English
the virtuous will attain peace forever. Thus, in the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha, the section on the collection of path-free (consciousness), named the Fifth Chapter. 6. Chapter on Matter 1. Up to this point, indeed, explained with their classifications and modes of occurrence, Are the phenomena of consciousness and mental factors; Now matter is declared. 2. By way of summary and classification, by way of origination, by way of groups, And by way of the order of occurrence; There are five ways of collection there. Summary of Matter 3. The four great elements, and the derived matter dependent on the four great elements—this two-fold matter is comprised in eleven ways. 4. How? The earth element, water element, fire element, air element are called fundamental matter. 5. Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body are called sensitive matter. 6. Visible form, sound, odour, taste, and tangible object (consisting of the three elements excluding the water element) are called objective matter. 7. Femininity, masculinity are called gender matter. 8. The heart-base is called heart matter. 9. The life faculty is called life matter. 10. Nutritive essence is called nutriment matter. 11. And thus, this eighteen-fold matter is comprised as matter with intrinsic nature, matter with individual characteristics, produced matter, matter that is 'matter', and matter for contemplation. 12. The space element is called delimiting matter. 13. Bodily intimation, verbal intimation are called intimation matter. 14. Lightness of matter, softness, adaptability, and the two intimations are called mutable matter. 15. Accumulation of matter, continuity, decay, impermanence are called characteristic matter. 16. Here, birth-matter itself is spoken of by the names accumulation and continuity; thus, this eleven-fold matter becomes twenty-eight-fold by way of its intrinsic nature. 17. How? – Fundamental, sensitive, objective, gender, and heart too; By life and nutriment matter, thus eighteen-fold. And delimiting, intimation, mutable, and characteristic too; These ten unproduced, make twenty-eight. here it may be. This is here the exposition of matter. Division of Matter 18. All this matter, however, being uncaused, conditioned, with defilements, compounded, mundane, belonging to the sense-sphere, without an object, and not to be abandoned, though of one kind, goes into many divisions by way of internal and external, etc. 19. How? The five kinds of matter called 'sensitive' are internal matter, the rest is external matter. 20. The six kinds of matter called 'bases' (sensitive and heart-base) are base-matter, the rest is non-base-matter. 21. The seven kinds of matter called 'doors' (sensitive and intimation) are door-matter, the rest is non-door-matter. 22. The eight kinds of matter called 'faculties' (sensitive, gender, and life-faculty) are faculty-matter, the rest is non-faculty-matter. 23. The twelve kinds of matter called 'gross' (sensitive and objects) are gross matter, near matter, and impinging matter; the rest is subtle matter, distant matter, and non-impinging matter. 24. Matter born of kamma is grasped matter, the rest is ungrasped matter. 25. The visible object is visible matter, the rest is invisible matter. 26. The two (eye, ear) by way of non-contact, and the three (nose, tongue, body) by way of contact, these five kinds of matter are sense-object apprehending matter, the rest is non-sense-object apprehending matter. 27. Color, smell, taste, nutritive essence, and the four primary elements, these eight kinds of matter are inseparable matter, the rest is separable matter. 28. Thus, the wise divide even these twenty-eight kinds into internal, etc., as appropriate. This is here the division of matter. Method of the Origin of Matter 29. Kamma, consciousness, temperature, and nutriment, these are the four origins of matter. 30. Therein, the twenty-five kinds of wholesome and unwholesome kamma belonging to the sense-sphere and form-sphere, conditioned by kamma, cause kamma-born matter to arise moment by moment in the internal continuum, starting from conception. 31. The seventy-five kinds of consciousness, excluding the resultant formless states and the ten double consciousnesses, cause consciousness-born matter to arise as soon as they are born, starting from the first bhavanga. 32. Therein, absorption impulsion and postures also subdues. 33. As for the volitional cognitive processes of the sense-sphere, they also produce intimation. 34. Among these, the thirteen joyful volitional cognitive processes also generate laughter. 35. The fire element, known as heat and cold, having reached stability, produces temperature-originated matter, both internal and external, as appropriate. 36. Food, called nutriment, having reached its place at the time of consumption, produces nutriment-originated matter. 37. Among these, the heart-base and sense-faculties are only kamma-born. 38. The two intimations are only mind-born. 39. Sound is mind- or temperature-born. 40. The triad of lightness, etc., arises from temperature, mind, and nutriment. 41. The inseparable material qualities and the space element are born from all four. 42. The characteristic material qualities are not born from anywhere. 43. Eighteen, fifteen, thirteen, and twelve, respectively, are kamma-, mind-, temperature-, and nutriment-born. 44. Because they are merely the nature of arising, etc., the characteristics are not born from anything, so it is declared. This is the method of the origination of matter here. Arrangement of Groups 45. Twenty-one groups of material qualities are those that have one arising, one cessation, one support, and co-arise. 46. Among these, life and the inseparable material qualities, together with the eye, are called the eye-decad. Similarly, the ear-decad, nose-decad, tongue-decad, body-decad, femininity-decad, masculinity-decad, and base-decad should be arranged in order with the ear, etc. The inseparable material qualities, together with life, are called the life-ennead. These nine are kamma-originated groups. 47. As for the inseparable material qualities, they are the pure octad; that same, together with body-intimation, is the body-intimation-ennead; together with verbal-intimation and sound, it is the verbal-intimation-decad; together with lightness, etc., it is the lightness-etc.-hendecad; the body-intimation-lightness-etc.-duodecad; and the verbal-intimation-sound-lightness-etc.-tredecad. These are six mind-originated groups. 48. The pure octad, the sound-ennead, the lightness-etc.-hendecad, and the sound-lightness-etc.-duodecad. These are four temperature-originated groups. 49. Su the pure octad, and the light eleven, these are the two food-originated groups. 50. Among these, the pure octad and the sound nonad, these two season-originated groups are found externally as well. But all the remaining ones are only internal. 51. Karma-, mind-, season-, and food-originated, in order, nine, six, four, and two, thus are the twenty-one groups. The discerning ones say that space and characteristics are not components of a group, because they define the groups. This is the application of groups here. The Process of Material Occurrence 52. All these material phenomena occur in the sense-sphere realm in their full complement, as is appropriate. 53. At the moment of rebirth, for the moisture-born and the spontaneously arisen, seven decads appear, namely, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, sex, and base decads, in the highest instance. In the lowest instance, the eye, ear, nose, and sex decads are sometimes not found. Therefore, the reduction of groups should be understood based on these. 54. For beings in the womb, three decads appear, namely, the body, sex, and base decads. Even there, the sex decad is sometimes not obtained. After that, in the process of occurrence, the eye decad and so on appear in due course. 55. Thus, from the moment of rebirth, karma-originated; from the second thought-moment, mind-originated; from the moment of persistence, season-originated; from the permeation of nutriment, food-originated; this continuous stream of material groups from the four origins flows uninterruptedly in the sense-sphere realm like a lamp flame and like a river current, for the duration of life. 56. At the time of death, from the moment of persistence of the seventeenth thought-moment after the death-consciousness, karma-born material phenomena do not arise. And the karma-born material phenomena that arose earlier persist simultaneously with the death-consciousness and then cease. After that, mind-born and food-born material phenomena also cease. After that, the succession of season-originated material phenomena continues up to what is called the corpse. 57. Thus, for dead beings, again in another existence, from the moment of rebirth, similarly, form arises. 58. However, in the Form Realm, the decads of nose, tongue, body, and sex, and the food-born aggregates are not found. Therefore, at the time of their rebirth, there are four karma-born aggregates: three decads based on eye, ear, and heart-basis, and the life-ennead. In the course of existence, mind-born and temperature-born aggregates are found. 59. For non-percipient beings, however, eye, ear, heart-basis, and sound are not found, nor are any mind-born forms. Therefore, at the time of their rebirth, there is only the life-ennead. In the course of existence, temperature-born form, excluding sound, superabounds. 60. Thus, in these three realms, namely the Sensuous, Form, and Non-percipient realms, the arising of form, in two ways, as rebirth and as the course of existence, should be understood. 61. Twenty-eight in the Sensuous, Twenty-three in the Form realms. Seventeen for the percipients, In the Formless, there is nothing at all. Sound, alteration, decay, And death at rebirth; Are not found. In the course of existence, Nothing at all is not found.