Transcendental Dependent Origination | Faith is the Bridge from Suffering to Joy | Ajahn Dhammasiha
Dhammagiri Buddhist PodcastsShow Notes
Ajahn Dhammasiha talks about Saṃyutta Nikāya / Connected Discourses 12.23 'Upanisā Sutta' / 'Origin Sutta' In his discourse, the Buddha expands the usual links of Dependent Origination / Paṭicca Samuppāda in a revolutionary way, moving from Suffering to Faith to Joy: ( ... ) Birth is the origin of suffering (dukkha) Suffering is the origin of faith (saddhā) Faith is the origin of joy (pāmojja) Joy is the origin of rapture (pīti) Rapture is the origin of tranquillity (Passaddhi) Tranquillity is the origin of bliss (sukha) Bliss is the the origin of unification of mind (samādhī) Unification of mind is the origin of the knowledge and vision of things as they really are (yathā-bhūta-ñāṇa-dassana) The knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the origin of disenchantment (nibbidā) Disenchantment is the origin of dispassion (virāga) Dispassion is the origin of release (vimutti) And release is the origin of the knowledge of the destruction of the defilements (
The crucial step here is our response to suffering. It is here where we either descend into more and more misery, or we can use faith to guide us to joy and the way to transcend suffering: Whenever we experience pain and disappointment, we remember that this is exactly what the Buddha talked about, and we remember that he has also taught us the way how to get out of all this mass of misery. Thus the experience of suffering actually strengthens our confidence in the Buddha. At that moment we experince joy, just like a very ill person finallly meeting a doctor they are confident in that he can cure them.
Bhikkhu Bodhi has written a helpful article about the Upanisā Sutta: https://accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html
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