Dependent Origination 12

 The 12 causes of dependent origination (often called the 12 links or nidānas) come from Buddhism and describe how suffering arises in a cycle. The idea is captured by the principle of Pratītyasamutpāda—everything exists and happens in dependence on conditions.

Here are the 12 links in order:

1. Ignorance (Avijjā)
   Not seeing reality clearly (especially the nature of suffering and impermanence).
2. Volitional formations (Saṅkhāra)
   Mental habits, intentions, karmic actions shaped by ignorance.
3. Consciousness (Viññāṇa)
   Awareness that arises conditioned by past actions.
4. Name-and-form (Nāma-rūpa)
   Mind and body—the psycho-physical organism.
5. Six sense bases (Saḷāyatana)
   Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.
6. Contact (Phassa)
   Interaction between sense organ, object, and consciousness.
7. Feeling (Vedanā)
   Sensations—pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
8. Craving (Taṇhā)
   Desire for pleasure, existence, or non-existence.
9. Clinging (Upādāna)
   Attachment—grasping onto ideas, identity, or experiences.
10. Becoming (Bhava)
    The process of existence shaped by clinging and karma.
11. Birth (Jāti)
    The arising of a new existence or identity.
12. Aging and death (Jarāmaraṇa)
    Decay, death, and the suffering that follows (grief, lamentation, etc.).

How it works

It’s not just a linear chain—it’s a cycle. Ignorance at the start conditions everything that follows, and suffering at the end reinforces ignorance, keeping the cycle going (this is saṃsāra).

Key insight

If you break the chain—especially at craving or ignorance—the whole cycle collapses. That’s the path toward liberation (nirvāṇa).

If you want, I can map this directly to real-life psychology (how this shows up in your thoughts and habits), which is where it becomes really interesting.