Ven.

Ilukevela Dhammarathana (Temporary Lecturer) The Department of Buddhist Philosophy The Faculty of Buddhist Studies Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka E-mail: idhammarathana@yahoo.com / Phone: 0094714432606
Abstract

The Appropriateness of the Term "The Theory of Causality"

The Individual is formed with the five aggregate (pancakkhandha). With regard to the continuance of individuals existence, the Buddha sharply explains the reality of the world without submitting Himself to the extremisms; eternalism (ssvatavda) and annihilationism (ucchedavda). The methods used by the Buddha to explain the process of life are the analysis and the synthesis. For the sake of those two methods, Buddha has always followed the Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppda). Prior explaining paticcasamuppda, the Buddha has always explained the Causality. Even though, the scholars have named this as the Cause and Effect Theory, there is no proper evidence to show that the Buddha has done so. Although, the Theory of Causality and the Cause and Effect Theory, are the currently used terms, with regard to the interpretations given by the Buddha on twelve links of the Dependent Origination (dvdasnga paticcasamuppda), the applicability of the latter seems to be quite obscure as it confirms the independency of the twelve links. Therefore, the term Causality that speaks the dependency is more appropriate than the Cause and Effect Theory. Key Words 1. Analysis 2. Synthesis 3. Existence 4. Dependent Origination 5. Twelve Links 6. Independency 7. Dependency
8. The Theory of Causality