[917-936] In the next five groups of four, form is considered as a combination of (a) 'the issue of grasping and favourable to grasping,' and either visible," 'impingeing,' 'a great phenomenon,' 'gross' or 'remote,' or the opposites of these tive taken successively; (b) not the issue of grasping, but favourable to grasping,' and the fire above-named attributes and their opposites taken successively. Thus the questions are analogous to, and the answers identical with, those in the preceding five groups (§§ 897-916). (iv.) non-impingeing and not faculty? Bodily and vocal intimation . . . and bodily nutriment. [Impact-Great Phenomenon.] [941-944] What is that form which is (i.) impingeing and a great phenomenon? The sphere of the tangible. (ii.) impingeing and not a great phenomenon? The spheres of visible form, sound, odour and taste. (iii.) non-impingeing and a great phenomenon? The fluid element. (iv.) non-impingeing and not a great phenomenon? Sex. . . and bodily nutriment. 1 In the answer to the first question, § 917, read na before kammassa. [Faculty (Potentiality)--Bulk.] [915-948] What is that form which is (i.) faculty and gross? The faculties of the five senses. (ii.) faculty and subtle? Sex and vitality. (iii.) non-faculty and gross? The spheres of the five kinds of sense-objects. (iv.) non-faculty and subtle? Intimation . . . and bodily nutriment. [Faculty (Potentiality)--Proximity.] 1919-952, What is that form which is (i.) faculty and remote? Sex and vitality. (ii.) faculty and near? The faculties of the five senses. (iii) non-faculty and remote? Intimation. . . and bodily nutriment. (iv.) non-faculty and near? The spheres of the five kinds of sense-objects. [Great Phenomenon --Bulk.] [953-956] What is that form which is (i.) a great phenomenon and gross! The sphere of the tangible. (ii) a great phenomenon and subtle? The fluid clement. (iii.) not a great phenomenon and gross! The spheres of the five senses and of visible form, sound, odour and taste. (iv.) not a great phenomenon and subtle? Sex... and bodily nutriment. [Great Phenomenon--Proximity.] [957-960] What is that form which is (i.) a great phenomenon and remote ? The fluid element. (ii.) a great phenomenon and near? The sphere of the tangible. (iii.) not a great phenomenon and remote? Sex and vitality. (iv.) not a great phenomenon and near? The spheres of the five senses and of visible form, sound, odour and taste. [Form as Seen, Heard, Imagined, Understood.] [961] (i.) The sphere of visible form is Form Seen, (ii.) The sphere of sound is Form Heard, (iii.) The sphere of odour, taste and the tangible is Form Imagined,1 Mutam. I am under the impression that the first three members of this group are survivals of an older tradition, belonging to an age when the five senses had not been co-ordinated by psychological analysis comparable to that effected by the earlier Buddhist school, and when mano and its function, expressed here (in part) by this old past participle, were more vaguely conceived. In the Praçna Upanishad, e.g., which may or may not be older than the Abhidhamma, either the five senses are grouped as above under manas, eye and ear, or the last two are alone held worthy to rank with the divine elements of life. If it be contended that the former interpretation is not plausible, it should be remembered that, in the far older Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (i., 5, 3), it is said that by manas we know when we are touched from behind. It is as though the tradition were endeavouring to say, Smell, taste, touching, without the aid either of sight or of hearing, require a greater effort of inference, of mental construction, of imagination, to realize the external cause, or potential concrete mental percept, than either sight or hearing. (iv.) All form is Form Cognized by the mind.1 Such are the Categories of Form under Fourfold Aspects. [End of] the Groups of Four. Buddhaghosa, who here resumes his parable (Asl. 338), paraphrases mutam by munitvā jānitabbaṭṭhena, and by phusitva pi ñāņuppattikaranato. Manasa vinnatam, that is, manoviññāņena jānitabbam. Ibid. [CHAPTER V. The Category of Form under a Fivefold Aspect (pañcavidhena rupasangaho).j [962-966] What is that form which is (i.) earth-element (pathavi-d h à tu) ?1 That which is hard, rough, hardness, rigidity, whether it be of the self, or external, or the issue of grasping,3 or not the issue of grasping. 1 The essential mark (lakkhanam) of the earth-element is given as 'hardness' (kakkhalattam, Asl., 332). This may very likely have conveyed to Buddhists what we understand by solid,' when the implication is density as opposed to what is liquid or gaseous, and it was tempting to use solidity in preference to hardness. But the former term is ambiguous, for it may mean the opposite of plane surface, and kakkhalattam cannot be strained to mean that. Again, the opposite of the latter term is neither liquid nor flat, but soft or pliant. Further, compare its use in describing gravel or stone-food in Mil. 67, where we should certainly use 'hard.' The other characteristics of pathavidhatu are said to be establishing a fulcrum or ov OT, patitthanam), and accepting (sampaṭicchanam), the import of the latter term not being very clear. 2 Ajjhattam. See § 673, note, and § 742, note. 3 In the Commentary, p. 338, where upadin nam is said to be na kammasamutthanam eva, the negative particle must have crept in by some error, that which is upadinnam being essentially due to karma. See Dh. S., $$ 653, 654; Asl., pp. 46, 337 (§ 664), etc. Generally, says Buddhaghosa, the bony framework of the body (the most solid part of one's self, sariraṭṭhakam) is here |