Patthana-Ver.1-Chapter19

Tipitaka >> Abhidhamma Pitaka >> The Patthanuddesa Dipani

The Buddhist Philosophy of Relations

By Mahathera Ledi Sayadaw, Aggamahapandita, D.Litt.

Translated into English by Sayadaw U Nyana, Patamagyaw of Masoeyein Monastery Mandalay

19. Sampayutta-Relation or the Relation of Association

The relations of association and dissociation form a pair. So also do the relations of presence and absence, and of abeyance and continuance. These three pairs of relations are not special ones. They are only mentioned to show that, in the foregoing relations, some paccaya-dhammas causally relate themselves to their paccayuppanna-dhammas, by association, and others by dissociation; some by presence and others by absence; some by abeyance and others by continuance.

Here also in such passages as: "Atthi ti kho, kaccana, ayam eko anto; natthi ti kho dutiyo anto ti",[29] the words atthi and natthi are meant to indicate the heretical views of eternalism and annihilationism. Therefore, in order to prevent such interpretations, the last pair of relations is mentioned.

All classes of consciousness and mental properties mutually relate themselves to one another by way of association. In what sense is "sampayutta" to be understood? "Sampayutta" is to be understood in the sense of association, or through coalescence, by the four associative means, namely, simultaneous arising, synchronous cessation, mono-basic, and mono-object. Here, by ekibhavam gato (or coalescence), it is meant that the consciousness of sight coalesces with its seven mental properties so thoroughly that they all are unitedly spoken of as sight. These eight mental states are no longer spoken of by their special names, for it is indeed a difficult matter to know them separately. The same explanation applies to the other classes of consciousness.

End of the Sampayutta-Relation.