緣起

Arising from conditional causation; everything arises from conditions, and not being spontaneous and self-contained has no separate and independent nature; cf. 緣生. It is a fundamental doctrine of the Huayan school, which defines four principal uses of the term:

(1) 業感緣起 that of the Hīnayāna, i.e. under the influence of karma the conditions of reincarnation arise;

(2) 賴耶緣起 that of the primitive Mahāyāna school, i.e. that all things arise from the (sa) ālaya, or 藏 fundamental store;

(3) 如來藏緣起 that of the advancing Mahāyāna, that all things arise from the (sa) tathāgatagarbha, or (sa) bhūtatathatā;

(4) 法界緣起 that of complete Mahāyāna, in which one is all and all are one, each being a universal cause.