Glossary
khanda = the 5 groups of existence:
1. rupa-khanda = corporeality group
2. vedana = feeling
3. sanna = perception
4. sankhara = mental formation
5. vinnana-khanda = the consciousness group
alambana = arammana = sense-object
nimitta = mark, characteristic, attribute, phenomenon, mental reflex, image (with reference to jhana), sign, omen, portent, prognostication, outward appearance
kasina = one of the aids to kammatthana the practice by means of which mystic meditation (bhavana, jhana) may be attained; usually described as ten, that is, earth, water, fire, air, blue, yellow, red, white, space, intellection (or perhaps consciousness)
Citta and cetasika can be compiled in accordance with the six sense-objects (Mon 1995: p.124):
1. rupa-rammana = visible object (rupa or vanna)
2. sadda-rammana = sound (sadda)
3. gandha-rammana = smell (ghandha)
4. rasa-rammana = taste (rasa)
5. photthabba-rammana = tangible object (pathavi, apo and tejo)
6. dhamma-rammana = mind-object
The mind-object is sixfold:
(i) 5 pasada rupas (sensitive parts of organs)
(ii) 16 sukhuma rupas (subtle matter)
(iii) 89 citta (consciousness)
(iv) 52 cetasika (mental concomitants)
(v) nibbana
(vi) concepts such as kasina nimitta
The mind cannot arise at the five panca-dvara.
Note: The names in brackets for the first five senses are the essential elements of the senses. For the mind-object, the sixfold objects mentioned above are the essential elements.
We will refer to chart No. 5.1 in Dr. Tin Mon's book "The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma" for a review.
Nina van Gorkom writes in" Abhidhamma in daily life" (Chapter 18: Elements):
"The Buddha spoke about realities as elements in order to remind us that they are impermanent and not self. When we speak about elements we usually think of the elements in chemistry or physics which have each their own characteristics. In chemistry and physics matter is analysed into elements, but it may seem strange to us to regard the eye or seeing as elements. We are not used to consider them as elements because we are inclined to take them for 'self'.
"What we take for self are only nama-elements and rupa-elements which arise because of their appropriate conditions and then fall away again. Eye-sense is only an element which has its own characteristic and is devoid of self; it is rupa which arises because of conditions and then falls away again. Seeing is only an element that has its own characteristic and is devoid of self; it is nama that arises because of conditions and falls away again.
Namas are mental phenomena, rupas are physical phenomena. Nama and rupa are different types of realities. If we do not distinguish them from each other and learn the characteristic of each we will continue to take them for self. For example, hearing is nama; it has no form or shape, it has no ears. Hearing is different from ear-sense, but it has ear-sense as a necessary condition. The nama which hears experiences sound. Ear-sense and sound are rupas, they do not experience anything; they are entirely different from the nama which hears. If we do not learn that hearing, ear-sense and sound are realities, which are altogether different from each other, we will continue to think that it is self who hears.
"Sometimes the Buddha spoke about six elements; or he classified realities as two elements. There are many different ways of classifying realities, but no matter in which way realities are classified, as khandha [the 5 groups of existence, or 'groups of clinging'], by way of arammana (objects), or in any other way, we should remember the purpose of classifying realities: realising that what we take for self are only nama-elements and rupa-elements.
"The Buddha reminded people of the truth in many different ways. Sometimes he spoke about the body as a corpse in different stages of dissolution. Or he spoke about the 'parts of the body' and he explained how the body is full of impurities, in order to remind people that what we take for our body are only elements which are devoid of beauty, which are dukkha, impermanent and not self.
"Not only the body, but also the mind should be considered as elements. There is nothing in our life that is not an element. Our past lives were only elements and our future lives will only be elements. We are inclined to think of our future life and wish for a happy rebirth. We should, however, realise that there is no self that in the future will have another existence; there are and will be only elements.
"We have learned to classify citta in different ways and this reminds us that citta are only elements. Not only citta are elements, but cetasika too are elements. We are attached to happy feeling and we dislike unpleasant feeling. Feelings, however, are only elements, which arise because of conditions. When we are tired or sick we take tiredness and sickness for self and we have aversion. Why do we not accept unpleasant things as they come to us, since they are only elements? One might not be inclined to see realities as elements, but it is the truth. One might not like to remember that things are impermanent, that birth is followed by ageing, sickness and death, but it is the truth.
"In the 'Discourse on the Manyfold Elements' (Middle Length Sayings III, 115) we read that the Buddha, while he was staying in the Jeta Grove, in Anathapindika's monastery, said to the monks that fears, troubles and misfortunes occur to the fool, not to the wise man. He said to the monks:
'...Monks, there is not fear, trouble, misfortune for the wise man. Wherefore, monks, thinking, 'Investigating, we will become wise', this is how you must train yourselves, monks.'
When this had been said, the venerable Ananda spoke thus to the Lord: 'What is the stage at which it suffices to say, revered sir: 'Investigating, the monk is wise'?' 'Ananda, as soon as a monk is skilled in the elements and skilled in the (sense) fields and skilled in conditioned genesis and skilled in the possible and the impossible, it is at this stage, Ananda, that it suffices to say, 'Investigating, the monk is wise.''
'But, revered sir, at what stage does it suffice to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements'?'
'There are these eighteen elements, Ananda: the element of eye, the element of material shape, the element of visual consciousness; the element of ear, the element of sound, the element of auditory consciousness; the element of nose, the element of smell, the element of olfactory consciousness; the element of tongue, the element of taste, the element of gustatory consciousness; the element of body, the element of touch, the element of bodily consciousness; the element of mind, the element of mind-objects, the element of mental consciousness. When, Ananda, he knows and sees these eighteen elements, it is at this stage that it suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements.' '
'Might there be another way also, revered sir, according to which suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements'?'
'There might be, Ananda. There are these six elements, Ananda: the element of extension, the element of cohesion, the element of radiation, the element of mobility, the element of space, the element of consciousness. When, Ananda, he knows and sees these six elements, it is at this stage that it suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements.''
'Might there be another way also, revered sir, according to which it suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements'?'
'There might be, Ananda. There are these six elements, Ananda: the element of happiness, the element of anguish, the element of gladness, the element of sorrowing, the element of equanimity, the element of ignorance. When, Ananda, he knows and sees these six elements, it is at this stage that it suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements.''
The Buddha then explained still other ways of being skilled in the elements and further on we read that Ananda asked again:
'Might there be another way also, revered sir, according to which it suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the elements'?'
'There might be, Ananda. There are these two elements, Ananda: the element that is constructed and the element that is unconstructed. When, Ananda, he knows and sees these two elements, it is at this stage that it suffices to say, 'The monk is skilled in the element.
The element which is constructed is all conditioned realities (the five khandhas), and the element which is unconstructed is nibbana. Also nibbana is an element, it is devoid of self. Nibbana is not a person, it is anatta. We read in this sutta about the monk who knows and sees the elements. Knowing and seeing the elements does not mean only knowing them in theory and thinking about them. One knows and sees the elements when pañña realizes nama and rupa as they are: only elements, not self. This knowledge will lead to the end of 'fears, troubles and misfortunes'. "
Bibliography
Mon, Dr. Mehm Tin (1995), "The Essence of Buddha Abhidhamma", Publisher Mehm Tay Zar Mon, Yangon
Nina van Gorkom, "Abhidhamma in daily life" (Chapter 18: Elements) http://www.budsas.org/ebud/nina-abhidhamma/nina-abhi-18.htm, accessed 15 September 2003
Nina van Gorkom, "Abhidhamma in daily life" (Chapter 1: The Four Paramattha Dhammas) http://www.zolag.co.uk/adlc1.html, accessed 15 September 2003
Nyanatiloka, (edited by Nyanaponika), (1988), "Buddhist Dictionary - Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary,
http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali, accessed 16 September 2003
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