General term for a direct cause or contributing factor. Often used in formal, academic, or analytical contexts.
Investigate the cause of the accident.
hetu (direct cause in Buddhism)
Buddhist technical term for the direct, primary cause, as distinguished from indirect conditions (縁). Used in doctrinal discussions.
See also: 縁 (えん)
basis of an argument (in hetuvidya)
Specialized term in Buddhist logic (因明) referring to the reason or ground of an argument. Rare outside academic study of hetuvidya.
See also: 因明
The factor behind success is effort.
Buddhism teaches that results arise when direct causes (因) and indirect conditions (縁) come together.
In hetuvidya, one rigorously examines whether the basis (因) supporting a proposition is correct.
要因 refers to a contributing factor among several, whereas 因 denotes the direct or primary cause itself.
In Buddhist terminology 因 is the direct cause of an event, while 縁 is the indirect condition that helps bring it about, so learners often mix up which is which.
cause; origin; source
main cause; primary factor
cause of death
factor; element; cause · factor; divisor
cause and effect; causality · karma; fate · unfortunate; ill-fated
be caused by; result from; arise from · cause; origin
one cause; one factor; one reason
fate; destiny; karmic connection · connection; tie; origin · pretext; justification; excuse · hetu and prataya; direct and indirect causes
cause of defeat; reason for losing
The kanji 因 originally depicts a person on a mat, suggesting reliance or dependence, and came to mean 'cause' or 'reason'. The reading いん is the on'yomi, used in formal and technical vocabulary.
remote cause; underlying cause; indirect cause
contributing cause; incentive; motive
primary cause; main factor
factor
outdated custom; tired tradition; convention
charge; count
cause of victory; reason for success
basic factor; underlying cause · predisposition; diathesis
cause of a disease; etiology
internal cause; intrinsic motivation
motive; driving force; agent
three causes of Buddha nature
two causes
contingent cause
secondary cause; subsidiary factor
good cause; good deed
indecision; vacillation; hesitation
hetuvidya; Buddhist logic
heartless; cruel; karmic retribution
cause; reason; origin
external cause; external origin; exogenous cause