Padmakara Translation Group

Chapter 20 - An Examination of the Confluence of Causes and Conditions

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1. If the result arising from the confluence

Of causes and conditions

Is within that confluence,

How can it arise from such a confluence?

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2. If the result arising from the confluence

Of causes and conditions

Is not within the confluence,

How can it arise from such a confluence?

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3. If the result is in the confluence

Of causes and conditions,

It should be detectable within that confluence.

But in the confluence it's not detectable.

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4. If the result is not within the confluence

Of causes and conditions,

Then these causes, these conditions

Are equal to noncauses, nonconditions.

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5. If, giving to the fruit its causal strength,

The cause comes to an end,

The cause will have two natures:

One as giving, one as ceasing.

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6. And if the cause came to an end

Without imparting to the fruit its causal strength,

The fruit that came from such an ended cause

Would be in fact without a cause.

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7. If the fruit arises

In the selfsame moment as the confluence,

It follows that producer and produced

Are simultaneous.

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8. If the fruit arises

Prior to the confluence,

This fruit would be uncaused,

Its causes and conditions being absent.

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9. If the cause, on ceasing,

Is transferred into the fruit,

It follows that this cause,

Which previously was born, is born again.

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10. How can something that has ceased and disappeared

Engender the effect produced?

How can a cause engender its result

When still existent and conjoined with it?

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11. But if the cause and fruit are not connected,

What fruit is it that is engendered?

Whether it can or cannot "see" them,

A cause does not produce effects.

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12. There can never be

A meeting of the past effect

With a cause that's past,

That has now arisen, or is yet to come.

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13. There can never be a meeting

Of the effect that's now arisen

With a cause not yet arisen,

Or that's past or else is now arisen.

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14. There can never be a meeting

Of an effect not yet arisen

With a cause that's now arisen,

Or is yet to come, or is already past.

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15. If there is no meeting,

How is a result engendered by a cause?

But even if there is a meeting,

How is a result engendered by a cause?

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16. How can a cause that's empty of effect

Bring about this same effect?

How can a cause not empty of effect

Bring about this same effect?

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17. An effect that is not empty cannot come to be.

An effect that is not empty cannot cease to be.

Since it is not empty,

It's unceasing and unborn.

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18. But how can what is empty come to be?

And how can what is empty cease to be?

It follows too that what is empty

Is unceasing and unborn.

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19. That cause and fruit are one

Is never tenable.

That cause and fruit are different

Is never tenable.

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20. If cause and fruit are one,

The product and producer are identical.

If cause and fruit are different,

Then cause and non-cause are equivalent.

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21. If the effect possesses an existence in and of itself,

What is it that the cause produces?

If the effect has no existence in and of itself,

What is it that the cause produces?

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22. What is not productive

Is not tenable as cause.

But if the cause is inadmissible,

From what will the effects derive?

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23. Since the confluence

Of causes and conditions

Is not self-produced,

How can it produce effects?

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24. Thus a confluence does not produce effects;

And neither are effects produced from what is not a confluence.

Since therefore there are no effects,

Where is the confluence of causes and conditions?

Garfield

Chapter 20 - Examination of Combination

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1. If, arising from the combination of

Causes and conditions,

The effect is in the combination,

How could it arise from the combination?

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2. If, arising from the combination of

Causes and conditions,

The effect is not in the combination,

How could it arise from the combination?

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3. If the effect is in the combination

Of causes and conditions,

Then it should be grasped in the combination.

But it is not grasped in the combination.

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4. If the effect is not in the combination

Of causes and conditions,

Then actual causes and conditions

Would be like noncauses and nonconditions.

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5. If the cause, in having its effect,

Ceased to have its causal status,

There would be two kinds of cause:

With and without causal status.

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6. If the cause, not yet having

Produced its effect, ceased,

Then having arisen from a ceased cause,

The effect would be without a cause.

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7. If the effect were to arise

Simultaneously with the collection,

Then the produced and the producer

Would arise simultaneously.

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8. If the effect were to arise

Prior to the combination,

Then, without causes and conditions,

The effect would arise causelessly.

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9. If, the cause having ceased, the effect

Were a complete transformation of the cause,

Then a previously arisen cause

Would arise again.

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10. How can a cause, having ceased and dissolved,

Give rise to a produced effect?

How can a cause joined with its effect produce it

If they persist together?

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11. Moreover, if not joined with its cause,

What effect can be made to arise?

Neither seen nor unseen by causes

Are effects produced.

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12. There is never a simultaneous connection

Of a past effect

With a past, a nonarisen,

Or an arisen cause.

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13. There is never a simultaneous connection

Of an arisen effect

With a past, a nonarisen,

Or an arisen cause.

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14. There is never a simultaneous connection

Of a nonarisen effect

With a past, a nonarisen,

Or an arisen cause.

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15. Without connecting,

How can a cause produce an effect?

Where there is connection,

How can a cause produce an effect?

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16. If the cause is empty of an effect,

How can it produce an effect?

If the cause is not empty of an effect,

How can it produce an effect?

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17. A nonempty effect does not arise.

The nonempty would not cease.

This nonempty would be

The nonceased and the nonarisen.

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18. How can the empty arise?

How can the empty cease?

The empty will hence also

Be the nonceased and nonarisen.

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19. For cause and effect to be identical

Is not tenable.

For cause and effect to be different

Is not tenable.

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20. If cause and effect were identical,

Produced and producer would be identical.

If cause and effect were different,

Cause and non-cause would be alike.

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21., If an effect had entitihood,

What could have caused it to arise?

If an effect had no entitihood,

What could have caused it to arise?

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22. If something is not producing an effect,

It is not tenable to attribute causality.

If it is not tenable to attribute causality,

Then of what will the effect be?

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23. If the combination

Of causes and conditions

Is not self-produced,

How does it produce an effect?

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24. Therefore, not made by combination,

And not without a combination can the effect arise.

If there is no effect,

Where can there be a combination of conditions?

Batchelor

Chapter 20 - Investigation of Combination

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1. If a fruit is born from the combination of cause and conditions and exists in the combination, how can it be born from the combination itself?

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2. If a fruit is born from the combination of cause and conditions and does not exist in the combination, how can it be born from the combination itself?

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3. If the fruit exists in the combination of cause and conditions, it would be correct for it to be apprehendable in the combination but it is not apprehendable in the combination.

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4. If the fruit does not exist in the combination of cause and conditions, the causes and conditions would be comparable to non-causes and conditions.

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5. If the cause stops once it has given the cause to the fruit, there would be a double nature of the cause: one that gives and one that stops.

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6. If the cause stops without having given the cause to the fruit, those fruits which are born after the cause has stopped would be uncaused.

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7. If the fruit were also born at the same time as the combination, it would follow that the producer and the produced would be simultaneous.

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8. If the fruit were born prior to the combination, there would occur an uncaused fruit which has no cause and conditions.

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9. If [when] a cause stops, it is forever transferred to the fruit, then it would follow that the cause which was born before would be born again.

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10. How can the production of fruit be produced by the stopping and disappearing [of something]? Also how can fruit be produced by related causes which persist with it?

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11. If cause and fruit are not related, what fruit can be produced? Causes do not produce fruits they either see or don't see.

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12. The simultaneous connection of a past fruit with a past, a future and a present cause never exists.

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13. The simultaneous connection of a present fruit with a future, a past and a present cause never exists.

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14. The simultaneous connection of a future fruit with a present, a future and a past cause never exists.

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15. When there is no connection, how can a cause produce fruit? Even when there is connection, how can a cause produce fruit?

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16. If a cause is empty of fruit, how can it produce fruit? If a cause is not empty of fruit, how can it produce fruit?

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17. Unempty fruit would not be produced; the unempty would not stop. That unempty is unstoppable and also unproducable.

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18. How would empty [fruit] be produced? And how would the empty stop? It follows that that empty too is unstoppable and also unproducable.

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19. It is never possible that cause and fruit are identical. It is never possible that cause and fruit are other.

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20. If cause and fruit were identical, produce and producer would be identical. If cause and fruit were other, cause and non-cause would be similar.

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21. If fruit existed essentially, what would a cause produce? If fruit did not exist essentially, what would a cause produce?

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22. If it were not productive, the cause itself would be impossible. If the cause itself were impossible, whose would the fruit be?

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23. If whatever is a combination of causes and conditions does not produce itself by itself, how could it produce fruit?

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24. Therefore, there is no fruit which has been made by combination [or] made by non-combination. If fruit does not exist, where can a combination of conditions exist?

Streng

Chapter 20 - An Analysis of the Aggregate (samagri) of Causes and Conditions (cause and effect) - 24 verses

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1. If a product (phala) is produced through the aggregate of causes and conditions,

And exists in an aggregate, how will it be produced in the aggregate?

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2. If a product is produced in the aggregate of causes and conditions,

And does not exist in the aggregate, how will it be produced in the aggregate?

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3. If the product is in the aggregate of causes and conditions,

Would it not be "grasped" [i.e., located] in the aggregate? But it is not "grasped" in the aggregate.

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4. If the product is not in the aggregate of causes and conditions,

Then the causes and conditions would be the same as non-causes and non-conditions.

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5. If a cause, having given the cause for a product, is stopped,

Then that which is "given" and that which is stopped would be two identities of the cause.

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6. If a cause without having given the cause for a product is stopped

Then, the cause being stopped, the product would be produced as something derived from a non-cause (ahetuka).

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7. If the product would become visible concomitantly with the aggregate [of causes and conditions],

Then it would logically follow that the producer and that which is produced [exist] in the same moment.

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8. If the product would become visible before the aggregate,

Then the product, without being related to causes and conditions, would be something derived from a non-cause.

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9. If, when the cause of the product is stopped, there would be a continuation of the cause,

It would logically follow that there would be another production of the previous producing cause.

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10. How can that which is stopped, i.e., something which has disappeared, produce the arising of a product?

How could a cause which is enclosed by its product, even though it persists, originate [that product]?

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11. Or if that [cause] were not enclosed by the product, which product would it produce?

For the cause does not produce the product, having seen or not having seen [the product].

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12. There is no concomitance of a past product with a past cause, a future [cause] or present [cause].

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13. Certainly there is no concomitance of the present product with future cause, past [cause] or present [cause].

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14. Certainly there is no concomitance of a future product with a present cause, future [cause] or past [cause].

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15. If there is no concomitance whatever, how would the cause produce the product?

Or if a concomitance exists, how would the cause produce the product?

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16. If the cause is empty of a product, how would it produce the product?

If the cause is not empty of a product, how would it produce the product?

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17. A non-empty product would not be originated, [and] a non-empty [product] would not be destroyed.

Then that is non-empty which will not originate or not disappear.

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18. How would that be produced which is empty?

How would that be destroyed which is empty?

It logically follows, then, that which is empty is not originated and not destroyed.

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19. Certainly a oneness of cause and product is not possible at all.

Nor is a difference of cause and product possible at all.

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20. If there were a oneness of the cause and product, then there would be an identity of the originator and what is originated.

If there were a difference of product and cause, then a cause would be the same as that which is not a cause.

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21. Can a cause produce a product which is essentially existing in itself (svabhva)?

Can a cause produce a product which is not essentially existing in itself (svabhava)?

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22. It is not possible to have "what is by its nature a cause" (hetutva) of "that which is not producing."

If "what is by its nature a cause" is not possible, whose product will exist?

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23. How will that [aggregate of causes and conditions] produce a product when

That which is the aggregate of causes and conditions does not produce itself by itself?

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24. The product is not produced by the aggregate;

nor is the product not produced by the aggregate.

Without the product, how is there an aggregate of conditions?