The Doctrine of Pratītyasamutpāda in Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma: A Critical Study of the Section on Pratītyasamutpāda in Saṃghabhadra’s *Nyāyānusāra

Seminar by Ms TAN Lingfeng (PhD Student)
16 July 2022 (Saturday), 7:00 - 9:00pm (Saturday)
Venue: The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong (28/F Pacific Plaza, 410 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong)

OR

Online (ZOOM Cloud Meetings)
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqceqgrTgtHtzjQI6TFZlaH8U_xj5...

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Conditioned co-arising (pratītyasamutpāda) is a significant part within the whole picture of the Buddhist doctrinal system. Meanwhile, difficulties lie in its comprehension. The Buddhist textual composition does not sustain consistent interpretations of conditioned co-arising, and the extant textual sources cannot support a precise chronological development of these interpretations. Given these facts, it is necessary to value and to remain sensitive to the particular context of an interpretation of conditioned co-arising. To examine the doctrinal development and controversies of conditioned co-arising in the tradition of Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma, this study attempts to analyze the Sarvāstivādin interpretation and its contribution to some unresolved obscurity surrounding this doctrine. The study is mainly based on Saṃghabhadra’s *Nyāyānusāra, with reference to the related discussions in other Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma texts. It aims to present crucial new sources on the orthodox Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika interpretation of conditioned co-arising and the contemporaneous sectarian concerns involved. Besides the analysis, it remains a task to examine the role of conditioned co-arising in the doctrinal system of Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma. An effort is also made to comb through the materials for the thoughts of the Sautrāntikas.

All are welcome