Path of Freedom [Vimuttimagga]

198 Vimuttimaggastood the whole body through understanding flesh, its colour, its form, itsplace, understands this whole body through understanding the veins, theircolour, their form, their place. That yogin, having understood the wholebody through understanding the veins, their colour, their form, their place,understands the whole body through understanding the bones, their colour,their form, their place. That yogin in these four ways dominates his mind.After dominating his mind, he makes his mind pliant and capable of bearingthe object. That yogin, having in these four ways dominated his mind andhaving made his mind pliant and capable of bearing the object, in these four(other) ways knows that which has the nature of solidity as the element ofearth; that which has the nature of humidity as the element of water; that whichhas the nature of heat as the element of fire; that which has the nature of motionas the element of air. Thus that yogin, in these four ways, knows that thereare only elements and that there is no being and no soul. Here the otherways also are fulfilled. Thus one grasps the elements briefly.TWENTY WAYS OF GRASPING THE ELEMENT OF EARTHHow does one grasp the elements in detail? One grasps the element ofearth in detail through twenty ways, namely, (through) hair of the head andof the body, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, veins, bones, marrow, kidneys,heart, liver, lungs, spleen, gorge, intestines, mesentery, midriff, excrement,brain (that are) in this body.TWELVE WAYS OF GRASPING THE ELEMENT OF WATEROne grasps the element of water in detail through twelve ways, namely,(through) bile, saliva, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, slobber, nasal mucus,synovial fluid, [439] urine (that are) in the body.FOUR WAYS OF GRASPING THE ELEMENT OF FIREOne grasps the element df fire in detail through four ways, namely, (through)fever heat and normal heat of the body, weather, equality of cold and heat and(the heat) by means of which one digests the fluid or solid nutriment whichone takes. These are called the element of fire.SIX WAYS OF GRASPING THE ELEMENT OF AIROne grasps the element of air in detail through six ways, namely, (through)the air discharged upwards, the air discharged downwards, the air whichdepends on the abdomen, the air which depends on the back, 1 the air whichdepends on the limbs, the air inhaled and exhaled. 21. Vbh.-a. 5: Vdtd ti kucchivdta-pitthivdtddi-vasena veditabbd.2. Netti 74: Katamehi chahi dkarehi vdyoddturh vittharena pariganhdti? Uddhamgamd vdtdadhogamd vdtd kucchisaya vdtd kot(hdsaya vdtd angamangdnusdrino vdtd assaso passaso.