In any Buddhist Context, is there a Necessary Existent
Yes, you have misconstrued.
Dependent Origination is about the origin of suffering (sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress &amp; despair) rather than about the origin of the physical universe (refer to SN 12.2).
Dependent Origination says the 1st cause for the origin of suffering is ignorance; for which no preceding cause can be found (refer to AN 10.61).
In addition, DN 11 clearly says the question: &quot;where do the 4 physical elements cease without remainder?&quot; is an invalid question. This means the ending and also the beginning of the 4 physical elements (earth, wind, fire &amp; water) cannot be known.