What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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retrofuturist
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What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

The following is an extract from Nanananda's Paticcasamuppada Sermon No. 2.

It is presented here because discerning "arising" and "falling" is an important aspect of vipassana practice.

So much so that it is recognised in the traditional "vipassana-nanas" as "knowledge of rise-and-fall".

But what is "arising", and what is it that is arising...?

(apologies for some of the textual corruption that occurred due to converting the PDF to text in order to allow it to be copied and pasted here)
It is said that at this point it occurred to the Bodhisatta
Vipassi:

‘Paccudavattati kho ida. viñña.a. namarupamha.
napara. gacchati.’

‘This consciousness turns back from name-and-form. It
does not go to another.’

This is how he aroused the knowledge of the arising
nature of things. On reaching that point in his radical attention, it
occurred to him:

This consciousness does not go beyond name-and-form.
Dependent on name-and-form is consciousness and dependent on
consciousness is name-and-form. From there he reflected back:
Dependent on name-and-form is six sense-spheres, dependent on
six sense-spheres contact, dependent on contact, feeling,
dependent on feeling, craving and so on ending with the
conclusion: This is the arising of this entire mass of suffering.
This, then, is the arising aspect of suffering. With that
understanding, it is said, that the Bodhisatta Vipassi exclaimed:

‘Samudayo, samudayo’

‘Arising, arising’

At this juncture, the Bodhisatta Vipassi is said to have
made an utterance of joy as we get in the Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta 6 in the case of our Gotama Buddha.

‘Cakkhu. udapadi ña.a. udapadi, pañña udapadi, vijja
udapadi, aloko udapadi’

‘The eye arose, the knowledge arose, the wisdom arose,
the science arose, the light arose.’

That is as regards the arising aspect.

Along with it, the Bodhisatta Vipassi attended to the
cessation aspect and that too starting from the end.

‘When what does not exist does decay and death not come
to be? With the cessation of what does the cessation of decay and
death come about? And he understood: ‘When there is no birth,
decay and death does not come to be; with the cessation of birth
comes cessation of decay and death.’ I hope you all can
understand the reverse order in the same way. ‘When what does
not exist does birth not come to be? With the cessation of what
does the cessation of birth come about? When there is no
existence, birth does not come to be; with the cessation of
existence comes cessation of birth. Likewise, when grasping
ceases existence or becoming would cease. When craving ceases,
grasping would cease. When feeling ceases, craving would cease.
When contact ceases, feeling would cease. When the six sense-
spheres cease, contact would cease. When name-and-form ceases,
the six sense-spheres would cease. When consciousness ceases,
name-and-form would cease. When name-and-form ceases,
consciousness would cease. With this, again, he reached the point
at which the inter-relation between consciousness and name-and-form
became obvious. Then the Bodhisatta Vipassi is said to have
uttered this highly significant statement.

‘Adhigato kho myaya. vipassana maggo bodhaya.’

‘The way of insight to awakening has been aroused by
me.’

This clearly indicates that the Law of Dependent Arising
which in our tradition has been almost relegated to the limbo is
directly relevant to meditation and helpful for enlightenment.

After understanding the cessation aspect, the Bodhisatta
Vipassi exclaimed that the way of insight has been aroused
because it is the decisive aspect in regard to insight. The reason is
that along with the cessation of name-and-form, the six sense-
spheres cease and with that contact, feeling and craving also
cease. Thus the entire mass of suffering comes to cease. What
comes after this is only the following information: The
Bodhisatta Vipassi, with the help of this mode of insight reflected
on the rise and fall of the five aggregates of grasping as follows:

Thus is form, thus its arising, thus its passing away.

Thus is feeling, thus its arising, thus its passing away.

Thus is perception, thus its arising, thus its passing away.

Thus are preparations, thus their arising, thus their passing
away.

Thus is consciousness, thus its arising, thus its passing
away.

Finally, it is said that having contemplated on the rise and
fall of the five aggregates, before long, he attained
Enlightenment.

We can form some idea of the way of reflection in insight
meditation by this account. What is meant by the contemplation
of the rise and fall (udayabbaya) is the contemplation of the
arising and ceasing nature of phenomena. In contemplating on
arising and ceasing, the question of causes and conditions comes
up as a matter of course. As we mentioned the other day,
according to discourses like Mahapu..ama Sutta,7 the cause and
condition for form is the four great primaries, namely, earth,
water, fire and air. The cause and condition for feeling is contact.
The cause and condition for perception is contact. The cause and
condition for preparations is contact. But the cause and condition
for consciousness is name-and-form. We can infer that the
Bodhisatta Vipassi in his contemplation of rise and fall of the five
aggregates of grasping, reflected lastly on consciousness and
thereby became acquainted with name-and-form. As the radical
attention on name-and-form became sharper and sharper, he
realized the cessation of preparations and attained enlightenment.

From our analysis of this discourse, it should be obvious
how important the Law of Dependent Arising is. Generally, we
talk only about the Four Noble Truths. But from this episode, it is
clear that when one examines the causes and conditions of
consciousness, one would hit upon name-and-form. Let me
elaborate a little on this point. However much we explain, it
seems there are many who cannot budge an inch from the
traditional interpretation. So often, I have pointed out with special
reference to the Buddha’s own definition found in the discourses
that the factors on the ‘name’ side in name-and-form are feeling,
perception, intention, contact and attention. It is with the help of
these five that we recognize the four elements, earth, water, fire
and air in terms of hard and soft, hot or cold, and so forth. That is
why it is called rupasañña
(perception of form).
Do you agree or disagree with the above?

Comments? Questions? etc.

Metta,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by SarathW »

It is with the help of
these five that we recognize the four elements, earth, water, fire
and air in terms of hard and soft, hot or cold, and so forth. That is
why it is called rupasañña
Why contact is considered Nama?
Can contact occur without Rupa?
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Sarath,
SarathW wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 3:19 am Why contact is considered Nama?
MN 9 wrote:Feeling, perception, intention, contact, & attention: This is called name.
SarathW wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 3:19 am Can contact occur without Rupa?
Yes, it can be via any of the six-senses, including the mind. (See Nanavira's note on phassa for more details)

Metta,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by User1249x »

How i understand it;

there are several ways of answering your question of what is arising
some short examples;

suffering, the ill, phenomena, sankhara, sense-consciousness, aggregates, nama&rupa

Other ways of answering;

one can say that Rupa arises because we know that consciousness depends on Rupa, so we know that Rupa arises because we know that sense-consciousness seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling etc arises and depends on Rupa

In other words we know that the experiences of hearing, smelling, seeing, sensing, thinking, tasting arises and that it depends on consciousness which depends on Rupa[Form/Structure], essentially with rupa as a requisite condition arises consciousness which cognizes the rupa.

In similar manner one can say that Contact arises
Dependent on Rupa arises consciousness, Dependent on Rupa [Four Elements] arise Rupa derived from the Four Elements, dependent on the three [meeting of the three] arises Contact

In similar manner one breaks down delineations of Contact as feeling, what is felt is congnized, what is cognized is perceived.

In a similar manner one postulates the meeting place of contact as Sense-Base.

What is important to understand is that there is no person cognizing Rupa and it is wrong to say that Rupa Cognizes itself because Rupa is one thing and consciousness is another and therefore one says that it is Nama&Rupa that arises as in there arise "structures and recognition of structures" albeit this is a deprived way to explain Name&Rupa because there is also the element of volition which is captured by the expression "Name&Rupa" and the expression "structures and recognition of structures" does not capture the element of volition.

What is also equally important to understand is that we know of the arising of Rupa and Contact by theoretically understanding what makes up our perceived reality and on what depend the experiences of seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, thinking, sensing.

And the last thing is that it is not the same rupa and it is not the same consciousness that make up past, present and future experience, it is a whole new set of compounded phenomena
Last edited by User1249x on Tue Jun 26, 2018 4:40 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by pegembara »

SarathW wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:19 am
Can contact occur without Rupa?
Yes, it can be via any of the senses, including the mind.
Yes but the first contact has to be through the 5 senses. Then the mind can replay through memory - the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and touch. The external is brought internally and processed by the mind. The mind also creates(arising) its own world from the sights/sounds which ceases when falling into dreamless sleep and arises again on waking.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Pegembara,
pegembara wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 4:16 am Yes but the first contact has to be through the 5 senses.
Really? What about contact with ideas about democracy, climate, laws, philosophy, distance, gravity, property, rights etc.

Which of the five senses are these objects "first" contacted?

Is anything useful achieved in terms of vipassana, through this seemingly arbitrary restriction from six to five senses, or is it just arbitrarily shutting out aspects of experience?

Metta,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by salayatananirodha »

“This world, Kaccāna, for the most part depends upon a duality – upon the notion of existence and the notion of non-existence. For one who sees the arising of the world as it really is with correct wisdom, there is no notion of non-existence in regard to the world. And for one who sees the cessation of the world as it really is with correct wisdom, there is no notion of existence in regard to the world.”
Here the Buddha points out that the world is resting on the two extreme views of existence and non-existence. Then this is how the Buddha shows us the middle way. For one who sees the arising of the world as it is with correct wisdom, there is no notion of non-existence. To the insight meditator who sees the arising aspect of the world, the notion of absolute non-existence does not occur. And to the insight meditator who sees the cessation aspect of the world, the notion of absolute existence does not occur. The world is holding on to the two dogmatic views of absolute existence and absolute non-existence. But the Buddha avoids this absolutism. Paticcasamuppanna means arisen in dependence on causes and conditions. The world is incessantly arising and ceasing. But the worldling resting on the notion of the compact due to craving and grasping, tenaciously believes that a thing exists absolutely. If absolute existence is one end the other end should be absolute non-existence, tantamount to annihilation. But as we sometimes pointed out, if anything is lost, it is only the ignorance that ‘there is something’ and the craving that ‘there isn’t enough.’ That is all. There is nothing to lament. This is precisely why Gotama Buddha as well as Vipassi Buddha made known their realization with the words:
“Samudayo samudayoti kho me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammasu cakkhuṁ udapādi ñāṇaṁ udapādi paññā udapādi vijjā udapādi āloko udapādi.
. . . . nirodho nirodhoti kho me bhikkhave pubbe ananussutesu dhammasu cakkhuṁ udapādi ñāṇaṁ udapādi paññā udapādi vijjā udapādi āloko udapādi.”
“Arising, arising – thus monks, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me the eye, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light.
. . . . Cessation, cessation – thus monks, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me the eye, the knowledge, the wisdom, the science, the light.”


Then what is the arising of ignorance? How does ignorance come about? That is the crux of the problem. A surprise awaits us here. “Āsava samudayā avijjā samudayo”. It is with the arising of influxes that ignorance arises. This causes confusion in those who analyze Paṭicca Samuppāda because what precedes is ignorance. They presume that ignorance has no root cause but is simply present and other factors arise from it. Here is the solution to the problem. On behalf of the Buddha, Venerable Sāriputta explains “Āsava samudayā avijjā samudayo, āsava nirodhā avijjā nirodho”. With the arising of influxes ignorance arises. With the cessation of influxes ignorance ceases.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by JamesTheGiant »

retrofuturist wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:42 pm But what is "arising", and what is it that is arising...?
From my deepest meditation experience, arising and passing away is better described as a flow of change, one phenomena flowing into the next as a natural causal process. Changing, non-self, and with no place to rest.
So the coming into a particular state is the Arising, and everything that is, is what is arising.
It's exactly what's happening right now, but perceived as a flow of becoming and change.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by Spiny Norman »

I take it to be the continual arising and ceasing of phenomena "at" the sense-bases, including the mind. Sights, sounds, sensations, odours, flavours, thoughts and feelings. It involves noticing the transience and conditionality of experience, or aspects of experience.

You could also contemplate the rise and fall of the aggregates, see here for example:

"So, as he dwells thus in contemplation of the rise and fall of the five groups of clinging, this subtle remnant from among the five groups of clinging, this subtle remnant of the 'I'-conceit, of the 'I'-desire, this unextirpated lurking tendency to think: 'I am' is brought to an end."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .wlsh.html

And here:
"However it is, however it is he touches the arising-&-passing of aggregates: he gains rapture & joy: that, for those who know it, is deathless, the Deathless."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... ml#dhp-374

There is also the rise and fall of the breath of course.

Are you wanting to apply this specifically to the rise and fall of nidanas? "When this arises, that arises..."?
Last edited by Spiny Norman on Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by pegembara »

retrofuturist wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 5:17 am Greetings Pegembara,
pegembara wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 4:16 am Yes but the first contact has to be through the 5 senses.
Really? What about contact with ideas about democracy, climate, laws, philosophy, distance, gravity, property, rights etc.

Which of the five senses are these objects "first" contacted?

Is anything useful achieved in terms of vipassana, through this seemingly arbitrary restriction from six to five senses, or is it just arbitrarily shutting out aspects of experience?

Metta,
Paul. :)
Ideas come from hearing, seeing ie. learning from teachers etc. Microscopes to "see" electrons. Gravity is experienced eg. knock on the head by an apple. Without the 5 senses, these ideas cannot make sense. How to share ideas and concepts without the 5 senses?

Basically these are mind creations. They don't inherently exist - emptiness in forms.
Last edited by pegembara on Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by SarathW »

But what is "arising", and what is it that is arising...?
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
pegembara wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:32 am Basically these are mind creations. They don't inherently exist - emptiness in forms.
Ditto with any and all sankharas... I'm just trying to work out why you think some are more foundational. You seem to be prioritizing form over name, as if the two can be separated and sequenced according your prioritization.

Metta,
Paul. :)
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by auto »

He became conscious and saw that consciousness came from nama-rupa and doesn't go to another.
That happening aroused him knowledge of arising nature of things
So that resulted in now during being conscious he becomes aware of arising of various things.

Third is seeing cessation. Its when you are conscious and notice arising of things then next moment you come conscious; you don't know when you go unconscious so therefore you come to know the cessation after you come conscious.


*this is basically awareness or consciousness goes to another side.
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by JohnK »

retrofuturist wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:42 pm...But what is "arising", and what is it that is arising...?
...This is how he aroused the knowledge of the arising nature of things...
Metta,
Paul. :)
This quote suggests that there is 1) the arising of the All, and 2) the arising of that particular, essential knowledge about the All, that is, its dependently arisen nature (although #2 may still be part of #1).
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Re: What is samudayo (arising)? What is it that is arising?

Post by mikenz66 »

Great question that goes to the heart of insight.

There's some nice discussion of this in SEEING THROUGH - A Guide to Insight Meditation - http://seeingthroughthenet.net/books/ which is done in the context of Anapanasati. I understand that the approach used by Ven Nananda (and the Monastery where he delivered the Nibbana Sermons) was Mahasi-based, but with more emphasis on Anapanasati.

Seeing Through, P23:
What is this impermanence? Summed up in two words, it
is ‘udaya’ and ‘vaya’ – arising and passing away. This appears as
the first bud from which grows the tree of insight into
impermanence. To the extent one's understanding of the process
of arising and passing away deepens, to that extent the law of
impermanence becomes clear to him. In a meditator who has
developed the Factors of Enlightenment and other requisites of
satipaṭṭhāna meditation, by the time he reaches the last four
stages in the practice of Ānāpānasati, the insight into
impermanence is already there to a certain extent. He is well
aware of the process of arising and passing away.

As this contemplation of impermanence deepens, as he
sees the incessant process of arising and passing away all the
more rapidly, the latter aspect, namely the aspect of passing
away, becomes more prominent to him. Just as in the case of one
trying to look at a mark in a rapidly turning wheel, the meditator
becomes more aware of the falling aspect. The rising aspect
becomes less prominent. It is the process of passing away, the
process of destruction, that is more striking to him now.

This gives rise to detachment and dispassion. One takes in
a breath with craving which is on the side of ‘arising’ –
‘samudaya’. In breathing-in, one is dwelling on the arising
aspect, breathing-out is the cessation aspect. These are all
‘preparations’ – saṅkhāras. Craving is the regenerator who is
responsible for all these preparations. These preparations are the
result of lust, desire or craving.

Now, when the rapid process of destruction and breaking
up becomes more prominent, dispassion sets in. One sees this as a
trouble. One is repelled by it, not attracted. The result of this
dispassion is the weakening of craving, the regenerator – ‘taṇhā
ponobhavikā’. As craving thins out, the fact of cessation becomes
all the more clear, because it is this very craving that has been
concealing it all the time.

Why do we say that craving is concealing the fact of
cessation? Because craving is on the side of ‘arising.’ As soon as
a cessation occurs, craving as the regenerator prompts a re-
arising. As the phrase ‘taṇhā ponobhavikā nandirāgasahagatā
tatratatrābhinandinī’ [*] implies, craving as the regenerator is
always out to make for re-becoming. It is accompanied by delight
and lust, and it delights now-here-now-there. Because of its very
nature of taking delight now here-now there, craving says, ‘Don't
worry about the breath that is gone, catch hold of another breath.
Take hold of another breath’. It tempts and prompts. But when
dispassion sets in, this tendency to tempt and prompt becomes
less and less. It is reduced, with the result, that the cessation
aspect becomes more prominent – and with it, the passing away,
the breaking-up, the destruction. That way, one comes to see the
cessation of mind-objects also and that is nirodhānupassanā – the
contemplation of cessation.

[*] In context from: https://suttacentral.net/sn56.11/en/bodhi#sc5
“Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.
I thought that connection with the Noble Truths (and hence Dependent Origination) was quite illuminating. Craving concealing cessation is an important point.
"The rising aspect becomes less prominent. It is the process of passing away, the
process of destruction, that is more striking to him now."
If, of course, one of the Classical Insight Knowledges. From Mahasi Sayadaw’s summary http://aimwell.org/progress.html:
5. Knowledge of Dissolution (bhaṅga-ñāṇa)
Noticing the bodily and mental processes as they arise, he sees them part by part, link by link, piece by piece, fraction by fraction: “Just now it arises, just now it dissolves.” When that knowledge of arising and passing away becomes mature, keen and strong, it will arise easily and proceed uninterruptedly as if borne onward of itself; also the bodily and mental processes will be easily discernible. When keen knowledge thus carries on and formations are easily discernible, then neither the arising of each bodily and mental process, nor its middle phase called “presence,” nor the continuity of bodily and mental processes called “occurrence as unbroken flux” is apparent to him; nor are the shape of the hand, the foot, the face, the body, and so on, apparent to him. But what is apparent to him is only the ceasing of bodily and mental processes, called “vanishing,” or “passing away,” or “dissolution.”
Ven Nananda is, of course, aware of that, as he is working within that framework:
By now, the meditator has passed through the stages of
insight connected with the seeing of breaking-up, fear and peril.
With the maturity of these insight knowledges, the meditator is
now well poised to let go in order to be free. Breathing, as an
illustration of the natural law of arising and passing away, has
now contributed to a deepening of insight into the three
characteristics, ‘anicca’’dukkha’ and ‘anattā’ – impermanence,
suffering and not-self.
In Nibbana Sermon 20 there is a lot about dissolution:
Lujjatī'ti kho, bhikkhu, tasmā loko'ti vuccati.
It is disintegrating, monk, that is why it is called ‘the world’.
Bhikkhu Bodhis translation is here: https://suttacentral.net/sn35.82
This reminded me of the arising of Dhamma Eye, for example in Venerable Kondañña in SN 56.11:
This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, the bhikkhus of the group of five delighted in the Blessed One’s statement. And while this discourse was being spoken, there arose in the Venerable Kondañña the dust-free, stainless vision of the Dhamma: “Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.”
https://suttacentral.net/sn56.11/en/bodhi#sc21
As Ven Ñāṇananda sates, commenting on the SN 35.82 passage:
Here the Buddha is redefining the concept of the world, punning on the verb
lujjati, which means to “break up” or “disintegrate”. To bring about a radical
change in outlook, in accordance with the Dhamma, the Buddha would
sometimes introduce a new etymology in preference to the old. This definition
of ‘the world’ is to the same effect. …
This “radical change in outlook, in accordance with the Dhamma” seems related to the SN 56.11 passage (and the other occurrences of such passages), and the insight knowledge of dissolution (as I mentioned above). One sees clearly that what the Buddha calls “The World” is not substantial…

Parenthetically, I note that Bhikkhu Sujato attempts to recreated the pun in his translation:
“It wears away, mendicant, that’s why it’s called ‘the world’.
https://suttacentral.net/sn35.82/en/sujato#2.3
Though "wears away" doesn't carry the same implication of dissolution.

:heart:
Mike
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