Indian Philosophy

Author(s): Sukhlal Sanghavi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 59

The Nature and the Cause of the World
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posit an ever-flowing current of momentary changes. On the Sankhya view there exists within the multiplicty of successive modifications an element called Prakṣti' which is ever-present and ubiquitous - even if this element itself too experiences state after state in correspondence with these modifications. On the Nyaya-Vaiseșika view when ever-new effects like substances etc, come into existence then the originating atoms acting as their basis experience no change of any sort whatsoever and remain something eternalundergoing-no-change. On the Jaina view too the basis of ever-new physical effects are but atoms -even if unlike on the Vaiseșika view they are not absolutely differert from and independent of those atoms. However one thing is common to the Sankhya, Nyāya-Vaišeșika, and Jaina views-viz. that the individuality of the originating substance conceived as a bearer-of properties remains ever unimpaired. Just as on the Sankhya view the indivi. duality of the one element called “Prakrti' remains unimpaired in the form of something conceived as the basis or bearer-of properties in respect of everything whatsoever 18, similarly on the Nyāya-Vaiseșikal4 and Jajnal5 views the individuality of the huge infinity of atoms ever remains in tact. Thus all these three traditions posit in their respective manners an eternal bearer-ofproperties whereas the Buddhist tradition turns out to be different from them all. For according to the latter, when there appear two different effects in the form of an earlier and a later momentary entity they share no common persisting element in the form of a bearer-of-properties. Hence it is that on the Buddhist view the subtle and gross physical-creations de place on the basis of a constantly impartite individual element but the physical world goes on experiencing change in the form of something dependently originated so that depending on the first creation there comes into existence the second, depending on the second the third, and so on and so forth. The Buddhist tradition posits no such element of the form of a material cause as gets converted in the form of an effect or gives rise to effects within its own body. Its only submission is that in the earlier appearing momentary entity there obtains some state on account of which a new state makes its appearance in the later appearing momentary entity. Thus even while not positing a single originating element or a number of them in the form of a bearer-of-properties this tradition does posit a multipli. city of elements. In fact, the Buddhist doctrine of a multiplicity of physical
nts is a doctrine of a multiplicity of series. And here too the special point to be noted is that in one and the same series the properties like colour, taste, smell, touch etc. being experienced by the various sense-org
13 Sänkhyakärikā 10 14 Aśritatvam cânyatra nityadravyebhyah.... Anāśritatvanityatve canyatra avayavi
dravyebhyaḥ--Prasastapādabhāșya, Dravyasādharmyaprakarana. 15 Ni tyävasthitāny arūpāņi. Rupinaḥ pudgalā).-Tattvärthasūtra 5. 3-4