“What, bhikkhu, is the earth element? The earth element may be either internal or external. What is the internal earth element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is solid, solidified, and grasped as self, that is, head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, fascia, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, the stomach and its contents, feces, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is solid, solidified, and grasped as self: this is called the internal earth element. Now both the internal earth element and the external earth element are simply earth element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the earth element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the earth element.” —Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta

• Experience: solidity

• Function: resistance and support

• Qualities: hard, stable, heavy

• Temperature: mild

Parts of the body:

1. hair on the head เกสา

2. hair on the body โลมา

3. nails นขา

4. teeth ทนฺตา

5. skin ตโจ

6. muscle มํสํ

7. tendons, ligaments, blood vessels & nerves นหารู

8. bone อฏฺฐิ

9. bone marrow อฏฺฐิมิณฺชํ

10. kidneys วกฺกํ

11. heart หทยํ

12. liver, pancreas ยกนํ

13. fascia (diaphragm, pleura) กิโลมกํ

14. spleen ปิหกํ

15. ungs ปปฺผาสํ

16. large intestine อนฺตํ

17. small intestine อนฺตคุณํ

18. stomach, new food, chyme อุทริยํ

19. digested food, feces กรีสํ

20. skull brain & central nervous system มตฺถเก มตฺถลุงฺคํ

“What, bhikkhu, is the water element? The water element may be either internal or external. What is the internal water element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and grasped as self, that is, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, spittle, snot, oil-of-the-joints, urine, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is water, watery, and grasped as self: this is called the internal water element. Now both the internal water element and the external water element are simply water element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the water element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the water element.” —Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta

• Experience: aqueous-ness

• Function: cohesion & fluidity

• Qualities: moist, fluid, soft

• Temperature: cold

Parts of the body:

1. bile ปิตฺตํ

2. mucus / phlegm เสมฺหํ

3. pus / lymph ปุพฺโพ

4. blood โลหิตํ

5. sweat เสโท

6. fat เมโท

7. tears อัสฺสุ

8. oil วสา

9. saliva เขโฬ

10. snot (mucus in the nose & the throat) สิงฺฆานิกา

11. synovial fluid ลสิกา

12. urine มุตฺตํ

“What, bhikkhu, is the fire element? The fire element may be either internal or external. What is the internal fire element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, and grasped as self, that is, that by which one is warmed, ages, and is consumed, and that by which what is eaten, drunk, consumed, and tasted gets completely digested, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is fire, fiery, and grasped as self: this is called the internal fire element. Now both the internal fire element and the external fire element are simply fire element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the fire element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the fire element.” —Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta

• Experience: heat

• Function: transformation & ripening

• Qualities: bright, reactive, sharp

• Temperature: hot

Parts of the body:

1. fire which warms the body สนฺตาปคฺคี

2. fire which causes aging and decay ชิรณคฺคี

3. fire which causes fever ปริฑยฺหคฺคี

4. fire which digests ปริณามคฺคี

“What, bhikkhu, is the air element? The air element may be either internal or external. What is the internal air element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is air, airy, and grasped as self, that is, up-going winds, down-going winds, winds in the belly, winds in the bowels, winds that course through the limbs, in-breath and out-breath, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is air, airy, and grasped as self: this is called the internal air element. Now both the internal air element and the external air element are simply air element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the air element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the air element.” —Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta

• Experience: movement

• Function: growth & vibration

• Qualities: light, mobile, dry

• Temperature: cool

Parts of the Body:

1. wind which moves from feet to head / wind which moves from abdomen to head อุทฺธํคมวาต

2. wind which moves from head to feet / wind which moves from head to abdomen อโธคมวาต

3. wind which is inside the abdomen but outside of the digestive tract กุจฺฉิสยาวาต

4. wind which is inside the digestive tract โกฏฺฐาสยาวาต

5. wind which circulates to all parts of the body including the extremities องฺคานูสารีวาต

6. wind which is inhaled & exhaled อสฺสาส ปสฺสาส

“What, bhikkhu, is the space element? The space element may be either internal or external. What is the internal space element? Whatever internally, belonging to oneself, is space, spatial, and grasped as self, that is, the holes of the ears, the nostrils, the door of the mouth, and that aperture whereby what is eaten, drunk, consumed, and tasted gets swallowed, and where it collects, and whereby it is excreted from below, or whatever else internally, belonging to oneself, is space, spatial, and grasped as self: this is called the internal space element. Now both the internal space element and the external space element are simply space element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper wisdom, one becomes disenchanted with the space element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the space element.” —Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta

• Experience: un-obstructedness

• Function: non-resistance & field of activity for other elements

• Qualities: expansive, subtle

• Temperature: no temperature association

Parts of the body:

1-2. eyes ตา

3-4. ears หู

5-6. nose จมูก

7. mouth ปาก

8. anus ทวารหนัก

9. urethra ทวารเบา

10. vagina ช่องคลอด

“Then there remains only consciousness, purified and bright. What does one cognize with that consciousness? One cognizes: ‘This is pleasant’; one cognizes: ‘This is painful’; one cognizes: ‘This is neither-painful-nor-pleasant.’ In dependence on a contact to be experienced as pleasant there arises a pleasant sensation. When one experiences a pleasant sensation, one understands: ‘I experience a pleasant sensation.’ One understands: ‘With the cessation of that same contact to be experienced as pleasant, its corresponding sensation—the pleasant sensation that arose in dependence on that contact to be experienced as pleasant—ceases and subsides.’ In dependence on a contact to be experienced as painful there arises a painful sensation. When one experiences a painful sensation, one understands: ‘I experience a painful sensation.’ One understands: ‘With the cessation of that same contact to be experienced as painful, its corresponding sensation—the painful sensation that arose in dependence on that contact to be experienced as painful—ceases and subsides.’ In dependence on a contact to be experienced as neither-painful-nor-pleasant there arises a neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation. When one experiences a neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation, one understands: ‘I experience a neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation.’ One understands: ‘With the cessation of that same contact to be experienced  as neither-painful-nor-pleasant, its corresponding sensation—the neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation that arose in dependence on that contact to be felt as neither-painful-nor-pleasant—ceases and subsides.’ Bhikkhu, just as from the contact and friction of two fire-sticks heat is generated and fire is produced, and with the separation and disjunction of those two fire-sticks the corresponding heat ceases and subsides; so too, in dependence on a contact to be experienced as pleasant there arises a pleasant sensation. When one experiences a pleasant sensation, one understands: ‘I experience a pleasant sensation.’ One understands: ‘With the cessation of that same contact to be experienced  as pleasant, its corresponding sensation—the pleasant sensation that arose in dependence on that contact to be experienced as pleasant—ceases and subsides.’ In dependence on a contact to be experienced as painful there arises a painful sensation. When one experiences a painful sensation, one understands: ‘I experience a painful sensation.’ One understands: ‘With the cessation of that same contact to be experienced as painful, its corresponding sensation—the painful sensation that arose in dependence on that contact to be experienced as painful—ceases and subsides.’ In dependence on a contact to be experienced as neither-painful-nor-pleasant there arises a neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation. When one experiences a neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation, one understands: ‘I experience a neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation.’ One understands: ‘With the cessation of that same contact to be experienced  as neither-painful-nor-pleasant, its corresponding sensation—the neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation that arose in dependence on that contact to be felt as neither-painful-nor-pleasant—ceases and subsides.’” —Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta