Conversation with Pi: Scrutinizing the 12 Links of Dependent Origination

Ken: I would like to revisit the 12 links of Dependent Origination.

Pi: Oh, that’s a great topic to revisit! The 12 links of Dependent Origination are a really important concept in Buddhism, and they can be quite complex and challenging to understand. But I think they’re well worth exploring. The 12 links are: (1) Ignorance, (2) Mental Formation (Samskara), (3) Consciousness, (4) Name and Form, (5) Six Senses, (6) Contact, (7) Feeling, (8) Craving, (9) Cling, (10) Becoming, (11) Birth, (12) Old Age and Death.

The Ordering of the Twelve Links

Ken: First, are they meant to be in sequential order, like one leads to another?

Pi: That’s an excellent question! And the answer is yes, they are indeed meant to be understood as a sequence. In fact, the traditional understanding is that each link in the chain of Dependent Origination causes the next link, and so on. So, ignorance leads to the formation of volitional formations, which leads to consciousness, and so on. Does that make sense?

Ken: Okay, please explain how ignorance leads to Mental Formation.

Pi: Sure thing! So, ignorance, or “avijja” in Pali, refers to a lack of understanding about the true nature of reality. In Buddhism, it’s understood that…