Chapter 9
Groups of R๚pas
R๚pas do not arise singly, they always arise collectively, in groups (kalๅpas). Where there is solidity, the Element of Earth, there have to be the other three Great Elements, and also colour, flavour, odour and nutrition. These are the eight inseparable r๚pas. A group of r๚pas consisting of only the eight inseparable r๚pas is called a "pure octad ". Pure octads of the body are produced by citta, temperature or nutrition, and pure octads outside the body are produced only by temperature.
The groups of r๚pas produced by kamma have to consist of at least nine r๚pas: the eight inseparable r๚pas and life faculty (jํvitindriya), and such a group is called a "nonad". Eyesense, earsense, smelling-sense, tasting-sense, bodysense, heart-base, femininity and masculinity are other kinds of r๚pa produced by kamma and these arise together with the eight inseparable r๚pas and life faculty, thus, they arise in groups of ten r๚pas, decads. All r๚pas of such a decad are produced by kamma. Thus, one speaks of eye-decad, ear-decad, nose-decad, tongue-decad, body-decad, heart-base-decad, femininity-decad and masculinity-decad. As to the body-decad, this arises and falls away at any place of the body where there can be sensitivity.
Kamma produces groups of r๚pas from the arising moment of the rebirth-consciousness (pa์isandhi-citta). In the case of human beings, kamma produces at that moment the three decads of bodysense, sex (femininity or masculinity) and heart-base, and it produces these decads throughout our life. The eye-decad and the decads of ear, nose and tongue are not produced at the first moment of life but later on. Citta does not produce r๚pa at the first moment of life. The citta which immediately succeeds the rebirth-consciousness, namely the life-continuum (bhavanga-citta), produces r๚pa. One moment of citta can be divided into three extremely short phases: its arising moment, the moment of its presence and the moment of its falling away.
Citta produces r๚pa at its arising moment, since citta is then strong. At the moment of its presence and the moment of its dissolution it is weak and therefore it does not produce r๚pa (Visuddhimagga XX, 32). When the citta succeeding the rebirth-consciousness, the life-continuum, arises, it produces a pure octad. Later on citta produces, apart from pure octads, also groups with bodily intimation, with speech intimation and with the three r๚pas of lightness, plasticity and wieldiness, which always have to arise together. These three kinds of r๚pa also arise in a group together with bodily in timation and speech intimation. In the case of speech intimation, also sound arises together with speech intimation in one group.
Throughout life citta produces r๚pa, but not all cittas can produce r๚pa. As we have seen, the rebirth-consciousness does not produce r๚pa. Among the cittas that do not produce r๚pa are also the sense-cognitions of seeing, hearing, etc. Seeing only sees, it has no other capacity. Some cittas can produce r๚pas but not bodily intimation and speech imtimation, and some cittas can produce the two kinds of intimation. Among the cittas that can produce the two kinds of intimation are the kusala cittas of the sense-sphere (thus not those that attain absorption or jhๅna and those that realize enlightenment), and the akusala cittas. Temperature (heat-element) can produce groups of r๚pas of the body as well as groups of r๚pas of materiality outside. In the case of materiality outside it produces groups that are "pure octads" and also groups with sound. R๚pas that are not of the body are solely produced by temperature, they are not produced by kamma, citta or nutrition. When we see a rock or plant we may think that they last, but they consist of r๚pas originated by temperature, arising and falling away all the time.
R๚pas are being replaced time and again, but we do not realize that r๚pas which have fallen away never come back again. As regards groups of r๚pas of the body, temperature produces pure octads and also groups with lightness, plasticity and wieldiness. As we have seen, kamma produces in a living being r๚pa from the moment the rebirth-consciousness arises. Kamma produces r๚pa at the three moments of citta: at its arising moment, at the moment of its presence and at the moment of its falling away. In each group of r๚pas produced by kamma there is the element of heat (utu), and this begins to produce new r๚pas at the moment of presence of rebirth-consciousness, thus, not at the arising moment of rebirth-consciousness.
The element of heat produces other r๚pas during the moments of its presence, it cannot produce r๚pas at its arising moment. It originates a pure octad and from that moment on it produces, throughout life, r๚pas during the moments of its presence. Nutritive essence present in food that has been swallowed, produces r๚pas and it supports and sustains the body. R๚pas produced by nutrition arise only in the body of living beings. Nutrition produces pure octads and also groups of r๚pa with lightness, plasticity and wieldiness. Nutrition, present in a group produced by nutrition, can produce another octad and thus link up many occurrences of octads.
The "Visuddhimagga" (XX, 37) states that nutriment taken on one day can thus sustain the body for as long as seven days. The groups of r๚pas produced by kamma, citta, temperature and nutrition are interrelated and support one another. If only kamma would produce r๚pas the body could not continue to exist. We read in the "Visuddhimagga" (XVII, 196): Now although this kamma-born materiality is the first to find a footing in the several kinds of becoming, generation, destiny, station of consciousness, and abode of beings, it is nevertheless unable to carry on without being consolidated by materiality of triple origination (by citta, temperature and nutrition), nor can that of triple origination do so without being consolidated by the former. But when they thus give consolidating support to each other, they can stand up without falling, like sheaves of reeds propped up together on all four sides, even though battered by the wind, and like (boats with) broken floats that have found a support, even though battered by waves somewhere in mid-ocean, and they can last one year, two years,... a hundred years, until those beings' life span or their merit is exhausted.
The "Atthasๅlinํ" (I, Book I, Part III, Ch I, 84), in the context of bodily intimation, explains that groups of r๚pa produced by citta are interlocked with groups of r๚pas produced by kamma, temperature and nutrition. We read: When the body set up by mind (citta) moves, does the body set up by the other three causes move or not? The latter moves likewise, goes with the former, and invariably follows it. Just as dry sticks, grass, etc. , fallen in the flowing water go with the water or stop with it, so should the complete process be understood....
The study of the groups of r๚pas produced by the four factors of kamma, citta, temperature and nutrition and also their interrelation shows us the intricacy of the conditions for the bodily functions from birth to death. It reminds us that there is no self who can control the body. Not all types of r๚pa arise in the different planes of existence where living beings are born. There is not only the plane of human beings, there are also other planes of existence. Birth in an unhappy plane or a happy plane is the result of kamma. Birth in the human plane of existence is the result of kusala kamma, but during life there are conditions for the experience of pleasant objects as well as unpleasant objects through the senses. In the human plane the decads of eye, ear, nose, tongue and bodysense that are produced by kamma arise, so that the different sense objects can be experienced.
People who see the disadvantages of enslavement to sense impressions and have accumulated the right conditions for the development of a high degree of calm even to the degree of absorption or jhๅna, can attain stages of jhๅna. The result of the different stages of jhๅna is birth in higher planes of existence where there are less sense impressions or none at all. In some of the higher planes the decads of nose, tongue, bodysense and sex are lacking, but the decads of eye and ear, the decad of the heart-base and the nonad of life faculty (life faculty and the eight inseparable r๚pas) arise.
The r๚pas produced by nutrition do not arise. In these planes one does not need food to stay alive. In one of the higher planes of existence there is no nๅma, only r๚pa. Here the decads of eye, ear and the other senses, sex and heart-base are lacking. Sound does not arise and neither do r๚pas produced by citta arise, since there is no nๅma. Kamma produces the nonad of life faculty at the first moment of life and after that also temperature produces r๚pas. In some of the higher planes there is only nๅma and thus r๚pas do not arise in such planes.
Questions