THE "CORPOREALITY GROUP" OF FOUR ELEMENTS

  What, now, 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, and 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 are 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.