[Sammasambodhi Gami]

Hii everyone,

May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you always !

In the post : Rupa – Generation mechanism, it is said that:

“…Those 8 rupas (patavi, apo, tejo, vayo, vanna, gandha, rasa, oja) and the akasa dhatu are produced by all four causes (kamma, citta, utu, ahara).”

Whereas in the post : Rupa (Material Form) – Table, it is said that :

“…Nipphanna rupa are caused by kamma, citta, utu (tejo), and ahara (oja). The other 10 (anipphanna rupa) are not caused or conditioned by kamma, citta, utu (tejo), and ahara (oja).”

Akasa dhatu is classified under anipphanna (abstract) rupa.
So considering this, aren’t the above two statements contradictory ?
How to reconcile this ?

What is the real meaning of “akasa dhatu” ? Can “space element” be a good translation ? Or does it mean something else ?

Akasa dhatu must be sankata, because it belongs to this world of 31 realms.

But “space” is everywhere and infinite.

Can someone please clarify on this topic.

Thanks in advance.

[y not]

I do not pretend to be able to clarify, but to at least give more substance to the question, in order that any answer may be more comprehensive. I hope it is relevant. Thus:

In English at least, we take space to mean that which contains, the Infinite Container, to put it that way. Now ‘dhatu’ already implies matter ,in however fine a form (space ELEMENT)so it too will be contained. So a difference there must be.

Also, Infinite Space cannot be, strictly-speaking, a container, because all containers are limited in their outer dimensions, hence they can contain within those dimensions. But Infinite Space has no such limits. Another word or term will have to be coined, if it hasn’t been aleady.

By extrapolation, even Nibbana will lie within that Infinite Space, for Infinity, by definition, means that there can be nothing beyond it.

y not

[Lal]

@C.Saket. You said:
In the post : Rupa – Generation mechanism, it is said that:
“…Those 8 rupas (patavi, apo, tejo, vayo, vanna, gandha, rasa, oja) and the akasa dhatu are produced by all four causes (kamma, citta, utu, ahara).”

You are correct. That was a mistake on my part since akasa dhatu is an anipphanna rupa (see below) and I have removed that sentence.
Thanks for pointing it out.

The important point is that the 18 types of rupa (nipphanna rupa) on the left hand side of the Table in “Rupa (Material Form) – Table” are those produced by mechanisms directly related to the mind.
– Those 10 on the right-side of the Table, including akasa dhatu, are called anipphanna rupa (abstract rupa). I suspect these rupa are more like “mechanisms/principles”.
– I do not feel confident to say anymore, since I do not have a comfortable understanding on anipphanna rupa.

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