bSe Ngag dbang bkra shis’s Interpretation of Dependent Origination （rten ’byung）

Abstract

The dGe lugs pa scholar bSe Ngag dbang bkra shis （1678-1738） established the theory of interdependence in his rTen ’brel chen mo. On the basis of Tsong kha pa’s interpretation of dependent origination （rten ’byung, pratītyasamutpāda）, Ngag dbang bkra shis presented a new idea that is not found in Tsong kha pa’s version, namely that the mutual relation can be established between a seed and a sprout. This means, according to Ngag dbang bkra shis, that the concept of seed depends on that of sprout, and vice versa. This theory is acceptable to the Mādhyamika school alone and not to the proponents of real entities, such as the Sautrāntika and Yogācāra, for the latter schools consider only the noninteractive relation between cause and effect as dependent origination, while the Mādhyamika understands the interactive relation between cause and effect as dependent origination. Thus, Ngag dbang bkra shis complements Tsong kha pa’s theory of dependent origination by recognizing the interdependent relation between cause and effect.