If a single cause such as God, Brahman, or consciousness produces a multiplicity of effects such as the manifold universe, one must explain what causes the differentiation among those effects
An eternal, personal being of maximal power, knowledge, and goodness who created the universe
Manifold universe(as an example of effects produced by a single cause)
The diverse, varied collection of all things that exist—stars, planets, people, objects—understood as many distinct parts rather than one unified thing.
Multiplicity(one of the two opposing concepts being discussed)
The quality of being many things or having multiple parts; the opposite of unity.
cause(Philosophical definition of causation requiring both sufficiency and necessity of the cause relative to its effect)
An event or state of things such that (a) if it happens or exists, the effect must happen or exist even if no further conditions are fulfilled, and (b) the effect cannot happen or exist unless the cause happens or exists.
consciousness(Philosophy of mind; framing the 'What is consciousness?' question)
A dynamic process characterized by self-transforming flow, intentional coherence, and semantic self-understanding, rather than a static or momentary state.
effect(Correlate of 'cause' in the defined causal relation)
An event or state of things that is caused — it must occur if the cause occurs, and cannot occur unless the cause occurs.
At the heart of Jñānagarbha’s argument against the tenability of causality is his argument that none of the possible ways of looking at the relation of conditions and their effects are workable. There are four possibilities. Either many conditions produce a single effect, or many conditions produce many effects, or a single condition produces many effects, or a single condition produces a single effect. His presentation of an explanation for why each of these possibilities is untenable is in pla