The Sabbatthivadins admitted the five skandhas, twelve ayatanas, eighteen dhatus, the three asa@msk@rta dharmas of pratisa@mkhyanirodha apratisa@mkhyanirodha and akas’a, and the sa@msk@rta dharmas (things composite and interdependent) of rupa (matter), citta (mind), caitta (mental) and cittaviprayukta (non-mental) [Footnote ref 2].  All effects are produced by the coming together (sa@msk@rta) of a number of causes.  The five skandhas, and the rupa, citta, etc., are thus called sa@msk@rta dharmas (composite things or collocations—­sambhuyakari).  The rupa dharmas are eleven in number, one citta dharma, 46 caitta dharmas and 14 cittaviprayukta sa@mskara dharmas (non-mental composite things); adding to these the three asa@msk@rta dharmas we have the seventy-five dharmas.  Rupa is that which has the capacity to obstruct the sense organs.  Matter is regarded as the collective organism or collocation, consisting of the fourfold substratum of colour, smell, taste and contact.  The unit possessing this fourfold substratum is known as parama@nu, which is the minutest form of rupa.  It cannot be pierced through or picked up or thrown away.  It is indivisible, unanalysable, invisible, inaudible, untastable and intangible.  But yet it is not permanent, but is like a momentary flash into being.  The simple atoms are called dravyaparama@nu and the compound ones sa@mghataparama@nu.  In the words of Prof.  Stcherbatsky “the universal elements of matter are manifested in their actions or functions.  They are consequently more energies than substances.”  The organs of sense are also regarded as modifications of atomic matter.  Seven such parama@nus combine together to form an a@nu, and it is in this combined form only that they become perceptible.  The combination takes place in the form of a cluster having one atom at the centre and

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[Footnote 1:  Systems of Buddhistic Thought, published by the Calcutta University.]

[Footnote 2:  S’a@nkara in his meagre sketch of the doctrine of the Sarvastivadins in his bha@sya on the Brahma-sutras II. 2 notices some of the categories mentioned by Sogen.]

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others around it.  The point which must be remembered in connection with the conception of matter is this, that the qualities of all the mahabhutas are inherent in the parama@nus.  The special characteristics of roughness (which naturally belongs to earth), viscousness (which naturally belongs to water), heat (belonging to fire), movableness (belonging to wind), combine together to form each of the elements; the difference between the different elements consists only in this, that in each of them its own special characteristics were predominant and active, and other characteristics though present remained only in a potential form.  The mutual resistance of material things is due to the quality of earth or the solidness inherent in