Early Buddhist Metaphysics

EARLY BUDDHIST METAPHYSICS This book provides a philosophical account of the major doctrinal shift in the history of early Theravada tradition in India: the transition from the earliest stratum of Buddhist thought to the systematic and allegedly scholastic philosophy of the Pali Abhidhamma movement. Conceptual investigation into the development of Buddhist ideas is pursued, thus rendering the Buddha’s philosophical position more explicit and showing how and why his successors changed it. Entwining comparative philosophy and Buddhology, the author probes the Abhidhamma’s shift from an epistemologically oriented conceptual scheme to a metaphysical worldview that is based on the concept of dhamma. She does so in terms of the Aristotelian tradition and vis-à-vis modern philosophy, exploiting Western philosophical literature from Plato to contemporary texts in the fields of philosophy of mind and cultural criticism. This book not only demonstrates that a philosophical inquiry into the conceptual foundations of early Buddhism can enhance our understanding of what philosophy and religion are qua thought and religion; it also shows the value of fresh perspectives for traditional Buddhology. Combining philosophically rigorous investigation and Buddhological research criteria, Early Buddhist Metaphysics fills a significant gap in Buddhist scholar- ship’s treatment of the conceptual development of the Abhidhamma. Noa Ronkin received her PhD from the University of Oxford. She is currently a lecturer in the Introduction to the Humanities Programme and a Research Fellow at the Center for Buddhist Studies, Stanford University. Her research interests include a range of issues associated with Indian Theravada Buddhist philosophy and psychology, the Abhidhamma tradition and comparative Indian philosophy. ROUTLEDGECURZON CRITICAL STUDIES IN BUDDHISM General Editors: Charles S. Prebish and Damien Keown RoutledgeCurzon Critical Studies in Buddhism is a comprehensive study of the Buddhist tradition. The series explores this complex and extensive tradition from a variety of perspectives, using a range of different methodologies. The series is diverse in its focus, including historical studies, textual translations and commentaries, sociological investigations, bibliographic studies, and considerations of religious practice as an expression of Buddhism’s integral religiosity. It also presents materials on modern intellectual historical studies, including the role of Buddhist thought and schol- arship in a contemporary, critical context and in the light of current social issues. The series is expansive and imaginative in scope, spanning more than two and a half millennia of Buddhist history. It is receptive to all research works that inform and advance our knowl- edge and understanding of the Buddhist tradition. A SURVEY OF VINAYA LITERATURE IMAGING WISDOM Charles S. Prebish Jacob N. Kinnard THE REFLEXIVE NATURE OF PAIN AND ITS ENDING AWARENESS Carol S. Anderson Paul Williams EMPTINESS APPRAISED ALTRUISM AND REALITY David F. Burton Paul Williams THE SOUND OF LIBERATING BUDDHISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS TRUTH Edited by Damien Keown, Edited by Sallie B. King Charles Prebish, Wayne Husted and Paul O. Ingram WOMEN IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE BUDDHIST THEOLOGY BUDDHA Edited by Roger R. Jackson Kathryn R. Blackstone and John J. Makransky THE RESONANCE OF EMPTINESS THE GLORIOUS DEEDS OF PURNA Gay Watson Joel Tatelman AMERICAN BUDDHISM EARLY BUDDHISM – A NEW Edited by Duncan Ryuken Williams and APPROACH Christopher Queen Sue Hamilton CONTEMPORARY BUDDHIST ETHICS ZEN WAR STORIES Edited by Damien Keown Brian Victoria INNOVATIVE BUDDHIST WOMEN THE BUDDHIST UNCONSCIOUS Edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo William S. Waldron TEACHING BUDDHISM IN THE WEST Edited by V.S. Hori, R.P. Hayes INDIAN BUDDHIST THEORIES OF and J.M. Shields PERSONS James Duerlinger EMPTY VISION David L. McMahan ACTION DHARMA Edited by Christopher Queen, SELF, REALITY AND REASON IN Charles Prebish and Damien Keown TIBETAN PHILOSOPHY Thupten Jinpa TIBETAN AND ZEN BUDDHISM IN BRITAIN IN DEFENSE OF DHARMA David N. Kay Tessa J. Bartholomeusz THE CONCEPT OF THE BUDDHA BUDDHIST PHENOMENOLOGY Guang Xing Dan Lusthaus RELIGIOUS MOTIVATION AND THE THE PHILOSOPHY OF DESIRE ORIGINS OF BUDDHISM IN THE BUDDHIST PALI CANON Torkel Brekke David Webster DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTRALIAN THE NOTION OF DITTHI IN BUDDHISM THERAVADA BUDDHISM Michelle Spuler Paul Fuller The following titles are published in association with the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies The Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies conducts and promotes rigorous teaching and research into all forms of the Buddhist tradition. EARLY BUDDHIST METAPHYSICS Noa Ronkin EARLY BUDDHIST METAPHYSICS The making of a philosophical tradition Noa Ronkin First published 2005 by RoutledgeCurzon 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by RoutledgeCurzon 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” RoutledgeCurzon is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2005 Noa Ronkin All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-53706-8 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0–415–34519–7 (Print Edition) CONTENTS Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Introduction: situating Theravadin doctrinal thought – towards a comparative Buddhist philosophy 1 Buddhist thought in the philosophical arena 1 Scholasticism and the Abhidhamma from the perspective of the comparative philosophy of religion 7 Method and scope 9 The doctrinal transition from the Buddha’s teaching to the Abhidhamma: preliminary remarks 14 An outline of the chapters 15 1 The further teaching: Abhidhamma thought in context 19 1.1 The origin of the ancient Buddhist schools and the advent of the Abhidhamma 19 1.2 Abhidhamma literary style and genre 26 2 What the Buddha taught and Abhidhamma thought: from Dhamma to dhammas 34 2.1 The development of the dhamma theory 34 2.2 On dhammas, atoms, substances and the doctrine of momentariness 50 2.3 Buddhist thought in the mirror of process metaphysics 66 vii CONTENTS 3 The development of the concept of sabhava and Buddhist doctrinal thought 86 3.1 The concept of sabhava in the para-canonical texts 87 3.2 Buddhist doctrinal thought in the Atthakatha 108 4 Individuals: revisiting the Abhidhamma dhamma theory 132 4.1 The problem of individuation 133 4.2 The intension of individuality 137 4.3 The canonical dhamma analysis as a categorial theory of individuals 154 4.4 The principle of individuality 167 5 Causation as the handmaid of metaphysics: from the paticcasamuppada to the Patthana 193 5.1 Dependent co-arising and the early Buddhist notion of causation: a reassessment 194 5.2 The Abhidhamma theory of causal conditioning 210 Concluding reflections 244 Bibliography 254 Index 269 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation, ‘A Metaphysics of Experience: from the Buddha’s Teaching to the Abhidhamma’ that was submitted to the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford in spring 2003. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have helped me bring the dissertation to fruition and complete its preparation for publication. My foremost gratitude and respect are extended to Richard Gombrich, who supervised my D.Phil. and has been an invaluable source of insight and encouragement. He has cultivated my interest in the study of Buddhism, while nurturing my enthusiasm for philosophy in general and comparative philosophy in particular. I am privi- leged to have been guided by him. I am also grateful to Lance Cousins, who elab- orated on the Abhidhamma intricacies, made shrewd observations and invaluable suggestions, and offered useful references. To Paul Williams and Jonardon Ganeri, the examiners of the original thesis, I am indebted for their instructive advice and comments. Thanks are also due to Sue Hamilton, Natalia Isayeva, Ornan Rotem and Helen Steward for their formative remarks on sections of the thesis. Whatever omissions or errors that remain in this work are entirely my own. The University of Oxford and Wolfson College provided an unparalleled intellectual and cultural environment for studying Pali Buddhism. The University’s generous Graduate Studentship provided the primary financial support for my research. Additional financial assistance was extended by grants of the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme and of the Spalding Trust. The book was prepared for publication after I had become affiliated as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Stanford Center for Buddhist Studies. I am grateful to the people at the Center for making the completion of this work possible, and would like to express my gratitude especially to Carl Bielefeldt for his kindness and support. Special thanks are due to Shlomo Biderman, my teacher and kalyaja-mitta, who has given me the benefit of his sensitive understanding of philosophy, both Indian and Western, and who first opened my eyes to many timeless questions and sparked my enthusiasm for comparative Indian philosophy. My mother, who always supports me with understanding and selflessness, has my love and deepest gratitude. ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Finally, I wish to thank my dear Boaz for his companionship and for being an everlasting source of livelihood and wit. These, as well as his critical reading and finely honed sense of style, helped improve this book throughout. Noa Ronkin Stanford, March 2004 x ABBREVIATIONS PALI AND SANSKRIT TEXTS For full citation of the editions used, see Bibliography. The Pali texts, unless otherwise stated, refer to PTS editions.

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