Religious teachers from ancient times have introduced various theories and views in an attempt to reveal the secret of continued existence. Some even attempted to hand over the responsibility of existence to gods and Brahma. The Buddha, disproving all these theories and views disclosed that grasping (upādāna) is the root cause of existence as clearly explained in the Law of Dependent Arising, (Paṭicca Samuppāda Dhamma).
We have chosen as the topic of this 18th discourse on Paṭicca Samuppāda, two verses that shed light on our subject. These two verses are also from the Dvayatānupassanā Sutta, of the Sutta Nipāta which has already provided us with suitable topics for several discourses on Paṭicca Samuppāda. I have explained its style of presentation on earlier occasions. It is a sutta where the Buddha makes a very impressive analysis of the duality of arising and ceasing, surveying it from different angles. This is how the Buddha introduces the two aspects – arising and ceasing – with regard to grasping – upādāna, which is a link in the Paṭicca Samuppāda.
Many of you know the position of ‘upādāna’ in the Law of Dependent Arising. “Taṇhā paccayā upādānaṁ, upādāna paccayā bhavo”. We have mentioned on earlier occasions that when making an analytical study of any one of the links of the Paṭicca Samuppāda, the two links on either side have to be taken into account. Then conditioned by craving is grasping, conditioned by grasping is continuous birth. In the analysis of the Paṭicca Samuppāda, the Buddha explains the significance of grasping through the question-answer method.2 ‘Katamañca bhikkhave upādānaṁ?’, What is grasping?….
Sermon 18 Bhikkhu K. Ñāṇananda
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