Learning materials for Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) in Theravada Buddhism

score:6

Accepted answer

Here's a few of resources from our tradition:

http://www.aimwell.org/dependentorigination.html - a book by the Mahasi Sayadaw, one of Burma's greatest meditation teachers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_llBSCXt6c - a video by me, some monk from the Internet

http://www.sirimangalo.org/teachings/lessons-in-practical-buddhism/practical-dependent-origination/ - a written piece based on the above video.

You'll find a lot of stuff centring on the debate over three-life/one-life, which is terribly unhelpful, IMO. Here's a piece I appreciated from one of Thailand's top scholar monks:

http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Payutto_Bhikkhu_Dependent_Origination.htm

Edit: here's something I wrote about practical application of PS:

http://yuttadhammo.sirimangalo.org/2009/07/three-teachers-or-buddhist-addiction.html

Upvote:0

Following might be of some help as references:

Upvote:0

From the Theravada tradition:

There is a audio dhamma talk by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi called "Dependent Origination" which can be found here.

Here is also some text material about Dependent Origination, also from Ven. Bhikkhu Bodi:

Lastly there is an audio dhamma talk called "Dependent Origination" by Ajahn Punnadhammo which can be found here.

Lanka

Upvote:0

Thanisarro's internet PDF called: 'Shape of Suffering' is the only publication I know of that provides a practical guided meditation through each of the conditions. Buddhadasa's work is good but 'Shape of Suffering' is the most practical. If you follow the meditation guidance in 'Shape of Suffering', you can decide for yourself whether the explanation is true or not. Most of the other interpretations are mere unverifiable meta-physical theories. Regards

Upvote:1

You need to be very careful when you find teaching materials on the internet specially for Paṭiccasamuppāda. It is core of Buddhism (someone had name it The Theory of Everything). The problem is lot of authors had been expressed their personal perspectives than to root of Lord Buddha's teaching so you may get confused when you compare each of them, Good luck!!

Upvote:1

Good question. I still have the book to this very day, but I still haven't finished reading it.

Why, because I have been taking my time on it. And it has been years since I first acquired it.

I would like to share what I experience by reading the book and so hopefully you could take pieces from here and there and piece them towards your solution.

Again, I have not finished reading it, but one thing I do know:

Don't follow affixed on the words, the physical practices or forms it may mention.

The whole practice is supposed to be a guide, words are guides as well as forms may it be bodily, mindfully or expressively, for every of these should be abandoned at the end (beginning) when one is "awoken".

Hence, may I suggest, if it teaches us this way as mentioned, we shall convey it to others likewise. It is not about the type of incense we burn, the body must not have to be perfectly sat down with legs equally crossed, music needn't be of certain type and the most important of all - words and meanings (doctrine) needn't be studied word for word when one is stuck at certain chapter / point. Let it rest, come back to it later.

Again, all words and wordings are guides and should be abandoned eventually.

For Buddhism, I often find that the best teaching and learning experience is when one doesn't feel or make others feel "special" or "different" than others during the journey of teaching / learning. If not, ego is therefore proven to still exist and with this as attachment, understanding is still not acquired.

Thanks for the question.

Upvote:3

The best and most detailed explanation of paticcasamuppada I know of is in Buddhagosa's Visuddhimagga. There is an English translation by Bh. Nanamoli in the book The Path of Purification (free pdf, look at chapter XVII: Dependent Origination).

Upvote:4

Two most interesting pieces of analysis I found are

and

a decent bibliography can be found at the end of Dhivan Thomas Jones' "New Light On The Twelve Nidanas" (http://www.academia.edu/2593517/New_Light_on_the_Twelve_Nidanas)

More post

Search Posts

Related post