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tuddhiun in Indio 27
in th e abdom en and stom ach, winds which move from member to m em ber, and the inhalation and exhalation of the breath . A nd finally th e personal elem ent of space comprises th e orifices of ears and nose, the door of the m outh , and the channels whereby food and drink enter, rem ain in, and pass ou t of the body.® T hese five personal elem ents, together with th e five external elem ents, make up th e to tal of the five universal elem ents. They should all be regarded objectively, w ith right understanding, th inking ‘Tliis is n o t mine, this is n o t m e, th is is n o t my soul.’ W ith this understanding a ttitude a m an turns from the five elem ents and his m ind takes no delight in them .
“Develop a sta te o f m ind like the earth , Rahula. F or on the earth m en throw clean and unclean things, dung and urine, spittle, pus and blood, and the earth is no t troubled or repelled or disgusted. A nd as you grow like th e earth no contacts w ith pleasant or unpleasant will lay hold of your m ind or stick to it.
“Similarly you should develop a ^tate of m ind like water, for m en throw all m anner of clean and unclean things into w ater and it is n o t troubled or repelled or disgusted. And similarly w ith fire, w hich bum s all things, clean and unclean, and w ith air, which blows upon them all, and with space, which is nowhere established.
“Develop th e state of m ind of friendliness, Rahula, for, as vou do so, ill-will will grow less; and of compassion, for thus vexation will grow less; an d of joy, for thus aversion will grow less; and of equanimity,® for thus repugnance will grow less.
“ Develop th e sta te of m ind of consciousness of the corruption of th e body, for thus passion will grow less; and of the consciousness of th e fleeting nature of all things, for thus th e pride of selfhood will grow less.
“Develop th e state o f m ind of ordering the breath . . .
* This interesting passage will give the reader some notion of ancient Indian ideas of anatomy and physics, as it would have been assented to by most schools of thought. In many passages Buddhist texts admit only four elements, rejecting space, which is looked on as an element in orthodox Hindu theory.• Friendliness, compassion, joy, and equanimity are the four cardinal virtues of Buddhism.
