"Dependent origination" or "dependent arising" or, as I prefer, "interdependent origination" is an important concept in Buddhism. Common to all schools, it states that phenomena arise together in a mutually interdependent web of cause and effect. [ link at the end for the curious ]
In other words, this is in direct opposition to New Age philosophies that state that "We create our reality." I find such philosophies silly, and have to admit to not having a great deal of respect for them or their proponents. If what they claimed were true, then all that one would have to do is wish for something intently, and it would happen. But it doesn't. Sometimes the world has its own ideas about what should happen, and sometimes the world's ideas win. I think that even the most New Age-leaning bliss- ninny would have to admit the reality of this. If all that were required for world peace was Maharishi willing it, it would have happened long ago. In the last few hours or so, I have been watching from afar my best friend going through a lesson in the nature of interdependent origination. She is across town (I am not the father, and she is with her new family and -- thankfully -- the care of two midwives who have helped to deliver thousands of babies), and I am here at home, trying to not "pace the halls" like the guys in 1950s movies or run out and buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke them. :-) [ For the record, allow me to bow deeply to all of the women on this forum -- and in the world -- who have given birth. You have a strength I doubt that I or any man could ever have. ] It has been a long and hard birth. And interestingly, because my friend believes very *much* in this "We create our own reality" philosophy, and is very much a control freak, the hardest part for her has been "letting go" and realizing that external reality -- in this case her own body and its need to do things *its* way, and not the way her mind wants things done -- has been emotional. She has had a really hard time just surrendering to the urges of external reality, and surrendering control. That phase of things seems now to be past, and she's in the "push" stage of giving birth, and I'm sitting here meditating and beaming as many good vibes to her as humanly possible, to add as much of my own positive "external reality" to the mix as possible. But, being the sometimes analytical quasi-Buddhist that I am, I cannot help but relate this experience to interdependent origination. Sure, we all have our wishes and our desires and our "intent," but that is IMO (and in the opinion of Buddhists) NOT the only factor at work. There is *also* external reality, and it is *real* reality. It *does* exist; it *isn't* just illusion that can be shaped by our minds. Life is a "give and take" between what we want and what this very real external reality wants. And I suspect that my friend is getting a lesson in this. I also suspect that, as a result, when I get the call that the baby is born and I get to go visit I'll be meeting *two* people I've never met before, not just one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependent_origination
