Referring to the formation of the twelvefold chain of dependent origination, Takeuchi Yoshinori 武内義範 stated that avijjā and saṅkhāra are essential concepts to explain dependent origination in its cessation aspect. This theory says that avijjā and saṅkhāra were added to the theory because the cessation of saṅkhāra was found to be the cause of the cessation of viññāṇa. Therefore, it is the cessation of saṅkhāra, and not saṅkhāra itself, that I am interested in. In this paper, I intend to consider the meaning of the cessation of saṅkhāra and offer an opinion on the formation of the twelvefold chain of dependent origination.
This examination argues that the cessation of saṅkhāra plays an important role in meditation. As meditation develops through different stages, saṅkhāra ceases gradually, finally reaching the stage where one is free from consciousness and sensation (saññāvedayitanirodha), where saṅkhāra ceases completely.
As mentioned above, the complete cessation of saṅkhāra, that is, the attainment of saññāvedayitanirodha, represents the ultimate state of meditation. On the other hand, the cessation of avijjā (vijjā) represents insight. Thus, I infer that the cessation of avijjā and saṅkhāra is applied only to dependent origination in its cessation aspect as practical stages: insight and meditation.
