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organs and their objects gives rise to myriads of complex sensations which cause fetters that bind an individual to the wheel of existence unmistakably characterised by suffering.
The summum bonum, according to Buddhist Philosophy, is nibbāna which means the extinction of all passions and desires. It has been time and again pointed out that whatever is in a state of constant flux can hardly afford any lasting happiness. Ripa has been defined in the following words:
Ruppatiti kho, Bhikkhave, tasmā rūpam ti vuccati. kena ruppati ? siten pi ruppati, unhen pi ruppati,
jigaechaya pi ruppati, darasa makasa vätätapa sirinsapa samphassena pi ruppati!
T. W. Rhys Davids explains the most important word ruppati in this passage as "to be vexed, oppressed, hurt, molested". According to the Vibhanga Atthakatha, it is kuppati, plliyati and bhijjati. Although ruppati refers to a psychological disturbance, it also refers to the physical change that an object undergoes. The whole purpose is to show the changeable and transmutable nature of ripa. There is nothing like the metaphysical entity called matter. But any given material is analysable into rapadhammas, which have been regarded as the ultimate reducible factors that make up the physical world. A rupa dhamma does not have any independent existe. It always exists inseparably with a set of other dhammas. It is for this reason that the mahabhatas are called sahajata.
According to Buddhist Philosophy, there are twenty eight types of ripas, four of them are primary and the rest twenty four are secondary.
Pathaul, apo, tejo and vaye are primary elements and they are called mahābhatas. Pathavi dhatu is characterised by Kakkhalata and kharigata. One may say that kakkhalata is itself Pathavi. So is the case with apo dhatu which is defined as ripassa bandhanatta i. e. viscidity and cohesion that bind the matter together. There are two other characteristics of water, paggharana i, e. flowing and nissandabhava i. e. state of streaming.
In the Nikayas, the mahabhitas are defined in simple and they are illustrated with reference to the constituents of body. and body, nails, teeth, flesh and skin etc. are examples of pathavi dhātu, because they are hard and rigid. Blood. bile, cough and phlegm are examples of apodhätu. Heat in the body is an example of Tejo dhatu and inhalings and exhalings and other kinds of winds are examples of sayo dhätu which is airy.
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Such definitions of the mahabhatas may be called popular. It is only in the Abhidhamma that abstract and detailed definitions of these mahabhitas are given. According to the Nikayas what is kakkhula is paṭhavi, whereas according to the Abhidhammika definition kakkhalata itself is pathavi. Not only kakkhalata but kharatva and gurutua also are said to be pathaul. It is also defined as that which spreads up,
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general terms and Hair of the head
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