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Chapter IV ANALYSIS of SAṂSKṚTA and ASAṂSKṚTA DHARMA

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Chapter IV ANALYSIS of SAṂSKṚTA and ASAṂSKṚTA DHARMA Chapter IV ANALYSIS OF SAṂSKṚTA AND ASAṂSKṚTA DHARMA As mentioned in the previous chapter, the concept of dharma in the Abhidharmakośa of Vasubandhu are defined and classified as the subjective method of classification and the objective method of classification. In the objective classification the concepts of dharmas are composed of seventy-five dharmas in total. These dharmas are classified into two categories; the first one is saṃskṛta-dharma, and the second is asaṃskṛta-dharma. IV.1. Analysis of Saṃskṛta Dharma According to the analysis of Abhidharmakośa, the saṃskṛta-dharmas are seventy two in number, and divided into four subgroups viz. (1) rūpa (matter) consists of 11 dharmas, (2) citta (mind) has 1 dharma, (3) caitta (mental functions) consists of 46 dharmas, and (4) citta-viprayukta- saṃskāra (conditions disjoined from mind) consists of 14 dharmas. IV.1.1. Rūpa (matter) IV.1.1.1. Qualities of Rūpa Rūpa (matter) has its different qualities, such as a piece of stone is white, hard, round and heavy. These are the different qualities of it. But can we 85 find a stone which is neither white, nor hard, nor round, nor heavy and nor of any kind? Can it exist apart from the qualities? We feel that it is not even possible to conceive of it, for, we cannot think of a material existence without understanding it in the terms of qualities. If all the qualities were to be eliminated from a body it would cease to exist. The material bodies are nothing but different permutation and combination of qualities that are in a state of flux. Therefore, they are called rūpa or material qualities in its general sense, but in its specific sense it means only the visible forms.139 What is hard is earth, here ‗hardness‘ is not something separate from ‗earth‘, but it is the very essence of it. There can be no earth which is not hard. Similarly, what flows is water; what burns is fire what moves is air. These are called the four mahābhūta or the primary qualities.140 All the other material qualities are conditioned by these four; therefore, they are called upādāya rūpa or the conditioned qualities. All the material qualities may be brought under two classes, namely: (1) The four mahābhūtas (earth, water, fire and air) are the primary qualities or essential material qualities, and 139 Dan Lusthaus (2006), P. 46. 140 ―Rūpa or visible in limited sense is one of the bhautikas or matter compositions. Rūpa is of two kinds, viz. varṇa (colour) and saṃsthāna (shape). These two together make up the rūpāyatanaṃ or the field of the visible. There are 8 kinds of saṃsthānas or shape. There are 4 varṇas or primary colours (nīla ‗blue‘, pīta ‗yellow‘, lohita ‗red‘ and avadāta ‗white‘. There are other kinds of colour derived from these four primary colours in eight (abhra ‗cloud colour‘, dhūma ‗smoke colour‘, raja ‗dust colour‘, mihikā ‗mist colour‘, chāyā ‗ colour of shade‘, ātapa ―colour of the sun‖, āloka ―colour of the heavenly bodies, like star and moon‖ and andhakāra ―darkness colour where rūpa is absent‖). The primary and secondary kinds of colour are together 12 according to Abhidharmakośa”. See more Akb. pp. 53-54. 86 (2) The upādāya-rūpa or other qualities conditioned by them (primary). Both of them comprise the following seven items in two qualities.141 A. Mahābhūta (the primary qualities) 1) Essential material qualities consist of earth, water, fire and air. B. Upādāya-Rūpa (the Conditioned Qualities) 2) Sensitive material qualities consist of eye, ear, nose, tongue and body 3) Sensible (objective) material qualities consist of form, sound, smell, taste and touch 4) Material qualities of organ consist of femininity (female) and masculinity (male) 5) Material qualities of the heart (consciousness) is the heart-base 6) The life principle in matter is vital force (the life faculty). 7) The food value in matter is edible food It is stated here that, these seven material qualities have their own kinds and characteristics. They have their own origination and dependent on a state of constant flux and are impermanent, cause of misery. They follow depending on above seven their existences are the four remaining types of material qualities. 1. Material qualities of relative limitation are the element of space. 2. Material qualities of expression (intimation) are bodily and vocal. 3. Conditioned of matter are lightness, pliancy and adaptability (and the above two qualities of expression). 141 Abhidhammattha-Saṅgaha (As), (tr.) by Bhikkhu Bodhi (1999). A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma, Sri-lanka: Buddhist Society, pp. 237-240, Bhikkhu J. Kashyap (2006), pp. 167 - 70 and K. L. Dhammajoti (2002). Sarvāstivāda Abhidhamma (Sa.), Sri-Lanka: Centre for Buddhist Studies, p. 144. 87 4. The essential characteristics of material qualities are material production, continuity, decay and impermanence (death). Here by production and continuity are meant as the material phenomenon of the birth. IV.1.1.2. Analysis of Rūpa Rūpa (matter or form) consists of eleven dharmas (items) namely, the five sense faculties (indriya), five sense objects (viṣaya) and non-informative (avijñapti). Thus the senses of eye (cakṣus-indriya), ear (śrotra-indriya), nose (ghrāṇa-indriya), tongue (jihvā-indriya) and body (kāya-indriya) have material (visible) form (rūpa), sound (śabda), smell (gandha), taste (rasa) and touch (sparśa) as their objects. The eleventh dharma in the group was unmanifest action (avijñapti).142 [1] 1. Eye (cakṣus-indriya) is one of the five organs faculties, organ of sight and its objects are colours and shapes. [2] 2. Ear (śrotra-indriya) is an organ of hearing, point of support, subtle material element situated within the ‗birch leaf‘ of the ear. [3] 3. Nose (ghrāṇa-indriya) is an organ of smell. [4] 4. Tongue (jihvā-indriya) is an organ of taste. [5] 5. Body (kāya-indriya) is an organ of touch. [6] 6. Rūpa is visual object, sight, forms or visible matter; these are divided into two main groups, colour (varṇa) and shape (saṃsthāna). They all consist of eight colours and twelve shapes. Eight colours are 142 Rūpaṁ pañcendriyāṇyarthāḥ pañcāvijñaptireva ca| tadvijñānāśrayā rūpaprasādāścakṣurādayaḥ||9|| Sanidarśana eko'tra rūpaṁ sapratighā daśa| rūpiṇaḥ avyākṛtā aṣṭau ta evārūpaśabdakāḥ||29|| 色者唯五根 五境及無表 彼識依淨色 名眼等五根 一有見謂色 十有色有對 此餘色聲八 無記餘三種. Akk. i. 9 & 29. 88 blue, yellow, red, white and fours colours substitutes or subdivisions of four primary colours are cloud, smoke, dust, mist, shadow, sun-light, light and darkness. Shape is eightfold: long, short, square, round, high, low, even, and uneven (or irregular).143 [7] 7. Sound (śabda)144 is the object of the ear. It is divided into eightfold kinds of sound in all. (1). Sound produced by object (upattamahābhūtahetuka) which has the power of perception i.e. sentient beings, e.g. sound caused by hand and voice. (2) Sound produced by object which does not have the power of perception (aupattamahābhūtahetuka) i.e. non-sentient being, e.g. sound of wind, tree, river, etc. (3) Sound produced by living being; e.g. sound of vocal act. (4) Sound not produced by living beings; e.g. all other sounds. And all these four sounds are divided into two, which are pleasant (agreeable) and unpleasant (disagreeable). [8] 8. Smell (gandha) is the object of the nose, which consists of fourfold kinds; pleasant, unpleasant, non-excessive (samagandha) and excessive (visamagandha). [9] 9. Taste (rasa) is the object of the tongue, which is composed of six kinds: Sweet, sour, salty, acrid, bitter and astringent. [10] 10. Touch (sparśa) is the object of the body; it includes eleven kinds, viz.145 contact with four great primary elements earth (solidity or 143 Akbp. Vol. 1, P. 64. 144 Rūpaṁ dvidhā viṁśatidhā śabdastvaṣṭavidhaḥrasaḥ| ṣoḍhā caturvidho gandhaḥ spṛśyamekādaśātmakam||10|| 色二或二十 聲唯有八種 味六香四種 觸十一為性. Akk. i. 10 145 Bhūtāni pṛthividhāturaptejovāyudhātavaḥ| dhṛtyādikarmasaṁsiddhā kharasnehoṣṇateraṇāḥ||12|| Pṛthivī varṇasaṁsthānamucyate lokasaṁjñayā| āpastejaśca vāyustu dhātureva tathāpi ca||13|| 大種謂四界 即地水火風 能成持等業 堅濕煖動性 地謂顯形色 隨世想立名 水火亦復然 風即界亦爾. Akk. i. 12 & 13. 89 hardness), water (humidity or moisture), fire (heat) and air (mobility or motion). And softness, hardness, weight, lightness, cold, hunger, thirst. [11] 11. No-informative (avijñapti) is a serial continuity also in a person, whose mind is distracted or who is without mind, pure or impure, dependent on the primary elements: these are called the avijñapti.146 This term in Buddhist schools means not manifested or not made known. Every mental vocal or physical deed should have some corresponding result. After discussing derivative material dharma, Vasubandhu discusses the ultimate material dharmas which are called the four great elements (mahābhūtas), which are independent (see Akk. i. 12). On analysis one of these elements like earth. We find that earth contains at least one atom if no more, of water, fire and air, but the atoms of earth dominate. The great elements arise together, in all molecules, hard, moist, hot or mobile. For the time being the nature of one predominates and our senses notice only the predominating one and not the others. Each and every material object is the combination of the four great elements. Even derivative material dharmas of the rūpaskandhas are nursed by the four great elements (mahābhūta). As well the subjective classification mentioned in the previous chapter, the rūpa in this chapter is also related to three departments or categories; skandhas, āyatana and dhātu. The Sanskrit term for matter, rūpa, is used in two senses in Buddhist texts. When it is included in lists such as the five skandhas (aggregates), it is used in a broad sense. In such cases, it refers to ten of the twelve bases of cognition (āyatana): the five sense organs (indriya: eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body) and the five sense 146 Vikṣiptācittakasyāpi yo'nubandhaḥ śubhāśubhaḥ| mahābhūtānyupādāya sa hyavijñaptirucyate||11|| 亂心無心等 隨流淨不淨 大種所造性 由此說無表 (Akk.
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