寂護=Śāntarakṣita; 童中尊=Kumārila; 因果=Causation; 生果作用=Causal activity (vyāpāra); 生果功能=Causal power (śakti)
摘要
凡涉及因果話題，哲學家們都需回答以下問題：因果關係到底是什麼？除了西方哲學傳統之外，印度哲學家們對這一問題也有諸多回應。瀰漫差學者童中尊（Kumārila）提出因果作用說（vyāpāra），認為因和果有「作用」，這種作用是因果關係的本質所在。佛教哲學家寂護（Śāntarakṣita）對此持不同觀點，他駁斥因是通過「作用」而生果這一觀點並表示，除了因自身的存在之外，別無其他作用。本文由童中尊和寂護的論辯入手，通過對「規律性伴隨」（ānantaryaniyama, the restriction on immediate succession）、生果功能（śakti，causal power）、世間假立（saṅketa，convention）等概念的討論來梳理寂護的因果論。對寂護而言，因果關係並不指涉某種形而上的真實，而只是指稱事物的規律性生發而已。事物之間的這種規律性生發狀態被稱為「規律性伴隨」，意思是某種特定的果總是規律性地出現在某種特定的因之後。一切討論因果關係的術語都只是方便說法，是根據人們的意願和實用目的設立而成。
Any philosopher who engages the topic of causality must answer the following questions: what does the causal relation imply? In addition to the discussions in western philosophy, Indian philosophers have also provided extensive answers. The Mīmāṃsaka philosopher Kumārila put forward the idea of causal activity (vyāpāra), which functions as the intermediary between cause and effect and is believed to be the core essence of causal relation. Śāntarakṣita, a Buddhist philosopher, holds a different view on this issue. He rejects the idea that the cause leads to its result by performing causal activity and claims that the only activity is the existence of the cause. My paper, starting from the divergence between Kumārila and Śāntarakṣita, will discuss Śāntarakṣita’s discussion of causation by investigating the concept of “the restriction on the immediate succession (ānantaryaniyama)”, “causal power (śakti)”, and “convention (saṅketa)”. According to Śāntarakṣita, the causal relation does not imply a metaphysical reality but refers to the regular occurrence of things only. The regularities between things are described as “restriction on the immediate succession”, which means that certain kinds of effects always follow certain kinds of causes. All the terms regarding causality are merely conventions that are created for a practical purpose according to people’s whims.
目次
Introduction 98 Śāntarakṣita: Causation as the Restriction on Immediate Succession (Ānantaryaniyama) 101 The Causal Power (Śakti) of the Cause 110 The Causal Relation as a Convention (saṅketa) 118 Conclusion 123
