It is necessary to take into account the micro discretization of natural rock when studying its macroscopic failure behavior. This requirement has resulted in renewed and increased interest in the discrete or framework/lattice numerical modeling techniques. However, to fully construct a numerical model for practical applications using a discrete numerical model is computationally difficult with current computing technologies. Hence, a coupled model has been developed to overcome this limitation by coupling the Distinct Lattice Spring Model (DLSM) and the Numerical Manifold Method (NMM). In the coupled model, the microscopic discrete model of the rock is represented by a system of discrete particles interacting via springs while the macroscopic level model is represented by the NMM. The proposed model bears a structure of three layers corresponding to the DLSM model, the NMM model, and a model for coupling, respectively. The coupling model is based on a newly developed Particle based Manifold Method (PMM) to bridge the DLSM with the NMM. The proposed coupled model can reduce the computational resources needed for the purely discrete particle based model. This study introduces theoretical aspects of the coupled model together with a few examples to demonstrate its correctness and feasibility. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.