LAW OF CONDITIONALITY
| Now the teaching of Dependent Arising has two aspects.One
aspect is an abstract principle or what we might call a structural principle.The second
aspect is the application of that principle to the problem of suffering. In the abstract
form, as a structural principle, Dependent Arising is the most fundamental law underlying
every process and all phenomena. This law is beginningless and endless. This structural
principle that underlies all phenomena is the law of conditionality. That is, whatever
arises, arises in dependence on conditions; everything that exists, exists in dependence
on conditions. And without the support of the appropriate conditions, the given phenomena
will not be able to remain in existence. This is illustrated by this formula: "When there is this, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. When there is not this, that does not come to be; with the cessation of this, that ceases." The first part of the formula, the positive part, explains the conditional arising of phenomena. The second part explains their conditional cessation. In order for any factor to come into existence its condition A must exist, or be operative. That is B arises through the contribution, of its condition A. To give an example, apple trees exist in dependence on the apple seeds. If there is an apple seed, an apple tree can come into existence. If an apple seed comes into being, the tree can come into being. When A, the condition for the occurrence of B, does not exist, then the phenomenon B will not exist. But as B exists in dependence on A, then with the absence of A, B will not occur, and if A ceases, then B will cease. Thus coming back to the apple tree, if there is no apple seed, then there can't be any
tree, and if the seed is destroyed, then there can be no growth of the apple tree. For the
tree depends on the seed. |