“When this is, that is…”
A classic line from the Saṁyutta Nikāya captures conditionality:
When this is, that is. With the arising of this, that arises.
When this is not, that is not. With the cessation of this, that ceases.
“This” and “that” are not separate. Life is relational all the way down.
Relational Dharma
For many of us, Dharma doesn’t sit in the abstract; it emerges between us—in breath, bodies, conversations, conflicts, caregiving. Even not relating is a kind of relating. Meditation becomes a place to review how we’re in relationship—with ourselves, with others, with our world.
Interbeing (Thích Nhất Hạnh)
Thích Nhất Hạnh coined “inter-being” to point at this woven life. We don’t just influence one another; we inter-are. The term helps shift conditionality from philosophy into lived experience: How am I participating in the web right now?
A phrase that softened the heart
In practice, sometimes a line arrives that distills a lot at once. Recently:
“Other people don’t have control over their lives any more than I do.”
It eased comparison, humbled certainty, and highlighted a quiet truth: dukkha rotates. It visits every life, though never in equal ways. The “why here, why now” is often a mystery we can’t fully solve.
How close do we need to see?
Early teachings invite us to know conditionality within this ‘fathom-long body’—as far as our arms, legs, and minds can truly reach. We don’t need a cosmic map to practice wisely; we need an honest one.
Living with public mystery, too
It’s tempting to retreat to inner life when outer life shocks us. Yet policies, propaganda, and power are conditions too. Reading, relating, and responding are part of practice. When the world feels bewildering, remember: not all mysteries resolve in a single chapter. Keep living the question with care.
Peace, wonder, and not losing our caring
Ajahn Chah said that seeing conditionality clearly makes us less careless—we recognize things arising and passing due to conditions. In that seeing, there can be peace and wonder together. For us, “careless” also means losing our caring. Understanding conditions helps us come back to care, again and again.
Equanimity reimagined
Equanimity isn’t a conflict-free zone. As Sharon Salzberg puts it, it can cradle both sorrow and wonder at the same time. In reflective practice, phrases, images, or sensations sometimes arrive with a felt relief. That relief can fuel resilience—to live with uncertainty without hardening.
Bringing it home
Conditionality is relational and close-in; we can work right where we are.
Mystery remains; our task is to care within it, not explain it away.
Equanimity can widen capacity, not flatten feeling.
Ritual of Reflection
Pause and notice — what stirs in you after reading this?
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