Eighteen dhatus
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Eighteen dhatus (Skt. aṣṭadaśa dhātu; Wyl. khams bco brgyad) — a classification of all knowable things into eighteen 'elements'.
- the six sense objects (Skt. viṣayadhātu; Wyl. dmigs yul gyi khams):
- visible forms (Skt. rūpa-dhātu)
- sounds (Skt. śabda-dhātu)
- smells (Skt. gandha-dhātu)
- tastes (Skt. rasa-dhātu)
- textures (Skt. spraṣṭavya-dhātu)
- mental objects (Skt. dharma dhātu)
- six sense faculties (Skt. indriyadhdhātu; Wyl. dbang po'i khams):
- eye faculty (Skt. cakṣur-dhātu)
- ear faculty (Skt. śrotra-dhātu)
- nose faculty (Skt. ghrāṇa-dhātu)
- tongue faculty (Skt. jihva-dhātu)
- body faculty (Skt. kāya-dhātu)
- mental faculty (Skt. mano-dhātu)
- the six sense consciousnesses (Skt. vijñanadhātu; Wyl. rnam shes kyi khams)
According to Abhidharma, the eighteen dhatus are categorized differently, i.e. in relation to the five skandhas.
Alternative Translations
- eighteen components of perception (Lama Chökyi Nyima)
- eighteen elements
- eighteen psychophysical bases (Dorje & Kapstein)
- eighteen sensory spectra (Dorje & Coleman)