8.6 Of the Arūpa-Element (KV8.6)

Controverted Point: That the ultimate “datum, or element” of arūpa is things cognized as immaterial.

Theravādin: Is then feeling a sphere of life, a destiny, a realm of beings, renewed life, a matrix, a station for rebirth-consciousness, an acquiring of individuality? Is there karma leading to it? Are beings to be reborn in it? Do they get old, die, decease from, get reborn in it? Are the five aggregates “in” feeling? Is it a five-mode existence? Now all these you can predicate of the Arūpa-datum or element, but not of feeling only.

Again, if the Arūpa-element mean only immaterial things—and you will admit there is feeling and other mental aggregates in the Kāma-element—are these two elements or data identical? Either you must deny (which were unorthodox) or assent. In the latter case we get a person in two spheres of life at the same time. The same argument holds good for Arūpa and Rūpa data. And if all three be mutually identical, we get a person in three spheres of life at the same time … .

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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