Foreword to Third Edition

Paticcasamuppada or the Doctrine of Dependent Origination is one of the most important doctrines in Buddhism and Lord Buddha had preached this Doctrine for many times.

The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw had delivered this discourse at Fan Yin Hall of Mahasi Meditation Centre on eleven Sabbath days commencing from 8^th Day of Nayone, 1324(Myanmar Era)(25th. June, 1962) and completing on 8^th waning Day of Tawthalin (21^st . September, 1962). These talks were tape-recorded, transcribed and submitted for final approval to Mahasi Sayadaw.

Then the final draft was first seriallized in Buddha Dhamma Lawka Journal, and with the permission of MahasiSayadaw it was first published in Book form in 1330 (Myanmar Era) (1968) with the introduction by Sayadaw Venerable Pandittabiwuntha, Senior Meditation Teacher. The first edition was in fact, Volume(I) covering five parts, and the next Six Parts were published as Volume (II) in 1337  (Myanmar Era) (September 1975). Up to now there had been several editions of both volumes.

For the foreign readers, these two volumes were translated into English by an eminent writer U Aye Maung and first published in March 1982, This First Edition being out of stock for some time, we are pleasured to published the Second Edition with slight changes in contents and headings and correcting some printing errors.

Bikkhu Pesala of Association for Insight Meditation, Middlesex, U.K. had also edited this discourse with the title “A Discourse on Dependent Origination,” and put up as Online Edition in August 2013. In that Edition he had removed many Pali words, and many changes had been made to the original edition, adding footnotes, illustrations, glossary and index.

However, in our Second Edition, we publish it according to the original translation of U Aye Maung and just correct the printing errors and add a short biography of Mahasi Sayadaw and his last photograph. U Aye Maung did not translate the whole of two volumes published in Myanmar Language in detail but skipped some pages here and there, and hence his translation could be said to be an abridged translation.

An excellent introduction to this discourse was made by Venerable Pandittabiwuntha and was included in Volume (I) of Myanmar Edition. Since this had not been translated, in future English Editions we hope to insert the translation of this introduction.

In conclusion, we sincerely wish that the readers of this discourse be able to understand it and practise the Vipassana Meditation Method expounded by Mahasi Sayadaw in this discourse, and thereby realize the enternal peace of Nibbana.

Dr. Tint Soe Lin

(President)

Buddha Sasana Nuggha

Organization

February 2016

Paticcasamuppada A Discourse

This copy is Third Edition published in March 2016 in which the grammar, punctuations and spellings of English words were corrected during January 2019 for the next Edition.

(1) English words corrected by “Microsoft Words” in computer by Ma Soe Soe on 28.1.2019 and checked by U Khin Maung Oo on 11.2.2019,5.3,9.3,13.3 and 13.3 2019.

(2) Pali words re-checked by ----------------------.

Note; the words in red are not to be uploaded in the website.