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四緣

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: four conditions

Senses:

  • In Yogâcāra, a division into four types, of the causal conditions that produce all phenomena. In this case, the logograph 緣, which is more commonly understood in Buddhism to mean something like 'condition' also includes the meaning of 'cause' (因) in a broad, all-inclusive sense, including all kinds of associated factors and conditions. The explanation of the relationship of these four conditions to the 'six causes'  六因 differs between Yogâcāra 唯識 and Abhidharma-kośa 倶舍. These are explained in such texts as the Yogâcārabhūmi (at T 1579.30.583b21) and the Cheng weishi lun (at T 1585.31.19b22). The four causes are:
    1. 因緣 direct internal causes that produce a result (hetu-pratyaya). This refers to a directly produced effect within a person—seeds 種子 and their manifestations 現行. The production by the seeds in the ālayavijñāna 阿賴耶識 of the world cognized through the seven consciousnesses.
    2. 等無間緣 Similar and immediately antecedent conditions (samanantara-pratyaya). Since the prior instant of mind/mental functioning gives rise directly to the succeeding instant of mind, there is no gap in their leading into one another. Also called 次第緣.
    3. 所緣緣Object as condition (ālambana-pratyaya). For the mind to arise, its object must be present, so every object becomes a cause for the mind. These objects are discriminated into the two types of proximate 親所緣緣 and distant 疎所緣緣.
    4. 增上緣 Causes beyond direct motivation (adhipati-pratyaya), i.e., contingent factors as causes. This group includes all kinds of indirect contingent factors that lie outside of the three prior, relatively direct types of causation. This includes not only those things that contribute to the production of results, but also factors which aid merely by their not serving to impede or hinder.
    [Charles Muller; source(s): Ui, Nakamura, JEBD, Iwanami]
  • In the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment 圓覺經, the four elements 四大. [Charles Muller]
  • In the Vajrasamādhi-sūtra, the four causes are:
    1. 作擇滅力取緣;
    2. 本利根淨所集起緣;
    3. 本慧大悲力緣;
    4. 一覺通智力緣. 〔金剛三昧經 T 273.9.370c25〕
    [Charles Muller]
  • (Skt. caturbhiḥ kāraṇaiḥ, catvāraḥ pratyayāḥ; Tib. rkyen bzhi) [Charles Muller; source(s): Hirakawa, YBh-Ind]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 393

    Bulgyo sajeon 374a

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 339

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 276a/304

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 508d

    Fo Guang Dictionary 1832

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0282

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)1722b

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 685-3

    Sanskrit-Tibetan Index for the Yogâcārabhūmi-śāstra (Yokoyama and Hirosawa)

    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: 1993-09-01

    Updated: 2021-06-10