The teachings of Ajahn Suchart
17 January 2024
“Elements are the building blocks of all things.”
Question: Should a practitioner learn how to see elements?
Than Ajahn: “Elements are the building blocks of all things. There are six elements: the earth, water, fire, and wind, then the mind – the knowing element, and the space element.
When these elements combine, they make people, animals, mountains, trees, and so forth. So, basically you have to understand that everything is being built up by the six elements. And they are impermanent.
They combine, and then they will eventually dissolve and separate. They go back to their original state.
The water part will go back to the water. The wind part will go back to the wind. The earth part will go back to the earth.
The fire part will go back to the fire. Then, that composition disappears, like the body.
The body is built up by the five elements. The earth, water, fire, and wind elements make up the body.
Then the mind, the knowing element, comes in and directs the body to do different kinds of kamma. The four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind will one day separate. When that happens, the body dissolves and disappears.
So, this is basically, knowing the elements. The elements make up everything in this world.
Once you see that they are just elements, they are not people, they are not humans, they are not animals, then you will not be attached to them.
You will not suffer when they dissolve.”
Q & A, Jun 01, 2017
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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