The “Corporeality Group” Of Elements

After reading about The Five Groups Of Existence now, there is another question to solve.

 what is the Group of Corporeality?

It is the four primary elements and Corporeality derived from them. And what are the four primary elements? They are the Solid Element, the Fluid Element, the Heating Element, the Vibrating Element.

The four elements, or to speak more correctly-the four elementary qualities of matter may be rendered in English as:

• Inertia
• Cohesion
• Radiation
• Vibration.

The twenty-four corporeal phenomena which depend upon them are, according to the Abhidharma: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, visible form, sound, odor, taste, masculinity, femininity, vitality, organ of thinking, gesture, speech, space (cavities of ear, nose, etc.), agility, elasticity, adaptability, growth, duration, decay, variability, change of substance.

What, now, is the Solid Element?

The solid element may be one’s own, or it may be external. And what is one’s own solid element? The dependent properties, which on one’s own person and body are hard and solid, as the hairs of head and body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, diaphragm, spleen, lungs, stomach, bowels, mesentery, excrement, or whatever other dependent properties which on one’s own person and body are hard and solid-this is called one’s own solid element.

Now, whether it be one’s own solid element, or whether it be the external solid element, they are both only the solid element. And one should understand, according to reality, and true wisdom: “This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Ego.”

What, now, is the Fluid Element?

The fluid element may be one’s own, or it may be external. And what is one own fluid element? The dependent properties, which on one’s own person and body are watery or cohesive, as bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, lymph, tears, semen, spit, nasal mucus, oil of the joints, urine or whatever other dependent properties which on one own person and body are watery or cohesive-this is called one’s own fluid element.

Now, whether it be one’s own fluid element, or whether it be the external fluid element, they are both only the fluid element. And one should understand, according to reality, and true wisdom: “This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Ego.”

What, now, is the Heating Element?

The heating element may be one own, or it may be external. And what is one’s own heating element? The dependent properties, which on one’s own person and body are heating and radiating, as that whereby one is heated, consumed, scorched, whereby that which has been eaten, drunk, chewed or tasted, is fully digested; or whatever other dependent properties, which on one’s own person and body are heating and radiating this is called one’s own heating element.

Now, whether it be one’s own heating element, or whether it be the external heating element, they are both only the heating element. And one should understand, according to reality, and true wisdom: “This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Ego.”

What, now, is the Vibrating Element?

The vibrating element may be one’s own, or it may be external. And what is one’s own vibrating element? The dependent properties, which on one’s own person and body is mobile and gaseous, as the upward-going and downward-going winds; the winds of stomach and intestines; in-breathing and out-breathing; or whatever other dependent properties, which on one’s own person and body are mobile and gaseous-this is called one’s own vibrating element.

Now, whether it be one’s own vibrating element, or whether it be the external vibrating element, they are both only the vibrating element. And one should understand, according to reality, and true wisdom: “This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Ego.” Just as one calls “hut” the circumscribed space which comes to be by means of wood and rushes, reeds, and clay, even so, we call “body” the circumscribed space that comes to be by means of bones and sinews, flesh and skin.