Land of Enlightened Wisdom

Six Causes and Four Conditions

SIX CAUSES

1. Acting Causes all phenomena, other than the result itself, which do not impede the production or arising of something. A) Potent Acting Cause – Seed, B) Impotent Acting Cause - Space

2. Mutual or Simultaneously Arising Causes – causes that arise simultaneously with their result. The cause and result relationship cannot exist without the other, and mutually contribute to the production and arising of the other. A) Elements: wind, fire, water, earth, space, and table (physical form), B) Defining Characteristics and Basis C) Primary and Secondary Consciousnesses. Subcategory is congruent and noncongruent –listed below.

3. Equal Status or Same Type Causes – causes for which the results are later moments in the same category of phenomena as they are; i.e. 1) prior moments of Patience produce later moments of Patience. 2) Discriminating Awareness in plane of sensory desires that comes from listening being equal status cause of Discriminating Awareness in the place of sensory desires that comes from thinking.

4. Congruent Causes – causes that share five things in common with their results: Primary and Secondary Consciousness share: 1. Same Focal Object, 2. Mental Aspect, 3. Cognitive Sensor, 4. Time, and 5. Each arises from its own natal source, its own tendency.

5. Omnipresent (Many or Frequently) Causes – disturbing emotions and attitudes that generate subsequent disturbing emotions/attitudes in the same plane of existence. Deluded View -> Attachment. (Cause and result do not need to be in the same ethical status.)

6. Ripening Causes – destructive phenomena and contaminated constructive phenomema, not devoid of craving that the have potential to produce five aggregates factors of a future rebirth states.

FOUR CONDITIONS

1. Causal Conditions – all causes that have the power to produce a specific result other than acting causes.

2. Immediately Preceding Conditions – immediately preceding moment of awareness, which produces the appearance-making and cognizing of the next moment of awareness. i.e. only Primary Consciousness and Mental Factors.

3. Focal Conditions - that which presents an aspect of itself to be an object of cognition.

4. Ruling/Dominating Conditions that which produces the essential nature of something; i.e. the eye sensors for the visual consciousness and congruent mental factors of visual cognition.

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