In this paper, I examine the usage of phassa and vedanā, particularly in relation to transmigration, utilizing early Jain and Buddhist scriptures. This paper underlines that phassa and vedanā are connected with the theory of karmic retribution and transmigration, which may have been widely accepted by ascetics at that time.
In addition, since there are a few examples showing that the six internal sense organs are regarded as kamma, the causation saḷāyatana→phassa→vedanā itself can represent karmic retribution in saṃsāric existence as well as a cognitive process classified into six sensations. Therefore, the interpretation of the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination on the basis of the theory of karmic retribution and transmigration can be ascribed to the usage of not only saṅkhāra, viññāṇa, nāmarūpa, and so forth but also phassa and vedanā. Furthermore, phassa and vedanā are much more related to kamma than any other constituents of the chain of dependent origination. In either case, it is plausible that early Buddhist scriptures contain some factors by which the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination is interpreted as a process of rebirth.
