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六因

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: six kinds of causes

Senses:

  • The sixfold division of causes of the Vaibhāṣikas; every phenomenon depends upon the union of primary cause 因 and 緣 conditional or environmental cause; there are six kinds:
    1. 能作因 karaṇahetu, effective causes of two kinds: 與力因 empowering cause, as the earth empowers plant growth, and 不障因 non-resistant cause, as space does not resist, i. e. active and passive causes;
    2. concurrent causes 倶有因 sahabhūhetu, co-operative causes, as the four elements 四大 in nature, not one of which can be omitted;
    3. concomitant causes 相應因 saṃprayuktahetu, mutual responsive or associated causes, e.g., mind and mental conditions, subject with object, such as 'faith and intelligence;'
    4. 同類因 sabhāgahetu, causes of the same kind as the effect, good producing good, etc.;
    5. pervasively operating causes 遍行因 sarvatragahetu, universal or omnipresent cause, i.e., of illusion, as of false views affecting every act;
    6. causes that differ from their fruits 異熟因 vipākahetu, differential fruition, i. e. the effect different from the cause, as the hells are from evil deeds.
    (Skt. ṣaḍhetavaḥ, ṣaṭ-kāraṇa, ṣaṭkāraṇāni; Tib. rgyu drug) 〔成唯識論 T 1585.31.41c22〕 〔雜阿毘曇心論〕 [Charles Muller; source(s): Ui, Nakamura, Soothill, Hirakawa, YBh-Ind]
  • The six kinds of causes taught in the Dasheng ru lengqie jing 大乘入楞伽經, which come about based on beginningless delusion: 當有因, 相屬因, 相因, 能作因, 顯了因, and 觀待因. [Charles Muller; source(s): Nakamura]
  • In East Asian Buddhist logic, six kinds of reasons (or causes):
    1. language as generative cause 言生因,
    2. knowledge as generative cause 智生因,
    3. meaning as generative cause 義生因,
    4. knowledge as awareness cause 智了因,
    5. language as awareness cause 言了因,
    6. meaning as awareness cause 義了因
    [Charles Muller; source(s): Nakamura]
  • The six causations of the 六位 six stages of bodhisattva development. [Charles Muller; source(s): Soothill]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 1131

    Bulgyo sajeon 685a

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 238b/264

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 1449b

    Fo Guang Dictionary 1256

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0166

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)5051b,172b

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 91-1*1819-1

    (Soothill's) Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms 133

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 1997-09-15

    Updated: 2020-12-19