Dependent Origination for the Layman

In this volume, I will be discussing a central idea within Buddhism called Dependent Origination. Most are familiar with The Four Noble Truths, which I will cover in a future book, but this particular teaching I will discuss has all of the Buddhist core ideas within it. Dependent Origination: When we look at the world, we see all the vast interdependencies at play. For one thing to occur, something else had to occur that preceded it and on and on ad infinitum. This includes the suffering "Dukkha" that we experience in this world. All suffering, as Buddhism states, is based on attachments to "things" and "ideas". All suffering is a result of causality, if we do not jump off this wheel of causality, it controls our every move and we will be forever slaves to it, its cause and effect. Buddhism offers a way out of this cycle of suffering. However, it is not only suffering on this earth that occurs when we stay on the wheel of cause and effect; according to Buddhism, we create conditions in which we will need to reincarnate yet again in this world and live through the suffering yet again. In some instances, one may not reincarnate on earth but, in other spiritual dimension in which suffering is taking place there as well. The first step to stopping the insanity is to know how these dependent originations come about. Buddhism explains this through something called The Twelve Nidanas. Each Nidana or "link" leads us to further understand how these dependencies arise. Let us take a look at each one.