Chapter 15

(Tape 32 / Ps: 1-16)

We will have to go a little into chapter 15. Next we have bases. There are twelve bases. The order given here is different from the order given in The Manual of Abhidhamma. In the manual the six internal and the six external are grouped together. Here they are described in pairs. Here we have the eye base and visible data base, ear and sound, nose and odor, tongue and flavor, body and tangible data, mind and dhamma.

Then there is meaning. I want to ask you the meaning of this expression in paragraph 3. “It relishes, thus it is an eye; the meaning is that it enjoys a visible datum and turns it to account.” What is the meaning of ‘turns it to account’? The PÈÄi word here is vibhÈveti. It means to make it clear or to show it clearly. ‘Enjoys a visible datum’ means make a visible datum clearly seen.

Then with regard to sound: “It is emitted, thus it is sound; the meaning is that it is uttered.” Herein the Visuddhi Magga the meaning is that it is uttered. But if we take it just as it is, sadda (sound) will not include sounds of others like sounds of trees, sounds of rivers. Because it is said it is uttered. Sound that is uttered limits the sounds, but actually any sound is meant here. So we have to understand in another way. That you can find in the footnote.

The next one is: “It smells, thus it is a nose. It is smelt; thus it is odor.” The real meaning is that it betrays, therefore it is odor. That is because you know where something is when you get the smell. It is like betraying its place. You may hit something. Then somebody gets the smell and somebody knows where it is. It is like betraying. “It betrays, thus it is odor. The meaning is that it betrays its own physical basis.”

These are all grammatical definitions of the words. Now the next one. “It evokes life, thus it is a tongue (jivhÈ).” Footnote 1 “This is the linguistic characteristic of the word ‘jivhÈ’. Linguistic characteristic, what does that mean? What the Sub-Commentary is saying - if you look at the definition of the word jivhÈ, you get jÊvita and vÈ, not jivhÈ. JÊvita is life and vÈ means to call. It should be called jÊvita vÈ, but it is contracted into jivhÈ. That is what is meant by the linguistic characteristic. It is a way of explaining words. Instead of saying jÊvita vÈ, people just say jivhÈ.

At the bottom of paragraph 3 with regard to dhamma. “They cause their own characteristic to be borne.” That is incorrect. “They bear their own characteristics, thus they are dhamma.” You see word ‘dhÈrayanti’. He took it in the causative sense, but it is not causative here because the root here belongs to the seventh conjugation. It belongs to the seventh conjugation. Therefore it is dhÈrayati like corayati. It is not causative. The meaning is: “That which bears its own characteristic is called dhamma.” Dhamma has many meanings. I have told you this again and again. Dhamma is here defined as that which bears its own characteristic. They bear their own characteristics, thus they are dhammas. I don’t want to say ‘mental data’.

Then there is the explanation of the word Èyatana in PÈÄi. The Commentators take much delight in explaining words in different ways as much as they can. So the word ‘Èyatana’ can be divided into Èya and tanana and into Èyata and nayana. And so very fanciful explanations are given. That is what he does in paragraph 4. Even if you don’t understand this, I think it is all right. They are the bases. If you know PÈÄi, it’s good to read this. If you don’t know PÈÄi, it is not so helpful.

In this section the translator uses eye-cum-visible datum, door-cum-objects, and so on. What is ‘cum’?

Student: It is Latin. It means with.

Teacher: Oh, eye with visible datum. We can just say ‘and’, eye and visible datum.

The word Èyatana can have many meanings. The Commentator explains Èyatana according to these many meanings. Whenever you find the word mental data, you should change to dhamma because mental data may be misleading. In paragraph 9 mental data appears. Please change to dhammas. In that paragraph “As to just so much” - that means there are only twelve bases. Why are there only twelve? Here the Commentary explains “What is meant is this: The eye, etc., are dhammas too (not mental data).” He misunderstands the two words - the word ‘dhamma’ by itself and the word ‘dhamma with Èyatana’, so dhamma and dhammÈyatana. The word ‘dhamma’ just means something which bears its own characteristic. We can translate it as state. In dhammÈyatana it is untranslatable. He mixed these two. So here it should be: “The eye, etc., are dhamma too; that being so, why is ‘twelve bases’ said instead of simply ‘dhamma base’? That means everything is called ‘dhamma’. The eye is called ‘dhamma’. The ear is called ‘dhamma’. Why not call all of them dhammÈyatana instead of saying there are twelve Èyatanas? Why not have only one base, the base of dhamma? The Commentary explains here. “Instead of simply dhamma base, it is for the sake of defining door and object for the arising of six consciousness groups.” That means there are six doors and there are six objects. Therefore according to the doors and objects we have six bases, not only one base. Because there are six doors (eye door, ear door and so on) and six corresponding objects, so there have to be twelve bases.

Paragraph 10 “For only the eye base is the door of arising, and only the visible-data base is the object of the consciousness group comprised in a cognitive series containing eye consciousness.” In the next paragraph there is another ‘mental data’ that needs to be changed to ‘dhamma’. So “But only one part of the mind base, in other words, the life continuum mind, is the door of arising, and only the dhamma base not common to all is object, of the sixth [consciousness group].”

In paragraph 15 “As to how to be seen: here, however, all formed bases should be regarded as having no provenance and no destination.” What is that? The PÈÄi word is simply ‘not coming from anything and not going to anything’. Not coming from anything and not going to anything, they just arise. They do not come from anything and they will not go to anything. They just arise and they disappear. That is what is meant here. What is provenance? Coming?

Student: No. Could be lineage, sort of where it came from.

Teacher: What more? Let me see. How they should be viewed. Paragraph 16 “The internal bases should be regarded as an empty village because they are devoid of lastingness, pleasure, and self; and the external ones as village - raiding robbers because they raid the internal ones. And this is said: ‘Bhikkhus, the eye is harassed by agreeable and disagreeable visible objects’”and so on. That is from the SaÑyutta NikÈya. If you want to read the whole Sutta, it is in Kindred Sayings, volume 4, page 109.

“Furthermore, the internal ones should be regarded as like the six creatures and the external ones as like their resorts.” That is also in SaÑyutta NikÈya, Kindred Sayings, volume 4, page 131. The six creatures are a snake, a crocodile, a bird, a dog, a jackal, and a monkey. Suppose a man were to tie these creatures tightly with a rope. Then the rope is tied in the middle. So they are tied to one place. Then let them do what they like. The snake wants to go into a pit or hole. The bird wants to fly. The crocodile wants to go into the water and so on. They cannot go because they are tied to one place. The strongest among them will take the others with him. It is something like that. The six senses are something like that.

OK. We now come to the end of the Èyatanas or bases. What is meant by dhamma base? ‘Eye base’ means eye sensitivity. Ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base and then visible data base, sound base, odor base and so on. But what is dhamma base? Do you find that? We have twelve bases - eye base-eye sensitivity, visible data base-visible object. It’s OK. Ear-sound, nose-smell, tongue-taste, body-tangible data. Then mind and dhamma base. ‘Mind base’ means all 89 cittas. What is dhamma base?

Students: 69 things. Chapter 7.

Teacher: You have it at the end of paragraph 14. “The dhamma base is of many kinds when classified according to the several (different) individual essences of feeling, perception, formations, subtle matter, and NibbÈna.” Dhamma base is vedanÈ, saÒÒÈ, sa~khÈra, subtle matter and NibbÈna. You get the same thing in the seventh chapter of The Manual of Abhidhamma. So dhamma base means one of these things, feeling, perception, formations. Actually feeling, perception and formations are the 52 cetasikas. So we have cetasikas, 16 subtle matter and NibbÈna. How many? 69, good.

Next time we will study elements, faculties and maybe some truths, about 20 pages.

SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!

(Tape 33 / Ps: 17 – 43)

Just two days after the earthquake we come to the description of the elements. Here Venerable ©ÈÓamoli made many mistakes. It is impossible to follow them. The PÈÄi word for element is dhÈtu. The word ‘dhÈtu’ is familiar to you. The meaning of the word ‘dhÈtu’ is explained in nine ways. One is a little different from the other. Venerable ©ÈÓamoli misunderstood some words so much that it is impossible to follow him.

The first meaning is those which make or create (suffering in saÑsÈra). He uses ‘sort out’. I don’t know what the meaning of ‘sort out’. Sort out means what? In paragraph 20 “The mundane sorts (elements), when defined according to their instrumentality, sort out the suffering of the round of rebirths” and so on.

Students: To seek, to find, to separate, look for.

Teacher: I see. That is not the meaning of the PÈÄi word here. The PÈÄi word here is to make or to create. They are called dhÈtus because they make or they create suffering in saÑsÈra.

The PÈÄi word ‘dhÈtu’ is composed of the root ‘dhÈ’ and the suffix ‘tu’. ‘DhÈ’ has many meanings. In the first definition it has the meaning of making or creating. That is the first meaning.

The second meaning is those which are borne by beings. According to the second, the root ‘dhÈ’ means to hold or to bear. Here the meaning is passive. So those which are borne by beings are called dhÈtus (eye element, ear element and so on). We carry them, something like that, so they are called ‘dhÈtus’.

The third meaning is that which are mere creating or making the suffering of saÑsÈra. Here the verbal noun or the abstract noun is used to describe it. Here ‘dhÈtu’ means just creating or making. That means there is no one who creates. There is just the act of creating, just the act of making.

The fourth one is those by which suffering is made or created by beings. Here they are taken as instruments. They are instrumental making and creating suffering by beings. That means beings create suffering with the help of these dhÈtus. By the eye, by the ear, by the nose and so on we create suffering. The fourth one has the meaning of instrument. The meaning of dhÈ is making or creating. (The video man arrived.)

Today we only have a few students because it is just two days after the earthquake. Many places are not back to normal yet, so people probably couldn’t come. We will carry on with our class. Today we study the description of the elements. The PÈÄi word for element is dhÈtu. That word is explained in The Path of Purification or Visuddhi Magga. Nine explanations of the word ‘dhÈtu’ are given in the Visuddhi Magga. The translation is so incorrect in this place that is impossible to follow it. So we will explain according to what I understand to be the real meaning in the Visuddhi Magga. The word ‘dhÈtu’ is explained in nine ways. Please look at the sheets.

The first is those which make or create (the suffering in saÑsÈra). Those are called ‘dhÈtus’. Here the root ‘dhÈ’ has the meaning of making or creating. It has the active sense.

The second explanation is those which are borne by beings, those which are held by beings. Here the root ‘dhÈ’ has the meaning of bearing. And it has the passive sense. Those which are borne by beings are called ‘dhÈtus’.

The third is those which are mere creating or making the suffering of saÑsÈra. Here just the abstract noun or verbal noun is used. Although dhÈtu is explained is explained in active sense or passive sense, the real explanation or the ultimate explanation is by abstract noun. The act of making or the act of creating is what we call ‘dhÈtus’.

Then the fourth one is those by which suffering is made or created by beings. Here dhÈtus are taken as instruments. They are instrumental in beings making or creating suffering. We create suffering, we make suffering occur by the help of these dhÈtus, by the eye, by the ear and so on. The sense is instrumental. I will explain to you later about this.

Then the next one is those where suffering is stored or placed. Here the root ‘dhÈ’ means to place, to put, to store. The sense is a place or location. Here dhÈtus are those where suffering is stored or placed. That means we create suffering with these eyes and so on. So suffering is said to be stored in the eye, in the ear and so on. Sometimes the Buddha said the eye is burning, the ear is burning and so on. That means through the eye we get akusala, through the ear we get akusala and so on.

Then the next one is those which bear their own individual essence. Here the root ‘dhÈ’ means to bear; to bear, to hold their own individual essence. This is also in the active sense but it is different than the first meaning. In the first meaning the root ‘dhÈ’ has the meaning of making or creating. Here the root ‘dhÈ’ has the meaning of bearing. The meaning is different although the sense is active here. There those which make or create are dhÈtu. Here those which bear their own individual essence are called ‘dhÈtu’.

Then those that resemble dhÈtus (I don’t know these.) such as, malachite, cinnabar and so on. These are in the Path of Purification. These are parts of rocks. (Minerals found in rocks) They are called dhÈtus. Just as malachite or cinnabar are the constituents or parts of rocks, these dhÈtus are parts of ourselves. So they are called ‘dhÈtus’. Here it is a figure of speech that we call them dhÈtus. It is like calling an Asian, an American. Maybe he imitates everything American and somebody says that he is an American. But he is not an American. He is like an American. In the same way they are dhÈtus because they are like those minerals.

Then #8 again there are those which resemble dhÈtus, such as, chyle, blood, etc. There are said to be seven dhÈtus in our bodies. I think that we met these dhÈtus in one of the previous chapters, in the part defining the four elements. They are also called ‘dhÈtus’ in Ayuvedic medicine they say there are seven kinds of dhÈtu in the body - chyle, blood, bone, bone marrow, flesh, bile and semen. Just as chyle, blood and so on are part of ourselves, of our bodies, the dhÈtus, the eye, the ear and so on, are part of ourselves. So they are called dhÈtus through resemblance.

The last one, #9, here we are not to follow any etymology. It is a non-etymological meaning. The word ‘dhÈtu’ just means no-soul. You don’t have to worry about how this word is made or from what root it is derived. It is a word that means no-soul. These nine meanings are given in the Visuddhi Magga.

There are words in both PÈÄi language and Sanskrit language especially nouns that are formed from roots. Roots are suffixes are combined to form words or nouns. When they are formed, the root has one meaning and the suffix has another meaning. For example the word ‘dhÈtu’ - the root ‘dhÈ’ has one meaning. That is to hold, to create, or whatever. The suffix ‘tu’ has another meaning, that is that can be an agent, the active one, or that which can be done to it, passive one, or it can show us the instrument or sometimes it is a person to whom something is given, or sometimes it is a place or person from whom we depart. And also sometimes it means a place. These are called in PÈÄi sÈdhanas. I don’t know how to translate it into English. It is a PÈÄi and Sanskrit grammatical term. Different nouns denote different things. I mean there may be only one word, but that one word can mean different things according to the meaning denoted by the suffix. According to that grammatical teaching the word ‘dhÈtu’ is explained here. It is not so important that you understand all of these. If you understand that the word ‘dhÈtu’ is used to mean eye, ear, nose and so on, I think that is enough. But if you take delight in knowing the etymological meaning of the word, this might be interesting. These nine meanings are mentioned in the Visuddhi Magga.

In The Path of Purification only A-E are given, but not the other ones. Paragraph 21 “Furthermore, while the self of the sectarians does not exist with an individual essence, not so these.” That should be F. A couple of lines down “And just as in the world”, that should be G. Three or four lines down “or just as the generalization elements”, that should be H. In paragraph 22 “Furthermore, ‘element’ is a term for what is soulless” - that should be I. Those correspond to the numbers on the sheet. You may compare them later.

In paragraph 21 he misunderstood the word ‘dhÈrenti’. He took its meaning to be in the causal sense but actually it is not a causal verb. It looks like a causal verb, a causal form. It is not really a causal verb. ‘DhÈrenti’ just means to bear or hold. It is not cause to bear or cause to be borne. That is a misunderstanding of the word ‘dhÈrenti’. Paragraph 23 is not difficult to understand. Footnote 11 is hopeless. I don’t know how he misunderstood so much in this place. So the verb ‘dharenti should not be taken in the causative sense.

Paragraph 24 “As to order: here too, from among ‘order of arising’, etc. mentioned above, only ‘order of teaching’ is appropriate.” These twelve are given just in the order of teaching, not according to the order of arising, or not according to other orders’. “It is set forth according to successive definitions of cause and fruit (or cause and effect). For the pair, eye-element and visible-data-element, are the cause and eye-consciousness-element is the fruit. So in each case.”

If you look at these elements on the handout, the three are given in a line: eye-element, visible-data-element and eye-consciousness element. Eye-element and visible-data-element are said to be cause here. Then eye-consciousness element is the fruit or effect. Eye-element and visible-data-element are conditions for eye consciousness to arise. Only when there is eye-element or just the eye and the visible datum can the eye consciousness arise. So eye consciousness is said to be the result of eye-element and visible datum. This is the order here taken.

In paragraph 25 a lot of elements are mentioned. It gives us some knowledge about, some information about the word ‘element’. The word ‘element’ is used to mean almost anything here. That is why translating the word ‘dhÈtu’ to mean element always is not so helpful. One may translate it as element, but people will not understand. You can see here “the illumination element, beauty element, base-consisting-of-boundless-space element, base-consisting-of-boundless-consciousness element, base-consisting-of-nothingness element, base-consisting-of-perception-and-feeling element, sense-desire element, ill will element, cruelty element” and so on. The word ‘dhÈtu’ is made to mean many things in the Suttas and also in Abhidhamma. The author took all these elements from the Suttas and then explained here that all of them are the same as or are included in one of the elements mentioned here. Only 18 are mentioned here. But there are other things described as elements such as illumination element, beauty element and so on. But they are not separate elements actually. They can be the same as ones mentioned here. They can be included in one or another of the elements. Paragraphs 26 and 27 explain this.

Paragraph 26 “The visible-data element itself is the illumination element.” So visible data and illumination are the same here. “The beauty element is bound up with visible-data and so on.” Beauty element is also visible data because it is just visible data. “Why? Because it is the sign of the beautiful. The sign of the beautiful is the beauty element and that does not exist apart from visible data and so on.”

About three lines down “As regards the base-consisting-of-boundless-space element, etc. (Those are the formless jhÈnas or cittas.), the consciousness is mind-consciousness element only, while the remaining [states] are the mental-data element.” ‘Mental-data element’ means in PÈÄi dhamma dhÈtu. Do you see that in the second column, the last line, mental-data-element or dhamma-element?

“Consciousness is mind-consciousness-element only, while the remaining [states] (That means cetasikas.) are the mental-data element but the cessation-of-perception and feeling-element does not exist as an individual essence.” ‘Cessation-of-perception and feeling-element’ means a kind of attainment (sÈmapatti). When a person gets into this sÈmapatti, his mental activity is suspended. There is no mental activity during that attainment. That is called cessation of perception and feeling. Actually not only perception and feeling but all mental activity ceases. That attainment can be entered into only by AnÈgÈmis (Non-Returners) and Arahants. We will have this given in detail at the end of the book. That is just the absence of mental activity. So the absence of mental activity has no individual essence. It is a concept. “For that is merely the cessation of two elements.”

Now this is important. “The sense-desire element is either merely the mental-data element according as it is said ‘Herein, what is the sense-desire element? It is thought. Applied thought..wrong thinking, that is associated with sense desires’.” You know applied thought (vitakka) or we call it initial application. When it means initial application, then it is included in dhamma element (mental data element). Dhamma element consists of cetasikas, some r|pas and NibbÈna. It is given on the bottom line. Dhamma base = dhamma element = cetasikas, subtle matter, NibbÈna. There are 16 subtle material properties. These cetasikas, subtle matter and NibbÈna are called ‘dhamma base’ or ‘dhamma element’. If it is taken to be applied thought, it is dhamma element.

“Or it is the 18 elements, according as it is said “making the Avici hell the lower limit and making the Paranimmitavasavatti (This is the highest of the 6 celestial worlds.) deities the upper limit, the aggregates elements, bases, materiality, feeling, perception, formations and consciousness, that are called the ‘sense-desire element’.” In this sense the ‘sense-desire element’ means just the sensual sphere. You remember the 31 planes of existence. There are 11 sensual sphere existences. The 11 sensual spheres are called sense-desire element here. It is important because in some places Venerable ©ÈÓamoli understood the word wrongly. So sense-desire element can mean the 11 sense-desire realms.

And then the renunciation element is also mind-data-element because it is also vitakka. ‘Renunciation element’ means thinking of getting out of sense desires. It is vitakka, so it is mental-data element. “Also all profitable states are the renunciation element.” According to this definition it is the mind-consciousness element too. All profitable states (all kusalas) - all kusala means all kusala consciousness and mental states. They belong to mind-consciousness element also. That means through mental-data element as well as mind-consciousness element. That means dhamma element (mind-data element) and mind-consciousness element.

Then the elements of ill will, cruelty, non-ill will, non-cruelty, bodily pleasure, bodily pain, joy, grief, equanimity, ignorance, initiative, launching, persistence are mental-data element too. They belong to dhamma element.

Then the inferior, medium and superior are not separate elements. They are the 18 elements. “For inferior eyes, etc., are the inferior element, and medium and superior eyes, etc., are the medium and superior elements.”

Paragraph 30 “The earth, fire and air elements (These you know.) are the tangible-data element; the water element and the space element are mental-data element only.” Water element and space element are included in subtle matter. So they belong to dhamma element. “ ‘Consciousness element’ is a term summarizing the seven consciousness elements beginning with eye consciousness. They are eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, mind-consciousness element, and mind element.” 17 elements and one part of the mental-data element are the formed element.” ‘Formed’ means conditioned and ‘unformed’ means unconditioned. All of them are formed except for NibbÈna. NibbÈna is a part of the dhamma element. 17 other elements and part of dhamma element are formed. “The unformed element is one part of the mental-data element only.” Unformed element is a part of the dhamma element which is NibbÈna here. “The world of many elements, of various elements is merely what is divided up into the 18 elements.” So the world is divided into 18 elements. They are not different from or separate from the elements mentioned above. We have to understand that there are other things that are called ‘dhÈtus’ in PÈÄi. Sometimes it is very difficult to understand when we just use the word ‘element’ when we translate dhÈtu. It is the translating, but it is not so understandable. For example when you say the sense-desire element meaning the kÈmÈvacara realm (the sensual desire realm), it is very difficult to understand.

“Furthermore they are stated as 18 for the purpose of eliminating the kind of perception to be found in those who perceive a soul in consciousness, the individual essence of which is cognizing” and so on. That means the Buddha wanted to do away with the idea of self, the idea of soul. That is why the Buddha mentioned these 18 elements. That is why I always say that Abhidhamma is just one doctrine, the doctrine of anatta. In Abhidhamma things are described as 5 aggregates, 12 bases, 18 elements, 22 faculties. In different ways the world is analyzed, but you do not find any soul or eternal substance. So the whole of Abhidhamma is just the doctrine of anatta.

Paragraph 34 “As to reckoning: the eye element firstly, is reckoned as one thing according to kind, namely, eye sensitivity. Likewise the ear, nose, tongue, body, visible data, sound, odor and flavor elements are reckoned as ear sensitivity and so on.” But tangible data is just the combination of earth, fire and air element. “The eye consciousness element is reckoned as two things.” The eye consciousness element means the two eye consciousnesses. The eye consciousness element means cittas #13 and #20. So there are two, namely, profitable and unprofitable kamma-result. #13 is result of unprofitable and #20 is the result of profitable. In the chart at the end of the book the numbers will be different. There the numbers are 34 and 50. He didn’t give the numbers at the beginning of the passage. I think you should put the numbers after profitable and unprofitable kamma results. Those are the numbers given in table 3 at the end of the book.

“And likewise the consciousness elements of the ear, nose, tongue and body.” They are the same. “The mind element is reckoned as three things, namely, five-door adverting (70), and profitable (39) and unprofitable (55) resultant receiving.” You can locate them easily because there are numbers here.

“The mental-data element as 20 things, namely, three immaterial aggregates” - do you know the three mental aggregates? Feeling, perception and formations - “16 kinds of subtle matter, and the unformed element (That means NibbÈna.).” So mental-data element or dhamma element means 20 things here - 3 mental aggregates, 16 subtle matter and NibbÈna. The 3 mental aggregates are simply the 52 cetasikas. 52 + 16 + 1 = 69. These 69 are called ‘dhamma element’ or ‘mental-data element’. You may refer to paragraph 14 and find that dhamma base is described similarly. Actually we have to take it to mean the same thing. “The dhamma base is of many kinds when classified according to the different essences of feeling, perception, formations (Those are the 3 aggregates.), subtle matter and NibbÈna.” These two explanations mean the same thing. If you want to know what mental element or mental-data base, you may read these paragraphs. They mean the same thing.

“Mind-consciousness element is reckoned as 76 things.” That means cittas apart from these ten (dvipaÒcaviÒÒÈÓa) and then these three (mandhÈtu). In this chart the numbers are 13-17, 20-24, and then 18, 25 and 28. They are called ‘mind-consciousness element’. Actually they are all cittas less the ten seeing, hearing consciousness and so on and the mind element. The mind element consists of 28, 18 and 25. They are called ‘mind element’.

Paragraph 35 “Condition: the eye element, firstly, is a condition, in six ways, namely, dissociation, prenascence, presence, non-disappearance, support and faculty for the eye consciousness element.” Please read the end of paragraph 39. “This is in brief. But the kinds of conditions will be explained in detail in the description of the Dependent Origination. So if you don’t understand the conditions here like dissociation, prenascence, presence, and so on, please be patient. These 24 conditions will be explained in detail in the chapter on Dependent Origination. ‘Dissociation’ means not arising together. ‘Prenascence’ means something arises before another thing arises and it is still existing when the other one arises. Let us say #1 arises before #2 arises. And when #2 arises, #1 is still in existence. That is called ‘prenascence’. When we see something, there is seeing consciousness. The seeing consciousness sees the visible datum. That visible datum arises before that moment and is still existing until the 17^th moment. That is why it is called ‘prenascence’. There is also presence. Disappearance and presence are the same actually. And then there is support, support for eye consciousness. In this way eye sensitivity is the condition for eye consciousness. You will understand after we finish the chapter on Dependent Origination. If you don’t understand now, don’t be depressed.

Paragraph 40 ‘to be seen’ means to be viewed, how you should view them, how you should look at them. “How to be seen: the meaning is that here too the exposition should be understood as to how they are to be regarded. For all formed elements are to be regarded as secluded from the past and future.” That means the past cannot be seen clearly and the future also cannot be seen clearly. Here the Commentary is talking about the present dhÈtus. They have no past and no future. Just the present ones are the real ones. They are “secluded from the past and future, as void of any lastingness, beauty, pleasure, or self, and as existing in dependence on conditions.” So we are to view them like this.

And then another kind of viewing is given in paragraph 41. I think they are good examples. “The eye element should be regarded as the surface of a drum, the visible-data element as the drum-stick, the eye consciousness as the sound.” You strike a drum and the sound arises. Sound is like eye consciousness. The stick is like visible datum. And the eye sensitivity is like the drum. They are good examples of the elements.

Paragraph 42 “The mind element, however, should be regarded as the forerunner and follower of eye consciousness, etc., as that arises.” The mind element consists of #18, #25 (the two sampaÔicchanas) and #28 (paÒcadvÈravajjana). In the seeing thought process immediately before #13 or #20 (eye consciousnesses) there is #28 (paÒcadvÈrajjana). You may look at the diagram of the thought process. First there is #28 (adverting) and then there is #13 or #20 (seeing). After seeing there is receiving. Receiving is #18 or #25. This mind element which is #18, #25 and #28 comes before and after eye consciousness (#13 or #20). That is what the Commentary is saying here. “The mind element, however, should be regarded as the forerunner and follower of eye consciousness.” If you look at the diagram, it is very easy to see. Eye consciousness is here. Before eye consciousness is five-sense-door adverting (28). After eye consciousness is #18 or #25 which is receiving. So the mind element comes before and after eye consciousness, etc.

Paragraph 43 “The mind consciousness element should be regarded as a forest monkey, because it does not stay still on its object; or as a wild horse, because it is difficult to tame; or as a stick flung into the air, because it falls anywhere.” It should be ‘anywhere’ not ‘anyhow’ because it falls wherever it likes. That means anywhere. “Or as a stage dancer because it adopts the guise of the various defilements such as greed and hate.”

This is the section on the 18 elements. You can see the 18 elements on this sheet. They are shaded in different colors.