Overview
(Note: In orthodox Mahāvihāra Abhidhamma, there are precisely 24 types of Derived Materiality (Upādā Rūpa). Certain specific sub-classifications or abbreviated teaching matrices may group or exclude specific characteristics (like the mutable or characteristic materialities) to reach 21, but the foundational list of what constitutes the physical organism and its objects remains strictly categorized).
The List (Core Derived Materiality)
The 5 Sensitive Phenomena (Pasāda Rūpa):
- Eye-sensitivity, 2. Ear-sensitivity, 3. Nose-sensitivity, 4. Tongue-sensitivity, 5. Body-sensitivity. The 4 Objective Phenomena (Gocara Rūpa):
- Visible Form, 7. Sound, 8. Odor, 9. Taste. (Note: Touch is excluded here because it is composed of 3 of the Great Elements). The 2 Sexual Phenomena (Bhāva Rūpa):
- Femininity, 11. Masculinity. The Heart Phenomenon (Hadaya Rūpa):
- Heart-base (the physical seat of the mind). The Life Phenomenon (Jīvita Rūpa):
- Physical vitality/Life faculty. The Nutritional Phenomenon (Āhāra Rūpa):
- Nutritive essence. The 1 Space Phenomenon: 15. Space element. The 2 Communicating Phenomena: 16. Bodily intimation, 17. Verbal intimation. The 3 Mutable Phenomena: 18. Lightness, 19. Pliancy, 20. Wieldiness. The 4 Characteristics: 21. Production, 22. Continuity, 23. Decay, 24. Impermanence.
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī – The definitive ontological list proving that physical matter is not a solid mass, but a collection of distinct, transient qualities.