Dependent Origination (Paṭicca Samuppāda) is one of the core teachings of the Buddha.

However, it is a teaching that the Buddha himself described as 'deep, profound, subtle, difficult to see...'.

Ajahn Dhammasiha explains how we can observe aspects of dependent origination during a common, every-day activity:

Taking food from a buffet! 🍚🍛🥄🥣

Ajahn offers reflection how we can observe the relationship of:

Sense Contact (phassa)

Craving (taṇhā)

Clinging / Grasping (upādāna)

While taking food from the buffet.

The moment we lift up some food from the buffet, and put it onto our plate, something remarkable and very powerful happens in our mind:

We now regard this food as 'mine', it has somehow become 'my food'.

However, nothing has changed in the food. It's still the same food. But once it's on our plate, something has very much changed in our mind, 'mine-making' has occurred.

We have actively done something to dramatically change our attitude to that food, by taking possession of it mentally.

This same process of mine-making we do all the time, every moment with all 5 groups of clinging (pañc'upādānakkhandhā):

1. Form / Body (rūpaṃ)


2. Feeling (vedanā)


3. Perception (saññā)


4. Intention / Will (sankhārā)


5. Consciousness (viññāṇaṃ)

However, it's more difficult to clearly see in regards to these 5 groups of clinging.

What's happening with our mind at the buffet is easier accessible to direct observation, and can get us started in investigating upādāna.

If we can carefully, mindfully observe how we're doing 'mine-making' while taking food from the buffet (or even while buying a new iPhone from the shop), we can hopefully understand how upādāna arises in our mind, and then STOP mine-making.

That would be all that's required to fully liberate ourselves:

If we stopped all mine-making, our heart would be fully released and experience Nibbāna!

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#upadana #minemaking #dependentorigination #paticcasamuppada #dhamma