lot easier than we have been lead to believe, and in these tranquil aware jhanas we can see these links for ourselves... we let go of these links following bhantes methods and eventually we hopefuly get to let go of them all... and that's when Nibanna occurs...

[@anthonybrown7964]

It's more than fine to.be aware actually.... its amazing to be aware of it, but it liberates us when we see it for ourselves deeply:)

[@wildbad]

I love it! Is there a downloadable file of this scheme somewhere? Thanks, I especially liked the hsort bit about formations.

[@boonpaul8749]

Dependent Origination is actually impersonel . It explains how the Five Aggregates working according to the four Noble Truthhow suffering occur . how to cease suffering.

[@JapGeordie]

@ecuadorprofundo Take a look at the Five Aggregates; that will give you a better understanding of what the self is. Buddhism is The Middle Way; so the self isn't inherently existent (eternal), but neither is it non-existent (nihilistic); it's in some subtle middle ground. But the Five Aggregates are a good way for us to investigate what the self actually is.

[@markbrad123]

Where does silent thinking or muscle memory fit in ?

[@Bakmoon]

That's not really a useful way to look at it because the mind is just as impersonal as the body.

[@anthonybrown7964]

I think she means personal as in we take it to be personal at that point... not that it IS personal from that point