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@sa@dayatana, spars’a, vedana, t@r@s@na, upadana and the bhava (leading to another life) of the present actual life.  This bhava produces the jati and jaramara@na of the next life [Footnote ref l].

It is interesting to note that these twelve links in the chain extending in three sections over three lives are all but the manifestations of sorrow to the bringing in of which they naturally determine one another.  Thus Abhidhammatthasa@ngaha says “each of these twelve terms is a factor.  For the composite term ‘sorrow,’ etc. is only meant to show incidental consequences of birth.  Again when ‘ignorance’ and ’the actions of the mind’ have been taken into account, craving (t@r@s@na), grasping (upadana) and (karma) becoming (bhava) are implicitly accounted for also.  In the same manner when craving, grasping and (karma) becoming have been taken into account, ignorance and the actions of the mind are (implicitly) accounted for, also; and when birth, decay, and death are taken into account, even the fivefold fruit, to wit (rebirth), consciousness, and the rest are accounted for.  And thus: 

Five causes in the Past and Now a fivefold ‘fruit.’

Five causes Now and yet to come a fivefold ‘fruit’ make up the Twenty Modes, the Three Connections (1. sa@nkhara and vinnana, 2. vedana and tanha, 3. bhava and jati) and the four groups (one causal group in the Past, one resultant group in the Present, one causal group in the Present and one resultant group in the Future, each group consisting of five modes) [Footnote ref 2].”

These twelve interdependent links (dvadas’a@nga) represent the pa@ticcasamuppada (pratatyasamutpada) doctrines (dependent origination) [Footnote ref 3] which are themselves but sorrow and lead to cycles of sorrow.  The term pa@ticcasamuppada or pratityasamutpada has been differently interpreted in later Buddhist literature [Footnote ref 4].

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[Footnote 1:  This explanation probably cannot be found in the early Pali texts; but Buddhagho@sa mentions it in Suma@ngalavilasini on Mahanidana suttanta.  We find it also in Abhidhammatthasa@ngaha, VIII. 3.  Ignorance and the actions of the mind belong to the past; “birth,” “decay and death” to the future; the intermediate eight to the present.  It is styled as tri@ka@n@daka (having three branches) in Abhidkarmakos’a, III. 20-24.  Two in the past branch, two in the future and eight in the middle “sa pratityasamutpado dvadas’a@ngastrika@n@daka@h purvaparantayordve dve madhye@s@tau.”]

[Footnote 2:  Aung and Mrs Rhys Davids’ translation of Abhidhammatthasa@ngaha, pp. 189-190.]

[Footnote 3:  The twelve links are not always constant.  Thus in the list given in the Dialogues of the Buddha, II. 23 f., avijja and sa@nkhara have been omitted and the start has been made with consciousness, and it has been said that “Cognition turns back from name and form; it goes not beyond.”]