Abhidhammattha Sangaha - Summary of Bases

Abhidhammattha Sangaha ( A Manual of Abhidhamma )

Translated by Narada Maha Thera
Published By the Buddhist Missionary Society

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(vi.Vatthu—Sangaho)
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§12.Vatthusangahe vatthuni nama cakkhu sota
ghana jivha kaya hadayavatthu c’ati chabbi-
dhani bhavanti.
Tani kamaloke sabbani’ pi labbhanti.
Rupaloke pana ghanadittayam natthi. Aru-
paloke pana sabbani’ pi na samvijjanti.
Tattha pancavinnanadhatuyo yathakka-
mam ekantena pancappasadavatthuni nissay’
eva pavattanti. Pancadvaravajjanasampa-
ticchanasankhata pana manodhatu ca hada-
yam nissay’ eva pavattanti. Tatha avasesa
pana manovinnanadhatu-sankhata ca san-
tiranamahavipakapatighadvayapathamamag-
gahasanarupavacaravasena hadayam nissay’
eva pavattanti.

Avasesa kusalakusalakriyanuttaravasena pana nissaya va
anissaya. âruppavipakavasena hadayam anissay’ eva ti.
§13.Chavatthu nissita kame satta rupe catubbidha
Ti vatthu nissitaruppe dhatveka nissita mata.
Tecattaëisa nissaya dve cattalisa jayare
Nissaya ca anissaya paka’ ruppa anissita’ ti.
Iti Abhidhammatthasangahe Pakinnakasangahavibha-
go nama Tatiyo Paricchedo.
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(vi.Summary of Bases)
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§12.In the summary of bases (93), there are six kinds—
namely, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and heart.
All these, too, (94) are found in the Sense-sphere.
But in the Form-sphere three bases—nose, tongue, and
body—are not found (95). In the Formless-sphere no base
(96) exists.
Therein the five elements of sense-impressions lie
entirely dependent on the five sensory parts (97) of the
organs as their respective bases. But the mind-element—
namely, the five-door adverting consciousness and the
(two types of) receiving consciousness—rest in depend-
ence on the heart (98). Likewise the remaining mind-
conscious-element (99) comprising the (100) investigat-
ing consciousness, the great Resultants, the two (101)
accompanied by aversion, the first Path (102) conscious-

ness, smiling consciousness, (103) and Form-sphere (104)
consciousness, rest in dependence on the heart (105).
(10 + 3 + 3 + 8 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 15 = 43).
The remaining classes of consciousness (106) whether Moral,
Immoral, Functional, or Supramundane, are either depend-
ent on, or independent of, the heart-base. The Formless-
sphere Resultants are independent of the heart-base.
§13.It should be known that in the Sense-sphere seven
elements (107) are dependent on the six bases, in the
Form-sphere four (108) are dependent on three (109)
bases, in the Formless-sphere the one single (110) mind-
element is not dependent on any.
Forty-three arise dependent on a base. Forty-two
arise with or without a base. The Formless Resultants arise
without any base.
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Thus ends the third chapter in the Compendium of
Abhidhamma, entitled the miscellaneous treatment.
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Notes:
93.Vatthu is derived from
√ vas, to dwell. In its
primary sense it means a garden, field, or avenue. In its
secondary sense it means a cause or condition. Vatthu is
also applied to something that exists, that is, a substance,
object, or thing. Referring to the three objects of worship,

the Buddha says “Uddesikam ti avatthukam”. Here avat-
thuka means objectless, without a thing or substance.
Vatthu is the seat of sense-organs.
There are six seats or physical bases corresponding to
the six senses.
These will be fully described in the chapter on Rupa.
94. The indeclinable particle ‘pi’ (too) in the text
indicates that there is an exception in the case of those
who are born blind, deaf, dumb, etc.
95. The organs exist, but not their sensory faculties
as beings in these higher planes have temporarily inhibited
the desire for sensual pleasures (kamaraga) They possess
eye and ear so that they may utilise them for good pur-
poses. The heart-base also exists because it is the seat of
consciousness.
96. Being devoid of all forms of matter. Mind alone
exists even without the seat of consciousness by the power
of meditation.
97. For instance, the eye-consciousness depends on
the sensory surface of the eye but not on the physical
organ or ‘eye of flesh’ The other sense-impressions also
depend on their respective sensory surfaces.
The sensory surfaces (pasada) of these five organs
should be understood as follows:—
“Cakkhu, which stands for vision, sense of sight and

eye. “Eye”, however, is always in the present work to be
understood as the seeing faculty or visual sense, and not as
the physical or ‘eye of flesh’ (mamsa cakkhu). The commen-
tary gives an account of the eye, of which the following is
the substance: First the aggregate organism (sasambhara-
cakkhu). A ball of flesh fixed in a cavity, bound by the
socket-bone beneath and by the bone of the eyebrow above,
by the angles of the eye at the sides, by the brain within and
by the eyelashes without. There are fourteen constituents:
the four elements, the six attributes dependent on them,
viz., colour, odour, taste, sap of life, form (santhanam), and
collocation (sambhavo); vitality, nature, body-sensibility
(kayappasado), and the visual sentient organ. The last four
have their source in karma. When ‘the world’, seeing an
obvious extended white object fancies it perceives the eye,
it only perceives the basis (or seat—vatthu) of the eye And
this ball of flesh, bound to the brain by nerve-fibres, is
white, black and red, and contains the solid, the liquid, the
lambent and the gaseous. It is white by superfluity of
humour, black by superfluity of bile, red by superfluity of
blood, rigid by superfluity of the solid, exuding by superflu-
ity of the liquid, inflamed by superfluity of the lambent,
quivering by superfluity of the gaseous. But that sentient
organ (pasado) which is there bound, inherent, derived
from the four great principles—this is the visual sense
(pasada-cakkhu). Placed in the midst and in the front of the
black disc of the composite eye, the white disc surrounding
it (note that the iris is either not distinguished or is itself the

‘black disc’) and in the circle of vision, in the region where
the forms of adjacent bodies come to appear, it permeates
the seven ocular membranes as sprinkled oil will permeate
seven cotton wicks. And so it stands, aided by the four ele-
ments, sustaining, maturing, moving (samudiranam)—like
an infant prince and four nurses, feeling, bathing, dressing,
and fanning him—maintained by nutriment both physical
(utu) and mental, protected by the (normal) span of life
invested with colour, smell, taste. and to forth, in size the
measure of a louse’s head—stands duly constituting itself
the door of the seat of visual cognitions etc. For as it has
been said by the Commander of the Doctrine (Sariputta):
‘The visual sense by which he beholds forms
It small and delicate, comparable to a louse’s head.
Sotappasada—
“This, situated within the cavity of the aggregate organism
of the ear, and well furnished fine reddish hairs, is in shape
like a little finger-stall (angulivethana).” (Asl. 310)
Ghanappasada—
“This is situated inside the cavity of the aggregate nasal
organism, in appearance like a goat’s hoof.” (Asl. 310)
Jivhappasada—
“This is situated above the middle of the aggregate gusta-
tory organism, in appearance like the upper side of the leaf
of a lotus.” (Asl. 310).

Kayappasada—
“The sphere of kaya—so runs the comment (Asl. 311)—is
diffused over the whole bodily form just as oil pervades an
entire cotton rag.” (Buddhist Psychology, pp. 173–181).
98.Hadayavatthu—heart-base.
According to the commentators hadayavatthu is the seat of
consciousness. Tradition says that within the cavity of the
heart there is some blood, and depending on which lies the
seat of consciousness. It was this cardiac theory that pre-
vailed in the Buddha’s time, and this was evidently sup-
ported by the Upanishads.
The Buddha could have adopted this popular theory,
but He did not commit Himself.
Mr. Aung in his Compendium argues that the Buddha
was silent on this point. He did not positively assert that
the seat of consciousness was either in the heart or in the
brain. In the Dhammasangani the term hadayavatthu has
purposely been omitted. In the Patthana, instead of using
hadaya as the seat of consciousness, the Buddha has sim-
ply stated ‘yam rupam nissaya’—depending on that ‘rupa’.
Mr. Aung’s opinion is that the Buddha did not want to
reject the popular theory. Nor did He advance a new the-
ory that brain is the seat of consciousness as is regarded by
modern scientists.
See Buddhist Psychology—Introduction lxxviii, and
Compendium of Philosophy, pp. 277–279.

99.Dhatu is derived from
√ dhar, to hold, to
bear. ‘That which carries its own characteristic mark is
dhatu’. They are so called since they are devoid of being or
life (nissatta nijjiva).
For the sake of convenience three technical terms are
used here. They are pancavinnanadhatu, manodhatu, mano-
vinnana-dhatu.
Panca-vinnana-dhatu is applied to the ten sense-
impressions.
Mano-dhatu—is applied to the two types of receiving
consciousness and five-door adverting consciousness
(sampaticchana and pancadvaravajjana).
Mano-vinnana-dhatu is applied to all the remaining
classes of consciousness.
100. The three classes of investigating conscious-
ness and the eight great Resultants do not arise in the
Formless sphere owing to the absence of any door or any
function there.
101. As aversion has been inhibited by those born in
rupa and arupa planes the two classes of consciousness,
accompanied by aversion, do not arise there.
102. To attain the first stage of Sainthood one must
hear the word from another (paratoghosappaccaya).
103. Smiling consciousness cannot arise without a
body. Buddhas and Pacceka Buddhas who experience such

classes of consciousness are not born outside the human
plane.
104. No rupa jhana consciousness arises in the
arupaloka as those persons born in such planes have tem-
porarily inhibited the desire for rupa.
105. All the 43 types of consciousness stated above,
are dependent on the hadayavatthu.
(10 + 3 + 3 + 8 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 15 = 43).
106. They are the 8 sobhana kusalas, 4 rupa kusalas,
10 akusalas, 1 manodvaravajjana, 8 sobhana kriya,
4arupa kriya, 7lokuttaras=42.
These may arise in planes with the five Aggregates or
in planes with four Aggregates (arupa-loka).
107. i.e., 5 pancavinnanadhatus + 1 manodhatu +
1manovinnanadhatu=7.
108. i. e., 1 cakkhuvinnana, 1 sotavinnana, 1 mano-
dhatu, 1 manovinnanadhatu = 4.
109. Namely, cakkhu, sota and hadayavatthu.
110. Dhatu’ + eka = Dhatv’ eka. This refers to
manovinnanadhatu.