俱舍論頌疏論本 6.9

6.9

The commentary explains: 'Except itself' refers only to conditioned dharmas. When a conditioned dharma arises, its own entity is excluded, because an entity cannot be a cause for itself; hence it must be excluded. 'Everything else is efficient' directly clarifies the essence of the cause. When a conditioned dharma arises, all other dharmas apart from its own entity do not obstruct it, and are called efficient causes. Therefore, the word 'else' (yu) in the verse extends to all dharmas, meaning that both conditioned and unconditioned dharmas serve as the essence of the efficient cause. Thus the treatise states: 'All conditioned dharmas, excluding only their own entities, have all dharmas as their efficient causes, because there is no obstruction when they arise.' The explanation says: Explaining the efficient cause by the meaning of non-obstruction shows that the scope of the efficient cause is broad, encompassing all dharmas. The sovereign fruit (adhipatiphala) is narrow, being only conditioned dharmas. Because a cause is able to produce a fruit, it is called an efficient cause (kāraṇahetu); that which is capable of producing is itself the cause—this is a karmadhāraya compound. Question: 'According to this meaning, the remaining five causes could also be called efficient causes, since they can all produce fruits; why is this cause alone called efficient?' Answer: 'The treatise states: "Although the nature of the other causes is also that of an efficient cause, the efficient cause has no other distinct name. Just as with the visible-form base (rūpāyatana) and so forth, the general term serves as the specific name." The explanation says: The remaining five causes all have specific names, whereas the efficient cause alone lacks a separate name. Because it is differentiated from the other five causes, although this efficient cause bears a general designation, it receives this as its specific name.'