Dependent Origination
Ranjith Daluwatta
The promise of an end to all suffering is an extraordinarily positive message. Sometimes people say that Buddhists are pessimists – that they always talk about suffering – and yet here is the exact opposite. The Buddha says that dependent upon suffering we can go all the way to the freedom from that very same suffering. Let us now go through the twelve factors of dependent liberation. The first factor is suffering (dukkha).This refers not just to the fact that there is suffering, but to one’s awareness of the problem. Only when you understand that there is a problem will you actually do something about it. Part of this is being clear about the ordinary suffering in daily life. More important, however, is seeing the scope of suffering. That understanding starts to emerge as your meditation deepens and you begin to see yourself and the world in a new way. But it is particularly the idea of rebirth – especially seeing it directly for yourself – that makes you understand the real scale of the problem. LINKS: Workshop 1 : Noble Eightfold Path Workshop 3 : Mindfulness Sutta