Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw

A Discourse on Dependent Origination

Translated by U Aye Maung

Contents

Importance of the Doctrine
From Ignorance, Mental Formations Arise
From Mental Formations, Consciousness Arises
From Consciousness, Mind and Matter Arises
From Mind and Matter, the Six Sense-Bases Arise
From the Six Sense-Bases, Contact Arises
From Contact, Feeling Arises
From Feeling, Craving Arises
From Craving, Attachment Arises
From Attachment, Becoming Arises
From Becoming, Birth Arises
From Birth, Aging, Death, Grief, etc., Arise
The Three Periods in the Cycle of Existence
Other Aspects of Dependent Origination
Conclusion

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Editor’s Foreword

This book is the product of many years of patient work. The original discourse in Burmese was delivered over a period of six weeks. The tape recording was patiently transcribed and translated. Over a period of about eight years, I periodically returned to editing the translation to bring it up to an acceptable standard. While staying at Mahāsi Yeikthā in Rangoon, I checked difficult passages with the interpreter for foreign meditators.

It was published in Bangkok by the Buddhadhamma Foundation, in 1999 (ISBN 974-7891-89-1). However, I have not yet been able to locate a supplier in the UK, so I have published this on-line edition.

Dependent Origination is a profound subject, but the Sayādaw clarifies it with detailed explanations. The serious student of Buddhism and the meditator alike will find this book extremely valuable.

This 2011 edition has been updated with bookmarks and cross-references for convenient reading as a PDF file, while browsing online. Some minor editions were made and some more footnotes were added.

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