The Buddhist Perspective on Cause and Condition

Bhiksu Nagasena grinned and replied with a
question, “Does the window represent the house?”
<strong>The</strong> King was taken by surprise and struggled for
an answer, “No!”
“How about the door?”
“No!”
“Does the bricks and tiles represent the house?”
“No!”
“<strong>The</strong>n, what about the furniture and pillars?”
“No, of course not.”
Bhiksu Nagasena smiled and asked, “If the
window, door, bricks, tiles, furniture, and pillars do
not represent the house, then where is the real
house?”
King Milinda finally understood that causes,
conditions, and effects cannot be separated nor understood
through a biased and partial view. A house
can only be built with the fulfillment of many conditions.
Likewise, human existence also needs the satisfaction
of many conditions. If we know the law of
cause and condition, believe in its existence, plant
good causes everywhere, and cultivate advantageous
conditions all the time, our lives will be smooth paths,
full of success. To conclude, I will give you this verse
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