The purpose of this study is to clarify the theory of causation (Paṭiccasamuppāda) as the one that explains not only the arising and ceasing of agony but also the dependency and transience of phenomenal existence through deep understanding of the formation and development of the causal theory in early Buddhism.
Some scholars argue that causality is just about arising and ceasing of human agony and pain that should not be seen as existential correlation of dharma. To be sure, Buddha's causal theory is not about explaining the origin of the world, rather it is about explaining the dependency and transience of physical and mental manifestations. Buddha's silence (無記 : avyākata) to tīrthaka(外道)'s 14 transcendental and metaphysical questions, including "Is the world and the self eternal or not?", may have something to do with causality.
Buddha's teachings tell us that dependency and transience are the very basic nature of every existence. What is behind every suffering is the transience of existence. The causal theory is a detailed explanation of teachings about this transience. It is a theory that explains nothing is independent. Things whose existence is dependent on other things or exist only temporarily cannot be recognized as existent beings.
The theory of causation demonstrates the arising and passing away of things and phenomenon and the teachings of causality are profound and widely applicable. They encompass not only the physical world exist outside of the self but also the psychological states exist within the self.
The scope of the study is limited to the casual theory in early Buddhism. Discourses related to causality since Abhidharma Buddhism are probably part of an effort to understand the causality and transience preached by Buddha Gotama. The Abhidharma Buddhism, without revising basic principles, promote deeper understanding of causality by including polysemantic interpretations of the causal theory. Therefore, in the need for better understanding about causality, the scope of the study should not be limited to early Buddhism. This study will discuss exhaustively, from a critical point of view, about the notion of causality in Abhidharma Buddhism and the opinions of modern scholars.
Looking at the ideological background behind the advent of the causal theory through Buddha's critical views against tīrthaka(外道), which is based on ontology in Indian philosophy, is a starting point of understanding the formation and development of causality. Buddha's confrontation against tīrthaka(外道) represents the conflicts between different world views of that time and, at the same time, the difference in the way that the world was being understood.
There are numerous passages that can be found in Buddhist canonical texts about the formula of Paṭiccasamuppāda. In studying the development of the causal theory, recognizing the fact that there is a stage where a simple chain developed into a full-blown theory, and looking at what stages that it went thorough to be established will give us an insight into the relationships the causal theory has with the five aggregates theory(五蘊說) and the six sensory faculties theory(六入處說).
The Twelvefold Formula of Causation is the most well-established version of causality. Focusing on causal relations is necessary in having a full grasp of the twelvefold formula. There are two major interpretations of causal relations, a purely temporal causality and a purely mutually dependent logicality.
The temporal causality is a causal relationship in terms of the passing of time that we feel in our daily lives. The cause and effect theory of three time periods(三世兩重因果說), which divides twelve components into the three parts of past, present, future, is based on a temporal causality. This can be categorized as linear interpretation.
On the contrary, the mutually dependent logicality is from a same-time perspective. Unlike, the temporal causality, whether two events are mutually dependent or not is figured out through logical inference. The mutually dependent logicality is mutual relations among existent beings, that is, a mutually dependent relationship between one's consciousness and a thing. In conclusion, the temporal causality is linear while the mutually dependent logicality is simultaneous, logical, and nonlinear.
After looking at a dichotomous view of causality being either temporal or mutually dependent, a conclusion was reached that both are merely the different interpretations from Buddhist scholars about Buddha's insight, and they are mutually complementary.
In studying the causal theory in early Buddhism, it is indeed meaningful to focus on the developmental process of causality. However, since philosophy determines the value of life based on its interpretation of the way we live our life, what's more important is to understand the philosophical undertone of causality. Causality without philosophical insights is meaningless. Therefore, instead of obsessively pondering upon each cause and its connections with other causes, it would be wise to take a practical approach to causality and think that since they are conditional, agony and pain can be resolved by eliminating their conditions.