A sequence is a chain of things or events, following one after another. Thus, the crux of this condition is to describe, that there is a certain progression as to how material and mental phenomena naturally follow one another.
Expressed in matters of the four elements, is the sequence condition, being a forward movement, primarily an aspect of the wind element. However, since this movement follows a defined path, it can also be seen as the wind element being guided by the earth element. Considering all four elements in relation to this condition, one can even organise them in a sequence; for instance, from the coarsest to the subtlest (or in reverse). In such an arrangement, earth would be at the beginning of the sequence, followed by water, fire, and finally air.
It might be even more compelling to explore sequences in nature that involve the four elements. One such sequence can be observed in the water cycle on earth—what we experience as weather. The waters of the oceans and lakes evaporate due to the heat (fire) of the sun, rising up as they merge with the element of air. Following the air’s upward movement, they accumulate in the sky until the nature of water gathers strength again, eventually falling back to the earth as rain. The water then suffuses the earth, and when the earth can no longer absorb it, the excess flows back to the oceans and lakes, where the sequence begins anew. This cyclical process demonstrates a continuous sequence. Other examples include the changing of the seasons or the broader sequence of the universe’s evolution.
Life processes, for example within the body, too occur in sequences; as has been shown before. There we have shown as a possible beginning of the sequence, the intake of food (what we termed nature-born matter and what we consider to be made up of the four elements); which slowly gets broken down, to become nutriment for the body; which in its turn strengthens the life-element of the body, and through that also all the various internal organs; to yet, ultimately diminish in strength, until the remainder, perhaps at best, serves as a foundation for the beginning of a similar sequence.
There are also sequences related to life phenomena on a grander scale. For instance, we observe a natural sequence in the stages of life: a baby is born, gradually grows into youth, matures into adulthood, and eventually declines with age, heading toward the end of the sequence—death. It is clear that this sequence could never unfold in any other way.
Along a very similar line, may actually the formula of dependent origination (or Chain of Becoming) also be said to be a special form of this condition.
Another significant sequence can be seen in the rise and fall of nations or civilisations. Civilised human life often begins with small villages, which gradually grow into towns, then states, until a civilisation reaches its peak as a prosperous nation. However, like all other life phenomena, this sequence is marked by decline once its peak is reached, ultimately leading to death and destruction.
Yet, as a nation prospers and thrives, it brings forth more and more manifestations of the mind.
On the scale of the individual mind, I have shown already the natural sequence in regards to the manifestation of mental phenomena in the main blog. Of this I will put here once more a diagram for illustration.
The natural sequence of mental processing begins with the latent mind (bhavanga) (a), which gradually becomes more active and begins to vibrate (b). This is followed by sense-sphere processing (c) and, finally, by the mental processing of higher states (d+e). Each phase represents a condition of greater refinement and development compared to the previous one.
It is important to note that, unlike life phenomena—such as the stages of life or physical processes like eating, digestion, energy increase and decline, and excretion—mental phenomena do not always follow a pattern of growth and decline. Mental processes, when considered independently of physical life, can grow continuously, refining themselves without necessarily undergoing a decline.
If we then follow further that track of mental phenomena, we will find, that, as the mind, or consciousness changes with each stage of development; becoming vaster and more encompassing; there unfolds also a scheme of a sequence or hierarchy of existence, in which different conditions of “existing” follow one another in an ascending order or ascending sequence. I have tried to depict that already in the part on the ‘Planes of Existence‘.
Beyond this, we can also reflect on the nature of ideas. Where we find, that what we usually call reasoning or logic, is actually a capacity to order ideas in a manner of a natural sequence—where idea A is followed by idea B, then idea C, and finally concluded by idea D. Someone who would put an idea X directly after an idea A, without expounding any connecting ideas between the two, or he who would put an idea C before an idea A, will usually be perceived as being irrational. And for him who lacks reason and a capacity for rational thinking, it is not to be expected that he will attain to true knowledge or anything leading toward enlightenment.
In concluding the nature of the condition of sequences, let us consider how Nibbāna fits into this framework. Nibbāna is the end of the sequence in the Buddhist path of enlightenment, marking the transcendence of becoming, and thus the transcendence of sequences themselves. However, it is important to remember that the path to Nibbāna is itself a sequence—a progression of unfolding purity in which certain delusions are first diminished and eventually eradicated. This process requires an intuitive understanding of the rightful sequence of phenomena. Therefore, we can say that the attainment of Nibbāna is deeply intertwined with a proper understanding of sequences.
Beyond the above can an example of this condition on a grander scale be found in the blog on ‘The Mental Process in Human Development’ and I have given various other examples in my book. From those together with the above statements, it should be clear, how useful the understanding of this condition can be to unriddle uncountable mysteries of life.
