[tussinelde]

The following teaching shows the link between dependent arising and karma quite clearly:

http://www.chezpaul.org.uk/buddhism/...eel/depend.htm

It should be noted that karma and the laws of karma refer to the workings of the ignorant mind not that of an awakened being. Through our meditation we shall eventually "wake up" from our ignorance and see our craving, ego-grasping mind as it really is - empty of inherent existence - and at this point craving will cease and karma will also stop being produced.

Hi

That the Buddha himself taught what is quoted directly below is highly questionable:
Karma Formations (Sankhara) are Volitional activities.
Bodily Formations
Verbal Formations
Mental Formations The Buddha himself defined the sankhara is the bodily conditioner (which is the breathing in & out), the verbal conditioner (which is intitial thought & discursive thought) and the mind conditioner (which is perception & feeling). [see MN 44]

The Buddha did not define the sankhara as 'karma'. If the sankhara were karma, the Buddha would have called the 2nd link 'karma'.

The Buddha himself in many places advised karma occurs after contact, such as follows:
"Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech & intellect.

And what is the cause by which kamma comes into play? Contact is the cause by which kamma comes into play.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....063.than.html In the Samyutta Nikaya, there are a series of verses about the arising of perception, which state:
From the sensuality element arise sensual perceptions, from sensual perceptions arise sensual intentions, from sensual intentions one misconducts oneself by body, speech & mind

From the ill-will element...cruelty element...renunciation element...non-will element...non-cruelty element.... The 'misconduct' or karma occurs after contact. It occurs after feeling and after perception.

In short, intention in Dependent Origination arises at craving. It follows karma begins at craving & comes to maturity at becoming. From karma, one takes birth into the various [psychological] realms, as follows:
"Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, & intellect.

"And what is the cause by which kamma comes into play? Contact is the cause by which kamma comes into play.

"And what is the diversity in kamma? There is kamma to be experienced in hell, kamma to be experienced in the realm of common animals, kamma to be experienced in the realm of the hungry shades, kamma to be experienced in the human world, kamma to be experienced in the world of the devas. This is called the diversity in kamma. That intention occurs after contact, is also clarified by the following passage:
"The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The intellect...

"Forms... Sounds... Smells... Tastes... Tactile sensations... Ideas...

"Eye-consciousness... Ear-consciousness... Nose-consciousness... Tongue-consciousness... Body-consciousness... Intellect-consciousness...

"Eye-contact... Ear-contact... Nose-contact... Tongue-contact... Body-contact... Intellect-contact...

"Feeling born of eye-contact... Feeling born of ear-contact... Feeling born of nose-contact... Feeling born of tongue-contact... Feeling born of body-contact... Feeling born of intellect-contact...

"Perception of forms... Perception of sounds... Perception of smells... Perception of tastes... Perception of tactile sensations... Perception of ideas...

"Intention for forms... Intention for sounds... Intention for smells... Intention for tastes... Intention for tactile sensations... Intention for ideas...

"Craving for forms... Craving for sounds... Craving for smells... Craving for tastes... Craving for tactile sensations... Craving for ideas...

"Thought directed at forms... Thought directed at sounds... Thought directed at smells... Thought directed at tastes... Thought directed at tactile sensations... Thought directed at ideas...

"Evaluation of forms... Evaluation of sounds... Evaluation of smells... Evaluation of tastes... Evaluation of tactile sensations... Evaluation of ideas is endearing & alluring in terms of the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit...22.0.than.html The tendencies (anusaya) are related to or very close to the asava (outflows, fermentations, etc) and ignorance. The Buddha never taught these things have a prior cause, such as follows:
From the origination of fermentation comes the origination of ignorance. From the cessation of fermentation comes the cessation of ignorance.

From the origination of ignorance comes the origination of fermentation. From the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of fermentation.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....009.than.html What this means is the ignorance causes ignorance. Fermentations (in the form of the five hindrances) bubble up from ignorance, which is their cause. Due to the manifestation of the fermentations, ignorance is maintained because the fermentations prevent or block insight.

Whatever ideas you & your gurus have about Dependent Origination, my opinion, based on the evidence in the suttas, is the Buddha himself certainly did not entertain such ideas. It does not matter how many gurus & translators use the term 'karmic formations' for the 2nd link of Dependent Origination, there is no evidence, both from the scriptures & from meditative experience that the Buddha himself taught such notions of karma ocurring prior to sense contact & craving.

So returning to the original question, the Buddha taught from various elements or tendencies arise the various perceptions and from the various perceptions arise the various thoughts.

In short, due to ignorance, there are 'fermentations'. INWARDLY, due to the 'pressure' or 'bubbling' of fermentations, moods ('the five hindrances') occur and due to these bubbling moods, thoughts occur in meditation, despite there being no sense contract via the eyes, ears, nose, tongue & body.

In fact, these 'inner thoughts' are themselves the sankhara of the 2nd link. When we meditate, any inwardly disturbed breathing, inwardly disturbed thinking & inwardly disturbed perceptions & feelings are the three sankhara being cooked up or stirred up by ignorance.

The suttas describe well how the three sankharas, as defined in MN 44, are calmed and how ignorance calmed:
"There are these six calmings. When one has attained the first jhana, speech has been calmed. When one has attained the second jhana, directed thought & evaluation have been calmed. When one has attained the third jhana, rapture has been calmed. When one has attained the fourth jhana, in-and-out breathing has been calmed. When one has attained the cessation of perception & feeling, perception & feeling have been calmed. When a monk's effluents (asava) have ended, passion has been calmed, aversion has been calmed, delusion has been calmed."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....011.than.html Kind regards