Chapter Twenty-Seven Summary and Analysis

The Twelve Links of Interdependent Co-Arising is the foundation of Buddhism. Unlike cause and effect, the "egg is in the chicken, and the chicken is in the egg," neither being independent of the other. Everything requires many other conditions to exist. One school of thought defined twenty-four "necessary and sufficient conditions for something to arise." The Sarvastivada school defined four conditions, the first being the cause, seed or root, which requires creative force, concurrent condition, seed condition of the same kind, associated condition, universal condition and ripening condition. The second is the condition for development which can either help or hinder the growth of our seeds. Continuity, the third condition, requires consistent and continuous practice. The fourth kind of condition requires an object in our perception to have a subject. In other words our anger or despair is connected...