Challenging All-or-Nothing Thinking and Fostering Balance with the Twelve Nidanas of Dependent Origination
3min read
Lets use the example of All-or-Nothing-Thinking to illustrate the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination. 1. Ignorance (avijja): The person lacks understanding of the true nature of reality, leading them to hold rigid and inflexible beliefs. 2. Mental formations (sankhara): Due to ignorance, the person forms habitual patterns of thinking in extremes, such as all or nothing. 3. Consciousness (viññana): The persons consciousness is conditioned by these mental formations, making them prone to all-or-nothing thinking. 4. Name and form (nama-rupa): The persons mind and body (psychophysical constituents) manifest in a way that is susceptible to rigid and extreme thinking. 5. The six sense bases (salayatana): The persons sense organs (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind) interact with the external world. 6. Contact (phassa): The person encounters a situation or stimulus (e.g., a mistake) that triggers their all-or-nothing thinking through their sense bases. 7. Feeling (vedana): The person experiences an unpleasant feeling as a result of the contact with the situation or stimulus. 8. Craving (tanha): The person develops a desire to either avoid similar situations altogether or succeed perfectly in the future. 9. Clinging (upadana): The persons attachment to their desire for perfection intensifies, and they cling to their all-or-nothing thinking as a way of coping. 10. Becoming (bhava): This clinging to rigid and extreme thinking reinforces the persons habitual patterns and tendencies, perpetuating the cycle of all-or-nothing thinking. 11. Birth (jati): The persons all-or-nothing thinking manifests in the form of extreme behaviours or beliefs, reinforcing the cycle of mental formations and karmic consequences. 12. Old age and death (jara-marana): The persons all-or-nothing thinking, if left unaddressed, can lead to physical, mental, and emotional suffering and perpetuate negative consequences in future situations or even future lives. In this example, we can see how the Twelve Nidanas apply to the arising and perpetuation of all-or-nothing thinking. By recognizing the interdependence of the Twelve Links and cultivating mindfulness, a person can work towards breaking the cycle of rigid and extreme thinking, leading to greater flexibility and inner freedom.
How to break cycle at each point:
Conclusion
All-or-Nothing Thinking is a cycle that can have negative consequences on our mental and emotional well-being. By understanding the Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination, we can recognize the patterns of this cycle and work towards breaking them through mindfulness and self-improvement. By doing so, we can move towards greater flexibility and inner freedom and live a more fulfilling life.
