English
or it drinks them, like a binder, it gathers them, it consolidates them, thus it is water. That itself is an element, thus the water element. It shines forth with sharpness, like blazing, it appears amidst co-arisen phenomena, or it sharpens, it makes co-arisen phenomena strong and powerful, or it ripens, it heats, thus it is fire. That itself is an element, thus the fire element. It moves, it stirs, it causes the aggregate of elements to go to another place, being the cause of arising in another place, thus it is wind. Or it moves, it carries co-arisen phenomena, making them not fall, thus it is wind. That itself is an element, thus the wind element. Therein, earth has the characteristic of hardness. Water has the characteristic of cohesion. Fire has the characteristic of heat. Wind has the characteristic of distension. Here it might be asked, "Why is earth said to have the characteristic of hardness?" "Surely it can also be soft?" True, even when soft, it is considered hard in dependence on the other three elements. However, in dependence on each other, this is soft, this is hard. it becomes. Therefore, like the soft and the hard, the long and the short, there is no fixed state. For even those that are soft, having met with something softer, are called hard. And even those that are hard, having met with something harder, are called soft. Water is said to have the characteristic of binding. If it is said that in natural water, this is excessive, and natural water is bound and solidified, then no. Because the earth to be bound is too weak there. But where the earth is strong, there it binds more tightly. Fire is said to have the characteristic of heat. If this is so, coldness would not be fire, then no. That which heats, burns, cooks, and brings to a state of ripeness is called hot. And coldness also burns, cooks, and brings to that state. And it is said in the Mūlaṭīkā: "Indeed, fire is cold. Because in times of snowfall and so on, coldness is seen to be a ripening agent." Wind is said to have the characteristic of expansion. If it is said that this is not found in solid, stiff things like stone pillars, then no. For there, the earth, having obtained the expansion of the wind born with it, becomes strong and very firm, and endures. It sees, therefore it is the eye. It indicates the even and the uneven, because the knowledge of even and uneven has it as its root. Or it tastes form, because it does not reject the form that has come into its range. Or it makes it manifest, is the meaning. It hears, therefore it is the ear. They hear, or they are heard by this, therefore it is the ear. It smells, therefore it is the nose. They smell, or they are smelled by this, therefore it is the nose. The taste that is the cause of life is called life. Because it is inclined towards that, it is called the tongue. Or, it carries life, or they carry and maintain it by this, for the accomplishment of the means of life, therefore it is the tongue. Or, victory or defeat is called jīti. It carries both of these, or they carry them by this, therefore it is the tongue. The tongue with its constituents. As it is said: For a man born, an axe is born in his mouth; By which he cuts himself, the man who speaks evil words. Here, however, because of its association, the tongue is called the sensitive faculty. Of the despicable, The body is the source, the place of arising, of hair and the like, and of evil states. The body with its constituents. Here, however, that body of sensitivity, its companion, is intended. They become clear, thus they are sensitivities. Or, here, moon-discs and the like, objects and signs, become clear, appearing in their own form as if settling there; thus they are sensitivities, kamma-born discs like very pure mirror-discs. These five, however, the eye-sensitivity and the like, should be understood as characterized by sensitive matter arisen from kamma, having the desire to see, etc., as their cause, or as characterized by sensitive matter susceptible to impact by visible forms and the like. There, the eye, first, pervades and stands like oil in the visible disc, which is the place of the body's formation, located in front, of the size of a louse's head, in the middle of the black disc surrounded by the white disc, pervading seven layers of cotton-wool and seven eye-membranes. The ear pervades and stands in the region inside the ear-hole, which is in the form of a coiled finger, with fine, copper-colored hairs grown there. The nose pervades and stands in the region inside the nostril, which is in the shape of a goat's hoof. The tongue pervades and stands in the region in the middle of the tongue, with its constituents, which is in the shape of the tip of a lotus petal. The body, however, pervades and stands throughout the entire body, except for the place where the digestive fire is established, hair-tips, body-hair tips, nail-tips, and dry skin, like oil poured into a large cotton-wick. These five, however, appropriately accomplish the state of being a base and a door for the five-door consciousnesses. And for each one of them, four elements each render assistance by means of the functions of holding together, binding, ripening, and propelling. Just as for a royal prince, four nurses by means of the functions of holding, bathing, adorning, and fanning. And season, consciousness, and food support it. Just as that royal prince by his father, elder brother, and elder sister. And life protects it well. Just as that royal prince by a famous, king-approved, great physician. And color and the like surround it. Just as that royal prince with Like unborn ministers' sons. For indeed, the mind of beings is diverse. Due to the diversity of mind, perceptions are diverse. Due to the diversity of perceptions, cravings are diverse. Due to the diversity of cravings, actions are diverse. Due to the diversity of actions, beings arisen from kamma are diverse. Due to the diversity of beings, these sense-faculties are diverse. They are dissimilar to one another. Even though they are sense-faculty-spheres, some are susceptible to impact from form only, not from sound and so on. Some are susceptible to sound and so on only, not from form. Therefore, their distinctness from one another and from other forms, by their characteristics, should be understood. It forms, thus it is form. Having taken on a particular color, it manifests as something that has entered the heart. Or, by its nature, it manifests any substance, whether even or uneven; this is the meaning. It spreads, it goes to the state of being knowable by the ear, thus it is sound. It makes a sound, thus it is sound. It declares this or that meaning, or its own object; this is the meaning. Or it spreads, it diffuses in a moment to this or that direction or region, thus it is sound. It smells, thus it is smell. It indicates its own object; this is the meaning. It goes, thus it is 'go' (wind). Wind. It is carried by that (wind), thus it is smell. It is tasted, it is savored, thus it is taste. Or they taste it, they savor it, thus it is taste. It is touched, thus it is tangibility. And here, touching should be understood as impact with the sense-faculty, and striking against other kalāpas. Both of these are not present in the water element, therefore it is said to be "devoid of the water element." But why is that not present in it? Is it not that coldness or liquidity is grasped by touch? It is said that coldness is indeed the fire element, not water. For if it were water itself, then coldness would be found even in molten, heated iron liquid. For that liquid is abundant in water. But it is not found thus. Therefore, it is indeed the fire element, not water. Moreover, it is understood from the non-coexistence of cold and heat in a single kalāpa, and from their non-persistence, like (things on) this side and that side. For heat does not coexist in a cold kalāpa, nor cold in a hot kalāpa. And in that object where previously there was a perception of cold Perception settles. Afterwards, when it becomes colder, in that very same (thing), again the perception of heat settles. Previously, in the perception of heat, the method is the same. Similarly, when the heat is mild, the perception of cold settles. When the cold is mild, the perception of heat. Now, water, being in a liquid state, is grasped by touch. Even iron, a binding agent in lumps and so on, would be grasped by touch. And this being so, just as the other three elements, without each other, become separate objects of bodily pleasure and pain. So too, it (water) would be a separate object of bodily pleasure and pain without the others. But it is not. For whatever bodily pleasure or pain arises for those touching iron lumps and so on, that arises by way of hardness and stiffness. Or by way of coldness and heat, or by way of the mild or intense internal rigidity. Not otherwise. Therefore, in the first part, having touched the three elements or having seen their color, in the latter part, by a pure mind-consciousness continuum, knowing the long-short shapes, or a firebrand circle at night, or various holes and openings, just as they know, first, having touched the three elements, which are liquid, dissolved, and soft, or even earth, afterwards, by a pure mind-consciousness continuum, they know the separate liquid state and the solid state. Even though it is so, those who know by touching it, think "this is it," being those who do not know the distinction. The frequent roaming place of cattle is 'gocara'. Because of its similarity to 'gocara', here it is 'gocara'. Or 'go' here refers to the faculties like the eye. These, being supported by consciousness, roam among these (objects). Or these (objects) roam among them, proceed, and strike, thus they are 'gocara'. These very things, being brought to a unity here, are called 'gocara-rūpa' (sense-object forms). And these five, in order,