俱舍論疏 7.100

7.100

論「如是即顯至住長因性」，總結也。母能起子，師能變弟子，地持萬物，食令命得住，水令樹得長，即是四大共為五因。《正理論》云「或生因者，一切大種生所造色，非離諸大種有造色生故。造色生已，同類相續不斷位中，火為依因，能令乾燥不爛壞故；水為立因，能為侵潤令不散故；地為持因，能任持彼令不墜故；風為養因，能引發彼令增長故。如是大種雖與所造無俱有等五種因義，而有生等五種別因，故與經、論無相違失。」

The treatise says: "This thus reveals... the nature of causes of abiding and growth." This is an overall summary. A mother can give rise to a child, a teacher can transform a student, the earth sustains all things, food allows life to abide, and water allows a tree to grow—these are the four great elements collectively serving as the five causes. The Nyāyānusāra says: "Alternatively, regarding the generating cause: all primary elements generate derived matter, for without the primary elements no derived matter arises. Once derived matter has arisen, in its state of uninterrupted, similar continuum: fire is the supporting cause, because it can dry it so that it does not rot; water is the establishing cause, because it can moisten it so that it does not disperse; earth is the maintaining cause, because it can sustain it so that it does not collapse; wind is the nourishing cause, because it can stimulate it so that it increases. In this way, although the primary elements do not possess the five causal meanings such as coexistent cause with respect to derived matter, they do have five distinct causes such as the generating cause; thus there is no contradiction with sūtras or treatises."