Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c7.s4.5

c7.s4.5

says: Yathā cikitsāśāstram caturvyūham, rogo rogahetur ārogyam bhaiṣajyam iti evam idam api śāstram catur vyūham eva tad yathā saṃsāraḥ saṃsārahetur mokṣo mokṣopāya iti (just as the science of medicine has four sections dealing with the diagnosis, cause and cure of diseases, and their remedies, so also this science of spiritual healing has four sections dealing with an examination of the nature of the things of the world, the cause of their origin, their removal, and the factors that bring about the removal). The Abhidharmakośa also follows up this interpretation by coalescing the four truths into two, viz., cause and effect, saṃsāra (world) and nirvāṇa (cessation). Duḥkha and samudaya relate to saṃsāra, while nirodha and mārga to Nirvāṇa. Saṃsāra (world) is the effect while samudaya is its cause; so also Nirvāṇa (cessation) is the effect while mārga is its cause.¹