0406 Verse 529

Original

क्षणिका हि यथा बुद्धिस्तथैवान्येऽपि जन्मिनः ।
साधितास्तद्वदेवातो निर्व्यापारमिदं जगत् ॥ ५२९ ॥

kṣaṇikā hi yathā buddhistathaivānye’pi janminaḥ |
sādhitāstadvadevāto nirvyāpāramidaṃ jagat || 529 ||

Just as cognition is momentary, so are all things that are born, as they have been proved to be. Hence the whole universe must be devoid of ‘operation’.—(529)

Kamalaśīla

“In the case of Cognition, it is quite right that mere existence is the Operation, as the Cognition does not continue to exist at any later time, being momentary; [but the same cannot be true in the case of other things, which are not momentary].”

This is answered in the following—[see verse 529 above]

Under the chapter on the ‘Permanence of Things’ it has been proved that all things are in ‘perpetual flux’,

‘So are, etc.’—i.e. like Cognition.

‘Hence’,—i.e. because of their momentary character.

The argument may be formulated as follows:—Things that are momentary can have no action (or operation),—like the Cognition,—Seed and other things have already been proved to be momentary;—this therefore is a reason based on the nature of things (for regarding them as devoid of action). As a matter of fact, things have no subsequent existence, and there could be no action without a substratum;—this supplies the argument annulling the possibility of action or operation inngs.

From all this it follows that the only basis for the relation of Cause and Effect consists in immediate sequence, and not in any action (or operation, on the part of the Cause).—(529)