CH03: Three Rounds (Vaṭṭa) — Kilesa, Kamma, Vipāka

At-a-glance: Foundations • Vaṭṭa overlay

A. Definition & place in DO

• Vaṭṭa = “round/turning.” In Mogok teaching, the one twelve-link chain is read through three functional rounds that hand off to one another.

• Kilesa-vaṭṭa (defilement round): avijjā, taṇhā, upādāna. These bias knowing, valuing, and grasping.

• Kamma-vaṭṭa (action round): saṅkhārā, (kamma)bhava. These accumulate and project results.

• Vipāka-vaṭṭa (result round): viññāṇa, nāma-rūpa, saḷāyatana, phassa, vedanā, jāti, jarāmaraṇa. These are the experienced outcomes.

• Placement across the four periods (kāla): kilesa and kamma can occur in past or present causes; vipāka appears as present or future effects (see Ch02).

• SN anchors: forward/cessation formula from SN 12.1; per-link meanings from SN 12.2 (e.g., six feelings; four clingings; see relevant chapters).

• Purpose: seeing rounds clarifies where to intervene—especially at Vedanā → Taṇhā—without adding or removing any link from the canonical twelve.

B. Mechanism (how the rounds hand off)

• Bias → Act → Result loop:

  1. Kilesa (e.g., avijjā) skews view and value →

  2. Kamma (e.g., saṅkhārā) fabricates intention/doings →

  3. Vipāka (e.g., viññāṇa … vedanā, jāti, jarāmaraṇa) is received/underwent → which feeds new kilesa unless wisdom cuts in.

• Three Mogok connections as “handoff beacons”:

  • C1: saṅkhārā → viññāṇa (Kamma → Vipāka).

  • C2: vedanā → taṇhā (Vipāka → Kilesa; live tipping point).

  • C3: bhava → jāti (Kamma → Vipāka; projection into future effect).

• Cessation reading: weaken kilesa, and kamma loses fuel; with less kamma, vipāka that sustains suffering wanes. “With the cessation of this, that ceases” (SN 12.1).

C. Practice (micro-drills, 1–3 minutes)

1. Color the Round (class call-and-response, 90 sec)
   Teacher calls a link; learners answer its round:
   “upādāna?” → Kilesa. “bhava?” → Kamma. “phassa?” → Vipāka. Ten quick items.

2. Vedanā Breaker (solo, 2 min)
   Notice a fresh sensation (pleasant/neutral/painful). Say softly: “vipāka felt.” Before any storyline, breathe once and label the next impulse. If grasping is forming, name “taṇhā intention” and release the body tension (jaw, chest, hands).

3. Trace-the-Handoff (pair work, 3 min)
   Partner A narrates a small recent trigger. Partner B maps where it moved Vipāka → Kilesa → Kamma (C2, then toward C3). Swap once. End by rehearsing an alternative at Vedanā.

D. Cross-links

• Ch01 Overview of DO (why “no first cause” matters for rounds).

• Ch02 Four Periods (time-placement of rounds).

• Ch15 Vedanā (qualifications per SN 12.2; six feelings).

• Ch16 Taṇhā (thirst typology; where escalation starts).

• Ch18 Bhava (kamma-becoming; door to C3).

• Ch20 Jarāmaraṇa (completing Vipāka; full dukkha suite).

Sources

SN 12.1; SN 12.2.

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QR Footer (left → right)

• Audio QR-CH03-AUD1 — “Three Rounds in 90 Seconds.” (Alt: “QR to audio: kilesa→kamma→vipāka overview”)

• Video QR-CH03-VID1 — Hand-offs C1/C2/C3 with examples. (Alt: “QR to video: three connections demo”)

• Slides QR-CH03-PPT1 — Classroom deck with color-coded rounds. (Alt: “QR to slides: Three Rounds deck”)

• Prompt QR-CH03-PRM1 — 1-min Vedanā Breaker script. (Alt: “QR to prompt: vedanā interruption cue”)

Next: Ch04 — Two Roots (Mūla): Avijjā & Taṇhā.