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Vasumitra
Vasumitra. Doctor of the Sarvāstivāda school of Buddhism who flourished in the 2nd century ce. A native of Gandhāra, he presided over the Council of Kaniṣka. Vasumitra put forward a thesis to defend the basic tenet of the Sarvāstivāda school that entities (dharma) exist in the past and future as well as in the present. According to him, dharmas exist in a noumenal or latent condition in the future until they attain their moment of causal efficacy (karitra) in the present. This marks their entry into a functional relationship with other phenomena. When this moment is past, they once again enter into a noumenal mode which is now described as ‘past’. Vasumitra's theory of temporality was accepted by the school in preference to the contending views of three other philosophers, Dharmatrāta, Ghoṣaka, and Buddhadeva.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Vasumitra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Vasumitra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Vasumitra.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Vasumitra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Vasumitra.html |
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Vasumitra
Vasumitra. Teacher of the Sarvāstivāda school of Buddhism who put forward a thesis to defend the school's basic tenet that entities (dharma) exist in the past and future as well as in the present. According to Vasumitra, dharmas exist in a noumenal or latent condition in the future until they attain their moment of causal efficacy (karitra) in the present. This marks their entry into a functional relationship with other phenomena. When this moment is past they once again enter into a noumenal mode which is now described as ‘past’.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Vasumitra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Vasumitra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Vasumitra.html JOHN BOWKER. "Vasumitra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Vasumitra.html |
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