Dependent Origination: Avijjā conditions Saṅkhārā

Avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā

With ignorance as condition, volition arises.

The teaching of dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) starts with the following line: avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā. Within the framework of dependent origination, the Buddha mentioned that due to being ignorant about the Four Noble Truths, productive cetanā, which is another term for saṅkhārā, arises. In the previous post, avijjā has been explained for better understanding and so in this post, saṅkhāra will be the main focus.

Due to ignorant about the Four Noble Truths, not knowing that there is no beings and that there are only five clinging aggregates that are impermanent, suffering, non-self and repulsive, erroneous views develop that lead to accumulation of kamma, i.e. saṅkhāra. Although saṅkhāra has different meanings such as formations, effort or conditioned formations depending on the context, but here in 'avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā', saṅkhāra refers to the productive cetanā (productive volition). Cetanā is a mental factor (cetasika), whose function is to motivate, to urge or to stimulate an action and in the case of 'avijjāpaccayā saṅkhāra', saṅkhāra refers to a productive cetanā (volition) or essentially, 'kamma'.

As mentioned in the previous post that avijjā (ignorance) is an unwholesome state. However, it influences not just negative but also positive outcome, i.e unwholesome saṅkhāra as well as wholesome saṅkhāra. The Paṭiccasamuppādavibhaṅga explains the three types of saṅkhāra (or kamma):

(1) Puññābhisaṅkhāra: wholesome volitions or wholesome productive cetanā

Wholesome actions means virtuous acts of offering (dāna), observing precepts (sīla) and practicing meditation (bhāvanā). So, puññābhisaṅkhāra (wholesome volitions) means productive volitions (cetāna) arising from dāna, sīla, and bhāvanā, namely dāna-cetanā, sīla-cetanā and bhāvana-cetanā. From the Abhidhamma perspective, these wholesome volitions can be categorised into 13 types of kusala consciousness: eight belong to mahākusala-citta (great wholesome consciousness), and five belong to the rūpāvacara-kusala-citta (form-sphere wholesome consciousness). Altogether, these 13 wholesome intentions (comprising eight kāmāvacara-kusala-cetanā and five rūpāvacara-jhāna-kusala-cetanā) are collectively referred to as puññābhisaṅkhāra.

(2) Apuññābhisaṅkhāra: unwholesome volitions or unwholesome productive cetanā

This refers to all unwholesome productive cetanā associated with 12 unwholesome consciousness

(3) Āneñjābhisaṅkhāra: imperturbable or unshakeable volitions, or imperturbable productive cetanā

This type of volitional activity is related to formless meditative absorptions (arūpa-jhāna states). Therefore, the productive cetanā arising from arūpa meditative absorptions are termed āneñjābhisaṅkhāra.

Therefore, in essence, the cetanā that is paired with the wholesome and unwholesome volitions is 'saṅkhāra'. Moreover, three types of saṅkhāra (volition) can be further divided depending on the actions they arise from and they are (i) physical action (kāya-saṅkhāra), (ii) verbal action (vacī-saṅkhāra), and (iii) mental action (mano-saṅkhāra or citta-saṅkhāra). All of these actions can arise from both wholesome and unwholesome deeds, similar to the descriptions above. It is important to note that jhāna volitions can only arise from mental action.

How due to avijjā (ignorance) as condition, saṅkhāra (volition) arises

Firstly, it is very essential to clarify here that avijjā, or ignorance, isn't the direct cause of saṅkhāra or productive cetanā. As avijjā is an unwholesome state, it is incorrect to assume that unwholesomeness is a direct cause for wholesomeness to arise. As articulated in Pāḷi phrases such as "imasmiṃ sati idaṃ hoti" - "When this exists, that exists," or similarly, "avijjābhāve saṅkhārabhāvato," meaning "with the presence of avijjā, kamma formation exists", avijjā simply conditions any productive kamma.

There is a general acceptance of the idea that one might unknowingly perform a wholesome action, but from ultimate reality and Abhidhamma perspective, it's crucial to understand that while unwholesome states may arise directly from avijjā, wholesome states do not. Wholesome states are products of wisdom (paññā) and wise attention, not ignorance or other unwholesome states. So, the phrase "avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā" means that as long as avijjā persists, both wholesome and unwholesome states will accumulate and it's just a principle of "when this exists, that exists." As long as avijjā is present, both types of actions are engendered and so only through the complete eradication of avijjā can the accumulation of kammic force cease.

For instance, arahants practice sīla diligently, do offerings (dāna) and meditate (bhāvanā) but these virtuous deeds that they engage are not classified as 'wholesome (kusala) volitions' but rather only functional (kiriyā). Avijjā is categorised as one of the mental defilements (kilesa) along with akusal and so, when all these mental impurities are eradicated, kusala actions naturally diminish in the absence of akusala. Therefore, in the state of an arahant, only kiriyā remains, which means 'a mere action' devoid of wholesomeness or unwholesomeness, and kiriyā mental states are kammically neutral. Hence, for non-arahants, which includes ordinary individuals and the lower three noble disciples, as long as avijjā and defilements are there, kamma persists. They then serve as 'seeds' for future existences. As beings traverse through saṃsāra, those who remain unaware of the truth may intermittently engage in virtuous (kusala) and unvirtuous (akusala) actions. With ignorance (avijjā) as a contributing factor, both wholesome and unwholesome actions are enacted.

Due to ignorance and craving for existences (bhava-taṇhā), individuals develop a view that human existences are blissful, being a deva is blissful, brahma is blissful etc., not knowing that all existences are dukkha as there are no beings, only nāma-rūpa that are arising and perishing moment by moment. Moreover, some people may commit in physical, verbal and mental wrongdoings such as sacrificing animals, harming the welfare of others, committing in wrong speech and wrong views (micchā-diṭṭhi), with hopes that sukha (pleasure) may accumulate both in this life and the next. Due to such misbelief and chasing after sukha based on ignorance, unwholesome actions (kamma) accumulate.

Individuals are often unaware that the craving for happiness is the root cause of suffering (dukkha-samudaya), as elucidated in the second Noble Truth. In their pursuit of such sukha, individuals engage in various activities, believing that these actions will yield happiness. Consequently, they may perform both wholesome and unwholesome deeds with the expectation of experiencing joy. However, they ultimately find themselves encountering suffering once more because being reborn is dukkha and all existences are dukkha, thereby leading to never-ending cycle of dukkha–the essence of the first Noble Truth.

As you can comprehend from the Fourth Noble Truth, which is the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering, the Noble Eightfold Path stands as the sole means of escape from saṃsāra. No other practices guarantee liberation from the cycles of rebirth. Nevertheless, within every belief system, there exists a notion of liberation from suffering, typically denoting a permanent abode filled with desirable objects or sensual pleasures. However, they fail to recognize the genuine cessation of suffering, Nibbāna, which embodies true peace and happiness. This lack of realization stems from their unfamiliarity with the path leading to the cessation of suffering (dukkhanirodha-gāmini-paṭipadā), namely the Noble Eightfold Path. Engaging in misguided practices, they are unable to achieve genuine cessation of suffering. Due to their ignorance (avijjā) of the Four Noble Truths, they are unable to attain true liberation, thereby perpetuating misunderstanding and erroneous views.

Avijjā conditions Puññābhisaṅkhāra: Akusala conditions Kusala

It is not correct to assume that avijjā (which is akusala) directly causes puññābhisaṅkhāra (wholesome productive cetanā). It is only correct to assume that avijjā (akusala) is simply a condition for the wholesome productive cetanā (saṅkhāra) to arise. For example, under suitable conditions, a seed develops into a plant comprising various components like roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Although it might not be entirely accurate to claim that the flowers, fruits or leaves directly stem from the seed, given the tree's growth from a seed, it's reasonable to infer that they arise as a result of the seed's development.

In Paṭṭhāna (conditional relations) teachings, which is a more profound doctrine explaining the conditional relationships between ultimate realities, upanissaya-paccaya–the strong dependence condition can be found. This condition suggests that:

(i) foregoing akusala dhamma serves as upanissaya paccaya or strong dependence condition for the following kusala dhamma.

(ii) foregoing akusala dhamma serves as upanissaya paccaya or strong dependence condition for the following akusala dhamma.

Upanissaya-paccaya describes how ignorance (avijjā), an unwholesome mental state, provides acts as a strong depedences condition for the arising of wholesome volitions (kusala cetanā). This means that the presence of ignorance can be a condition for the arising of wholesome mental states. For example, when one contemplates on the unwholesome mental states as anicca, dukkha and anatta, and those unwholesome states are the objects of meditation, the objects are akusala, but the contemplating vipassanā mind itself is kusala. The meditating mind is with mahākusala-citta (great wholesome consciousness), which is associated with knowledge. In this example, akusala conditions kusala. The object is akusala, but the meditation produces kusala.

Next, a person attained jhāna through the practice of samatha meditation. By means of jhāna, one succeeds in reading other's minds and while reading the mind of others, especially the unwholesome states (such as greed, anger, etc.) that are associated with the mind, the meditator's mind is kusala because the object of mediation is the akusala belonging to others. Herein akusala conditions kusala, as the supernormal mind that is reading the mind of others (ceto-pariya-abhiññā) is kusala.

In the next example, a person remains unaware of the Noble Truths but holds a belief in wholesome actions, desiring happiness and a content life, they aspire to be reborn in the realms of deva and human. With this intention, they engage in virtuous deeds. In this scenario, the mind involved in performing wholesome actions is regarded as wholesome (kusala), while ignorance persists as unwholesome (akusala). Similarly, one might undertake samatha practice to attain rūpa jhānas (1st to 4th) with the aspiration of becoming a brāhma. In this case, ignorance of the Noble Truths, categorised as akusala, influences the arising of wholesome actions associated with jhāna attainments.

Avijjā conditions Āneñjābhisaṅkhāra: Akusala conditions Imperturbable Volitions

Āneñjābhisaṅkhāra refers to the wholesome volition arising from arūpa jhāna attainments. If someone believes that life in the arūpa realm is eternal and that all suffering ceases there, it reflects ignorance. With such strong desire to be reborn in the arūpa plane, one endeavours to attain arūpa jhāna. In this scenario, avijjā conditions the aspiration for āneñjābhisaṅkhāra (the mental formations leading to immaterial attainments) through the power of upanissaya-paccaya (strong dependence condition).

Avijjā conditions Apuññābhisaṅkhāra: Akusala conditions Akusala

There are so many examples that can be given for this. For instance, if a person is angry at their own ignorance and defilements, then both ignorance and the defilements conditions the arising of following akusala (anger) mind moments. If someone mistakenly performs an unwholesome action (such as verbal, physical or mental misconduct), believing it to be wholesome due to ignorance, then ignorance conditions the unwholesome action with the condition of upanissaya (a strong dependence condition). Furthermore, whenever an unwholesome mental state (akusala citta) arises, it will always be accompanied by avijjā. Avijjā functions as a type of hetu, or root cause. This root cause conditions the other mental states associated with it through the power of hetu-paccaya (root condition). There are many more conditional relationships that can be mentioned to explain how akusala conditions akusala or kusala, but I would advise you to learn the conditional relations (paṭṭḥāna) more extensively if you wish to understand further.

In the next post, Saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇam": volition conditions consciousness will be explained.