Buddhist Philosophy in India and Ceylon c15.s4.7

c15.s4.7

The Vaibhāṣikas have a sixfold division of causes which marks no special advance: they reckon the efficient (kāraṇa) cause, which does not impede the effect, e.g. the objects and other causes of vision; co-operative causes (sahabhū-hetu), e.g. in producing merit, correct views, &c.; causes of the same nature (sabhāga), merit producing merit; united (samprayukta) causes, e.g. faith and intelligence; omnipresent (sarvatraga) causes, like false views which affect every act; and causes of fruition (vipāka), distinguished as having effects, that is, feelings different in character from the cause which is an action.¹ There is more that is useful in the fivefold division of some schools which reckon efficient causes, e.g. seed; causes of knowledge, e.g. smoke showing flame; causes of manifestation (vyañjaka), the lamp, the jar; causes of destruction (dhvaṁsaka), denied by some as heretical as all things are momentary; and causes making one attain (prāpaka) such an object as Nirvāṇa.²