The "Linked Discourses on the Elements" contains discourses exploring elements shaping experience, with a focus on the six sensory elements — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These elements are examined for their role in generating contact, perception, and feeling, showing how sensory experience drives attachment and aversion. Other discourses address mental elements (e.g., forgetful, reckless, mindful) and the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and air — representing the basic physical structure of existence.
Dhātusaṁyutta - Linked Discourses on the Elements
The Buddha describes the diversity of elements that shapes one's experience.
The Buddha describes how dependent on the diversity of elements, there arises a diversity of contacts.
The Buddha describes how dependent on the diversity of elements, there arises a diversity of contacts, and not the other way around.
The Buddha describes how dependent on the diversity of elements, there arises a diversity of contacts, and dependent on the diversity of contacts, there arises a diversity of sensations.
The Buddha describes how dependent on the diversity of elements, there arises a diversity of contacts, and dependent on the diversity of contacts, there arises a diversity of sensations. However, diversity of contacts does not arise dependent on the diversity of sensations, and diversity of elements does not arise dependent on the diversity of contacts.
The Buddha describes the diversity of the external elements - 1) the objects of vision, 2) sounds, 3) smells, 4) tastes, 5) physical sensations, and 6) mental objects.
The Buddha describes how diverse perceptions arise dependent on the diversity of elements, and how the arising of diverse intentions, desires, fevers, and quests depends on the diversity of perceptions.
The Buddha describes how the diversity of quests is not the cause for the arising of diversity of fevers, desires, intentions, perceptions, and elements. Rather, dependent on the diversity of elements, there is arises a diversity of perceptions, intentions, desires, fevers, and quests.
The Buddha describes how dependent on the diversity of elements, there arises a diversity of perceptions, intentions, contacts, sensations connected with contact, desires, fevers, quests, and acquisitions.
The Buddha describes how the diversity of acquisitions is not the cause for the arising of diversity of fevers, desires, sensations connected with contact, contacts, intentions, perceptions, and elements. Rather, dependent on the diversity of elements, there arises a diversity of perceptions, intentions, contacts, sensations connected with contact, desires, fevers, quests, and acquisitions.
The Buddha describes the seven elements of radiance, beauty, boundless space, boundless consciousness, nothingness, neither perception nor non-perception, and cessation of perception and feeling, and how they can be discerned and realized.
The Buddha explains how thoughts of sensuality, ill-will, and harming arise from a cause and how to abandon them.
Venerable Kaccāna asks the Buddha about the cause of the arising of the view regarding those who are not fully awakened Buddhas that they are in fact fully awakened Buddhas.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. Those of an inferior disposition come together and associate with others of similar inferior disposition.
The Buddha shares an observation on how beings come together and associate based on their dispositions. Those with a good disposition come together and associate with others of a similar good disposition.
Beings with similar dispositions come together and associate. The inferior come together with the inferior, and the good with the good. The Buddha shares a verse on the importance of association.
In the past, in the future, and at present, beings come together and associate based on disposition. The faithless come together and associate with the faithless, and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate based on disposition. The faithless come together and associate with the faithless, and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. The unashamed come together and associate with the unashamed; and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. The morally reckless come together and associate with the morally reckless; and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. Those with little learning come together and associate with those with little learning; and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. The lazy come together and associate with the lazy, and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. The distracted come together and associate with the distracted, and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. The unprincipled come together and associate with the unprincipled, the virtuous come together and associate with the virtuous, and other pairs of dispositions are mentioned.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. Those who kill living beings come together and associate with those who kill living beings; those who take what is not given come together and associate with those who take what is not given; and similar for the other three precepts.
BBeings come together and associate according to disposition. Those who speak divisively come together and associate with those who speak divisively; and six other associations are described.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. Those who intense craving come together and associate with those with intense craving; those with a malicious mind come together and associate with those with a malicious mind; those with wrong views come together and associate with those with wrong views; and similar for the other seven kinds of actions.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. Those with wrong views come together and associate with those with wrong views, and similar for the other eight factors. Those with right views come together and associate with those with right views, and similar for the other eight factors.
Beings come together and associate according to disposition. Those with wrong views come together and associate with those with wrong views, and similar for the other eight factors. Those with right views come together and associate with those with right views, and similar for the other eight factors.
The Buddha describes the four elements of earth, water, fire, and air in brief.
Before his awakening, the Buddha reflected on the gratification, drawback, and escape in regard to the four elements of earth, water, fire, and air.
The Buddha explains how he investigated the four elements of earth, water, fire and air to understand the full extent of gratification, drawback, and escape in regard to each of them.
Beings are infatuated with the four great elements because of the gratification in them, become disenchanted with them because of the drawback, and escape from them because there is an escape.
If the four great elements were exclusively unpleasant, beings would not be infatuated with them. If they were exclusively pleasurable, beings would not become disenchanted with them.
Whoever delights in the four great elements, delights in what is subject to suffering, and as a result, is not freed from suffering.
The arising, persistence, production, and appearance of the four elements is the arising of suffering, the persistence of disease, and the appearance of aging and death.
The Buddha explains how understanding the gratification, drawback, and escape in the four elements leads to personal experience and attainment of the goal of asceticism or brahminhood in this very life.
The Buddha explains how understanding the arising and passing away, the gratification, drawback, and escape in the four elements leads to personal experience and attainment of the goal of asceticism or brahminhood in this very life.
The Buddha explains how understanding the arising, ending and the way of practice leading to the ending in regards to the four elements leads to personal experience and attainment of the goal of asceticism or brahminhood in this very life.