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1The Conditionality of Life in the Buddhist Teachings. An outline of the Twentyfour Conditions as taught in theAbhidhamma. By Nina van GorkomPrefaceThe Buddha’s teaching on the conditions for the phenomena of our lifehas been laid down in the last of the seven books of the Abhidhamma,the “Paììhåna”, or “Conditional Relations”. The Buddha, in the night heattained enlightenment, penetrated all the different conditions for thephenomena which arise and he contemplated the “DependantOrigination” (Paticca Samuppåda), the conditions for being in the cycleof birth and death, and the way leading to the elimination of thesecauses. We read in the Introduction of the “Atthasåliní” (The Expositor,the commentary to the Dhammasangaùi, the first book of the Abhidhamma) that the Buddha, during the fourth week after hisenlightenment, sat in the “Jewel House”, in the north west direction,and contemplated the Abhidhamma. The Abhidhamma was laid downlater on in seven books. We read:... And while he contemplated the contents of the “Dhammasangaùi”,his body did not emit rays; and similarly with the contemplation of thenext five books. But when, coming to the “Great Book”, he began tocontemplate the twenty-four universal causal relations of condition, of presentation, and so on, his omniscience certainly found its opportunity therein. For as the great fish Timirati-piògala finds room only in thegreat ocean eighty-four thousand yojanas in depth, so his omnisciencetruly finds room only in the Great Book. Rays of six colours- indigo,golden, red, white, tawny, and dazzling- issued from the Teacher’sbody, as he was contemplating the subtle and abstruse Dhamma by hisomniscience which had found such opportunity....The teaching of the conditional relations is deep and it is not easy toread the “Paììhåna”, but we could at least begin to study differentconditions and verify them in daily life. Before we knew the Buddha’steachings we used to think of cause and effect in a speculative way. Wemay have reflected on the origin of life, on the origin of the world, wemay have thought about causes and effects with regard to the events of life, but we did not penetrate the real conditions for the phenomena of 
 
2life. The Buddha taught the way to develop understanding of what istrue in the absolute or ultimate sense. We cannot understand the“Paììhåna” if we do not know the difference between what is real inconventional sense and what is real in the ultimate sense. Body andmind are real in conventional sense, they are not real in the ultimatesense. What we call body and mind are temporary combinations of different realities which arise because of conditioning factors and thenfall away immediately. They are succeeded by new realities which fallaway again, and thus the flux of life goes on. Body, mind, person orbeing do not exist in the ultimate sense. Mental phenomena, nåma, andphysical phenomena, rúpa, which constitute what we call a “person” arereal in the ultimate sense, but they are merely passing phenomena.Ultimate truth is not abstract. Ultimate realities, in Påli: paramatthadhammas, have each their own characteristic which cannot be changed.We may change the name, but the characteristic remains the same.Seeing is an ultimate reality, it experiences visible object which appearsthrough the eyes; it is real for everyone, it has its own unalterablecharacteristic. Anger has its own characteristic, it is real for everyone,no matter how we name it. Ultimate realities can be directly experienced when they appear through eyes, ears, nose, tongue,bodysense or mind. They arise because of their appropriate conditions.There are twentyfour classes of conditions enumerated in the“Paììhåna”. In order to understand these it is essential to have a preciseknowledge of the realities which are involved in these conditionalrelations. The “Dhammasangaùi”, the first book of the Abhidhamma, isan analytical exposition of all classes of consciousness, cittas, and theiraccompanying mental factors, cetasikas, and all physical phenomena,rúpas. The Dhammasangaùi explains which cetasikas accompany whichcittas and it deals with conditions which operate in one moment of consciousness
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. It explains which rúpas arise together in a group andthe factors which produce rúpas, namely, kamma, citta, nutrition andtemperature. However, it does not describe in detail the different typesof conditions. The Paììhåna describes in detail all possible relationsbetween phenomena. Each reality in our life can only occur because of aconcurrence of different conditions which operate in a very intricate way. Hearing is conditioned by sound which impinges on the earsense.Both sound and earsense are rúpas which also arise because of theirown conditions and therefore, they have to fall away. Thus, the reality 
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There is only one citta at a time but it is accompanied by several cetasikas which eachperform their own function.
they condition, hearing, cannot last either, it also has to fall away. Each
 
3conditioned reality can exist just for an extremely short moment. When we understand this it will be easier to see that there is no self who canexert control over realities. How could we control what falls away immediately? When we move our hands, when we walk, when we laughor cry, when we are attached or worried, there are conditions for suchmoments. The Paììhåna helps us to understand the deep underlyingmotives for our behaviour and the conditions for our defilements. Itexplains, for example, that kusala can be the object of akusala citta. Forinstance, on account of generosity which is wholesome, attachment, wrong view or conceit, which are unwholesome realities, can arise. ThePaììhåna also explains that akusala can be the object of kusala, forexample, when akusala is considered with insight. This is an essentialpoint which is often overlooked. If one thinks that akusala cannot beobject of awareness and right understanding, the right Path cannot bedeveloped.The enumerations and classifications in the Paììhåna may, at first sight,seem dry and cumbersome, but when they are carefully considered itcan be seen that they deal with realities of daily life. The study of the Abhidhamma can become very lively and interesting if our knowledge isapplied in our own situation. It can be understood more clearly thatkusala citta and akusala citta arise because of different conditions. Onemay doubt whether it is helpful to know details about realities and theirconditions. When we know that there isn’t anything we can control, willthat change our life? It is beneficial to have less ignorance aboutourselves. Defilements cannot be eradicated immediately, there will stillbe sadness, worry and frustration. However, when it is more clearly understood that realities arise because of their own conditions there willbe less inclination to try to do what is impossible: to change what hasarisen because of conditions. When there is more understanding one will be less obsessed by one’s experiences, there will be more patience.The Paììhåna clarifies how accumulations of good and bad qualities areconditions for the arising of kusala and akusala in the future. Thus, thestudy of the Paììhåna can encourage us to develop understandingtogether with all good qualities. Conditions can be accumulated whichlead to direct understanding of realities and eventually toenlightenment.The reader will find it complicated to study the duration of rúpa whichequals seventeen moments of citta. We could never count suchmoments, they pass too quickly. However, the knowledge about theduration of rúpa helps us to see that rúpa lasts longer than citta. Rúpa is weak at its arising moment, but after its arising it can condition citta.
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