Michael offered a presentation on the Buddhist theory of causality, known variously as Dependent Co-Arising, Inter-Dependent Co-Origination, Dependent Origination, etc.  Using the famous depiction of the Wheel of Life, in which the Dependent Co-Arising is depicted in 12 phases (the 12 nidanans) on the outer circle of the wheel, we discussed the inter-relation of cause and effect from various perspectives.  If interested in following up on Buddhist Causality, see Ajahn Thanissaro’s “The Shape of Suffering” for a complete treatment.  Wikipedia gives an adequate summary of the schematics of the Wheel of Life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavacakra