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Contemplating Dependent Origination Part 1
“I am here for you” is the first mantra among the six mantras of Plum Village, reminding us that when we love someone, we must truly be present with both body and mind at ease, not allowing our own suffering to harm others. This solid presence requires diligent practice of “I am a flower, I am freshness,” mindful breathing, walking meditation, and sitting meditation to find freshness and stability in body and mind, so that we have something to offer—peace, freedom, and joy—to others. First, we must love, accept, and let go of our own suffering, making use of the energy of the Sangha to heal the emptiness of loneliness, and only then can we offer true freedom and love without attachment.
The work “Contemplation on Conditions” consists of eight gathas with explanations, in which the fifth gatha is missing, and the original text will be read to preserve the spirit of this sastra. The treatise explains the four conditions in Buddhism:
- Primary cause (Pratiyaya) – the cause, the seed
- Contributory condition – supporting condition for the seed to grow
- Object condition (Alambana Pratiyaya) – the object of perception
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Immediate condition (Adhipati Pratiyaya) – uninterrupted continuity
Among these, the “extremely small particle” (the smallest dust particle) is only a condition, not an object condition, because we cannot directly perceive it, and all forms we see are merely phenomena dependent on conditions, without a fixed self-nature.