The Twelve Links of Interdependent Origination

When the Buddha taught, he said that achieving enlightenment is due entirely to receiving correct teachings and then diligently implementing these teachings. One might ask, how does this phenomenal world work? The Buddha taught that it follows the process of interdependent origination in which one action or event causes another event, which causes another event, and so on. In personal terms, interdependent origination explains how the happiness and suffering in our present life is the result of actions in our previous lives, and how this process proceeds through twelve links.

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche discusses each of the twelve links of interdependent origination in sequence. He also discusses the five aspects of causality, the eight examples of interdependence, and the relationship of interdependence to the sutras and Mahamudra meditation. Finally, the twelve links are illustrated using a real-life example.