Buddhist Philosophy in India and Ceylon c15.s4.2

c15.s4.2

But the elaboration of twenty-four with its obvious weaknesses as we can see them in their exposition in the *Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha* is opposed by others, who give four causes only, while one set of Sarvāstivādins made seven.¹ The four are the true cause (*hetu*), which engenders a thing, like the seed; the support (*ālambana*) which serves to engender thought and its sequels (*citta-caitta*) born of the true cause; the immediately contiguous (*samanantara*) cause, which is either the destruction of the cause,² as the seed is destroyed to produce the shoot, or the stream of thought which gives room for the presentation in question; and the dominant (*adhipati*), denoting that on whose existence the other depends. The last of these is styled also the means, and the second and third are classed as embracing (*parigrahaka*) causes, since they envelop the true cause, and further its maturity.