Mahanidana Sutta

Buddhist work

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Mahanidana Sutta is a Buddhist text that provides a detailed explanation of the doctrine of dependent origination, also known as the chain of causation. This doctrine posits that all phenomena arise from preceding causes and conditions, forming a continuous cycle.12

The 12 links in this chain include ignorance, karmic predispositions, consciousness, form and body, the senses, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, and old age and death. This chain explains the nature of suffering and dissatisfaction inherent in existence. The Mahanidana Sutta is part of the Digha Nikaya, one of the collections within the Sutta Pitaka, which contains teachings attributed to the Buddha. This doctrine is fundamental to understanding Buddhist concepts like impermanence (anicca) and no-self (anatta).1324

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Sutta Pitaka
The Mahanidana Sutta (“Discourse on the Great Origin”) gives the fullest canonical treatment of the doctrine of dependent origination, or the chain of causation. The famous Mahaparinibbana Sutta (“Discourse on the Great Final Extinction”—i.e., the Buddha’s release from the round of rebirths), one of the oldest…
Read More
The Mahanidana Sutta (“Discourse on the Great Origin”) gives the fullest canonical treatment of the doctrine of dependent origination, or the chain of causation. The famous Mahaparinibbana Sutta (“Discourse on the Great Final Extinction”—i.e., the Buddha’s release from the round of rebirths), one of the oldest…
Read More