Pratītyasamutpāda (Dependent Co-Arising): The Dynamic Relational Web of Buddhist Ontology

Dr. Julian Vance & Sapiotic Engineering Group

September 6, 2026

Executive Briefing: The Heart of the Dharma

As the Buddha declared: “Whoever sees dependent co-arising sees the Dharma; whoever sees the Dharma sees dependent co-arising.” Nothing in the cosmos exists independently or intrinsically; all phenomena arise in mutual, reciprocal codependence.

1. The Twelve Nidānas (Links of Causation)

From ignorance (*Avidyā*) to birth, aging, and death (*Jarāmaraṇa*), the twelve-link chain demonstrates how the cycle of rebirth (*Samsāra*) is sustained through habitual cognitive craving.

2. References

  1. Macy, J. (1991). Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory. SUNY Press.

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