on elements
dhātusamyutta
Saṃyutta Nikāya 14 of 56
Translated by: Bhikkhu Sujato
Read by: Roland Kitchen
Description
The “Linked Discourses on the Elements” contains 39 discourses on various factors classified as “elements” (dhātu). In Buddhism, the term “element” is applied to a range of phenomena, most commonly the main material properties of earth, water, fire and air. Here, however, these four elements play only a small role, and much of the text is devoted to analysis of the perceptual process, and to various character traits. The relation or dependence of elements on each other is a major theme, and this chapter can be seen as an appendix to the chapter on causality.