English
That form which, derived from the Great Phenomena, is visible under the appearance of colour and produces impact . . .^ on which form, visible and productive of impact, the eye, invisible and impingeing, has impinged, impinges, will, or may impinge — this that is visible form, etc. [con- tinue as in § 617]. [619] What is that form which is the sphere of visible form ? ^ The following terms, says the Cy. {ibid.), illustrate varieties of lustre. A little gratuitous astronomy is then thrown in. The orb of the moon, viz., the mansion of the moon-god, is 49 yojanas in extent, is made of gold and roofed with silver. That of the sun is 50 yojanas, is made of gold and roofed with crystal. The constellations, the mansions of different gods, are 7, 8, or 10 yojanas in extent, and are made of the seven jewels. Between the moon below and the sun above is 1 yojana. The con- stellations take two years in their orbit. They and the sun go (sic) swiftly, the moon slowly. At times the moon leads, at times she is behind. 2 Is of bronze (Asl. 318). ^ Is not a gem ; is the colour of the bamboo (ibid.). 4 ' The Master's colour ' (ibid,). ^ Under kahapano, ' i.e., silver coin, masakas of copper, wood, and lac are to be included {ibid.). Quoted from Vin. iii. 238. ^ In this and the next two answers, according to K., the list of typical forms given in ^ 617 is to be rehearsed each time in full. 185 That form which, derived from the Great Phenomena, is visible under the appearance of colour and produces impact — which form, visible and producing impact, has impinged, impinges, will, or may impinge on the eye that is invisible and reacting — this which is visible form, etc. [continue as in § 617]. [620] What is that form which is the sphere of visible form? That form which, derived from the four Great Phenomena, is visible and produces impact — in consequence of which form, and depending on the eye, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise visual contact . . . in consequence of which form and depending on the eye, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise, born of that visual contact, a feeling . . . [or] a perception . . . [or] thinking . . . [or] visual cognition ... [further] having which visible form as its object,^ and depending on the eye there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise visual contact, 1 In the printed text, for ruparammanam read ruparammano, and, two lines later, ruparammana. So for the other senses, § 624, etc. I follow the reading in K., making the word adjectival to sakkhusamphassajo. and then to vedana, saiiiia, etc. Cf. the analogous passage in § 600 (in the passage T have restored to the text), in § 604, and so on. I confess I do not see what is gained by shifting cakkhum nissaya, so that by K.'s reading it is sandwiched between adjective and noun, beyond the symmetry in these sense-object answers, of giving precedence everywhere to the object. But this does not invalidate the reading in K. Aram ma nam is a term of mental procedure, not of bare sense-function, such as is indicated by the relation of rupam : cakkhu. 186 and, having which visible form as its object, and depending on the eye, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise a feeling . . . [or] a perception . . . [or] thinking ... [or] visual cognition . . . this which is visible form, the sphere, the constituent element of visible form — this is that form which is the sphere of visible form. [621] What is that form which is the sphere of sound ? That sound which is derived from the four Great Phenomena, is invisible and produces impact, such as the sound of drums, of tabors, of chank-shells, of tom-toms, of singing, of music ;^ clashing sounds,^ manual sounds,^ the noise of people,^ the sound of the concussion of substances,^ of wind,^ of water,^ sounds human and other than human, or whatever other sound^ there is, derived from the Great Phenomena, invisible and producing impact — such a sound, invisible and producing impact, as, by the ear, invisible and reacting, one has heard, hears, will, or may hear . . . [622] . . . and on which sound, invisible and producing impact, the ear, invisible and reacting, has impinged, impinges, will, or may impinge . . . [623] . . . which sound, invisible and producing impact, ^ I.e., the sound of lutes and other stringed instruments (Asl. 319). 2 E.g., of gongs and castanets (ibid.). ^ I.e., of hand-clapping (ibid.). * I.e., of a crowd when words and syllables have become indistinguishable (ibid.). ^ I.e., of trees rubbing against each other, or of the knocking of blocks {ibid.). Vin. Texts, iii. 213, n. ^ I.e., of wind as wind (ibid.). ^ I.e., either of beaten or flowing water (ibid.). ^ I.e., of splitting reeds, tearing cloth, and the like {ibid.). 187 has impinged, impinges, will, or may impinge on the ear that is invisible and reacting . . . [624] ... in consequence of which sound and depending on the ear, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise auditory contact . . . . . . and^ . . . born of that auditory contact, a feeling . . . [o?-] a perception ... [or] thinking ... [or] auditory cognition . . . . . . [further] having a sound as its object and depending on the ear, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise, auditory contact, . . . and . . . born of that auditory contact, a feeling . . . [or] a perception . . . [or] thinking . . . [or] auditory cognition ; this that is sound, the sphere and constituent element of sound — this is that form which is the sphere of sound. [625] What is that form which is the sphere of odour ? That odour which is derived from the four Great Phenomena, is invisible and produces impact, such as the odour of roots, sap, bark, leaves, Howers, fruit ; verminous odours, putrid odours, pleasant and unpleasant odours,^ or ^ Continue as for visible forms in § 620. ^ Sugandho, duggandho — these, says Buddha- ghosa, namely, desired odour and undesired odour, exhaust all odour. He predicates the same of good and bad tastes (sadu, asadu, § 629). In § 648 we find, classed among the tangibles, pleasant contact and painful contact. But we do not find the commentator making the same compre- hensive claim for hedonistic values in touches as in odours and tastes. Nor, as we have seen, does the text predicate anything hedonistically of sight or touch. This is interest- ing as bringing the psychology of Buddhism, with its acute if incipient intuition, in ' touch ' with our modern 188 whatever other odour there is, derived from the four Great Phenomena, invisible and producing impact ; such an odour, invisible and producing impact, as one has smelt, smells, will, or may smell with the nose, that is invisible and impingeing . . . [626] ... on which odour, invisible and producing impact, the nose, invisible and impingeing, has impinged, impinges, will, or may impinge . . . [627] . . . such an odour, invisible and producing impact, as has impinged, impinges, will, or may impinge on the nose, invisible and reacting . . . [628] ... in consequence of which odour and depending on the nose, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise olfactory contact ... and^ . . . born of that olfactory contact, a feeling . . . [or] a perception . . . [or] thinking . . . [or] olfactory cognition . . . . . . [further] having an odour as its object and depending on the nose, there has arisen, arises, will, or may arise olfactory contact, . . . and . . . born of that olfactory contact, a feeling . . . [or] a perception . . . [or] thinking . . . [or] olfactory cognition ; psychology. For we say that the more our knowledge of the external world is built up by a given sense, the more is that sense connected with neutral feeling. And it is pre- cisely sight, touch, and hearing that give us most of that knowledge. Aristotle remarks, with reference to the sense of smell only, that our never discriminating an odour without associating therewith an impression of something painful or pleasant, seems to reveal the imperfection of this sense in humans. Imperfect, i.e., in delicacy of discrimination, touch being herein the most perfect sense (De. An. II. ix.). 1 See § 624, note. 189 this that is odour, the sphere and constituent element of odour — this is that form which is the sphere of odours. [629] What is that form which is the sphere of taste ?