Patthana-Ver.2-Chapter11

Tipitaka >> Abhidhamma Pitaka >> Patthana Dhamma

By Htoo Naing

= Chapter 11 - Annamanna Paccayo =

Or Mutuality Condition
Annamanna paccayo ti- cattāro khandhā arūpino annamanna paccayena paccayo.

There four arupa khandhas or four nama kkhandhas. These four khandhas are vedana kkhandha or feeling aggregate, sanna kkhandha or perception aggregate, sankhara kkhandha or formation aggregate, and vinnana kkhandha or consciousness aggregate.

These four dhammas are serving as annamanna paccaya or mutuality condition for each other. They are like a tripod in photography. The tripod has three feet. These three feet make standing of the tripod. When one foot is off ground then the whole tripod has to fall to the ground. One pod or one foot cannot stand for the whole tripod and by the same token two pods or two feet cannot stand the whole tripod. It is only possible when all the feet are there that it can stand the whole tripod.

Like this four nama kkhandha or arūpa khandhas cannot stand without any of these four aggregates. This is the condition of mutuality and each component has to depend on another component and so on.

Cattāro mahābhūtā annamanna paccayena paccayo.

There are 4 mahā bhūta rupas in any material. These four mahā bhūta rupas are pathavi or solidity, tejo or temperature, vayo or supportiveness or movement, and apo or cohesion or stickiness. Again these 4 rupas always support each other like the tripod as mentioned above. One there is no pathavi, other three components tejo, vayo and apo cannot arise. When there is no tejo, pathavi, vayo and apo cannot arise. When there is no vayo, pathavi, tejo and apo cannot arise. And when there is no apo, pathavi, tejo and vayo cannot arise. They each have to depend on each other.

Okkantikkhane nāma rūpam annamanna paccayena paccayo.

Okkantikkhana is made up of okkantika and khana. Okkantika means coming into existence and khana means a moment. So okkantikkhana means at the moment when come into existence or at the time of patisandh. At that particular time there are nāma and rūpa. These patisandhi nāma and patisandhi rūpa that is hadaya vatthu are serving as mutuality condition to each other. That is hadaya vatthu cannot arise without patisandhi citta and patisandhi citta cannot arise without hadaya vatthu and the same is true for patisandhi cetasikas that are associated with patisandhi citta.