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If Name and Form be annihilated, then are the Six Sense Organs annihilated. If the Six Sense Organs be annihilated, then is Sensa tion annihilated. If Sensation be annihilated, then is Feeling annihilated. If Feeling be annihilated, then is Desire annihilated. If Desire be annihilated, then is Attach ment annihilated. If Attachment be annihilated then is Deed- process annihilated. If Deed-process be annihilated, then is birth annihilated. Finally, if Birth be annihilated, then are Old Age, Death, Anguish, Suffering, Mental Affliction annihilated." x To enumerate them in their proper order, the twelve Nidanas are : — 1. Ignorance, Avidya. 2. Action, Samskara or Karma. 3. Consciousness, Vijnana. 4. Name and Form of Mind and Body, Narna-rupa. 1 Fasc. 3. The enumeration and partial explanation of the twelve Nidanas is to be found in many other portions of the canon, especially the Sutra Pitaka (see sutra 15 of D.N. and R. Davids' introduction to his trans, of this sutra, D.B.2,p.4). The Chinese counterpartof this sutra is D. A., p. 486 (Kyoto ed.), where, however, all twelve instead of only ten links are given. 172 MANUAL OF BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY 5. The Six Sense Organs, Sadayatana. 6. Sensation, Sparsa. 7. Feeling, Vedana. 8. Desire, Trsna. 9. Attachment, Upadana. 10. Deed-process or activity existence, Bhava. 11. Birth, Jati. 12. Old Age, Disease, and Death, Jara-marana. (a) Hmaydna Interpretation It must be confessed that this ancient rune of the Buddhists lacks logical precision, and later minds were much concerned with the correct interpretation. Among all the branches of Hmayana there is remarkable agreement. The law of transmigration is brought in, and the first two links are made to refer to the past life, the next eight links to the present life, and the last two links to the future life.1 Or more in detail the causal sequence is as follows : — Past 1. Ignorance, the position in the past when man had passions through the operation of ignorance or delusions. 2. Action. — The position in the past existence, where, as the result of evil passions, good or bad karma was made. Present 3. Consciousness.- — The position in this existence where a man enters his mother's womb, and first receives consciousness — in other words the moment of conception. 1 Abhidh. explanations of the Prat. Sam. are too numerous to mention- As regards Hln., however, for Sth. see append, to Silacara's " Word of Buddha ", excerpts from Visuddhi Magga in Warren's " B. in Trans.", chap. 2 ; R.P. 189 and 259. For Sarv. A.K., latter half of f. 9 and all of f. 10 ; N.A. 25 ; P.A. 14 ; M.V. f. 3 and f. 25. All these are in essential agreement, so it is unnecessary to cite additional authority for statements on Hln. interpretations given hereafter. COSMIC DYNAMICS 173 4. Name and Form. — The position where the five or six sense-organs are formed in the mother's womb. Name is here an inferior stage of mental operation which belongs to the foetus in an incomplete state of corporal formation, or Name and Form together mean the mental and physical state of an embryo which has passed about four weeks in the maternal womb after conception. We have already seen the five stages of the foetus to be (1) Kalala, (2) Arbuda, (3) Pesi, (4) Ghana, and (5) Prasakha. The embryo at the stage of Name and Form is said to have passed through the first four stages named above, and also through a part of the fifth. 5. The Six Organs of Sense. — The position where a man comes out of his mother's womb, and his organs are perfectly formed, but has not yet begun to use them. 6. Sensation.1 — The position in infancy where a man comes into contact with the external world. This is the stage of a child during the first two or three years after his birth, during which his consciousness is dim, and it does not notice the subjective world. 7. Feeling. — The position of a child where after five or six years of life he begins to become acquainted with subjective pains and pleasures. Till its tenth year the child's mental and bodily functions develop without its feeling the more sensual desires of the flesh. 8. Desire or Craving. — The position of a man where after fifteen or sixteen years of life he begins to come under the control of the passions and desires. He now begins to covet objects of comfort but without striving strenuously to attain them — to experience the desires 1 A little confusion may be caused by the fact that the older trans, of Sparsa was contact, sensation being used for Vedana. The above trans., however, is considered more accurate; cf. part ii, discussion of Vedana skandha. 174 MANUAL OF BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY of the flesh, but has not as yet a strong intention of fulfilling them. 9. Attachment or Clinging. — The position where a man reaches the age of 20 or 30 years of age, with passions and desires growing stronger and he is no longer able to curb them, as they now possess a lasting quality. This is really nothing more than an intensified form of desire. 10. Existence or Deed-process. — The position where a man performs various actions under the influence of his desires, and good or bad karma for his next existence is thereby engendered. It is produced by attachment and corresponds in the last existence to action, which gives rise to the present existence. Existence here means being plus action, or originating existence or karma existence. Future 11. Birth. — The position of a man in the next existence, where he once more enters his mother's womb and thereby reappears in the world of sentiency to experience good and bad karma. 12. Old Age and Death. — The position of the man in the future existence where he undergoes the ravages common to mortal flesh. Links No. 11 and 12 are the same as 3 to 10 inclusive. Consequent upon this interpretation of the twelve Nidanas, the Buddhists have invented several supplementary methods of classification. 1. The three elements of Causal Law. — As regards sentient beings there are three 1 invariable elements of causality. These are : (1) Delusion, or the passions ; (2) Action, or the carrying out of the delusions or passions into practice ; (3) Suffering consequent upon evil action is the necessary suffering. 1 ft & 2Jjj£ — * t^ v- * P- 163, collects and compares canonical passages on the subject. COSMIC DYNAMICS 175 In the Pratrtya-samutpada (1) Ignorance on one hand, and Desire and Attachment on the other are considered identical from the causal point of view and together constitute Delusion. (2) Action and Existence or Deed-process are considered identical and together constitute Action in the three-fold division. (3) Consciousness, Name and Form, Sense Organs, Sensation, and Feeling, on one hand, and Birth, and Old Age, and Death are considered identical, and together constitute Suffering. 2. Cause and Effect in the Three Periods. — (1) Delusion, and (2) Action may be taken together to form Cause, while (3) Suffering constitutes the Effect, and as the chain of causation extends over the three periods — past, present, and future — the twelve Nidanas may be divided I as follows : — (A) Cause and Effect in Past and Present (a) Past Cause 1. Ignorance. 2. Action. (6) Present Effect 3. Consciousness. 4. Name and Form. 5. Sense Organs. 6. Sensation. 7. Feeling. (B) Cause and Effect in the Present and Future (a) Present Cause 8. Desire. 9. Attachment. 10. Deed-process or Existence. (b) Future Effect 11. Birth. 12. Old Age and Death. 176 MANUAL OF BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY 3. Commentarial Modifications. — In this connexion two matters require notice. First, in the immediately preceding table, in the past there is only cause and no effect, and in the future there is only effect and no cause. But the com mentators state very emphatically that this is only because the table was given only in order to explain the present existence, and that unquestionably for there to have been cause in the past there must have been effect ; and that as the result of effect in the future there will (unless Nirvana be gained) be a cause. Secondly, although different words are used for the same causes and effects in the different periods, yet that in reality the different terms are inter changeable. Consequently, the commentators 1 draw up the following amended and amplified chart : — Past 1. Effect.— (I) Birth and Old Age and Death or its equivalent ; (2) Consciousness, Name and Form, Sense Organs, Contact, Sensation. 2. Cause.