First cause, appearances and mind Im asking about the Vajrayana or Mahayana view, but theravadan views are fine too. Buddhism rejects a first cause, but how can birth and death go in infinite regress? How did samsara start? Ultimately nothing arises yes, but then there would be no movement or action, right?

The only way I can posit a solution is the cyclic universe theory where mind and appearances have always existed, and are dependent upon each other. Thus they can be said to give rise to one another in a sense (but not in succession, just that without one the other cant exist). I think this is what Guru Rinpoche also said somewhere? Is this the Buddhist view?

By the way, I have recently converted to Buddhism after having debated it in the past. I want to understand it more, so this is not an attack on buddhist Pratityasamutpada.

This is very hard for me to understand. I am hoping someone more knowledgeable than me can provide some insight.

Edit:I think I have found an answer with the theory of the Five lights in dzogchen.matter and consciousness(wich is a element)are always there,and have always been there.
Let's say you are learning to play baseball.  One of the first thing you find out is that the game has nine innings.  What, you ask breathlessly, comes before the 1st inning????  While you are mulling that over, your turn comes at the plate.  You stand there asking yourself "What comes before the 1st?  What comes before the 1st????".  As you delve deeply into the fundamental nature of innings, their arising and their passing away, the pitcher lobs three balls to the catcher in quick succession.  The umpire calls you out.  You go back to the dugout none the wiser on the nature of innings nor having actually played the game. 

Buddhism doesn't seek to make any ontological statements about reality.  Even the headiest of Buddhist philosophies are exclusively soteriological.  The statements they make on the nature of being, mind, karma, etc. are to be understood exclusively within that context.  Notions of beginning and endings or the nature of reality are entirely Western constructs that are completely out of bounds in discussions of Buddhism.  More to the point, they have no bearing whatsoever on the endeavor of Buddhist practice.


  "Don't waste your time on doubts and arguments that have nothing to do
  with this." - Seng-Ts'an.