“The Sarvāstivāda Theory of Simultaneous Causality”
Presented by Venerable Professor Dhammajoti, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong.
Date: Thursday March 15, 2006
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Place: Institute of Asian Research, C.K. Choi Building Room 120, 1855 West Mall
In the history of Buddhist thought, the Sarvāstivāda school was the first to articulate
the theory of ‘Simultaneous Causality’ (sahabhu-hetu) which states that cause and
effect can co-exist. This is contrary to the common sense understanding that a cause
necessarily precedes an effect. This lecture examines the import of this theory and its
impact on the subsequent development in the theories of causality in Indian Buddhism.
Venerable Professor Dhammajoti was born in Malaysia in 1949. From 1982 to 2004, he had been teaching at the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. Before joining the University of Hong Kong in 2004, he had been Professor and Head of the Department of Buddhist Sources at the Postgraduate Institute. Currently, he serves as the Professor of Buddhist Studies, and Chairman of the Teaching and Research Advisory Committee, at the Centre of Buddhist Studies, University of Hong Kong. He has published several books and many research papers in academic journals. His main fields of specialization are Northern Abhidharma and early Yogacara Buddhism. As a Buddhist monk, he is non-sectarian in outlook, having received ordinations in both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions.
This lecture is made possible by the generous support from Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Society, and The Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation in cooperation with The University of Hong Kong.
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