Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s10.t13: Dasapadarthasastra
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s10.t13
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Dasapadarthasastra
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*Daśapadārthaśāstra* is an important work of Vaiśeṣika in ancient Indian philosophy. It was likely written in the 6ᵗʰ century CE and authored by Maticandra. Original Sanskrit version was failed to be handled down from past generations in India. In the 7ᵗʰ century CE, it was translated into Chinese in one volume by eminent Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty.
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Philosophy theories stated in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* are quite different from other two major Vaiśeṣika literatures stored in India which are Vaiśeṣika-sūtra and Padārtha-dharma-saṃgraha.
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Since foundation, Vaiśeṣika devoted to discuss types and basic forms of natural phenomena. This school proposed the theory of padārthas (categories) and believed that categories are solid materials relative to views or concepts. And things in the world are constructed by several categories which are the basic theory frame of *Daśapadārthaśāstra*. All of the philosophy thoughts are contained in the ten categories.
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Vaiśeṣika-sūtra, the original fundamental classic of Vaiśeṣika, believed that there are six basic categories ie dravya-padārtha (substance), guna-padārtha (attribute), karma-padārtha (action), sāmānya-padārtha (universal), viśeṣa-padārtha (particularity), and samavāya-padārtha (inherence). However, *Daśapadārthaśāstra* thought that there are 10 padārthas, adding four categories to six basic categories of Vaiśeṣika-sūtra, which are śakti-padārthas (potentiality), aśakti-padārthas (non-potentiality), sādṛśya-padārthas (commonness) and abhāva-padārthas (non-existence).
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‘*Daśapadārthaśāstra* (*Sheng zong shiju yilun*)’, *Dazheng* edition
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Meanings of these 10 categories are as follow:
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Dravya-padārtha refers to substance of things. Nine substances are Pṛthvī (earth), Ap (water), Tejas (fire), Vāyu (wind), Ākaśa (ether), Kāla (time), Dik (space), Ātman (self) and Manas (mind). Among these nine substances, the first four substances (earth, water, fire and wind) are material elements which are formed by atoms and their compounds. The fifth substance (Ākaśa) refers to spaciousness which is medium of sound transmission. Things could move in this substance. The sixth substance (Kāla) refers to time. And the reason why people realise the concept of present, past, synchronization, non-synchronisation, slowness, and quickness is the existence of this substance. The seventh substance (Dik) refers to space or location. Because of the existence of this substance, people could generate the concept of east, south, west, north, up, and down. The eighth substance (Ātman) refers to individual spirit or subjectivity of consciousness. Different bodies have different selves, and the existence of selves is confirmed by many biological phenomena. The ninth substance (Manas) refers to the link (an internal sense) between self and several external senses. When five senses get in touch with external environments, people sometimes generate cognition, sometimes not. And this is the existence of minds.
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Guṇa-padārtha refers to static qualities or attributes. There are 24 attributes, which are colour, taste, smell, touch, number, extension, individuality, conjunction, disjunction, priority, posteriority, cognition, pleasure, pain, desire, aversion, effort, gravity, fluidity, viscidity, impression, merit, demerit, and sound. First four attributes individually belong to earth, water, fire, and wind. Fifth to 11th attributes are related to relations or forms of things. Twelfth to 17th attributes are related to qualities or forms of life. Eighteen to 20 attributes are related to modalities of objects. Twenty-first to 23rd attributes are related to potential force or usage of human behaviours. Twenty-forth is the substance ether. The 24 attributes stated in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* are different from those in Vaiśeṣika-sūtra. There are only 17 attributes founded in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*.
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Karma-padārtha refers to action form of things. There are five actions, which are action throwing upward, action throwing downward, action contracting, action expanding and action going.
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Sāmānya-padārtha refers to generality or universality among things. Universality in Vaiśeṣika-sūtra refers to relative sameness among things and existence of things. But universality in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* only refers to existence. In Vaiśeṣika’s opinion, this quality is shared by all existed things.
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Viśesa-padārtha refers to particularity or otherness among things in Vaiśeṣika. In Vaiśeṣika-sūtra, it refers to relatively different relations among things and final differences of things. But in *Daśapadārthaśāstra*, particularity, only refers to final differences of things. In Vaiśeṣika’s opinion, everything has particularities to differentiate itself from other things.
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Samavāya-padārtha refers to inseparable causality related to substance and attribute of things. Inherence is inner connection existed in things. In Vaiśeṣika’s opinion, differences of each category are concept. But in fact, they are all united in substances. It is inherence which generates the inseparable relation between substances and attributes.
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Śakti-padārthas refers to the inherent connection in substances, attributes and actions. Potentiality is indispensable for them to produce their own common effect co-operatively or their own particular effects independently. And it is related to generation or formation of things, which plays a part in generation of specific substance. This category could only be found in *Daśapadārthaśāstra*. There is no such category in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* and *Padārtha-dharma-saṁgraha*.
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Aśakti-padārthas refers to the inherent connection in substances, attributes and actions. Non-potentiality is indispensable for them to prevent from producing other effects co-operatively or independently. And it is related to the matter that substance could not or will not be generated in specific condition. This category could only be found in *Daśapadārthaśāstra*. There is no such category in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* and *Padārtha-dharma-saṁgraha*.
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Sādṛśya-padārthas refers to relative universalities and particularities among things that universalities are limited to existence, particularities are limited to final distinctiveness, and the rest relative universalities and particularities are another category. Commonness could only be found in *Daśapadārthaśāstra*, however, it is related to some contents in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* and Padārtha-dharma-saṁgraha. *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* and *Padārtha-dharma-saṁgraha* believe that universalities and particularities are relative that they depend on the perspective human being considered. In some circumstance, some concepts are considered as universalities which would be considered as particularities in other circumstances. For instance, substance-ness (substance) as a concept is different from category, because it is merely one of the categories. But it is universal to earth, water, fire and wind, because earth, water, fire and wind belong to substance. Relative universalities and particularities are not treated as an independent category in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* and *Padārtha-dharma-saṃgraha*. In *Daśapadārthaśāstra*, particularity only refers to final distinctiveness (ultimate particularity) and universality only refers to the existence (status of being) of things. *Daśapadārthaśāstra* separates relative universalities and particularities from the category universality and the category particularity, and founds the category commonness.
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Abhāva-padārthas refers to the non-existence status. The five non-existences are antecedent non-existence, subsequent non-existence, reciprocal non-existence, absolute non-existence, and natural non-existence. Antecedent non-existence refers to the non-existence status before effect is produced; subsequent non-existence refers to the non-existence status after things have been destroyed; reciprocal non-existence refers to the non-existence status that things are not mutually present in others; absolute non-existence refers to the non-existence status that things cannot be produced in the past, the present, and the future; natural non-existence refers to the non-existence status that one thing would not abide in one another. This category could only be found in *Daśapadārthaśāstra*. There is no such category in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*, however, some statements in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* are related to the category non-existence. *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* mentions some non-existence status but not defining them as a category.
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Although *Daśapadārthaśāstra* contains more categories than *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra* and *Padārtha-dharma-saṃgraha*, practical matters discussed in these works are similar. These categories refer to philosophy matters such as atoms, cognitions, universality and particularity, time and space, and actions.
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Atoms are considered as the minimum unit of substance by Vaiśeṣika. In *Daśapadārthaśāstra*, The four gross elements - earth, water, fire and wind of substance are atoms and their compounds. Atoms of different species have certain qualities, for instance, earth has colour, taste, smell and touch; water has colour, taste, touch, fluidity and viscidity; fire has colour and touch; wind has touch. Original action of atoms is related to merit and demerit. Merit and demerit is an invisible power which is called invisible force in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*. It can cause the action of atoms and the production of some natural phenomena. Atoms can create all kinds of species, however, atoms cannot be produced by other substances. And atoms are indestructible. Atoms in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* are similar with atoms in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*.
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All ancient India philosophy schools discussed cognitions. There are two cognitions discussed in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* which are perception and inference. It believed that there are three kinds of perceptions. The first perception is produced by contact of four (factors) that self, mind, sense-organs and objects are combined to produce perception. The second perception is produced by contact of three (factors) that self, mind and sense-organs are combined to produce perception. The third perception is produced by contact of two (factors) that self and mind are combined to produce perception. Inference discussed in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* is of two kinds. The first one is inference from seeing a common property. For instance, fire can be deducted from seeing smoke. In this case, smoke and fire exist at the same time. The second one is inference form not seeing a common property. For instance, rain can be deducted by dark clouds. In this case, dark clouds and rain cannot exist at the same time. Details of cognitions in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* are different from cognitions in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*.
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Statements about universality and particularity, time and space, and actions in *Daśapadārthaśāstra* are similar with related statements in *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*. There are some differences in expression, but they are the same in essence.
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*Daśapadārthaśāstra* did not have much impact in ancient India. But it was translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, and spread in China. It is a work of India philosophy school, and it is not belonging to Buddhism. But it is included in Chinese Tripiṭaka. Thus it can be seen that it was valued by Chinese Buddhist in the ancient times. The ten categories are always mentioned when Vaiśeṣika is discussed in translated or Chinese Buddhism works. And they are considered as an important Vaiśeṣika theory after *Vaiśeṣika-sūtra*. This theory is often reported and criticized in ancient Chinese Buddhism works.
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*Daśapadārthaśāstra* is highly emphasised in the modern and contemporary history of China. There are papers about it in academic journals in modern China. And contents on this subject could also be found in treatises or textbooks of India religious philosophy published in modern Chinese history.
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(*Yao Weiqun*)
Cites (2)
- Padārthadharmasaṅgraha — Praśastapāda, Sanskrit
- Vaiśeṣikasūtra — Kaṇāda, Sanskrit