abhutva bhava

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    Abhtvd-bhdva

    Akiko Osaki i s the settl ed theory the Sautranti ka often uses when i t

    attacks the theory and the four phases of the seventy two dharnzas1)which the Sarvastivada stands for. To examine the meaning of the Sautra-ntika holds and to give a definition of it is the purpose of this paper.

    The Sanskrit abhatva, which means "not having existed before", was trans-l ated i nto Chi nese . Accordi ngl y the Chi nese character means ' before'i n the sense of ti me. , however, i s not al ways used as the past, so that i t i snecessary to cl ari fy the usage of beforehnd.

    The first examination is the case of the dispute arisen between the Sautran-tika and the Sarvastivada on the four phases of the d harmas, i. e. birth, dura-tion, transformation and destruction. The Sautrantika, criticizing the Sarvasti-vada's stand that the four phases take place simultaneously, says in the Abhi-dharma-kola-bhasya: "The three (four) phases which take place at the samemoment are not perceptible. Those which can not be perceived are not admit-ted as phases2)." and continues: "The dharma, not having existed before, nowcomes into existence: this is the phase of the dharma called birth (jati). Thephase 'duration' (sthiti) shows that the dharma exists for a certain period oftime. The dharma, during its stay in the present, differs from its precedingand succeeding d harmas: this difference is what is called transformation (anya-thatva). The phase 'destruction' (atita) indicates that the d harrna will return tonon-existence3)."

    It is understood, therefore, that when the Sautrantika refers to the four pha-ses of the dharnzas, i s used i n the sense of the future.

    Second, i n the course of the argument agai nst the theory the Sau-trantika, defining the three modes of time, says, "The future is the state ofthe d karma which has not yet come into existence. The d harma, after havingcome into existence, stays for a time: this state means the present. The past

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    Abhutva-bhava (A. Osaki) (20)is the state of the dharma which became non-existent4). " In this case *isalso used as the future.

    Third, the Sautrantika, disapproving of the first sutra-proof the Sarvastivadabrings up, refutes, "The eye-organ arises out of nowhere, and after ceasing itsfunction, it returns to non-existence5)."* shows the past here.

    Finally, if the above mentioned statement were said to the Sarvastivada'ssecond sutra-proof and the first theory-proof whose standpoints are of episte-mol ogy, woul d have two meani ngs, the past and the future. And the twoare i nterchangeabl e i n .

    If the past and the future are interchangeable, the image of time will notbe formed; there will be only past d harmas succeeding and arraying in a fixedorder and future d harmas scattering in confusion. Therefore, the present (time),being free from the restriction of time, transforms into 'here' (space).

    Then t he fol l ow ng i s the conclusi on: i s used i n three di Herent ways, sothat the Sautranti ka' s has three aspects: the i mage of ti me whi ch runs f rom

    past to future, and of time which runs from future to past, and then the stand-point of space.

    Havi ng examned , we are now ready to consi der the Sautranti ka' s . Thet heor y' , ( The dhar s, not having exi st ed bef or e, come int o exi s"tence, and after having existed for a while, return to non-existence; Abhutva bhavatibhtuva ca prati mgaohati ). i s used for expl ai ni ng the sautranti ka' s doctri ne' ' (The present dhaas are exi stent, the dhars of the past and thefuture, non-existent.), and since this doctrine is founded on the theory of the bi a,the theory of the bi a ought to be known clearly in order to understand what i ndi cates.

    Vasubandhu explains the bi j a in the Abhidharma-kosa-bhasya as follows:The brjas are the potentialities which the panca skandhas are endowed with, andwhich engender their fruits (phala), i, e. the actual dharmas6).

    And further he continues:The effect of man's deeds is produced from the bi as Iwhich are in a state of flux,being momentary, producing bijas similar to themselves, engendering actual dha-rmas and being permeated by actual dharmas. The active dharmas, at the moment

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    (21) Abhutva-bhava (A. Osaki)of their birth, create and permeate bijas, and further maintain and increase bijas.The bijas thus have a superior power of producing actual dharmas. Hence the con-tinuation (sarntati), evolution (parinama) and manifestation (vesesa) of the bijas7).

    The bijas are defined to be in the present but different from the actuald harmas. The form of existence of the past d harinas (already destructed) iscal l ed , and the future dharuas(not yet born), . Both the bi j as andthe d harmas are in the present but the two are different in nature. They coexistbeing reciprocally cause and effect.

    I t may be concl uded that the Sautrnti ka's was set up on the assumpti onthat the bi j as are existent as the transformed d harmas that once have existed( )and as the potenti al dharnzas f rom whi ch the actual dharnzas are to beborn i n t he f ut ure( ) , so t hat , and are i nt erpenet rat ed onthe same level.

    I t i s not i nsi gni cant to t ouch upon the doctri ne bef oregi ving a def i ni ti on of the Sautranti ka' s . I n the Abhi dharma-koa-bhasya theSarvasti vada gi ves two stra-proofs and two theory-proofs to defend the theory. These proof s show that the theory was set up f rom threedifferent points of view: religious, moral and epistemological viewpoints. Inother words, the d harmas must always be existent, so that the d harmas canbe the sufficient grounds for establishing the law of cause and effect, and alsocan be the indispensable factors (indriya and artha) when the vijnana becomesacti ve. We can say, then, that the words do not mean the three modesof time (the past, future and present), but they mean the d harmas existing inthe three peri ods of ti me. As to the Chi nese transl at i on, i t i s suspected that translated the dharnas of the three peri ods i nto the Chi nese , because The dharnzas are someti mes cal l ed adh an( )8).

    I t may be asked, then, i f and are the same as ni t ya( ) . The theory was set up in the process of theoret ical l y systema-tizing the doctrine of Early Buddhism based on the fundamental teaching of thei mpermanence and non-substanti al i ty of elements. For that reaSon, and shoul d be cl earl y di sti ngui shed f rom . The statement whi ch appears i nthe Ab)hidharma-kosa-bhasya deni tely proves i t. I t reads; "The Vaibhasi kas say

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    Abhutva-bhava (A. Osaki) (22)that all d harmas do exist but not eternally, for the dharmas are conditioned9)."

    The sarvasti vada' s ought to be consi dered f rom two di rent angl es, thatis, the f our phases of the d harmas which indicate that the d harmas arise fromthe future and proceed to the past, and that of time which flows from thepast towards the future. (the present) does not exist i ndependentl y; i t l slinked to the past and the future, not continually but uncontinually, becausethe d harmas are momentary. In such case, the image of time may be formedin a straight line that runs from past to future.

    As to the sautranti (ka professes, i t i ndi cates the constant exi stence of thebijas as well as the d harmas in the present. The past and future dharmas, i.e. the bijas, and the present dharmas (actual dharmas) are neither identical nordifferent. The two are different in nature, so that they can coexist withoutcontradicting each other.

    Since the active dharmas and the bijas are existent in the present, it maybe held that there is neither past nor future, and that there is only the presentnow . l t must be, however, emembered here that the Sautranti ka's ought

    to be examned f rom three di f ferent angl es. l n the case i s used i n two ways-the present and the future-the image of time does not take shape, because thereis a denial of sequence of the d harmas, the one arising after the other in anunchangeable order; there is only a logical relation among a tremendous num-ber of disorderly d harmas.

    The concl usi on i s to be, that the Sautranti ka' s (ti me)i nvol ves the con-cept of space(now . Bhaa, bei ng the ori gi nal word for the Sautranti ka' s ,happens to suggest i t exqui si tel y. Whether thi s means"I am the begi nni ngand the end." is another question.

    1) The three non-conditioned dharmas in five categories are excluded.2) The Abhidharma-kola-bhasya (Pradhan), p. 77, ii. 3-5p3) Ibid., p. 78, 11, 2-40 4) Ibid., p. 298, 11. 9-1005) Ibid., p. 299, 11. 12-140 6) Ibid., p. 64, ii. 4-607) Ibid., p. 477, 11. 14-180 8) Ibid., p. 5, 1. 309) Ibid., p. 295, ii. 4-50

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