DDB: 九法 | nine dharmas

Digital Dictionary of Buddhism

九法

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: nine dharmas

Senses:

The collection of nine dharmas formed by the primary marks 本相 of arising, abiding, change, and cessation, together with the four subsidiary marks 隨相 of the arising of arising, abiding of abiding, change of change, and cessation of cessation, along with the primary dharma 本法 to which the eight conditioned marks pertain (Skt. nava dharmāḥ, navamo dharmaḥ). Vasubandhu 世親 elaborates an extensive critique of this Sarvâstivāda 有部 teaching in verse 45 of chapter 2 of his Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (Pradhan 1967, 76–80). In sum, Vasubandhu pinpoints two issues in the teaching. Firstly, there is the issue of the essential indivisibility of a moment 刹那. Vasubandhu wonders: if a moment is, by definition, an indivisibly brief duration of time, how can a single moment accommodate nine momentary factors at once? Second, Vasubandhu contends that the doctrine of the subsidiary marks faces an infinite regress. If the mark of arising requires the subsidiary mark of the arising of arising in order to arise, then the subsidiary mark of the arising of arising itself requires a subsidiary mark of the 'arising of the arising of the arising' 生生生 in order to arise, and so forth. According to Vasubandhu, this would entail a vicious regressus ad infinitum 無窮過失. 〔阿毘達磨倶舍論 T 1558.29.27b17〕

References:

Pradhan, Prahlad, ed. 1967. Abhidharmakośa(bhāṣyam). Patna: K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute.

[Billy Brewster; source(s): Hirakawa]

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[Dictionary References]

Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0077

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Entry created: 2019-05-05