Bodhicharyavatara Chapter 9, Stanzas 116-117

We are studying how the doctrine of emptiness can be established, using three types of reasoning or analysis: the cause of phenomena, the nature of phenomena and the resulting phenomena.

In the next two verses, Rinpoche gives an overview of the diamond splinter argument, also known as the vajra splinter, which destroys any illusion that phenomena doesn’t have a cause. It is logic that cuts through the hedonistic view of some early Indian philosophers that believed everything arose of its own volition with no cause; that the only goal in life should be one of selfish pleasure with no thought for others, somewhat akin to some current prevalent materialistic attitudes in the West.

The diamond splinter argument provides undeniable evidence that everything, all phenomena, has causes and conditions; here we return to the example of how a seed becomes a flower due to the power of preceding causes, elaborating on the explanations given in the previous verses.

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