The
dharmayatana
(i.
Abhidharmakosabhasyam-Vol-1-Vasubandhu-Poussin-Pruden-1991
ayatana signifies "gate of entry or of arising of the mind and of
the mental states" (cittacaitta, ii. 23). Etymologically, ayatana is that
place, the mountain, where there are many "families" of gems,--iron, copper, silver, gold,--is said "to have numerous dhdtus" in this same way in the human complex or series, there are eighteen types of "families" which are called the eighteen dhdtus.
96
(4) Inferior rupa is defiled rupa\ excellent rupa is non-defiled rupa; 92
93
which extends (tanvanti) the entry (aya) of the mind and of the 94
mental states.
iii. Dhdtu signifies gotra, race, lineage. In the same way that the
Gotra is thus a mine.
Of what are the other dhdtus the mine?
95
Of what is the organ of the eye the mine?
The dhdtus are the mine of their own species: the eye, being a "cause similar to its effect" (sabhdgahetu, ii. 52) of the later moments of the existence of the eye, is the mine, the dhdtu of the eye.
But then unconditioned things, which are eternal, cannot be considered as dhdtu?
Let us say that they are the mine of the mind and mental states.
? According to another opinion, dhdtu signifies species. The specific nature of the eighteen dhdtus is what is understood by the eighteen dhdtus.
97
iv. [Objections. ]1. Ifskandhasignifies"heap,"theskandhashave
only a nominal existence, not a real existence, for collections are not a
9 thing: for example a pile of wheat, or the pudgala. *
"No, [reply the Vaibhasikas,] for an atom is a skandha.
As an atom in this hypothesis cannot have the quality of being a heap, do not say that skandha signifies "heap. "
2. According to another opinion (Vibhdsd TD 27, p. 407c9), 10
skandha signifies "that which bears the burden, namely its effect. " ? 101
Or else skandha signifies "part, section," as one says in the world, "I
will lend you three skandhas, if you promise to return them to me. " 103
These two explanations are not in conformity with the Sutra. The Sutra, in fact, attributes the sense of heap to skandha and no other sense:"Whateverrupathereis,past,present,orfuture,. . . ifoneputs together all this rupa . . . "
3. [The Vaibhasikas say: The Sutra teaches that] all rupa,--past rupa, future rupa, etc. ,--is, individually, called skandha, the same way that it teaches that hair, etc. , is earth-element (below, note 120); thus each "real" (atomic) element of past rupa, future rupa, etc. , receives the name of skandha. Thus the skandhas have real existence and not merely nominal existence.
This interpretation is inadmissible, for the Sutra says ". . . if one puts together all this rupa,. . . one has that which is called
y rupaskandha!
4. [The Sautrantikas:] If this is the case, then the material dyatanas,--the organs and objects of the five sense consciousnesses,-- have only a nominal existence, for the quality of being a "gate of arising of the mind or mental states" does not belong to atoms taken one by one, which are solely real, but to collections of atoms which constitute an organ of sight, a visible object, etc.
[Answer:] No, since each of these atoms individually possesses the quality of being "a gate of the arising of the mind," of being the cause of consciousness (compare i. 44a-b. iii). If you do not accept this
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doctrine, you will refuse to the organ, in its totality, the quality of being a cause of consciousness, for it does not produce a consciousness by itself, without the cooperation of an object.
5. On the other hand, the Vibhasa (TD 27, p. 384al8) expresses 104
itself thus: "When the Abhidharmikas take into consideration the fact that the term skandha is only the denomination of a heap, they say that an atom is part of a dhdtu, an ayatana, and a skandha\ when they do not take this fact into consideration, they say that an atom is a
105
dhatu, an ayatana, a skandha" In fact, one metaphorically designates
the part by the whole; for example, "The robe is burned," for "One part of the robe is burned"
***
Why did the Blessed One give skandhas, ayatanas and dhdtus as the triple designation of the dharmasl
20c-d. The teachings of the skandhas, etc. , because error, 106
1. Error is threefold: the first catagory of persons go astray by considering mental phenomena as together constituting a self; the second are similarly mistaken with respea to the material elements; and the third similarly err with respect to both the mental and the material elements.
2. The moral faculties (ii. 3c-d), the faculty of speculative conscious- ness (prajnendriya, ii. 24d), are of three catagories, sharp, mediocre, dull.
3. Joy is threefold: the first category of persons apply themselves to that which is said in brief; the second to that which is said normally; the third to that which is said at great length.
The teaching of the skandhas addresses itself to the first category of hearers, to those who are mistaken with respea to mental phenomena, who are of sharp faculties, and who are fond of a brief teaching; the teaching of the ayatanas addresses itself to the second
faculty, joy are threefold.
? category, and the teaching of the dhatus addresses itself to the third 107
category.
***
Sensation and ideas each constitute a seperate skandha: all the other mental dharmas (ii. 24) are placed within the samskdraskandha (i. 15). Why is this?
21. The two mental states, sensation and ideas, are defined as
distinct skandfoas because they are the causes of the roots of
dispute, because they are the causes of transmigration, and also
by reason of the causes which justify the order of skandhas. 108
(i. 22b)
109
1. There are two roots of dispute: attachment to pleasure, and
attachment to opinions. Sensation and ideas are, respectfully, the principal causes of these two roots. In faa, if one becomes attached to pleasures, it is because one relishes the sensation; if one becomes attached to opinions, it is by reason of erroneous or false ideas (viparftasamjnd, v. 9)
2. Sensation and ideas are the causes of transmigration: those who are greedy for sensation and whose ideas are erroneous transmigrate.
3. The reasons which justify the order of the skandhas will be explained below (i. 22b-d).
***
Why do unconditioned things, which form part of the dharma- yatana and the dharmadhatu (i. l5d), not form part of the skandhas!
22a-b Unconditioned things are not named with respect to the
uo
1. Unconditioned things cannot be placed within any of the five skandhas, for they are not matter, nor sensation . . .
skandhas, because they do not correspond to the concept.
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2. One cannot make a sixth skandha of the unconditioned: it does not correspond to the concept of skandha, since skandha signifies "heap," "capable of being put together. " One cannot say of the unconditioned what the Sutra says of matter: "If one puts together all this unconditioned, that which is past . . . , one has that which one calls the a asamskrtaskandha" for the distinctions of past, etc. , do not exist with respect to unconditioned things.
3. Furthermore, the expression upddanaskandha (i. 8a) designates the totality of that which is the cause of defilements; the expression skandha designates the totality of that which is the cause of defilement (impure conditioned things) as well as the cause of purification (pure conditioned things: the Path). Thus unconditioned things, which are neither the cause of defilement, nor the cause of purification, cannot be placed either among the upddanaskandhas nor among the skandhas.
4. According to one opinion, the same way that the end of a jug is not a jug, in this same way unconditioned things, which are the end or cessation of the skandhas, are not skandhas (Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 385bl8). And so according to this reasoning unconditioned things will be neither ayatanas nor dhdtus.
***
We have defined the skandhas. We should now explain the order in which the skandhas are enumerated.
22b-d. The order of the skandhas is justified by their grossness, their defilement, the characteristic of the jug, etc. , and also from
m
1. Matter, being subject to resistance (i. 29b), is the grossest of the skandhas. Among the non-material skandhas, sensation is the grossest, by reason of the grossness of its functioning: in fact, one localizes sensation in the hand, in the foot, etc. Ideas are grosser than the last two skandhas. The samskaraskandha is grosser that the skandha of consciousness. The skandhas are thus arranged in order of their diminishing grossness.
the point of view of their spheres of influence.
? 2. In the course of external transmigration, men and women are mutually infatuated by their bodies (rupas) because they are attached to the pleasures of sensation (vedand). This attachment proceeds from erroneous ideas {samjnviparydsa), which are due to the defilements which are samskdras. And it is the mind (citta) which is defiled by the defilements. The skandhas are thus arranged according to the process of their defilement.
3. Matter is the pot, sensation is the food, ideas are the seasoning, the samskdras are the cook, and the mind is the consumer. We have a third reason for the order of the skandhas.
4. Finally, in considering the skandhas on the one hand, and the dhdtus or spheres of existence (ii. 14) on the other, one sees that Kamadhatu is characterized by matter, namely by the five objects of sense enjoyment (kdmaguna: Dharmaskandha, 5. 15, Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 376all: compare Kathdvatthu, viii. 3). Rupadhatu, that is to say the Four Dhyanas, is characterized by sensation (organs of pleasure, satisfaction, and indifference, viii. 12). The first three stages of Arupya- dhatu are characterized by ideas: ideas of infinite space, etc. (viii. 4). The fourth stage of Arupyadhatu, or the summit of existence, is characterized by volition, the samskdra par excellence, which there
creates an existence of twenty-four thousand cosmic ages (iii. 81c). Finally, these diverse stages are the "abodes of consciousness'* (vijnd- nasathiti, iii. 6): it is in these places that the mind resides. The first four skandhas constitute the field; the fifth constitutes the seed.
There are thus five skandhas, no more, no less. One sees how the reasons which justify the order of the skandhas also justify the doctrine that makes sensation and ideas seperate skandhas: they are grosser than the other samskdras; they are the cause of the process of defilement; they are the food and the seasoning; and they reign over the two spheres of existence.
***
One should now explain the order in which the six ayatanas or dhdtus which are the six organs of consciousness, the organ of sight,
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etc. , are enumerated: an order the function of which is to arrange the objects {visaya) and the consciousnesses which correspond to these organs (rupadhdtu, caksurvijndnadhdtu . . . )
23a. The first five are the first because their object is present.
Five, beginning with the organ of sight, are called the first, because they bear only on present, simultaneous objects. Conversely, the object of the mental organ can be either (1) simultaneous to this organ; (2) earlier or past; (3) later or future; (4) tritemporal, that is to say simultaneous, earlier and later; or (5) beyond time.
23b. The first four are the first because their object is solely derived or secondary matter.
The organs of sight, of hearing, of smell and of taste do not attain to the primary elements (i. 12), but solely to matter which derives from the primary elements {bhautika, ii. 50a, 65).
The object of touch is not constant (i. 35a-b, lOd): sometimes primary elements, sometimes derived matter, sometimes both at the same time.
23c. These four are arranged according to the range and speed of their activity.
Their activity is at a distance, at a greater distance, very rapid
The organ of sight and the organ of hearing bear on a distant object (i. 43c-d). They are thus named first.
The organ of sight bears on objects at a greater distance than does the organ of hearing: for one can see a river of which one cannot make out the sound. The organ of sight is thus named before the organ of hearing.
Neither odor nor taste are perceived at a distance. But the activity of smell is more rapid than that of taste. The organ of smell perceives the odor of food before the organ of taste perceives its taste.
23d. Or rather the organs are arranged according to their position.
? The point of support or the place of the organ of sight, that is to say, the eye, is the highest; below that, the place of the organ of hearing; below that, the place of the organ of smell; below that, the place of the organ of taste. As for the place of the organ of touch, that is to say the body, it is, for the most part, lower than the tongue. As for the mental organ, it is not matter (i. 44a-b).
***
Among the ten dyatanas included within rilpaskandha, only one receives the name of rupa-dyatana. And although all the dyatanas are dharmas, only one is called dharma-ayatana. Why?
24. A single dyatana is called rupa-dyatana with a view to
distinguishing it from the others, and by reason of its excel-
lence. A single dyatana is called dharma-ayatana with a view to
distinguishing it from the others, and because it includes many
1U of the dharmas as well as the best dharma.
The ten material dyatanas (i. l4a-b) are, each one separately, dyatana: five are subjects, and five are the objects of a specific consciousness. They are not, in their totality, a single dyatana, a single source of consciousness, so that they could be called a rupa-dyatana. Nine are individualized by specific names: caksuraydtana, srotrdyatana, sabddyatana . . . The dyatana which does not bear any of these nine names, and which is matter, is sufficiently designated by the expression rupa-dyatana, without there being any need to give it another name, name.
But the nine other dyatanas are also both dyatana and rupa: why is the name of rilpa-dyatana given in preference to the object of the organ of sight?
By reason of its excellence. It is rupa, in fact, (1) by reason of pratigha: being subject to resistance, it is "deteriorated" through contact with the hand, etc. ; (2) by reason of desanidarsana (i. 13, p. 70): one can indicate it as being here, as being there; and (3) by reason of common usage: that which one understands in the world by rupa, is
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visible matter, color and shape.
The dharmayatana (i. l5b-d) is sufficiently distinguished from the
other ayatanas by the name of dharmayatana. Same explanation as above. It includes numerous dharmas, sensations, ideas, etc. ; it includes the best dharma, that is to say, Nirvana. This is why the general name, dharmayatana, is attributed to it par excellence.
113
visible matter is called rupa- the sphere of three types of eyes, a fleshy eye, the divine eye, and the
According to another opinion,
yatana because it includes twenty varieties (blue, etc. ), and because it is
wisdom eye (mamsa-, divya-, and prajndcaksus; ltivuttaka, 61). ***
The Sutras name other skandhas, other ayatanas, and other dhatus. Are these included within the skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus described above?
25. The eighty thousand dharmaskandhas that the Muni
promulgated, depending on whether one regards them as
"voice" or as "name," are included within the rupaskandha or
114 the samskdraskandha.
For the teachers who say "The word of the Buddha is, by its nature, voice," these skandhas are included within the rupaskandha; for those who consider the word of the Buddha as "name," these skandhas are included within the samskdraskandha (ii. 36, 47a-b).
***
What is the dimension of a dharmaskandha?
26a. According to some, a dharmaskandha is of the dimension
115 of the Treatise.
That is to say, of the dimension of an Abhidharma Treatise known
116 by the name of Dharmaskandha, which is six thousand stanzas long.
? 26b. The exposition of the skandhas, etc. , constitutes so many 117
According to another opinion, the exposition of the skandhas, dyatanas, dhatus, pratUyasamutpdda, the Truths, the foods, the dhydnas, the apramdnas, the drupyas, the vimoksas, the abhibhvayatanas, the krtsndyatanas, the bodhipaksikas, the abhijnas, the pratisamvids, pranidhijnana, or arand, etc. , are each one of them separately so many dharmaskandhas.
26c-d. In fact, each dharmaskandha has been preached in order to heal a certain category of believer.
Beings, with respect to their dispositions (ii. 26), number eighty thousand: some are dominated by affection, others by hatred, others by error, others by pride, etc. Eighty thousand dharmaskandhas have been preached by the Blessed One in order to cure them.
***
In the same way that the dharmaskandhas are included within rupaskandha or samskdraskandha,
27. In this same way the other skandhas, dyatanas and dhatus should be suitably arranged within the skandhas, dyatanas and dhatus as described above, by taking into account the charac- teristics that have been attributed to them.
The other skandhas, dyatanas and dhatus which are mentioned in other Sutras should be arranged within the five skandhas, twelve dyatanas and eighteen dhatus, by taking into consideration the unique characteristics which have been attributed to them in these works.
There are five pure skandhas, sila (iv. 13), samddhi (vi. 68), prajnd (ii. 25), vimukti (vi. 76c), and vimukttjndnadarsana: the first forms part of the rupaskandha, the others of the samskdraskandha (Samyutta, i. 99, Dtgha, iii. 279, Dharmasamgraha, 23).
dharmaskandhas.
The first eight krtsndyatanas (viii. 35), being by their nature
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absence of desire, form part of the dharmdyatana. If one considers them along with their following, they are by their nature five skandhas, and they are included within the mana-dyatana and the dharmdyatana.
The same holds for the abhibhvayatanas (viii. 34).
The last two krtsndyatanas and the four drupyayatanas (viii. 2c) are, by their nature, four skandhas*, with the exclusion of rupa. They are included within the mana-dyatana and the dharmdyatana.
118 The five "gates of entry into deliverance" (vimuktydyatana) are,
by their nature, speculative knowledge (prajnd); they are thus included within the dharmdyatana. If one considers their following, they are included within the sabddyatana, the mana-ayatana, and the dharmdyatana.
Two other ayatanas are left: 1. the Asamjnisattvas (ii. 4lb-d), which are included within the ten ayatanas, with the exception of smell and taste; and 2. the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatanopagas, which are in- cluded within the mana-ayatana and the dharmdyatana.
In this same way the sixty-two dhdtus enumerated in the Bahudha- tuka should be arranged within the eighteen dhdtus by taking their
119 nature into consideration.
***
12 Among the six dhdtus or elements mentioned in the Sutra, ? --
earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, space element, and consciousness element--the last two have not been defined. Is the space element the same thing as all space, the first of the unconditioned things (i. 5c)? Is all consciousness (vijndna, i. 16) the consciousness element?
28a-b. Cavities are called the space element; it is, one says, light and darkness.
[The cavity of the door, the window, etc. , is the external space
element; the cavity of the mouth, the nose, etc. , is the internal space
121
element. ]
? According to the School (kila), the void of the space element is light or darkness--that is to say, a certain type of color, of matter (L9b), for that which one perceives in a cavity is light or darkness.
122 Being by its nature light or darkness, the void will be day or night.
The void is calledaghasdmantaka rupa (Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 388b5). Agha, some say, is etymologically explained as atyartham ghdtdt:
123 "because it is extremely capable of striking or of being struck. " One
should thus understand agha as solid, agglomerated matter. The void is thus a type of matter close {samantaka) to agha.
According to another opinion, [our own], agha signifies "free from striking" {a-pratighdtdt). A void is agha because other matter does not strike it; it is at the same time close to other matter; it is thus both agha and samantaka.
28c. The consciousness element is an impure consciousness.
[Impure consciousness, that is to say, the mind which does not form part of the Path. ] Why is it not called pure?
Because these six dhdtus are 28d. The support of arising.
The six dhdtus are given in the Sutra (note 120) as support, as the raison d'etre of arising, that is to say, of the "mind at conception", and of all existence until the "mind at death".
The pure dharmas are opposed to arising, to existence. Thus the five sense consciousnesses, which are always impure, and the mental consciousness when it is impure, give us the consciousness element {Vibhasd, TD 27, p. 389a8).
***
Of these six dhdtus, the first four are included within the tangible, the fifth is included within visible matter, and the sixth within the seven dhdtus enumerated above i. l6c.
***
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Among the eighteen dhdtus, how many are visible, "capable of being pointed out? "
29a-b. Only rupadhdtu is visible.
One can indicate its place, here, there. The other dhdtus are
invisible.
29b-c. The ten dhdtus which are exclusively material are 124
capable of being struck.
The ten dhdtus which are included within the rilpaskandha are 125
capable of being struck.
1. Striking, or collision, is of three types: dvaranapratighdta,
visayapratighdta, and Mambanapratighdta (Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 391c6). a. Avaranapratighdta, being struck by reason of resistance: the quality that belongs to a body of making an obstacle to the arising of another body in the place where it itself is found; impenetrability. When a hand strikes a hand or a rock, when a rock strikes a rock or a
hand, it is counterstruck or repelled.
b. Visayapratighdta, the striking of the organ with that which is its 126
sphere of action. According to the Prajnapti: "There is an eye, an organ of sight, which is struck by water and not by dryness, namely the eye of a fish; there is an eye which is struck by dryness and not by water, namely, the eyes of humans in general, (with the exception of fishermen); there is an eye which is struck by water and by dryness, namely, the eye of a crocodile, a crab, a frog, or fishermen; there is an eye which is neither struck by water nor by dryness, namely the eyes which are not of the preceeding categories (for example, the eyes of beings who perish in the womb). There is an eye struck by night, namely the eye of a bat, an owl, etc. ; there is an eye which is struck by daylight, namely the eye of humans in general, (with the exception of thieves, etc. ); there is an eye which is struck by the night and by daylight, namely the eye of a dog, a jackal, a horse, a leopard, a cat, etc. ; there is an eye which is not struck by either night or daylight, namely
127
c. Alambanapratighdta, the striking of the mind and mental states
the eyes which are not of the preceeding categories. "
? with their object. (ii. 62c).
What is the difference between a sphere, visaya, and an object,
Mambana?
Visaya is the place where the organ exercises its activity, seeing,
hearing, etc. ; Mambana is what is grasped by the mind and the mental states. Thus, whereas the mind and mental states have both visaya and dlambana, the eye, the ear, etc. , have only visaya.
Why term "striking" or "evolving'' the activity of the organ or the mind with respects to its visaya or Mambana?
Because the organ does not proceed, is not active, beyond the visaya: thus it is struck by the visaya (for one says in common usage that one is struck by a wall beyond which one cannot "proceed"). Or rather, "to strike" signifies "to encounter:" this is the process or activity of the organ with respect to its own sphere.
2. When we say that ten dhatus are capable of being struck, or sapratigha, "characterized by pratighata" we are speaking of avarana- pratighdta\ these bodies are mutually impenetrable, capable of collision.
3. Are the dharmas which are sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action," also sapratigha through "impenetrability? "
Four alternatives: 1. the seven cittadhdtus (i. l6c) and one part of the dharmadhdtu, namely the samprayuktas (ii. 23), are sapratigha solely through "striking the sphere of action;" 2. the five spheres, visible matter, etc. (i. 9) are sapratigha solely through "impenetra- bility;" 3. the five organs, eye, etc. (i. 9) are sapratigha from the above two points of view; 4. one part of the dharmadhdtu, namely the viprayuktas (ii. 35), are not sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action," but are sapratigha through "striking the object. "
Let us now answer the second term of the question: the dharmas which are sapratigha through "striking the object"are also sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action": but there are dharmas which are sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action" without being at the same time sapratigha through "striking the object," namely the five organs.
4. The Bhadanta Kumaralabha says: "Sapratigha is that in which and with regard to which the consciousness can be hindered from
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128 arising by a foreign body; apratigha is the opposite. "
***
Among the eighteen dhdtus, how many are good, how many are bad, and how many are morally neutral {avydkrta, iv. 8,9,45)?
29c. Eight dhdtus are morally neutral.
What are the eight? These are the ten dhdtus which are character-
ized as sapratigha (i. 29b-c),
29d. Minus visible matter and sound.
"Minus visible matter and sound," that is to say, eight dhdtus: the five material organs, odor, taste and the tangible, are neutral, not being defined as good or bad; or rather, according to another opinion, not being defined from the point of view of retribution {vipaka).
30a. The others are of three types.
The other dhdtus can be, according to the case, good, bad, or neutral.
1. The seven dhdtus (cittadhdtavah, i. l6c). are good when they are associated with the three good roots (iv. 8), bad when they are
13 associated with bad roots, and neutral in all other cases. ?
2. The dharmadhdtu (i. l5c-d) includes (1) the good roots, the dharmas associated with these roots, the dharmas that issue from these roots, and pratisamkhydnirodha or Nirvana; (2) the bad roots, the dharmas associated with these roots, the dharmas that issue from these roots; and (3) neutral dharmas, for example space.
3. Rupadhdtu and sabdadhdtu, the visible matter and the audible, are good or bad when they constitute a bodily or vocal action (iv. 26,3d) that issued from a good or bad mind. They are neutral in all other cases.
***
Among the eighteen dhdtus, how many exist in each sphere of
129
? existence, Kamadhatu, Rupadhatu, and Arupyadhatu (iii. 1-3)?
131 30a-b. All exist in Kamadhatu.
All the dhdtus are associated with, or bound to Kamadhatu, not disassociated from Kamadhatu {Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 746d).
30b. Fourteen exist in Rupadhatu. There are fourteen dhdtus in Rupadhatu.
30c-d With the exception of odor, taste, the consciousness of
132 odor, and the consciousness of taste.
1. Odor and taste are lacking there, for they are "morsel-food" (iii. 39) and no one is born into Rupadhatu who is not detached from this food. Since odor and taste are lacking, the consciousness of odor and taste are lacking also.
Objection: Tangible things should be lacking also, for it is also tangible food by the "mouthful. "
No, for tangible things are not exclusively food. Tangibles which are not food do exist in Rupadhatu.
Objection: One can reason in the same way with respect to odor and taste.
No. The tangible has a useful function apart from food: it serves as the point of support of the organs; it serves as a support in general; and it serves as clothing. Odor and taste have no function outside of eating: they are of no use to beings detached from food.
ii. Srllabha gives a different explanation: When a person in Kamadhatu enters into absorption or dhydna, he sees visible matter; he hears sounds; his body is comforted by a certain tangible which accompanies physical well-being produced by the dhydna (vii. 9b). One can conclude from this fact that, in the celestial abodes of Rupadhatu which bear the name of dhydna {upapattidhydna, iii. 2, viii. l), there are visible, audible and tangible things, but not taste and odor.
iii. We think that, if odor and taste are lacking in Rupadhatu, the organs of smell and taste should also be lacking, for they do not serve any purpose. (Thus there are only twelve dhdtus in Rupadhatu. )
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1.
the mental states" (cittacaitta, ii. 23). Etymologically, ayatana is that
place, the mountain, where there are many "families" of gems,--iron, copper, silver, gold,--is said "to have numerous dhdtus" in this same way in the human complex or series, there are eighteen types of "families" which are called the eighteen dhdtus.
96
(4) Inferior rupa is defiled rupa\ excellent rupa is non-defiled rupa; 92
93
which extends (tanvanti) the entry (aya) of the mind and of the 94
mental states.
iii. Dhdtu signifies gotra, race, lineage. In the same way that the
Gotra is thus a mine.
Of what are the other dhdtus the mine?
95
Of what is the organ of the eye the mine?
The dhdtus are the mine of their own species: the eye, being a "cause similar to its effect" (sabhdgahetu, ii. 52) of the later moments of the existence of the eye, is the mine, the dhdtu of the eye.
But then unconditioned things, which are eternal, cannot be considered as dhdtu?
Let us say that they are the mine of the mind and mental states.
? According to another opinion, dhdtu signifies species. The specific nature of the eighteen dhdtus is what is understood by the eighteen dhdtus.
97
iv. [Objections. ]1. Ifskandhasignifies"heap,"theskandhashave
only a nominal existence, not a real existence, for collections are not a
9 thing: for example a pile of wheat, or the pudgala. *
"No, [reply the Vaibhasikas,] for an atom is a skandha.
As an atom in this hypothesis cannot have the quality of being a heap, do not say that skandha signifies "heap. "
2. According to another opinion (Vibhdsd TD 27, p. 407c9), 10
skandha signifies "that which bears the burden, namely its effect. " ? 101
Or else skandha signifies "part, section," as one says in the world, "I
will lend you three skandhas, if you promise to return them to me. " 103
These two explanations are not in conformity with the Sutra. The Sutra, in fact, attributes the sense of heap to skandha and no other sense:"Whateverrupathereis,past,present,orfuture,. . . ifoneputs together all this rupa . . . "
3. [The Vaibhasikas say: The Sutra teaches that] all rupa,--past rupa, future rupa, etc. ,--is, individually, called skandha, the same way that it teaches that hair, etc. , is earth-element (below, note 120); thus each "real" (atomic) element of past rupa, future rupa, etc. , receives the name of skandha. Thus the skandhas have real existence and not merely nominal existence.
This interpretation is inadmissible, for the Sutra says ". . . if one puts together all this rupa,. . . one has that which is called
y rupaskandha!
4. [The Sautrantikas:] If this is the case, then the material dyatanas,--the organs and objects of the five sense consciousnesses,-- have only a nominal existence, for the quality of being a "gate of arising of the mind or mental states" does not belong to atoms taken one by one, which are solely real, but to collections of atoms which constitute an organ of sight, a visible object, etc.
[Answer:] No, since each of these atoms individually possesses the quality of being "a gate of the arising of the mind," of being the cause of consciousness (compare i. 44a-b. iii). If you do not accept this
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doctrine, you will refuse to the organ, in its totality, the quality of being a cause of consciousness, for it does not produce a consciousness by itself, without the cooperation of an object.
5. On the other hand, the Vibhasa (TD 27, p. 384al8) expresses 104
itself thus: "When the Abhidharmikas take into consideration the fact that the term skandha is only the denomination of a heap, they say that an atom is part of a dhdtu, an ayatana, and a skandha\ when they do not take this fact into consideration, they say that an atom is a
105
dhatu, an ayatana, a skandha" In fact, one metaphorically designates
the part by the whole; for example, "The robe is burned," for "One part of the robe is burned"
***
Why did the Blessed One give skandhas, ayatanas and dhdtus as the triple designation of the dharmasl
20c-d. The teachings of the skandhas, etc. , because error, 106
1. Error is threefold: the first catagory of persons go astray by considering mental phenomena as together constituting a self; the second are similarly mistaken with respea to the material elements; and the third similarly err with respect to both the mental and the material elements.
2. The moral faculties (ii. 3c-d), the faculty of speculative conscious- ness (prajnendriya, ii. 24d), are of three catagories, sharp, mediocre, dull.
3. Joy is threefold: the first category of persons apply themselves to that which is said in brief; the second to that which is said normally; the third to that which is said at great length.
The teaching of the skandhas addresses itself to the first category of hearers, to those who are mistaken with respea to mental phenomena, who are of sharp faculties, and who are fond of a brief teaching; the teaching of the ayatanas addresses itself to the second
faculty, joy are threefold.
? category, and the teaching of the dhatus addresses itself to the third 107
category.
***
Sensation and ideas each constitute a seperate skandha: all the other mental dharmas (ii. 24) are placed within the samskdraskandha (i. 15). Why is this?
21. The two mental states, sensation and ideas, are defined as
distinct skandfoas because they are the causes of the roots of
dispute, because they are the causes of transmigration, and also
by reason of the causes which justify the order of skandhas. 108
(i. 22b)
109
1. There are two roots of dispute: attachment to pleasure, and
attachment to opinions. Sensation and ideas are, respectfully, the principal causes of these two roots. In faa, if one becomes attached to pleasures, it is because one relishes the sensation; if one becomes attached to opinions, it is by reason of erroneous or false ideas (viparftasamjnd, v. 9)
2. Sensation and ideas are the causes of transmigration: those who are greedy for sensation and whose ideas are erroneous transmigrate.
3. The reasons which justify the order of the skandhas will be explained below (i. 22b-d).
***
Why do unconditioned things, which form part of the dharma- yatana and the dharmadhatu (i. l5d), not form part of the skandhas!
22a-b Unconditioned things are not named with respect to the
uo
1. Unconditioned things cannot be placed within any of the five skandhas, for they are not matter, nor sensation . . .
skandhas, because they do not correspond to the concept.
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2. One cannot make a sixth skandha of the unconditioned: it does not correspond to the concept of skandha, since skandha signifies "heap," "capable of being put together. " One cannot say of the unconditioned what the Sutra says of matter: "If one puts together all this unconditioned, that which is past . . . , one has that which one calls the a asamskrtaskandha" for the distinctions of past, etc. , do not exist with respect to unconditioned things.
3. Furthermore, the expression upddanaskandha (i. 8a) designates the totality of that which is the cause of defilements; the expression skandha designates the totality of that which is the cause of defilement (impure conditioned things) as well as the cause of purification (pure conditioned things: the Path). Thus unconditioned things, which are neither the cause of defilement, nor the cause of purification, cannot be placed either among the upddanaskandhas nor among the skandhas.
4. According to one opinion, the same way that the end of a jug is not a jug, in this same way unconditioned things, which are the end or cessation of the skandhas, are not skandhas (Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 385bl8). And so according to this reasoning unconditioned things will be neither ayatanas nor dhdtus.
***
We have defined the skandhas. We should now explain the order in which the skandhas are enumerated.
22b-d. The order of the skandhas is justified by their grossness, their defilement, the characteristic of the jug, etc. , and also from
m
1. Matter, being subject to resistance (i. 29b), is the grossest of the skandhas. Among the non-material skandhas, sensation is the grossest, by reason of the grossness of its functioning: in fact, one localizes sensation in the hand, in the foot, etc. Ideas are grosser than the last two skandhas. The samskaraskandha is grosser that the skandha of consciousness. The skandhas are thus arranged in order of their diminishing grossness.
the point of view of their spheres of influence.
? 2. In the course of external transmigration, men and women are mutually infatuated by their bodies (rupas) because they are attached to the pleasures of sensation (vedand). This attachment proceeds from erroneous ideas {samjnviparydsa), which are due to the defilements which are samskdras. And it is the mind (citta) which is defiled by the defilements. The skandhas are thus arranged according to the process of their defilement.
3. Matter is the pot, sensation is the food, ideas are the seasoning, the samskdras are the cook, and the mind is the consumer. We have a third reason for the order of the skandhas.
4. Finally, in considering the skandhas on the one hand, and the dhdtus or spheres of existence (ii. 14) on the other, one sees that Kamadhatu is characterized by matter, namely by the five objects of sense enjoyment (kdmaguna: Dharmaskandha, 5. 15, Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 376all: compare Kathdvatthu, viii. 3). Rupadhatu, that is to say the Four Dhyanas, is characterized by sensation (organs of pleasure, satisfaction, and indifference, viii. 12). The first three stages of Arupya- dhatu are characterized by ideas: ideas of infinite space, etc. (viii. 4). The fourth stage of Arupyadhatu, or the summit of existence, is characterized by volition, the samskdra par excellence, which there
creates an existence of twenty-four thousand cosmic ages (iii. 81c). Finally, these diverse stages are the "abodes of consciousness'* (vijnd- nasathiti, iii. 6): it is in these places that the mind resides. The first four skandhas constitute the field; the fifth constitutes the seed.
There are thus five skandhas, no more, no less. One sees how the reasons which justify the order of the skandhas also justify the doctrine that makes sensation and ideas seperate skandhas: they are grosser than the other samskdras; they are the cause of the process of defilement; they are the food and the seasoning; and they reign over the two spheres of existence.
***
One should now explain the order in which the six ayatanas or dhdtus which are the six organs of consciousness, the organ of sight,
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etc. , are enumerated: an order the function of which is to arrange the objects {visaya) and the consciousnesses which correspond to these organs (rupadhdtu, caksurvijndnadhdtu . . . )
23a. The first five are the first because their object is present.
Five, beginning with the organ of sight, are called the first, because they bear only on present, simultaneous objects. Conversely, the object of the mental organ can be either (1) simultaneous to this organ; (2) earlier or past; (3) later or future; (4) tritemporal, that is to say simultaneous, earlier and later; or (5) beyond time.
23b. The first four are the first because their object is solely derived or secondary matter.
The organs of sight, of hearing, of smell and of taste do not attain to the primary elements (i. 12), but solely to matter which derives from the primary elements {bhautika, ii. 50a, 65).
The object of touch is not constant (i. 35a-b, lOd): sometimes primary elements, sometimes derived matter, sometimes both at the same time.
23c. These four are arranged according to the range and speed of their activity.
Their activity is at a distance, at a greater distance, very rapid
The organ of sight and the organ of hearing bear on a distant object (i. 43c-d). They are thus named first.
The organ of sight bears on objects at a greater distance than does the organ of hearing: for one can see a river of which one cannot make out the sound. The organ of sight is thus named before the organ of hearing.
Neither odor nor taste are perceived at a distance. But the activity of smell is more rapid than that of taste. The organ of smell perceives the odor of food before the organ of taste perceives its taste.
23d. Or rather the organs are arranged according to their position.
? The point of support or the place of the organ of sight, that is to say, the eye, is the highest; below that, the place of the organ of hearing; below that, the place of the organ of smell; below that, the place of the organ of taste. As for the place of the organ of touch, that is to say the body, it is, for the most part, lower than the tongue. As for the mental organ, it is not matter (i. 44a-b).
***
Among the ten dyatanas included within rilpaskandha, only one receives the name of rupa-dyatana. And although all the dyatanas are dharmas, only one is called dharma-ayatana. Why?
24. A single dyatana is called rupa-dyatana with a view to
distinguishing it from the others, and by reason of its excel-
lence. A single dyatana is called dharma-ayatana with a view to
distinguishing it from the others, and because it includes many
1U of the dharmas as well as the best dharma.
The ten material dyatanas (i. l4a-b) are, each one separately, dyatana: five are subjects, and five are the objects of a specific consciousness. They are not, in their totality, a single dyatana, a single source of consciousness, so that they could be called a rupa-dyatana. Nine are individualized by specific names: caksuraydtana, srotrdyatana, sabddyatana . . . The dyatana which does not bear any of these nine names, and which is matter, is sufficiently designated by the expression rupa-dyatana, without there being any need to give it another name, name.
But the nine other dyatanas are also both dyatana and rupa: why is the name of rilpa-dyatana given in preference to the object of the organ of sight?
By reason of its excellence. It is rupa, in fact, (1) by reason of pratigha: being subject to resistance, it is "deteriorated" through contact with the hand, etc. ; (2) by reason of desanidarsana (i. 13, p. 70): one can indicate it as being here, as being there; and (3) by reason of common usage: that which one understands in the world by rupa, is
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visible matter, color and shape.
The dharmayatana (i. l5b-d) is sufficiently distinguished from the
other ayatanas by the name of dharmayatana. Same explanation as above. It includes numerous dharmas, sensations, ideas, etc. ; it includes the best dharma, that is to say, Nirvana. This is why the general name, dharmayatana, is attributed to it par excellence.
113
visible matter is called rupa- the sphere of three types of eyes, a fleshy eye, the divine eye, and the
According to another opinion,
yatana because it includes twenty varieties (blue, etc. ), and because it is
wisdom eye (mamsa-, divya-, and prajndcaksus; ltivuttaka, 61). ***
The Sutras name other skandhas, other ayatanas, and other dhatus. Are these included within the skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus described above?
25. The eighty thousand dharmaskandhas that the Muni
promulgated, depending on whether one regards them as
"voice" or as "name," are included within the rupaskandha or
114 the samskdraskandha.
For the teachers who say "The word of the Buddha is, by its nature, voice," these skandhas are included within the rupaskandha; for those who consider the word of the Buddha as "name," these skandhas are included within the samskdraskandha (ii. 36, 47a-b).
***
What is the dimension of a dharmaskandha?
26a. According to some, a dharmaskandha is of the dimension
115 of the Treatise.
That is to say, of the dimension of an Abhidharma Treatise known
116 by the name of Dharmaskandha, which is six thousand stanzas long.
? 26b. The exposition of the skandhas, etc. , constitutes so many 117
According to another opinion, the exposition of the skandhas, dyatanas, dhatus, pratUyasamutpdda, the Truths, the foods, the dhydnas, the apramdnas, the drupyas, the vimoksas, the abhibhvayatanas, the krtsndyatanas, the bodhipaksikas, the abhijnas, the pratisamvids, pranidhijnana, or arand, etc. , are each one of them separately so many dharmaskandhas.
26c-d. In fact, each dharmaskandha has been preached in order to heal a certain category of believer.
Beings, with respect to their dispositions (ii. 26), number eighty thousand: some are dominated by affection, others by hatred, others by error, others by pride, etc. Eighty thousand dharmaskandhas have been preached by the Blessed One in order to cure them.
***
In the same way that the dharmaskandhas are included within rupaskandha or samskdraskandha,
27. In this same way the other skandhas, dyatanas and dhatus should be suitably arranged within the skandhas, dyatanas and dhatus as described above, by taking into account the charac- teristics that have been attributed to them.
The other skandhas, dyatanas and dhatus which are mentioned in other Sutras should be arranged within the five skandhas, twelve dyatanas and eighteen dhatus, by taking into consideration the unique characteristics which have been attributed to them in these works.
There are five pure skandhas, sila (iv. 13), samddhi (vi. 68), prajnd (ii. 25), vimukti (vi. 76c), and vimukttjndnadarsana: the first forms part of the rupaskandha, the others of the samskdraskandha (Samyutta, i. 99, Dtgha, iii. 279, Dharmasamgraha, 23).
dharmaskandhas.
The first eight krtsndyatanas (viii. 35), being by their nature
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absence of desire, form part of the dharmdyatana. If one considers them along with their following, they are by their nature five skandhas, and they are included within the mana-dyatana and the dharmdyatana.
The same holds for the abhibhvayatanas (viii. 34).
The last two krtsndyatanas and the four drupyayatanas (viii. 2c) are, by their nature, four skandhas*, with the exclusion of rupa. They are included within the mana-dyatana and the dharmdyatana.
118 The five "gates of entry into deliverance" (vimuktydyatana) are,
by their nature, speculative knowledge (prajnd); they are thus included within the dharmdyatana. If one considers their following, they are included within the sabddyatana, the mana-ayatana, and the dharmdyatana.
Two other ayatanas are left: 1. the Asamjnisattvas (ii. 4lb-d), which are included within the ten ayatanas, with the exception of smell and taste; and 2. the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatanopagas, which are in- cluded within the mana-ayatana and the dharmdyatana.
In this same way the sixty-two dhdtus enumerated in the Bahudha- tuka should be arranged within the eighteen dhdtus by taking their
119 nature into consideration.
***
12 Among the six dhdtus or elements mentioned in the Sutra, ? --
earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, space element, and consciousness element--the last two have not been defined. Is the space element the same thing as all space, the first of the unconditioned things (i. 5c)? Is all consciousness (vijndna, i. 16) the consciousness element?
28a-b. Cavities are called the space element; it is, one says, light and darkness.
[The cavity of the door, the window, etc. , is the external space
element; the cavity of the mouth, the nose, etc. , is the internal space
121
element. ]
? According to the School (kila), the void of the space element is light or darkness--that is to say, a certain type of color, of matter (L9b), for that which one perceives in a cavity is light or darkness.
122 Being by its nature light or darkness, the void will be day or night.
The void is calledaghasdmantaka rupa (Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 388b5). Agha, some say, is etymologically explained as atyartham ghdtdt:
123 "because it is extremely capable of striking or of being struck. " One
should thus understand agha as solid, agglomerated matter. The void is thus a type of matter close {samantaka) to agha.
According to another opinion, [our own], agha signifies "free from striking" {a-pratighdtdt). A void is agha because other matter does not strike it; it is at the same time close to other matter; it is thus both agha and samantaka.
28c. The consciousness element is an impure consciousness.
[Impure consciousness, that is to say, the mind which does not form part of the Path. ] Why is it not called pure?
Because these six dhdtus are 28d. The support of arising.
The six dhdtus are given in the Sutra (note 120) as support, as the raison d'etre of arising, that is to say, of the "mind at conception", and of all existence until the "mind at death".
The pure dharmas are opposed to arising, to existence. Thus the five sense consciousnesses, which are always impure, and the mental consciousness when it is impure, give us the consciousness element {Vibhasd, TD 27, p. 389a8).
***
Of these six dhdtus, the first four are included within the tangible, the fifth is included within visible matter, and the sixth within the seven dhdtus enumerated above i. l6c.
***
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Among the eighteen dhdtus, how many are visible, "capable of being pointed out? "
29a-b. Only rupadhdtu is visible.
One can indicate its place, here, there. The other dhdtus are
invisible.
29b-c. The ten dhdtus which are exclusively material are 124
capable of being struck.
The ten dhdtus which are included within the rilpaskandha are 125
capable of being struck.
1. Striking, or collision, is of three types: dvaranapratighdta,
visayapratighdta, and Mambanapratighdta (Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 391c6). a. Avaranapratighdta, being struck by reason of resistance: the quality that belongs to a body of making an obstacle to the arising of another body in the place where it itself is found; impenetrability. When a hand strikes a hand or a rock, when a rock strikes a rock or a
hand, it is counterstruck or repelled.
b. Visayapratighdta, the striking of the organ with that which is its 126
sphere of action. According to the Prajnapti: "There is an eye, an organ of sight, which is struck by water and not by dryness, namely the eye of a fish; there is an eye which is struck by dryness and not by water, namely, the eyes of humans in general, (with the exception of fishermen); there is an eye which is struck by water and by dryness, namely, the eye of a crocodile, a crab, a frog, or fishermen; there is an eye which is neither struck by water nor by dryness, namely the eyes which are not of the preceeding categories (for example, the eyes of beings who perish in the womb). There is an eye struck by night, namely the eye of a bat, an owl, etc. ; there is an eye which is struck by daylight, namely the eye of humans in general, (with the exception of thieves, etc. ); there is an eye which is struck by the night and by daylight, namely the eye of a dog, a jackal, a horse, a leopard, a cat, etc. ; there is an eye which is not struck by either night or daylight, namely
127
c. Alambanapratighdta, the striking of the mind and mental states
the eyes which are not of the preceeding categories. "
? with their object. (ii. 62c).
What is the difference between a sphere, visaya, and an object,
Mambana?
Visaya is the place where the organ exercises its activity, seeing,
hearing, etc. ; Mambana is what is grasped by the mind and the mental states. Thus, whereas the mind and mental states have both visaya and dlambana, the eye, the ear, etc. , have only visaya.
Why term "striking" or "evolving'' the activity of the organ or the mind with respects to its visaya or Mambana?
Because the organ does not proceed, is not active, beyond the visaya: thus it is struck by the visaya (for one says in common usage that one is struck by a wall beyond which one cannot "proceed"). Or rather, "to strike" signifies "to encounter:" this is the process or activity of the organ with respect to its own sphere.
2. When we say that ten dhatus are capable of being struck, or sapratigha, "characterized by pratighata" we are speaking of avarana- pratighdta\ these bodies are mutually impenetrable, capable of collision.
3. Are the dharmas which are sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action," also sapratigha through "impenetrability? "
Four alternatives: 1. the seven cittadhdtus (i. l6c) and one part of the dharmadhdtu, namely the samprayuktas (ii. 23), are sapratigha solely through "striking the sphere of action;" 2. the five spheres, visible matter, etc. (i. 9) are sapratigha solely through "impenetra- bility;" 3. the five organs, eye, etc. (i. 9) are sapratigha from the above two points of view; 4. one part of the dharmadhdtu, namely the viprayuktas (ii. 35), are not sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action," but are sapratigha through "striking the object. "
Let us now answer the second term of the question: the dharmas which are sapratigha through "striking the object"are also sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action": but there are dharmas which are sapratigha through "striking the sphere of action" without being at the same time sapratigha through "striking the object," namely the five organs.
4. The Bhadanta Kumaralabha says: "Sapratigha is that in which and with regard to which the consciousness can be hindered from
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128 arising by a foreign body; apratigha is the opposite. "
***
Among the eighteen dhdtus, how many are good, how many are bad, and how many are morally neutral {avydkrta, iv. 8,9,45)?
29c. Eight dhdtus are morally neutral.
What are the eight? These are the ten dhdtus which are character-
ized as sapratigha (i. 29b-c),
29d. Minus visible matter and sound.
"Minus visible matter and sound," that is to say, eight dhdtus: the five material organs, odor, taste and the tangible, are neutral, not being defined as good or bad; or rather, according to another opinion, not being defined from the point of view of retribution {vipaka).
30a. The others are of three types.
The other dhdtus can be, according to the case, good, bad, or neutral.
1. The seven dhdtus (cittadhdtavah, i. l6c). are good when they are associated with the three good roots (iv. 8), bad when they are
13 associated with bad roots, and neutral in all other cases. ?
2. The dharmadhdtu (i. l5c-d) includes (1) the good roots, the dharmas associated with these roots, the dharmas that issue from these roots, and pratisamkhydnirodha or Nirvana; (2) the bad roots, the dharmas associated with these roots, the dharmas that issue from these roots; and (3) neutral dharmas, for example space.
3. Rupadhdtu and sabdadhdtu, the visible matter and the audible, are good or bad when they constitute a bodily or vocal action (iv. 26,3d) that issued from a good or bad mind. They are neutral in all other cases.
***
Among the eighteen dhdtus, how many exist in each sphere of
129
? existence, Kamadhatu, Rupadhatu, and Arupyadhatu (iii. 1-3)?
131 30a-b. All exist in Kamadhatu.
All the dhdtus are associated with, or bound to Kamadhatu, not disassociated from Kamadhatu {Vibhdsd, TD 27, p. 746d).
30b. Fourteen exist in Rupadhatu. There are fourteen dhdtus in Rupadhatu.
30c-d With the exception of odor, taste, the consciousness of
132 odor, and the consciousness of taste.
1. Odor and taste are lacking there, for they are "morsel-food" (iii. 39) and no one is born into Rupadhatu who is not detached from this food. Since odor and taste are lacking, the consciousness of odor and taste are lacking also.
Objection: Tangible things should be lacking also, for it is also tangible food by the "mouthful. "
No, for tangible things are not exclusively food. Tangibles which are not food do exist in Rupadhatu.
Objection: One can reason in the same way with respect to odor and taste.
No. The tangible has a useful function apart from food: it serves as the point of support of the organs; it serves as a support in general; and it serves as clothing. Odor and taste have no function outside of eating: they are of no use to beings detached from food.
ii. Srllabha gives a different explanation: When a person in Kamadhatu enters into absorption or dhydna, he sees visible matter; he hears sounds; his body is comforted by a certain tangible which accompanies physical well-being produced by the dhydna (vii. 9b). One can conclude from this fact that, in the celestial abodes of Rupadhatu which bear the name of dhydna {upapattidhydna, iii. 2, viii. l), there are visible, audible and tangible things, but not taste and odor.
iii. We think that, if odor and taste are lacking in Rupadhatu, the organs of smell and taste should also be lacking, for they do not serve any purpose. (Thus there are only twelve dhdtus in Rupadhatu. )
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1.
