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SN 14.11PTS SN 2.1491 min read

Seven Elements

Sattadhātusutta

A rare group of seven elements: light, beauty, the four formless states, and the attainment of cessation. Each of these is known due to the negation of something: light vs. darkness, beauty vs. ugliness, and so on.

Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · Pāli: Mahāsaṅgīti Tipiṭaka · Public domain (CC0) via SuttaCentral

  • 0.1Saṁyutta Nikāya 14.11Linked Discourses 14.11
  • 0.22. DutiyavaggaChapter Two

0.3SattadhātusuttaSeven Elements

1.1PTS 2.150Sāvatthiyaṁ viharati.At Sāvatthī.

1.2“Sattimā, bhikkhave, dhātuyo.“Mendicants, there are these seven elements.1.3Katamā satta?What seven?1.4Ābhādhātu, subhadhātu, ākāsānañcāyatanadhātu, viññāṇañcāyatanadhātu, ākiñcaññāyatanadhātu, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanadhātu, saññāvedayitanirodhadhātu—The element of luminosity, the element of beauty, the element of the dimension of infinite space, the element of the dimension of infinite consciousness, the element of the dimension of nothingness, the element of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, and the element of the cessation of perception and feeling.11.5imā kho, bhikkhave, satta dhātuyo”ti.These are the seven elements.”

2.1Evaṁ vutte, aññataro bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:When he said this, one of the mendicants said to the Buddha,22.2“yā cāyaṁ, bhante, ābhādhātu yā ca subhadhātu yā ca ākāsānañcāyatanadhātu yā ca viññāṇañcāyatanadhātu yā ca ākiñcaññāyatanadhātu yā ca nevasaññānāsaññāyatanadhātu yā ca saññāvedayitanirodhadhātu—imā nu kho, bhante, dhātuyo kiṁ paṭicca paññāyantī”ti?“Sir, due to what does each of these elements appear?”

3.1“Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, ābhādhātu—ayaṁ dhātu andhakāraṁ paṭicca paññāyati.“Mendicant, the element of luminosity appears due to the element of darkness.33.2Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, subhadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu asubhaṁ paṭicca paññāyati.The element of beauty appears due to the element of ugliness.43.3Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, ākāsānañcāyatanadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu rūpaṁ paṭicca paññāyati.The element of the dimension of infinite space appears due to the element of form.53.4Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, viññāṇañcāyatanadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ paṭicca paññāyati.The element of the dimension of infinite consciousness appears due to the element of the dimension of infinite space.63.5Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, ākiñcaññāyatanadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ paṭicca paññāyati.The element of the dimension of nothingness appears due to the element of the dimension of infinite consciousness.3.6Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu ākiñcaññāyatanaṁ paṭicca paññāyati.The element of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception appears due to the element of the dimension of nothingness.3.7Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, saññāvedayitanirodhadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu nirodhaṁ paṭicca paññāyatī”ti.The element of the cessation of perception and feeling appears due to the element of cessation.”

4.1“Yā cāyaṁ, bhante, ābhādhātu yā ca subhadhātu yā ca ākāsānañcāyatanadhātu yā ca viññāṇañcāyatanadhātu yā ca ākiñcaññāyatanadhātu yā ca nevasaññānāsaññāyatanadhātu yā ca saññāvedayitanirodhadhātu—imā nu kho, bhante, dhātuyo kathaṁ samāpatti pattabbā”ti?“Sir, how is each of these elements to be attained?”

5.1PTS 2.151“Yā cāyaṁ, bhikkhu, ābhādhātu yā ca subhadhātu yā ca ākāsānañcāyatanadhātu yā ca viññāṇañcāyatanadhātu yā ca ākiñcaññāyatanadhātu—imā dhātuyo saññāsamāpatti pattabbā.“The elements of light, beauty, the dimension of infinite space, the dimension of infinite consciousness, and the dimension of nothingness are attainments with perception.5.2Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, nevasaññānāsaññāyatanadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu saṅkhārāvasesasamāpatti pattabbā.The element of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception is an attainment with residual conditioned phenomena.75.3Yāyaṁ, bhikkhu, saññāvedayitanirodhadhātu—ayaṁ dhātu nirodhasamāpatti pattabbā”ti.The element of the cessation of perception and feeling is an attainment of cessation.”8

5.4Paṭhamaṁ.

Translator’s notes

  1. This set of seven offers a unique perspective on familiar meditations. It appears out of sequence, unrelated to those before and after.

    ↩ sn14.11:1.4

  2. We see the reappearance of familiar tropes of the discourses such as questions and similes, rather than the strict formalism of the first chapter.

    ↩ sn14.11:2.1

  3. “Luminosity” (ābhā) is the radiance of the sun and moon in the darkness of space (MN 123:7.4), or the light cast by a flame (MN 43:22.18), but here it is the illumination that appears in deep meditation. Just as in the visual sense, light only manifests in contrast with darkness, in meditation the appearance of luminous radiance is a mode of perception by which the mind communicates to itself the ending of the hindrances and the arising of unclouded awareness. This is why this light came to be called a “sign” (nimitta).

    The dependence of light on darkness was taken up for discussion by Nāgārjuna, perhaps inspired by this passage (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā 7.8–12).

    ↩ sn14.11:3.1

  4. “Beauty” (subha) is the focus of wholly pure and exalted meditations, such as the meditation on love, or the sight of a pure brilliant color like the sky (MN 77:22.6). It contrasts with the meditation on “ugliness”, such as the parts of the body or a decomposing corpse. At AN 6.41:2.7, Sāriputta explains that an accomplished meditator could see a tree as nothing but beauty or nothing but ugliness, since both of those elements are present in it.

    ↩ sn14.11:3.2

  5. While “form” is not present in the formless meditations, it is only possible to develop them based on the prior development of “form” absorptions. These ultimately have a material basis in the body of the meditator and in the meditation subject such as the breath, or the luminous “form” that arises as a guide into absorption.

    ↩ sn14.11:3.3

  6. Likewise, each of the formless meditations depend on the one before; they are a step by step sequence of “progressive cessation” (AN 9.31).

    ↩ sn14.11:3.4

  7. The Visuddhimagga explains that in such a state, perception (and by extension other factors) still exists in a latent state, but does not perform its decisive function. It is unable to distinguish subject and object, so cannot support liberating insight (337–38), just as tepid water is not entirely lacking heat, yet cannot perform the function of heating.

    The phrase is adopted at Vb 12:165.1.

    ↩ sn14.11:5.2

  8. All meditations states are attained through cessation (of what is let go in the prior state), but they also manifest what is present in the new state. This is purely cessation and does not manifest anything new.

    ↩ sn14.11:5.3