The Concept of the Four Conditions

Causes and conditions: a cause (因) is the dharma that can induce the arising of another dharma, while a condition (缘) is the dharma that assists the cause in inducing the arising of another dharma. Both causes and conditions are expedient factors for the birth of other dharmas, like a fuse.

The most fundamental cause of all dharmas is the tathāgatagarbha, the source from which all dharmas are born; both the cause and the condition, as two dharmas, are themselves born of the tathāgatagarbha, the most fundamental cause.

The sequential condition (samanantara-pratyaya), also called the immediate condition, refers to dharmas that are equal and identical, arising and ceasing one by one in an uninterrupted sequence, so as to induce the arising of the next identical dharma. For example, with seeds of consciousness: the previous seed of consciousness (such as the mind consciousness) arises upon a certain sense object in a certain place, then ceases and returns; the next identical seed of consciousness (the mind consciousness) arises in the same place, then ceases and returns; then another seed of consciousness arises upon the same sense object in the same place, and again ceases and returns. In this way, identical seeds of consciousness arise and cease continuously in the same place, forming an unbroken stream of mental activity. The mental factors (caittas) work in the same way.

The object condition (ālambana-pratyaya): "object" (所) corresponds to "subject" (能). The subject is the seven consciousnesses, which possess subjective agency; the seven consciousnesses can cognize all dharmas, especially the six sense objects, and are the cognizing mind. The object is all dharmas, or the six sense objects. The object condition is the condition for the arising of all dharmas, the condition for the arising of the six sense objects.

The dominant condition (adhipati-pratyaya) refers to all other assisting conditions that can help give rise to a given dharma, apart from the dharma itself.