Comprehension of the Material

22. While comprehending materiality he should see how materiality is generated,^[1] that is to say, how this materiality is generated by the four causes beginning with kamma. Herein, when materiality is being generated in any being, it is first generated from kamma. For at the actual moment of rebirthlinking of a child in the womb, first thirty instances of materiality are generated in the triple continuity, in other words, the decads of physical [heart-]basis, body, and sex. And those are generated at the actual instant of the rebirth-linking consciousness’s arising. And as at the instant of its arising, so too at the instant of its presence and at the instant of its dissolution.^[2]

23. Herein, the cessation of materiality is slow and its transformation ponderous, while the cessation of consciousness is swift and its transformation quick (light); hence it is said, “Bhikkhus, I see no other one thing that is so quickly transformed as [614] the mind” (A I 10).

24. For the life-continuum consciousness arises and ceases sixteen times while one material instant endures. With consciousness the instant of arising, instant of presence, and instant of dissolution are equal; but with materiality only the instants of arising and dissolution are quick like those [of consciousness], while the instant of its presence is long and lasts while sixteen consciousnesses arise and cease.

25. The second life-continuum arises with the prenascent physical [heart]basis as its support, which has already reached presence and arose at the rebirth-linking consciousness’s instant of arising. The third life-continuum arises with the prenascent physical basis as its support, which has already reached presence and arose together with that [second life-continuum consciousness]. The occurrence of consciousness can be understood to happen in this way throughout life. But in one who is facing death sixteen consciousnesses arise with a single prenascent physical [heart-]basis as their support, which has already reached presence.

26. The materiality that arose at the instant of arising of the rebirth-linking consciousness ceases along with the sixteenth consciousness after the rebirthlinking consciousness. That arisen at the instant of presence of the rebirth-linking consciousness ceases together with the instant of arising of the seventeenth. That arisen at the instant of its dissolution ceases on arriving at the instant of presence of the seventeenth.^[3] It goes on occurring thus for as long as the recurrence [of births] continues.

Also seventy instances of materiality occur in the same way with the sevenfold continuity [beginning with the eye decad] of those apparitionally born.

[(A) Kamma-born Materiality]

27. Herein, [as regards kamma-born materiality] the analysis should be understood thus: (1) kamma, (2) what is originated by kamma, (3) what has kamma as its condition, (4) what is originated by consciousness that has kamma as its condition, (5) what is originated by nutriment that has kamma as its condition, (6) what is originated by temperature that has kamma as its condition (XI.111–14).

28. Herein, (1) kamma is profitable and unprofitable volition. (2) What is originated by kamma is the kamma-resultant aggregates and the seventy instances of materiality beginning with the eye decad. (3) What has kamma as its condition is the same [as the last] since kamma is the condition that upholds what is originated by kamma.

29. (4) What is originated by consciousness that has kamma as its condition is materiality originated by kamma-resultant consciousness. (5) What is originated by nutriment that has kamma as its condition is so called since the nutritive essence that has reached presence in the instances of materiality originated by kamma originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and the nutritive essence there that has reached presence also originates a further one, and so it links up four or five occurrences of octads. (6) What is originated by temperature that has kamma as its condition is so called since the kamma-born fire element that has reached presence originates an octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, which is temperature-originated, and the temperature in that originates a further octad-withnutritive-essence-as eighth, and so it links up four or five occurrences of octads.

This is how the generation of kamma-born materiality in the first place should be seen. [615]

[(B) Consciousness-born Materiality]

30. Also as regards the consciousness-born kinds, the analysis should be understood thus: (1) consciousness, (2) what is originated by consciousness, (3) what has consciousness as its condition, (4) what is originated by nutriment that has consciousness as its condition, (5) what is originated by temperature that has consciousness as its condition.

31. Herein, (1) consciousness is the eighty-nine kinds of consciousness. Among these:

Consciousnesses thirty-two,
And twenty-six, and nineteen too,
Are reckoned to give birth to matter,
Postures, also intimation;
Sixteen kinds of consciousness
Are reckoned to give birth to none.

As regards the sense sphere, thirty-two consciousnesses, namely, the eight profitable consciousnesses ((1)–(8)), the twelve unprofitable ((22)–(33)), the ten functional excluding the mind element ((71)–(80)), and the two direct-knowledge consciousnesses as profitable and functional, give rise to materiality, to postures, and to intimation. The twenty-six consciousnesses, namely, the ten of the fine-material sphere ((9)–(13), (81)–(85)) and the eight of the immaterial sphere ((14)–(17), (86)–(89)) excluding the resultant [in both cases], and the eight supramundane ((18)–(21), (66)–(69)), give rise to materiality, to postures but not to intimation. The nineteen consciousnesses, namely, the ten life-continuum consciousnesses in the sense sphere ((41)–(49), (56)), the five in the fine-material sphere ((57)–(61)), the three mind elements ((39), (55), (70)), and the one resultant mind-consciousness element without rootcause and accompanied by joy (40), give rise to materiality only, not to postures or to intimation. The sixteen consciousnesses, namely, the two sets of five consciousnesses ((34)–(38), (50)–(54)), the rebirth-linking consciousness of all beings, the death consciousness of those whose cankers are destroyed, and the four immaterial resultant consciousnesses ((62)–(65)) do not give rise to materiality or to postures or to intimation. And those herein that do give rise to materiality do not do so at the instant of their presence or at the instant of their dissolution, for consciousness is weak then. But it is strong at the instant of arising. Consequently it originates materiality then with the prenascent physical basis as its support.

32. (2) What is originated by consciousness is the three other immaterial aggregates and the seventeenfold materiality, namely, the sound ennead, bodily intimation, verbal intimation, the space element, lightness, malleability, wieldiness, growth, and continuity.

(3) What has consciousness as its condition is the materiality of fourfold origination stated thus: “Postnascent states of consciousness and consciousnessconcomitants are a condition, as postnascence condition, for this prenascent body” (Paṭṭh I 5).

33. (4) What is originated by nutriment that has consciousness as its condition: the nutritive essence that has reached presence in consciousness-originated material instances originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and thus links up two or three occurrences of octads.

34. (5) What is originated by temperature that has consciousness as its condition: the consciousness-originated temperature that has [616] reached presence originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and thus links up two or three occurrences.

This is how the generation of consciousness-born materiality should be seen.

[(C) Nutriment-born Materiality]

35. Also as regards the nutriment-born kinds, the analysis should be understood thus: (1) nutriment, (2) what is originated by nutriment, (3) what has nutriment as its condition, (4) what is originated by nutriment that has nutriment as its condition, (5) what is originated by temperature that has nutriment as its condition.

36. Herein, (1) nutriment is physical nutriment. (2) What is originated by nutriment is the fourteenfold materiality, namely, (i–viii) that of the octad-with-nutritiveessence-as-eighth originated by nutritive essence that has reached presence by obtaining as its condition kamma-born materiality that is clung to (kammically acquired) and basing itself on that,^[4] and (ix) space element, (x–xiv) lightness, malleability, wieldiness, growth, and continuity.

(3) What has nutriment as its condition is the materiality of fourfold origination stated thus: “Physical nutriment is a condition, as nutriment condition, for this body” (Paṭṭh I 5).

37. (4) What is originated by nutriment that has nutriment as its condition: the nutritive essence that has reached presence in nutriment-originated material instances originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth and the nutritive essence in that octad originates a further octad, and thus links up the occurrence of octads ten or twelve times. Nutriment taken on one day sustains for as long as seven days;but divine nutritive essence sustains for as long as one or two months. The nutriment taken by a mother originates materiality by pervading the body of the child [in gestation]. Also nutriment smeared on the body originates materiality. Kamma-born nutriment is a name for nutriment that is clung to. That also originates materiality when it has reached presence. And the nutritive essence in it originates a further octad. Thus it links up four or five occurrences.

38. (5) What is originated by temperature that has nutriment as its condition: nutriment-originated fire element that has reached presence originates an octadwith-nutritive-essence-as-eighth that is thus temperature-originated. Here this nutriment is a condition for nutriment-originated material instances as their progenitor. It is a condition for the rest as support, nutriment, presence, and non-disappearance.

This is how the generation of nutriment-born materiality should be seen.

[(D) Temperature-born Materiality]

39. Also as regards the temperature-born kinds, the analysis should be understood thus: (1) temperature, (2) what is originated by temperature, (3) what has temperature as its condition, (4) what is originated by temperature that has temperature as its condition, (5) what is originated by nutriment that has temperature as its condition.

40. Herein, (1) temperature is the fire element of fourfold origination; but it is twofold as hot temperature and cold temperature. (2) What is originated by temperature: the temperature of fourfold origination that has reached presence by obtaining a clung-to condition originates materiality in the body. [617] That materiality is fifteenfold, namely, sound ennead, space element, lightness, malleability, wieldiness, growth, continuity. (3) What has temperature as its condition is so called since temperature is a condition for the occurrence and for the destruction of materiality of fourfold origination.

41. (4) What is originated by temperature that has temperature as its condition: the temperature-originated fire element that has reached presence originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and the temperature in that octad originates a further octad. Thus temperature-originated materiality both goes on occurring for a long period and also maintains itself as well in what is not clung to.^[5]

42. (5) What is originated by nutriment that has temperature as its condition: the temperature-originated nutritive essence that has reached presence originates a further octad-with-nutritive-essence-as-eighth, and the nutritive essence in that originates a further one, thus it links up ten or twelve occurrences of octads.

Herein, this temperature is a condition for temperature-originated material instances as their progenitor. It is a condition for the rest as support, presence, and non-disappearance.

This is how the generation of temperature-born materiality should be seen.

One who sees the generation of materiality thus is said to “comprehend the material at one time” (§21).^[6]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

“First it has to be seen by inference according to the texts. Afterwards it gradually comes to be seen by personal experience when the knowledge of development gets stronger” (Vism-mhṭ 790).

[2]:

“It is first generated from kamma because the temperature-born kinds, etc., are rooted in that” (Vism-mhṭ 790).

[3]:

The relationship of the duration of moments of matter and moments of consciousness is dealt with in greater detail in the Sammohavinodanī (Vibh-a 25f.). See also Introduction, note 18.

[4]:

“‘By obtaining as its condition kamma-born materiality that is clung-to’: by this he points out that external un-clung-to nutritive essence does not perform the function of nourishing materiality. He said ‘and basing itself on that’ meaning that its obtaining of a condition is owing to its being supported by what is kamma-born. And ‘clung-to’ is specifically mentioned in order to rule out any question of there being a ‘kammaborn’ method for ‘materiality originated by consciousness that has kamma as its condition’ just because it happens to be rooted in kamma [There is no such method]” (Vism-mhṭ 793f.).

[5]:

“What is intended is head hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, callosities, warts, etc., which are separate from the flesh in a living body; otherwise a corpse, and so on” (Vism-mhṭ 795).

[6]:

“When the generation of materiality is seen its dissolution also is seen, and so he said, ‘One who sees the generation of materiality thus is said to comprehend the material at one time’ because of the brevity of states’ occurrence; for it is not the seeing of mere generation that is called comprehension but there must be seeing of rise and fall besides. So too the apprehending of generation in the other instances” (Vism-mhṭ 795).