—  830  — 
an  heretical  view,  (which  is  contrary  to  your  own  system).  Moreover  (such 
an  eternal,  uncaused  and  unchanging  beiDg)  would  be  without  any  practical 
efficiency, 9  (as  if  unexisting).  But  if  on  the  contrary  you  admit  it  to  be  a 
nominal  existence,  (as  a  current  designation  for  the  elements  of  a  personal 
life),  I  too  will  admit  it,  and  say  «so  it  isb 
Vatsiputnya.  We  do  not  maintain  that  it  is  an  absolute  reality,  but 
we  neither  accept  it  to  be  a  nominal  one. 
VasubandJiu.  What  is  it  then? 
94.  b.  l.         Vatsiputnya.  We  give  the  name  of  an  Individual  to  something  condi- 
tioned by  the  elements  (as  far  as  they  are  organized)  at  a  given  moment  in  a 
personal  life10. 
Vasubandhu.  These  words  are  so  to  say  blind!  As  long  as  their  meaning 
is  not  disclosed,  I  do  not  understand  them!  What  does  it  mean  to  be  «condi- 
tioned»?  (Does  it  mean  conditioned  by  perception  or  conditioned  by  exi- 
stence ?)  In  the  first  case  the  meaning  would  be :  having  perceived  some 
elements  (I  call  them  an  Individual).  Then  an  Individual  would  be  only  an- 
other name  for  the  elements.  Just  as  when  I  perceive  a  liquid  of  a  definite 
colour  (smell,  taste  etc.),  I  call  it  milk,  though  it  is  nothing  else  than 
these  elements  only.  But  if  conditioned  means  that  (the  use  of  the  term  In- 
dividual) is  founded  on  (the  existence)  of  elements,  then  these  elements 
would  represent  the  cause  for  our  using  this  term.  The  difficulty  remains  the 
same. . 
а 
[§  3.  The  , relation  of  the  Individual  to  its  elements, 
exemplified  by  the  relation  of  fire  to  fuel]. 
94,  b.  4        Vatsiputnya.  We  do  not  use  the  term  («conditioned»)  in  that  sense. 
Vasubandhu.  In  what  sense  then? 
Vatsiputnya.  (We  use  it)  just  as  we  use  the  word  «fire»,  (in  applying  it 
to  something)  conditioned  by  the  presence  of  burning  fuel. 
Vasubandhu.  And  what  does  it  mean  that  the  use  of  the  word  fire  is 
conditioned  by  burning  fuel? 
Vatsiputnya.  If  there  is  no  fuel,  neither  (is  there  anything)  we  can 
apply  the  name  of  fire  to.  Nevertheless  we  neither  can  maintain  that  fire  is 
something  different  from  burning  fuel,  nor  can  we  assert  that  it  is  the  same. 
Were  it  altogether  different,  fuel  could  not  contain  any  caloric  element, 
