Overview
This Dyad formally divides reality into the material and the mental/unconditioned. It is the Abhidhammic equivalent of the Nāma-rūpa division used in insight meditation, ensuring the meditator can clearly distinguish physical processes from mental ones.
The List
- Rūpino dhammā - Material states: All forms of physical matter (rūpa). This includes the 4 great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) and the 24 derived material phenomena (sense organs, objects, gender, vitality, etc.). They are subject to deformation by temperature and impact.
- Arūpino dhammā - Immaterial states: That which has no physical form or matter. This includes all consciousnesses (citta), all 52 mental factors (cetasika), and the unconditioned element (Nibbāna).
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Duka) – The fundamental ontological split of conditioned and unconditioned reality based on physical substance.