The Twelve-Formula of Being

The twelvefold formula of being , or 12 nidanas , in Buddhism is a scheme of causes and effects - an interdependent occurrence ( pratya-samutpada ), which form the cycle of suffering ( samsara ).

At the beginning of this chain-scheme is ignorance ( Avidya ), which is called the "root of samsara." The links of the chain successively give birth to each other, and the twelfth link leads again to the first. So the chain of causes and effects creates a cycle of existence, which is characterized by dissatisfaction ( dukkha ).

Since this scheme forms a “vicious circle”, there is an interpretation that avidya is the root cause only in a figurative sense, but not the “absolute beginning or root cause of samsara”: along with all other elements of the chain, avidya is both their consequence and reason ^[1] . According to the Madhyamaka Buddhist school, avidya means endowing the mind with preconceived ideas and concepts, because of which beings construct a world of ideas that overlaps with reality and obscures it with its forms and qualities ^[2] .

Awareness of this chain leads to liberation from suffering ^[3] :

To understand the nature of our existence, we begin by understanding the twelve links of conditional occurrence that determine the form and path of our life as it unfolds. One who can contemplate these twelve links will fully understand the causes of suffering, as well as the path from suffering to liberation.

The twelvefold formula of being includes the following links ^{[4] [5]} :

1. Ignorance ( Pali . Avijjā ^IAST , Skt. अविद्या , avidyā ^IAST , Tib. Marigpa , Chinese. 無 明 u-min - avidya ) regarding its true nature and the true nature of surrounding things, ignorance of the Four noble truths and egocentrism . Ignorance is the cause of:
2. Formative factors ( Pali . Sankhārā ^IAST , Sanskrit. संस्कार , Tib. Dhuja , Chinese. 行 Sin - Samskara ), consisting of karmic factors of past lives and created karmic factors. Formative factors determine:
3. Vijnanu ( Pali . Viññāṇa ^IAST , Sanskrit. विज्ञान , Tib. Namshe , Chinese. 識 Shi) - the distinction of “signals from different sensory analyzers (indriyas)”, as well as in a closer context “individual regenerating consciousness” with the seeds of aspirations in the form of karmic habitual trends. Consciousness “descends” into the womb of the mother, where the formation takes place:
4. Nama-rupas ( Pali . Nāmarūpa ^IAST , Sanskrit. नामरूप , Tib. Mingzhuk , Chinese. 名 色 min-se) or the five skandhas that form the personality. Nama-rupa acts on:
5. Six spheres of knowledge ( Pali . Saḷāyatana ^IAST , Skt. षडायतन , Tib. Kieche Druk , Chinese. 六 入 liu-ju - shad-ayatana ) - the sphere of "visible, audible, tangible, smellable, tasted and perceived by the mind ( manas ) ". Thanks to the spheres arises:
6. Contact ( Pali . Phassa ^IAST , Skt. स्पर्श , Tib. Reppa , Chinese. 觸 chu - sparsha ) of the spheres with the senses (spheres of the visible with sight, spheres of the hearing with hearing, spheres of the tangible with touch, spheres of smelling with smell, spheres of taste with taste, spheres perceived by the mind with manas). Contact is the cause of:
7. Pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations ( Pali . Vedanā ^IAST , Skt. वेदना , Tib. Tzorva , Chinese. 受 show - vedana ). As a result, appears:
8. Thirst ( Pali . Taṇha ^IAST , Skt. तृष्णा , Tib. Sepa , Chinese. 愛 Ay - Trishna ) or desire , which inevitably turns into:
9. Assignment (attachment) ( Pali . Upādāna ^IAST , Skt. उपादान , Tib. Lenpa , Chinese. 取 qu - dropped ) or an attempt to retain "objects of feelings and thoughts." Assignment is the main element of the chain in terms of the ability to destroy the circuit. If a person, through his will and right thinking, stops appropriation, then the formation process ends:
10. Becoming (existence) ( Pali . Bhava ^IAST , Sanskrit. भव , Tib. Sipa , Chinese. 有 Yu - bhava ) or "the possibility of rebirth in one of the three spheres" ( loka ) appearing in a new birth. Birth is also associated with the manifestation of vijnana, nama-rupa, and the six spheres of knowledge. Birth leads to:
11. Old age ( Pali . Jarā ^IAST - jara ), which leads to:
12. Death ( Pali . Maraṇa ^IAST - Marana ).

In another classification, the eleventh link is birth, and the twelfth is aging and death ^[5] .

In the formula, there is not only a sequential effect of the elements on each other, but also a more complex circular effect. For example, vijnana appears three times in the scheme: on the third link, on the fourth as one of the skandhas and on the fifth, where in the Buddhist tradition six vijnas are assigned to six spheres ^[6] .

D. Lusthaus suggested that Shakyamuni formulated the scheme in the reverse order, starting with the question “Why does death exist?” And thus reaching ignorance ^[7] .

It is believed that before awakening, Buddha studied all the links in the chain in order to see the "weak link", destroying which you can achieve liberation. Buddha pointed out that it is impossible to change the past and the first two links with it, and it is also impossible to change the factors associated with these links, vijnana, nama-rupa, contact, six spheres and sensations. But the interaction of thirst and appropriation lends itself to change. In some schools, it is believed that in order to suppress this ligament, Shakyamuni created the practice of remembering smrti . In a number of texts, some other factors, in particular, desire, also claimed the place of the “weak link” ^[7] .

Buddhist A. V. Paribok believes that the formula of interdependent origin is for Buddhism "a universal expression of any psychophysiological processes", also expressing the view that it is impossible to interpret it at the moment, since "none of the researchers truly understood it" ^[8] .