Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/108

This page needs to be proofread.

9 2 Buddhist Philosophy [CH. rlipa, ac;layatana, sparsa, vedana, trl)a, upadana and the bhava (leading to another life) of the present actual life. This bhava produces the jati and jaramarar:ta of the next life 1. It is interesting to note that these twelve links in the chain extending in three sections over three lives are all but the manifestations of sorrow to the bringing in of which they natur- ally determine one another. Thus Abhidhammattlzasangaha says" each of these twelve terms is a factor. For the composite term 'sorrow,' etc. is only meant to show incidental consequences of birth. Again when 'ignorance' and 'the actions of the mind' have been taken into account, craving Ur?lii), grasping (uPiidiina) and (karma) becoming (bhava) are implicitly ac- counted for also. In the same manner when craving, grasping and (karma) becoming have been taken into account, ignorance and the actions of the mind are (implicitly) accounted for, also; and when birth, decay, and death are taken into account, even the fivefold fruit, to wit (rebirth), consciousness, and the rest are accounted for. And thus: Five causes in the Past and Now a fivefold ' fruit.' Five causes Now and yet to come a fivefold' fruit' make up the Twenty Modes, the Three Connections (I. sankhara and viflflana, 2. vedana and tal)ha, 3. bhava and jati) and the four groups (one causal group in the Past, one resultant group in the Present, one causal group in the Present and one resultant group in the Future, each group consisting of five modes)2." These twelve interdependent links (dviidasaizga) represent the paticcasam u ppada (pratityasamutpiida) doctrines (dependent origination)3 which are themselves but sorrow and lead to cycles of sorrow. The term paticcasamuppada or pratltyasamutpada has been differently interpreted in later Buddhist literature 4 . 1 This explanation probably cannot be found in the early Pali texts; but Buddha- gho!iia mentions it in SU11laizgalaviliisi1li on ./¥Iahanidiina suttanta. We find it also in Abhidhammatthasmigaha, VIII. 3. Ignorance and the actions of the mind belong to the past; "birth," "decay and death" to the future; the intermediate eight to the present. It is styled as trikaQc).aka (having three branches) in Abhidhamzakofa, JJJ. 20-24. Two in the past branch, two in the future and eight in the middle "sa pratitynsamlltpiido dviidafiiizgastrikazfjakaJ.z pilrvajJariintayordve dve 1/ladhye!all." 2 Aung and Mrs Rhys Davids' translation of Abhidhammatthasaizgaha, pp. 189-190. S The twelve links are not always constant. Thus in the list given in the Dialogues of the Buddha, II. 23 f., avijja and sankhara have been omitted and the start has been made with consciousness, and it has been said that" Cognition turns back from name and form; it goes not beyond." 4 M. V. p. 5 f.