卫世师

(衞世師, 卫世师)

Vaiśeṣika; derived from (sa) viśeṣa, characteristic, individuality, particularity or individual essence. M.W. Also [lang id =1028]鞞世師 (or [lang id =1028]鞞思迦); [lang id =1028]吠世史迦; [lang id =1028]勝論宗 An atomistic school founded by Kaṇāda. Like the Saṅkhya philosophy it taught a dualism and an endless number of souls, also by its doctrine of particularity or individual essence maintained 'the eternally distinct or (la) sui generis nature of the nine substances' (see below), 'of which the first five including mind are held to be atomic.' M.W. The interaction of these with the six mentioned below produces cosmic evolution. It chiefly occupied itself, like the orthodox Nyāya philosophy, with the theory of knowledge, but it differed by distinguishing only six categories of cognition [lang id =1028]六諦, viz. substance, quality, activity, species, distinction, and correlation, also a seventh of non-existence, and nine substances possessed of qualities, these [lang id =1028]九陰 being: the five elements, air, fire, water, earth, ether, together with time, space, spirit ((sa) manas), and soul ((sa) ātman). Cf. Keith, <Indian Logic and Atomism>, and Dasgupta, <History of Indian Philosophy>.