dependent origination ［縁起・因縁］ ( pratītya-samutpāda; Pali paticcha-samuppāda;  engi or innen): Also, dependent causation or conditioned co-arising. A Buddhist doctrine expressing the interdependence of all things. It teaches that no beings or phenomena exist on their own; they exist or occur because of their relationship with other beings and phenomena. Everything in the world comes into existence in response to causes and conditions. That is, nothing can exist independent of other things or arise in isolation. The doctrine of the twelve-linked chain of causation is a well-known illustration of this idea. See also twelve-linked chain of causation.