Dependent Co-Arising: Pratītyasamutpāda

A Dharma Pathway to Networks of Value Communication

At the end of this I want to present three steps that I’m working on - while starting with a brief foundational background from a frame of thinking.being that I was lucky to grow up around and be reminded of often as a hippy Santa Cruz California kid and still as a 45 years young human today. *thanks all*

Buddhism has always (sometime irritatingly) directed my inquiries back towards understanding how things exist and function in an interconnected and transient manner - prompting me to practically engage with the world based on compassion and wisdom. When asking how we got here or the origin of the universe - my teachers would often approach the formulation of the question as not particularly fruitful for practical purposes. Instead, they focused me on understanding the nature of existence and suffering to alleviate it here and now. The emphasis is on the process and the conditions rather than on a first cause or a beginning – and as much as it’s hard to let go - I’m so grateful for that clarity it brings.

Dependent co-arising, or Pratītyasamutpāda, is a core and profound Buddhist concept from the Pali Canon - attributed to the teachings of Gautama Buddha (5^th to 4^th century BCE long before we had digital social networks). It is an (damn good) attempt to explain the interconnected nature of all phenomena. It posits that nothing exists in isolation but arises from a web of interdependent causes and conditions.

This principle give me insights into the dynamics of human interactions, particularly in the realms of intention, commitment, and the emergent networks of value communication.

Pratītyasamutpāda - Sanskrit to English

Pratītya - Having depended

Sam - Together / Collective

Utpāda - Arising / emergence

At its core, dependent co-arising teaches that all phenomena are interconnected. Each event, entity, or occurrence is both a cause and an effect, influenced by preceding conditions and, in turn, influencing subsequent conditions. This chain of causation is not linear but web-like, with multiple intersecting nodes of influence. In practical terms, this means that our actions, thoughts, and intentions are both influenced by past interactions and are influential in shaping future outcomes.

Matter and Antimatter Pair Production: I learned as a physicist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator that matter and antimatter are created simultaneously from energy and also annihilate each other, returning to energy. This process illustrates the concept of dependent co-arising very well, as neither matter nor antimatter can come into being without the presence of the other – just a quarks and force carrying particles seem to similarly co-exist. These are dynamic and reciprocal relationships, each defining and necessitating the existence of the other.

Credit and Debt Creation: Similarly, in the economic realm, credit cannot exist without debt, and vice versa. They are two sides of the same expression and inherently linked. The creation of credit in one place necessarily creates an equivalent amount of debt somewhere else and both cease to exist upon settlement. This is another practical example of how phenomena arise dependent on other phenomena, not in isolation but as part of a network of relationships. This example in incredibly important because it shows us that exchange, markets, value signals (money), price, credit and debt are not in themselves fundamental– ie. there is something credit and debt arise from.

From Pools of Intention to Pools of Commitment

We can see intentions as the mental formations that precede actions. These intentions are not isolated; they arise from previous experiences, interactions, and teachings. When intentions are reflected on, shared or aligned within the networks of our-self (mind, body spirit) they can aggregate these into commitments. Among a group of individuals, they can as-well form what might be called "pools of intention." These pools can give rise to "pools of commitment / commitment pools" when the intentions are translated into actions or pledges to act in a certain way or within a context or agreement (such as credit and debt relationships) - i.e. You give me your commitment to bring oranges and I’ll commit to giving you apples in return. This process reflects the principle of dependent co-arising, as the formation of these pools depends on a myriad of interrelated conditions, including social, cultural, and environmental factors.

Networks of Value Communication Protocols

Today May 9 2024, the concept of dependent co-arising finds a parallel in the development of value communication protocols—systems designed to facilitate the exchange of value in various forms, within environments like decentralized ledger technology. These protocols do not just transmit information; they create ecosystems of trust and cooperation that reflect the interconnectedness described by dependent co-arising.

Decentralized ledgers can be seen as a cyber-social manifestation of dependent co-arising. They rely on the collective maintenance and verification of data by a network of nodes, each of which is dependent on the others to uphold consensus - the integrity and functionality of the system. Here, the "pools of intention" are the consensus protocols that define the rules and operations of the systems, while the "pools of commitment" are the actual blocks of data that are agreed upon and executed and added to the ledger. These tools for a virtual cyber-social environment that we can be part of and use for mutual well being.

Implications for Practice

Recognizing my interconnectedness through the principle of dependent co-arising leads me to three practical steps that fundamentally inform and transform my social and economic interactions.

First, I reflect on, discern and publicly declare the commitments I can—what can I offer to my community as a service and what are my conditions on reciprocity? This could involve skills, time, or resources, reflecting a conscious decision to contribute to the common good. Publicly articulating these commitments fosters a culture of accountability and shared purpose.

In writing this right now, I have committed to seven, 1-2 hour long weekly synchronous and asynchronous discussions involving planning, preparations, and review for action steps toward a fully connected value communication systems for the well-being of all life. Not all of these hours are always full or taken - so ping me if that sounds interesting.

Second, with clear intention I seek out individual and group commitments and curate them into collective "pools of commitment / commitment pools." These are not just theoretical constructs but actionable, organized systems where community members (like most of our ancestors) support each other's commitments, much like a garden that nurtures various plants to maturity. Such pools can take many forms, from local exchange trading systems to digital platforms that track and facilitate the exchange of goods and services.

Specifically, I pool commitments together to create healthy eco-socio-economic environments with Grassroots Economics a non-profit foundation based in Kenya. Together at Grassroots Economics we have committed our resources into seeding and supporting such pools of commitments – formalized as Community Asset Vouchers on https://sarafu.network (a simple open source distributed ledger voucher and pool interface) that align with ancestral commitment pooling practices - involving regenerative social and environmental stewardship.

Third, by connecting these commitments and pools through broader networks—connecting to a vast multiverse of intention— I seek to enable the flow of value and support across communities, transcending geographic and social boundaries. I want to help build resilient, decentralized polycentric systems of value communication, based on mutual support, reflecting the deep interdependence that Pratītyasamutpāda (dependent co-arising) teaches.

Through my pooled commitments with Grassroots Economics Foundation – a network of commitment pools are beginning to form today (in their ux/ui infancy). This network is again a curation of pools of hundreds of communities’ commitments following intentions of well being. Take a look at https://viz.sarafu.network and consider being part of it and also creating your own and connecting to it – (through valued commitments).

Settlement

Over time, as Buddhism spread and diversified into various schools, the interpretation and emphasis on Pratītyasamutpāda (dependent co-arising) evolved into many frames of consciousness and I recognize it as a critical element in my own psyche, somehow consistent since my earliest memories of living together here.

Dependent co-arising invites us to view the world as a deeply interconnected web, where each action and commitment can ripple through the network, enhancing the whole. By grounding our economic practices in this understanding, we align ourselves with ancient wisdom (farm more ancient than even Buddhism) and also craft a practical transition pathway toward a harmonious and sustainable world.

Our commitments, when woven together, form a strong fabric that can support not just individual well-being but also the collective health of our communities and whole planetary eco-system. As we engage more deeply with these principles, we build not just healthy economies but ecosystems of care and support. Our descendants beckons us, their forebears and ancestors, to seek out metrics of success that embrace well-being for all life—principles that are central to both our survival and our flourishing in this interconnected world.