In this law, the first factor of Ignorance gives rise to
Volitional Activities (or kamma). Ignorance means not knowing or
understanding the true nature of our existence. Through Ignorance,
good or evil deeds are performed which will lead a person to be
reborn. Rebirth can occur in various planes of existence: the human
world, the celestial or higher planes, or even suffering planes
depending of the quality of a person's kamma. When a person dies,
his Volitional Activities will condition the arising of
Consciousness, in this case to mean the re-linking Consciousness
which arises as the first spark of a new life in the process of
re-becoming.
Once the re-linking Consciousness has taken place, life starts once
again. Dependent on the Consciousness, there arise Mind and Matter,
that is, a new 'being' is born. Because there are Mind and Matter,
there arise the six Sense-organs (the sixth sense is the mind
itself). With the arising of the Sense-organs, there arises
Contact. Contact with what? Contact with sights, sounds, smells,
tastes, tactile objects, and mental objects.
These sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, and mental
objects can be beautiful, pleasing and enticing. On the other hand,
they can be ugly and distasteful. Therefore, dependent on Contact
arises Sensations: feelings that are pleasant, unpleasant or
neutral. Because of these feelings, the laws of attraction (greed)
and repulsion (aversion) are now set in motion. Beings are
naturally attracted to pleasant objects and repelled by unpleasant
objects. As a result of Sensation, Desire arises. A person desires
and thirsts for forms that are beautiful and enticing; sounds that
are beautiful and enticing; tastes, smells, touch, and objects
which the mind regards as beautiful and enticing. From these
Desires, he develops very strong Clinging to the beautiful object
(or strongly rejects the repulsive object). Now because of this
Clinging and attachment, the next life is conditioned and there
arises Becoming. In other words, the processes of Becoming are set
in motion by Clinging.
The next link in this chain of Dependent Origination is that
Becoming conditions the arising of Birth. And finally, dependence
on Birth arise Decay and Death, followed by Sorrow, Lamentation,
Pain, Grief and Despair.
The process can be ceased if the formula is taken in the reverse
order: Through the complete cessation of ignorance(through the
cultivation of Insight), volitional activities or kamma-formations
cease; through the cessation of volitional activities,
consciousness ceases; 塉 through the cessation of birth, the
other factors of decay, death, sorrow, etc., cease. Therefore, one
can be free from the rounds of rebirth through the eradication of
ignorance.
To re-iterate what was mentioned earlier, this doctrine of
Dependent Origination merely explains the processes of Birth and
Death, and is not a theory of the evolution of the world. It deals
with the Cause of re-birth and Suffering, but in no way attempts to
show the absolute Origin of Life. Ignorance in Dependent
Origination is the ignorance of the Four Noble Truths. It is very
important for us to understand the Four Noble Truths because it is
the ignorance of these Truths that has trapped us all in the
endless cycle of birth and death.
According to the Buddha, while He was speaking to Ananda: It is by
their not being able to comprehend the Dependent Origination, that
people are entangled like a ball of cotton, and not being able to
see the Truth, are always afflicted by Sorrow, born often into
conditions that are dismal and dreary, where confusion and
prolonged suffering prevail. And, they do not know how to
disentangle themselves to get out.
source: http://www3.webng.com/gotaro/Page25.shtml
