The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [442]
“There are, Ānanda, these eighteen elements: the eye element, the form element, the eye-consciousness element; the ear element, the sound element, the ear-consciousness element; the nose element, the odour element, the nose-consciousness element; the tongue element, the flavour element, the tongue-consciousness element; the body element, the tangible element, the body-consciousness element; the mind element, the mind-object element, the mind-consciousness element. When he knows and sees these eighteen elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements.”1077
5. “But, venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
“There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these six elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element, the space element, and the consciousness element. When he knows and sees these six elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements.”
6. “But, venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
“There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these six elements: the pleasure element, the pain element, the joy element, the grief element, the equanimity element, and the ignorance element. When he knows and sees these six elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements.”1078
7. “But, venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
“There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these six elements: the sensual desire element, the renunciation element, the ill will element, the non-ill will element, [63] the cruelty element, and the non-cruelty element. When he knows and sees these six elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements.”1079
8. “But, venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
“There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these three elements: the sense-sphere element, the fine-material element, and the immaterial element. When he knows and sees these three elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements.”1080
9. “But, venerable sir, might there be another way in which a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements?”
“There might be, Ānanda. There are, Ānanda, these two elements: the conditioned element and the unconditioned element. When he knows and sees these two elements, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the elements.”1081
(THE BASES)
10. “But, venerable sir, in what way can a bhikkhu be called skilled in the bases?”
“There are, Ānanda, these six internal and external bases: the eye and forms, the ear and sounds, the nose and odours, the tongue and flavours, the body and tangibles, the mind and mind-objects.1082 When he knows and sees these six internal and external bases, a bhikkhu can be called skilled in the bases.”
(DEPENDENT ORIGINATION)
11. “But, venerable sir, in what way can a bhikkhu be called skilled in dependent origination?”1083
“Here, Ānanda, a bhikkhu knows thus: ‘When this exists, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be; with the cessation of this, that ceases. That is, with ignorance as condition, formations [come to be]; with formations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, mentality-materiality; with mentality-materiality as condition, the sixfold base; with the sixfold base as condition, contact; with contact as condition, feeling; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, [64] being; with being as condition, birth; with birth as condition, ageing and death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair come to be. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.
“‘But with the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance comes cessation of formations; with the cessation of formations, cessation of consciousness; with the cessation of consciousness, cessation of mentality-materiality;