English
Its function is to cause the arising of elements from the past, Manifestation is the act of conveying, Or manifestation is the state of being complete, Growth has accumulated elements as its proximate cause. Continuity is the characteristic of the course of elements, Its function is unbroken succession, Manifestation is uninterruptedness, Continuity has elements causing unbroken succession as its proximate cause. Both of these are designations for the element of birth. For the first arising of the four kinds of elements, When compacted together, is called accumulation, And the subsequent arising is called continuity. Therefore, in their analysis, it is said, "That which is the accumulation of elements, That is the continuity of elements." But they are distinguished separately, Because of the difference in their aspects. Ripening is the characteristic of the aging of elements, Its function is to bring near, Manifestation is the passing away of newness, Even though the nature does not depart, Like the state of old rice, Aging has ripening elements as its proximate cause. Though breaking down moment by moment, It is called "manifest aging, aging with intervals," Because of the clearly discernible changes, In things taken up, like broken teeth, And in things not taken up, like trees and creepers, From changes in color and so forth, And intermittently. Because it is difficult to discern, and continuous, In jewels, gold, the moon, the sun, and so forth, It is called "unmanifest aging, aging without intervals." For in such things, at the time of world destruction, Aging might be perceived from the change. But because its change is always imperceptible, Aging in immaterial phenomena is called concealed aging. And there, changes in color and so forth are not aging, Because they are not cognizable by the eye. For aging is not cognizable by the eye, But it is cognizable by the mind. Just as the land is broken by a flood, and so on. Even though unseen, the flood is easily understood by observation, so old age should be understood by observing decay. The characteristic of form is dissolution, its function is to disintegrate, its manifestation is decay and disappearance, and its proximate cause is the state of dissolving form. Not only these, but also birth, old age, and death, which are grasped by the four stages of growth, etc., belong to the phenomena of form, but they also belong to the formless phenomena. And these should be seen as similar to forest-entering robbers, ambushers, trappers, fallen killers, and thieves, respectively, of these beings. The characteristic of edible food is nourishment, its function is to sustain form, its manifestation is support, and its proximate cause is the material that must be taken as a morsel. This is the determination from the aspect of characteristics. But in summary, all this form, in terms of aggregates, is of one kind, only the aggregate of form, and thus it is causeless, conditioned, compounded, worldly, with influxes, subject to fetters, subject to floods, subject to yokes, subject to hindrances, subject to clinging, defiled, without an object, and not to be abandoned, etc., and is of one kind. That again is twofold in terms of primary and derived. There, the four great elements, earth, etc., are called primary form, the rest is called derived form. The seventeen, beginning with earth, etc., and edible food, are called produced form, because they exist in reality, the other is called unproduced form. The five sense faculties, eye, etc., the two genders, and the life faculty, these eight are called sense-faculty form, the other is non-sense-faculty. These sense faculties and the heart, these nine are grasped, the other is ungrasped. The five sense faculties, the four colors, sounds, smells, and tastes, and the three elements excluding the water element, these twelve are gross form, near form, and resistant form, the rest is subtle form, distant form, and non-resistant form. The sense faculties and the heart are object form, the other is non-object form. The sense faculties and the two kinds of communication are door form, the other is non-door. The sense faculties are internal form, the range of objects Visible form, and the rest is external, And form that is not grasped by the sense organs. The four primary elements, And color, odor, flavor, nutritive essence: This is called the pure eightfold, non-separable form, The rest is separable form. And it is twofold, such as eye and non-eye. Again, it is threefold, according to the visible triad. Therein, the form element is visible and resistant, The remaining gross form is invisible and resistant, All subtle form is invisible and non-resistant. Likewise, according to the karma-born triad. Therein, the ninefold appropriated form, The pure eightfold, and space, are called karma-born, The two kinds of intimation, the three lightnesses, and sound, are called non-karma-born, The four kinds of characteristic form, such as arising, are called non-born. The pure eightfold, space, the two kinds of intimation, the three lightnesses, and sound, are called mind-born, The remainder, without characteristic form, is called non-mind-born, Characteristic form is called non-born. The pure eightfold, space, and the three lightnesses, are called nutriment-born, The rest, without characteristics, is called non-nutriment-born, Characteristic form is called non-born. The pure eightfold, space, the three lightnesses, and sound, are called temperature-born, The rest, without characteristics, is called non-temperature-born, Characteristic form is called non-born. For characteristics, due to the nature of things that arise, decay, and break up, Do not obtain the designation of birth from anywhere, Lest there be the absurdity of birth, etc., For it is not proper to say, "Birth is born, aging ages, death dies," Because of instability. But as for the rest, the produced things such as space and intimation, Although in the ultimate sense there is no origination from anywhere due to their non-existence, Nevertheless, taking up the form that thus and thus occurs, Since there is no contradiction in their existing designation and the designation of being causally arisen, Their being with a cause is stated. But that which is stated in the Pāli, "The form element... ...the growth of form, the continuity of form, morsel food. These things are mind-produced," etc., That even birth is born from somewhere, that is... Because the arising-condition-factors are seen in their functional-power-characteristic at the moment of the arising of form, it is stated in reference to their existence. But because aging and death are not present at the moment of the arising of form, they are not stated. "Aging and death, monks, are impermanent, conditioned, dependently arisen" (SN 2.20) This, however, should be understood as referring to aging and death because consciousness, name and form, etc., which proceed in that manner, are included under the heading of aging and death. That form which is internal is grasping, that form which is external, some is grasping, some is not grasping, in this way, it is threefold. Again, all of that is fourfold as seen, heard, sensed, and cognized. Therein, the form-base is called seen, sound is called heard, odor, taste, and tactile object are called sensed because they must be apprehended upon contact, the remainder is called cognized because it can be cognized by the mind. Likewise, it is fourfold as form-form, fourfold, etc. Therein, the eighteen kinds of produced form are called form-form, space is called delimiting form, the two kinds of intimation, and the three of lightness, etc., are called mutable form, the four kinds of origination, etc., are called characteristic form. Likewise, the heart-base is a base, not a door, the two kinds of intimation are a door, not a base, the five sense faculties, eye, etc., are both base and door, the remainder is neither base nor door, in this way, it is fourfold. Again, that is fivefold according to arising from a single cause, etc. The nine kinds of form sustained by grasping arise only from kamma, and the two kinds of intimation arise only from mind, therefore, they are called single-caused, sound arises from weather and mind, therefore, it is called double-caused, the three of lightness, etc., arise from weather, mind, and nutriment, therefore, they are called triple-caused, the pure eightfold, and space, arise from all four, therefore, they are called quadruple-caused, the characteristics are called uncaused. In this way, it is fivefold. Again, that is sixfold as knowable by the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind-sense. It is sevenfold as knowable by the seven consciousness-elements. That same knowable by the mind-consciousness-element, having divided it into two as material and derived, is eight. It is ninefold. There, the water element is known by mind-consciousness alone, called material form. The rest, subtle form with sensitivity, is called appropriable form knowable by mind-consciousness. That same appropriable form knowable by mind-consciousness, divided into sense and non-sense, becomes ninefold. That again is tenfold in terms of sensitivity, object, water element, condition, heart, life, limitation, change, characteristic, and nutriment. That same is elevenfold in terms of sense bases: eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, form base, sound base, odor base, taste base, tangible base, and mind base, and likewise in terms of elements. There, the three elements excluding the water element are the tangible base, the tangible element, and are called "knowable by body, knowable by body-consciousness," and the subtle form is the mind base, the mind element, and that same with sensitivity is called "knowable by mind, knowable by mind-consciousness." The rest is very easy to understand.