Overview
The twenty-second and final triad of the Abhidhamma Mātikā is a strictly physical and perceptual classification. It divides the entirety of reality based on two properties: visibility (can it be seen by the eye?) and impingement (can it strike a sense organ and cause physical friction?).
The List
- Sanidassanasappaṭighā dhammā - States that are visible and impinging: This refers exclusively to the Visible Form base (Rūpāyatana). It can be seen by the eye and it physically strikes the eye-sensitivity.
- Anidassanasappaṭighā dhammā - States that are invisible but impinging: This includes the five physical sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body) and the remaining external objects (sound, smell, taste, touch). They cannot be seen, but they physically strike each other.
- Anidassanāppaṭighā dhammā - States that are invisible and non-impinging: All consciousnesses (citta), all mental factors (cetasika), subtle matter (like the water element or nutritive essence), and Nibbāna. They cannot be seen, and they have no physical mass to strike a sense organ.
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Mātikā 22) – The concluding triad, establishing the absolute boundary between gross physical matter and all subtle/mental realities.