I think your questions have answers in the following. This is an excellent point to contemplate for all.
- In yathābhūta ñāna, “yathā” means “true nature,” and ñāna means wisdom. Thus, it means “wisdom about the true nature of this world made of four types of bhūta: pathavi, āpo, tējo, and vāyo.”
- Everything in this world (alive and inert) is made of bhūta. Bhuta is a Sinhala word as well as a Pāli word. It means a “ghost,” i.e., “not real.” That deeper meaning is associated with the four elemental “bhūta“: pathavi, āpo, tējo, and vāyo.
- As discussed in “The Origin of Matter – Suddhāṭṭhaka” these bhūta have origins in mind, specifically in javana citta. In summary, that means we live in a world made up by our minds and suffer immensely. That suffering goes away when one fully understands that.
I just revised the post, “Bhūta and Yathābhūta – What Do They Really Mean.”
- It is further explained in that post.
