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E W ELï> from the
TR E A S U R Y
V a s u b a n d h u ’s Verses on
the Treasury ofA bhidharm a

And Its Commentary

Youthful Play
b y th e N i n t h K a r m a p a
W a n g c h u k D o rje

Translated by
DAVID KARM A C H O E P H E L
els from the Treasury
| Jewels from the'Treasury
V a su b a n d h u ’s
'Verses on the Treasury o f LSfbhidharma

and Its Commentary,

Youthful Tlay
i_An Explanation o f the Treasury o f ^Abhidharma
by the N i n t h K a rm a p a W a n g c h u k D orje

Foreword by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Translated from the Tibetan with reference to the Sanskrit
by David Karma Choephel

K T D Publications
W oodstock New York
KfTT> P u b lic a tio n s a n d th e tra n s la to r P a v i d K a r m a C hoep h el
w o u ld lik e to a c k n o w le d g e th e g en ero u s s u p p o r t o f th e
P sa d ra P o u n d a tio n in th e p u b lic a tio n o f th is book.
 Published by:
KTD Publications
335 Meads Mountain Road
Woodstock, NY 12498, USA
www.KTDPublications.org

Cover painting of Vasubandhu and illustrations of Vasubandhu

and the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje by Karma Dradul.

© 2012 KTD Publications and David Karma Choephel

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011944417
ISBN 978-1-934608-25-8
Printed in the United States on acid-free paper.
 Contents

Foreword by Khenchen Thrangu R inpoche........................................................ix

Translator s In tro d u ctio n ........................................................................................ xi
A Note on the Translation o f the Root Verses................................................ xvii
Acknowledgm ents..................................................................................................xix

Verses on the Treasury of Abhidharma

First Area: Teachings on the Elem ents............................................................ 3
Second Area: Teachings on the Faculties......................................................11
Third Area: Teachings on the W o rld ............................................................ 21
Fourth Area: Teachings on Karm a................................................................. 35
Fifth Area: Teaching on the K e rn e ls............................................................ 53
Sixth Area: Teachings on the Paths and Individuals...................................63
Seventh Area: Teachings on W is d o m ..........................................................75
Eighth Area: Teachings on the Absorptions.................................................83

Youthful Play: An Explanation of the Treasury of Abhidharma

First Area: Teachings on the Elem ents.......................................................... 93
Second Area: Teachings on the Faculties................................................... 145
Third Area: Teachings on the W o rld .......................................................... 215
Fourth Area: Teachings on Karm a...............................................................293
Fifth Area: Teachings on the Kernels..........................................................389
Sixth Area: Teachings on the Paths and Individuals................................ 433
JEWELS FROM THE TREASURY

Seventh Area: Teachings on W is d o m ........................................................497

Eighth Area: Teachings on the Absorptions.............................................. 543

Appendix A: English Equivalents o f Tibetan T e r m s .....................................587

Appendix B: English Equivalents o f Sanskrit T erm s..................................... 595
N o te s .......................................................................................................................601
Works C ited........................................................................................................... 625
In d e x .......................................................................................................................627

v iii
 FOREWORD BY

Kpenchen Thrangu cT(inpoche

Am ong the abhidharm a o f the Foundation and Great Vehicles, the main
text that students in monastic colleges study these days is The Treasury o f
Abhidharma. There are many commentaries on the Treasury. The great Chim
Jamyangs commentary and the Eighth Karmapa Mikyo Dorjes commentary,
The Springtime Cow o f Easy Accomplishment are very clear and good, but they
are too long. W hen new students study them, they are unable to find a way
into them. In order to help such students, the N inth Karmapa W angchuk
Dorje composed a commentary that is very clear and concise. Students who
read it are able to develop definite com prehension of the abhidharm a in
general, and within that, clearly understand the points taught in the Treasury
o f Abhidharma. T h at is why it is so beneficial that the N in th Karmapa
Wangchuk Dorjes commentary on the Treasury has been translated.
Among the three baskets of Buddhist teachings, it is im portant to under­
stand the abhidharma teachings. There are three main trainings: the superior
training in discipline taught by the vinaya, the superior training in samadhi
taught by the sutras, and the superior training in full knowing taught by the
abhidharm a. O f these three trainings, the prim ary one for destroying the
afflictions and attaining the ultim ate result is the superior training in full
knowing. Developing this training depends mainly on the pitaka o f
abhidharma, and that in turn depends mainly on the treatises of abhidharma.
O f all these treatises, the easiest and clearest is the Treasury o f Abhidharma, so
if you study the Treasury, it will bring great benefit.

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

Sarnath, India
February 17, 2008
 1T ranslator’s Introduction

English-speaking students of Buddhism are very fortunate these days: there

are more and more books on Buddhism, and in-depth study o f Buddhist
philosophy and practice is becoming possible in an English medium. Im por­
tant texts from all Buddhist schools and traditions, in particular the Indian
and Tibetan, are becoming available in excellent, clear English translations
that are understandable and beneficial for general readers and specialists
alike. Since many students of Buddhism are primarily interested in meditation,
m any o f the texts initially translated focused on m editation. But in order
to receive the full benefits o f m editation practice, it is necessary to have a
thorough understanding o f the views o f Buddhist philosophy. As Master
Vasubandhu says in the Treasury ofAbhidharm a:

W ith conduct, listening, contemplation,

Completely train in meditation.

In other words, in order to achieve results in our meditation practice, we must

first m aintain the conduct o f good discipline and then develop the prajna
or “full knowing” born o f listening and contemplation through study of the
Buddhas words and the treatises that explain them. W ithout study we are like
blind people trying to climb a cliff, it is said, but with the proper understand­
ing that comes from thorough study and contemplation, our m editation will
improve and we will be able to enjoy its fruits.
O f all the subjects to study, masters in all Buddhist traditions consider the
abhidharm a to be one of the most important. Abhidharma is like an encyclo­
pedia of Buddhism: it pulls together the teachings the Buddha gave in many
different sutras and discourses and presents them in a systematic way. Studying
t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n

it gives an understanding o f what things are and why they are called by the
names they are given. It provides a solid foundation for further study because
other treatises often refer to concepts and phenom ena that are covered most
thoroughly in the abhidharma. But most im portant, it gives answers to such
pressing questions as, what are the natures o f our bodies and minds? How are
we born? How do our minds work? How does karma work? W hat causes suf­
fering? How do we free ourselves from suffering?
Although the Buddha himself said that his teachings could be divided into
the three baskets of sutras, vinaya, and abhidharma, it would be difficult to
pinpoint a specific set o f his discourses that could be called abhidharma.
Rather, Shariputra, Kátyániputra, and other arhats collected and systematized
the teachings the Buddha had given on many disparate occasions in many su­
tras and the vinaya, compiling what are called the seven treatises o f abhidharma.
As the different schools of Buddhism developed, each school also developed
its own tradition o f interpreting and explaining the abhidharma, and so there
came to be several distinct presentations o f the abhidharma.
T he basis for the study o f abhidharm a in the northern Buddhist tradi­
tions that spread to Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan was provided by Master
Vasubandhu’s Verses on the Treasury o f Abhidharm a (often called the root
verses) and his accompanying Explanation o f the Treasury o f Abhidharma (usu­
ally called the autocommentary). W ritten in the fourth century, these brilliant
works eclipsed earlier treatises on the abhidharm a to such an extent that
Tibetan translators did not even consider most of the treatises it was based
upon necessary to translate. W ithin the Tibetan tradition, Vasubandhu’s
Treasury is considered one o f the five great works o f Buddhist philosophy.
The root is especially prized for the way in which it condenses an immense
topic into clean concise, and memorable verses. Several o f the verses are so
often quoted in works on other topics that they are am ong the most com ­
monly quoted lines in Tibetan Buddhism. W hen studying abhidharma, stu­
dents memorize the root— in some m onastic colleges, gathering every
m orning to recite the verses aloud from beginning to end. The meter of the
verses makes them easy to recite and remember, so that as students recite
them over and over, passages that at first seem impenetrable become clearer
and clearer. Eventually they become reminders th at flow easily over the
tongue, bringing to m ind the meaning described in the commentaries.
For a student new to the abhidharma, however, Vasubandhu’s work on its
own is difficult. T he root verses are like a key that opens the gate to a vast
field o f knowledge, but they are too terse to understand w ithout explanation.
O n the other hand, the autocommentary is imposing for beginners. N ot only
is it lengthy— one English translation was published in four volumes— it
 t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n

covers m any doctrinal disputes between different Buddhist schools in such

detail that beginners m ight find it difficult to discern what is im portant.
O ther points are given only cursory explanation, as if it is assumed that the
reader already knows the point or that a master will explain it.
For these reasons am ong others, many Indian and later Tibetan masters
wrote commentaries on either the root verses, the autocommentary, or both.
Among these, the N inth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje’s explanation o f the root
verses entitled Youthful Play is especially useful for those who are new to the
abhidharm a. About a third the length o f the autocommentary, its explana­
tions o f the root verses are succinct and clear; its synopses o f the disputes
between different schools outline the m ain points w ithout providing so
m uch detail that a new student might get confused; and it fleshes out several
topics covered only briefly in the autocom m entary. Youthful Play gives a
thorough overview o f the abhidharm a for those who wish to study it but
cannot do so exhaustively and provides a basis for those who wish to delve
further into abhidharm a studies.
W hen m ost students o f Buddhism first learn about the abhidharm a, at
first it seems as if it is a set o f scriptures— one o f the three baskets or pitaka
of the Buddhist canon. However, this is only one aspect o f what the word
abhidharma refers to. In Vasubandhu’s presentation, there are three types of
abhidharma: ultimate abhidharma, path abhidharma, and scriptural abhid­
harma. Ultimate or genuine abhidharma is the stainless, undefiled full know­
ing that correctly discerns what is and what is not, as well as the five undefiled
aggregates which accompany it. The name abhidharm a is also given to the
defiled full knowing and treatises through which one can achieve stainless
wisdom. The defiled full knowing of individuals on the path is path abhid­
harma, and treatises such as the seven treatises o f abhidharm a and this
Treasury are scriptural abhidharma.
The reason it is im portant to study the abhidharma is that only this unde­
filed full knowing can liberate us from the suffering o f samsara. Ordinary sen­
tient beings lack this full knowing and are unable to properly distinguish what
is from what is not. This confusion leads to greed for the things one wants
and aversion toward things one finds unpleasant. This in turn leads to the ac­
tions which on a longer timeframe bind us to the cycle o f rebirth, but in the
short term as well lead to the difficulties o f our lives. O ne only has to look at
how many o f our everyday problems— whether major or petty, real or imag­
ined— result from misunderstandings or misplaced hopes and fears to see how
im portant it is to develop the wisdom that sees what is as it is. As Vasubandhu
says near the beginning o f the Treasury:
t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n

W ithout full discernment o f dharmas, there is not

Any m ethod to totally quell the afflictions.
Because o f afflictions, the world wanders the seas o f existence.

Although the necessity for studying the treatise is to realize the undefiled full
knowing that correctly discerns dharmas, the actual topic is all defiled and un­
defiled dharmas— in effect, all dharmas, as there are no dharmas which are
neither defiled nor undefiled. As Wangchuk Dorje notes in his commentary,
the reason to divide dharmas into these two categories is to indicate which
dharmas we need to give up and which dharmas we need to adopt in order to
bring ourselves to liberation and happiness. Defiled dharmas are those dhar­
mas in relation to which our defilements or afflictions can occur and are pri­
marily the dharmas included in the two truths o f suffering and origin.
Undefiled dharmas include the truths of cessation and path— those dharmas,
which when we understand them correctly, either are liberation or bring us to
liberation.
Following a brief overview that identifies defiled and undefiled dharmas,
the Treasury then presents eight areas or chapters.1 The first area, “Teachings
on the Elements,” gives an overview of the classification of all phenomena into
the aggregates (skandha:), sense bases (,dyatana:), and elements (<dhatu). It then
further classifies dharmas by what realm they are present in; whether they are
virtuous, nonvirtuous, or neutral; how they are produced; and so forth. The
second area, “Teachings on the Faculties,” presents an overview o f the sensory
and other faculties, mental factors, nonconcurrent formations, and causes, re­
sults, and conditions. Taken together, these two areas provide a general cate­
gorization o f all phenom ena and demonstrate how phenom ena relate to one
another as perceiver and perceived, cause and result, and so forth.
The next area, “Teachings on the World,” gives a presentation o f sentient
beings and the world that contains them. Although many Western texts call
this “Buddhist cosmology,” Tibetan commentaries say that this is a presenta­
tion o f the truth o f suffering: by understanding what possible rebirths there
are, how one is reborn, and the places one can be reborn, one can see how
none o f these transcend impermanence and suffering. T he first half o f the area
describes the different types of wanderers, or sentient beings, and explains how
they take birth, what sustains them during their lives, and how they die. This
includes a thorough explanation o f the between or bardo state and the twelve
links o f interdependence. The second half of the area presents the arrangement
o f the outer world with M ount M eru surrounded by rings o f m ountains,
oceans, and continents, including detailed descriptions of the god realms above
and the hell realms below.

xiv
 t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n

This area is one o f the most fascinating for Tibetans and non-Tibetans alike,
not least because the description o f the outer world does not match our m od­
ern understanding o f the physical universe. M any m odern Tibetan khenpos
and scholars explain that this is because our common perceptions of the world
arise out o f our shared karma. Since beings today have different karma than
those o f Vasubandhu’s time, the world naturally appears quite differently to
us today. Another possible explanation is that the Buddha and later scholars
including Vasubandhu needed to teach in ways that the people o f their time
could understand, and therefore they described the world according to the
prevalent beliefs o f their times. However we reconcile ourselves to this, at the
very least this area is rich with descriptions o f the mountains, seas, and places
that provide much o f the imagery of Buddhist literature.
The fourth and fifth areas then present the causes for the world as we know
it to arise: karma and the afflictions, which are the two parts of the truth of
origin. The fourth area, “Teachings on Karma,” explains all the different as­
pects o f karma: what the virtuous and nonvirtuous actions are, what gives
them their karmic strength, and how their results are experienced. The fifth
area, “Teachings on the Kernels,” analyzes all the different aspects of the afflic­
tions, focusing on the afflicted kernels, the subtle seeds of the afflictions within
our beings that can flare up into full blown afflictions— the defilements,
floods, yokes, and graspings also described in this chapter. This area describes
in detail what the kernels focus on, how they tie us to samsara, how they de­
velop into manifest afflictions, and so forth. As Vasubandhu says, “The root
of existence is the kernels,” so fully understanding them is critical to under­
standing why we remain in samsara and how we can free ourselves from it.
For this reason, it is not uncom m on to hear Tibetan scholars say that this is
the most im portant area in the Treasury. The fifth area also discusses how to
abandon the kernels and the result o f abandoning them, the perfect knowings
that are the truth of cessation.2
The truth o f the path is taught in the first part o f the sixth area, “Teachings
on the Paths and Individuals,” which describes the meditations one follows
from the beginning stages o f the ordinary individual through the paths of see­
ing and meditation. The four parts o f the path of joining— the precursors to
clear realization— and the path o f seeing are described in particular detail. The
area also describes the qualities and results that arise on the path, the results
of the spiritual way, and the different types o f noble individuals in the listener
vehicle.
The last two chapters, “Teachings on W isdom” and “Teachings on Absorp­
tion,” describe the wisdom and deep meditation that arise in different indi­
viduals, presenting the qualities of the Buddha and arhats. Knowing about

xv
t r a n s l a t o r ’s i n t r o d u c t i o n

their qualities helps create enthusiasm for practicing the path: If we do not
feel that there will be any benefit to listening, contemplating, and meditating,
it will be hard to motivate ourselves to make the necessary effort. But if we
understand what kinds of qualities we can attain, then we will have joy at the
prospects o f following the path to liberation.
Thus the eight areas collect the Buddhas teachings into a treasury that we
can use and enjoy. It covers a vast scope— the natures o f phenomena, the na­
tures o f our minds and bodies, why we exist as we do, and how we can free
ourselves— but as W angchuk Dorje says, M aster Vasubandhu is “skilled in
concise and simple words, and composed a text with few difficult words.” To­
gether with the Karmapas clear explanations, it truly is what Wangchuk Dorje
calls a “feast for those with intelligence and interest.”
The translation o f these works has occupied me interm ittently over the last
few years since 2005, a period one could argue is not really long enough to
fully penetrate a topic some scholars spend decades studying. Yet I hope that
by these efforts English speakers will be able to begin an exploration o f the
abhidharma. May they be able to bathe in the cooling waters of the oceans of
abhidharm a and cleanse themselves o f the stains of m isunderstanding and
wrong view. May they develop the confident full knowing born o f study and
contemplation and then progress down the paths of meditation. May all who
read these words soon be free of all the sufferings and difficulties of this life
and live within the greatest ease and contentm ent. Sarva mangalam!

xvi
 A T^ote on the ‘T ranslation o f the T got Terses

O ne o f the peculiar qualities o f Vasubandhus Verses on the Treasury o f

Ahhidharma is its extreme concision, both in the original Sanskrit and in the
Tibetan translation. T he root verses do not give full explanations o f most
points. Instead, they give short reminders— sometimes only a short phrase or
a single word— that help the student organize and remember the large body
o f knowledge presented in the commentaries. As such, they are brilliant and
helpful both during the process o f studying the abhidharma and later for re­
membering it, but difficult to penetrate at first.
For this reason, many contemporary translators o f texts such as this take
the approach of filling in the root verses to make them more understandable—
adding words or phrases from the commentaries so that it can be understood
on the first pass. This can certainly be helpful, but if one were to insert enough
extra language to make every line o f this particular text immediately clear, the
resulting translation would read more like a prose commentary than the orig­
inal verses; it would lack the concision and rhythm that make the Tibetan so
memorable.
This translation takes a different approach, following— albeit imperfectly—
the example set by the Indian master Jinamitra and the great Tibetan translator
Bande Kawa Paltsek in the Tibetan translation. It is an attem pt to match both
the structure and content o f Vasubandhu s verses as closely as possible in Eng­
lish. W here Vasubandhu is concise, this translation is similarly concise. Where
the antecedents of pronouns are not specified in the original, they are left un­
specified here. Just as the original is metered verse, this translation is also set
in meter in order to make it easier to remember and recite. In Vasubandhus
original and in the Tibetan translation there are many lines that only make
A NOTE ON THE TRANSLATION OF THE ROOT VERSES

sense after one looks at a commentary, and readers will find this English trans­
lation similar in this regard as well. T hat being said, I have also tried to avoid
being too literal in the translation, as in many passages too strict an adherence
to the Sanskrit and Tibetan grammar and versification would have rendered
the English unnecessarily opaque. For this reason the meter o f the English
translation is less regular than the original, some stanzas have extra lines, and
other liberties have been taken.
People reading abhidharma for the first time may find it helpful to compare
the root text as they read it to Wangchuk Dorje’s commentary, which explains
all the words o f the root in the order they appear in the verses. Students who
are studying the text in-depth may want to recite the root verses aloud and
consult the other commentaries available in English. I hope that as students
grow more familiar with the verses and their explanations, they might have
moments such as I had studying this text in Tibetan, when passages that had
seemed inscrutable suddenly became clear and the beauty o f Vasubandhu s
argument and m anner became apparent.

x v iii
 CAcknowledgments

I am deeply grateful to Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, who has supported,

encouraged, and helped me in all ways while I have been translating this, and
to Khenpo Losal o f the Vajra Vidya Institute, who taught the class in which
I first studied these texts and later helped clarify many points. Especial thanks
are due to Venerable Lodro Sangpo from Gampo Abbey, who reviewed the
first draft, and Michele M artin, who reviewed the m anuscript when it was
almost finished. They both made dozens o f helpful suggestions that im ­
proved this translation immeasurably. I would also like to thank the Tsadra
Foundation for their generous support of this publication as well as for their
general encouragement throughout the entire process of bringing this work
to publication.
I pray that these people and all the numerous others who have helped and
encouraged me in m any ways have success in all they do and swiftly bring
themselves and others to the enduring happiness o f buddhahood.

x ix
Vasubandhu
Terses on the Treasury o f ^yíbhidharm a
by Vasubandhu
 In Sanskrit: Abhidharmakosakarika
In Tibetan: chos mngon pa mdzod kyi tshig le’ur byas pa
In English: Verses on the Treasury of Abhidharma

I prostrate to youthful Manjushri.

 FIRST AREA

Teachings on the Elements

1. It is he who has conquered entirely the darkness toward all

And guides sentient beings from the mire of samsara.
He teaches the meaning as it is: I prostrate to him,
Then fully explain this treatise, The Treasury ofAbhidharma.

2. Abhidharma is stainless full knowing, along with its following;

That by which and treatises by which one gains it.
Since this collects them completely in meaning,
O r since they are its base, its TheTreasury ofAbhidharma.

3. W ithout full discernment of dharmas, there is not

Any m ethod to totally quell the afflictions.
Because of afflictions, the world wanders the seas of existence.
That is why the Teacher taught this, they claim.

4. Defiled and undefiled dharmas:

Except the truth of path, composites
Are defiled since defilements can
Develop in relation to them.

5. The undefiled is the truth of path

And the three noncomposites, too,
W hich are space and the two cessations.
Space is that which does not obstruct them.

3
VERSES ON THE TREASURY OF ABHIDHARMA

6. Cessation that is analytic

Is a removal. They are distinct.
The other cessation blocks arising
Forever; it s nonanalytic.

7. Composite dharmas are the five

Skandhas of form, et cetera.
Just these are time, the bases for talk,
Emancipatible, and grounded.

8. The defiled is the aggregates

O f grasping and is disputed, too.
They re suffering, origin, and the world,
Locus o f views, existence, too.

9. The skandha o f form: five faculties,

Five objects, the imperceptible.
Supports o f consciousnesses are
The eye, et cetera— lucid forms.

10. Two types o f form, or twenty types,

And there are the eight types o f sound,
And taste is sixfold, scent is fourfold,
Touch is elevenfold in nature.

11. Distracted, and mind-free as well,

Virtue or non, continuous,
And caused by the great sources: this
Is called the imperceptible.

12. The sources are the elements

O f earth and water, fire and air.
Their functions are to hold, et cetera.
They are hard, wet, and hot, and moving.

13. According to the worlds conventions,

Color and form are considered earth,
Water, and fire. The atmosphere
Is the element itself, and like those, too.

4
 AREA I * THE ELEMENTS

14. Only these faculties and objects

Are called ten bases and elements.
Feelings experience. Conception
Is the perception o f attributes.

15. Formation differs from four skandhas.

These three and imperceptibles
And noncomposites are called the
Sense base and element of dharmas.

16. Consciousness is distinctly knowing.

The sense base of m ind is also that,
And also seven elements—
Six consciousnesses and the mind.

17. Six consciousnesses that have just

Immediately past are mind.
To establish the support of the sixth,
We posit eighteen elements.

18. O ne aggregate, one sense base, and

O ne element include them all.
It’s by their nature— they do not
Possess another’s entity.

19. O f course there are two eyes, et cetera,

But since their type, sphere, consciousness
Are similar, they’re just one element.
To beautify, they come in pairs.

20. The meaning o f aggregate is heaped,

Sense base means the gate for arising,
And element means family.
Delusions, faculties, and interests
Are threefold, so the three are taught:
The aggregates, et cetera.

21. Because they are the root of quarrels

And cause samsara and the order,
Feeling and conception are taught
As different aggregates than factors.

5
VERSES ON THE TREASURY OF ABHIDHARMA

22 . Since noncomposites do not suit

Aggregate’s meaning, they are not taught.
The order is by coarse, all-afflicted,
The pot, and so forth, the realms’ meanings.

23. The object is present, so first five.

The object is source-derived, so four.
Since at great distance or since quickly,
O r else in order o f location.

24. O ne is specific and the main,

And one has many dharmas, the highest,
So one is called sense base o f form,
And one is called sense base o f dharma.

25. The eighty thousand aggregates

O f Dharm a the Sage taught are all
Words or are names, and thus they are
Included in form or in formation.

26. Some say their length equals the treatise,

O r depends on aggregates, et cetera.
But aggregates o f Dharm a taught
Correspond to antidotes for conduct.

27. Likewise the other aggregates,

Sense bases, or else elements:
Examine their own characters;
Include them in what has been explained.

28. Openings are the element

O f space— they’re light and dark, it’s claimed.
The element of consciousness
Is defiled consciousness, arising’s basis.

29. The showable here is form alone.

The obstructive is the ten with form.
Eight neutral are just those except
For form and sound. The others are threefold.

6
 AREA I * THE ELEMENTS

30. They all are in the Desire realm.

The Form realm has fourteen: except
The elements of scent and taste,
A nd the nose and tongue consciousnesses.

31. The Formless realm has elements

O f mind, dharma, m ind consciousness.
Those three are defiled or undefiled.
And those remaining are defiled.

32. Those which consider and examine:

Five elements o f consciousness.
The final three are of three types.
Those which remain are free o f both.

33. The nonconceptual have no thoughts

That recognize or that remember.
These two distract the m ind s full knowing
O r are all memory in mind.

34. The seven elements of m ind

And half of dharma, too, have focus.
The nine are not appropriated:
Those eight and sound. Nine others: twofold.

35. Touch has two types. The other nine

W ith form and part o f the element
O f dharmas, too, are source-derived.
The ten with form, conglomerates.

36. The cutter and that which is cut

Are four external elements,
As are the burnt and that which weighs.
The burner and weighed are disputed.

37. The five internal are produced

By ripening and development.
Sound is not ripened. The compatible
And ripening produce eight unobstructive.

7
VERSES ON THE TREASURY OF ABHIDHARMA

38. Others are threefold. One has substance.

The last three are a moment. The eye
And element o f consciousness:
Gained singly or together, too.

39. Twelve are internal, except form,

And so forth. Dharm a must be active.
The remaining are inactive, too—
That which does not perform its function.

40. Ten are discards o f meditation.

Five also. The last three, three types.
Seeing does not discard the unafflicted,
N or form, nor what is not born from the sixth.

41. The eye and part o f the element

O f dharma are views: they are eightfold.
Five minds concurrent with five consciousnesses,
N ot thoughts that recognize, are not view.

42. The eye sees form when it is active.

Supported consciousness does not,
Because a form that is obstructed
C annot be seen, or so they claim.

43. Both of the eyes can see, as well,

Because they both can clearly see.
The eye, ear, and m ind do not meet
Their objects. Three perceive elsewise.

44. The nose and other two perceive

An object that in size is equal.
The last s support is past. The five
Arise together with them, too.

45. Because when those change, they change, too,

The eye and so on are the supports.
Because o f that and being specific,
Those indicate the consciousnesses.

8
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