An accessible and demystifying look at the Dependent Origination and Emptiness as described in the suttas of the Pali Canon and in Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamaka-karika.

Arising and emptiness are the two essential Buddhist concepts, which when understood, lead to the highest school of Buddhist philosophy.

Dependent arising is the backbone of the Buddha's doctrine -- all the other lessons he taught relate to it, or refer to it in some way -- yet it is the least understood. There is a confusion of theories as to its meaning: is it about three lives, or one? about rebirth or moment-to-moment creation of the ego? Yet when dependent arising is seen in the light of the central myth of the Buddha's day (the creation of First Man and how that relates to our creation of self) the whole structure becomes much clearer, and many of the points of confusion are straightened out. People have long asked, for example, how the 'actions' of the second step precede consciousness in the third, or why we seem to be being told that we would want to completely stop consciousness, and contact with the world, and feeling. All these questions are easily answered when we see where the structure came from, and what the lesson is really about.

This book contains a minute fraction of the infinite knowledge of the Buddha. It describes in detail the Buddha's marvelous realization about the law of Dependent Origination (paṭiccasamuppāda). After realizing the truth about Dependent Origination, the Buddha taught us that the endless suffering in the cycle of birth and death is a result of the principle of cause and effect. The path to Enlightenment according to the Dhamma is entirely dependent on one's own effort. Read this book carefully and remember well the vital points of Dhamma it contains. Strive hard to acquire wisdom and develop wise consideration. Realization of the Dhamma does not happen without effort!

In his famously accessible language, the author of Mindfulness in Plain English unpacks the foundational Buddhist theory of dependent origination, showing the reader how by eliminating ignorance we can eliminate suffering. Nothing happens by accident. All things, no matter how mundane or meaningful, arise based on causes and conditions. And without those causes and conditions they would not arise at all. This, in short, is the Buddha’s teaching of dependent origination. Embedded in this fundamental theory are central teachings such as nonself, impermanence, and the four noble truths. And from it we can see for ourselves how suffering and rebirth, the great problems lying at the heart of the dhamma, arise—and how they pass away. In Dependent Origination in Plain English, the venerable scholar-monk Bhante Gunaratana and his student Veronique Ziegler break down this keystone Buddhist teaching from the Pali canon into its core components, guiding the reader step by step from ignorance to suffering and its end. The process leading to future rebirths may seem far off, but it’s not some distant event. It’s happening now, with every breath you take.

The Harmony of Emptiness and Dependent-Arising is a commentary to Tsong Khapa’s The Essence of Eloquent Speech, Praise to the Buddha for Teaching Profound Dependent-Arising. The subject of the work concerns two important themes of Buddhist philosophy: emptiness and dependent-arising. All schools of Buddhism expound theories of emptiness and dependent-arising, but their interpreptations vary greatly and are even contradictory. Here Ven. Lobsang Gyatso, very skilfully explains these two theories through logical analysis combined with simple and wonderful illustrations. Late Ven. Lobsang Gyatso was born in Kham province, Tibet, in 1928 and educated at Drepung Monastic University. He escaped from Tibet in 1959 and was one of the first trained Tibetan teachers in exile and was also a member of the Tibetan Textbook Committee of Council for Tibetan Education. In 1973, with the blessing of H. H. the Dalai lama, he founded the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala. He has toured and lectured in many countries of the world, and has authored many books and articles. Above all, he is a meditation master, who lives his life according to the Buddhist philosophy of wisdom and compassion.

A renowned Buddhist master digs into the idea of interdependency—the very core of the Buddha’s teachings. Under the Bodhi Tree takes us back to the principles at the heart of Buddha’s teachings—conditionality and dependent co-arising. Ajahn Buddhadasa Bhikkhu makes the case for dependent co-arising as a natural law, and builds a compelling presentation from there of Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and practice. Basing himself squarely on the Buddha’s own words as preserved in the Pali Canon, he brings clarity and simplicity to what is typically a thorny philosophical knot. By returning dependent co-arising to its central place in Buddhist theory and practice, Ajahn Buddhadasa provides perspective on the Buddha’s own insights and awakening. Under the Bodhi Tree is another excellent entry from one of the most renowned Buddhist thinkers of modern times. For students who wish to study further, a companion guide is available from liberationpark.org.