The Personal Strength Reflected in the Terms Ārambhadhatu, ñikkhammadhatu, Attakara and Purisakara

 Buddhism rejects all such views that deny the human strength and human capacity. Buddhism does not believe in a savior other than human being himself and it has entrusted the lordship own life to the person himself. Accordingly human being is able to act with free-will to achieve a certain aim. This idea is totally anti-deterministic. Where the determinism is accepted free-will is totally rejected. Therefore it is wrong to consider determinism as the theory of causality that is relevant to everything in the world. Western philosophers seem to have fallen into an idea like this. Yet according to Buddhism free-will is deny by the determinism (ñiyativAda) which the forms of a theory of causelessness (åhetuvAda). According to the Titthayatanasutta of AN creation theory (îssaranimmanavAda) determinism (ñiyatuvAda or PubbekatahetuvAda) and theory of causelessness (åhetuappaccayavAda) are forms of determinism against the ethics. Among the contemporary religious teachers of the Buddha Makkkaligosala held a determinism that falls into causeless theory.

      According to his view everything in the world is pre-determined. In such a situation no causality function, when there is no causality in action there is no free-will. Buddhism being a human centered religion emphasizes free-will, causality and the human strength. With this Buddhism doesn’t ascribe a bestow any extra quality to humanity but the Buddha explained in reality the nature of humanity. Accordingly Buddhism emphasizes free-will in human life related to the following qualities.

1.  åttakAra- things done one by oneself

2.  PurisakAra- things done by person (leadership)

3.  årambhadhAtu- element of beginning

4.  ñikkhammadhAtu- element of continuation

5.  ParakkamadhAtu- element of perceivation

6.   ThAmadhAtu- element of established effect and passion

7.   ThitidhAtu- element of form effect or holding.

8.  üppakkamadhAtu- element of creativity.

     

According to the åttakArasutta of AN once a Brahmin came to the Buddha and said he’s holding the view that there are no things in this world done by oneself (attakAra) or done by others (parakAra). The Buddha replies as follows.

      “µA’haM brAhmaNo evaM vadiM evaM diTThiM addasaM vA assosiM vA kathaM hi nAma sayaM abhikkamanto sayaM paTikkamanto evaM vakkhati, natthi attAkAre natthi purisakAreti.”

=I don’t want to see or hear the holder of such theory or view. When you are walking forward and backward now you can say there is no things done by oneself or others.

      From this it is clear that Buddhism encourages people to work at their will. ßammA vAyama in the eightfold path viriya sambojjaGga among seven factors of enlightenment the faculty of effect in five faculties emphasizes this quality of Buddhism.