200: Four Causes of Materiality of the Body (Part 1)

In this episode, we explore the four causes of materiality (rupa)—the foundations of how the body is formed and transformed. Drawing from the Buddha’s teachings and modern understanding, the talk explains how karma, consciousness, climate, and nutrition continually shape our physical being.

We look at how past actions (karma) influence the body’s basic structure and DNA, while the mind (consciousness) produces physical changes through emotion, stress, or discipline. Climate and food, meanwhile, shape the body through environment and nutrition—showing that body and mind are deeply interwoven.

Ultimately, this reflection reminds us that while our past may set the stage, mindful awareness and wise action allow us to reshape and uplift our material and mental well-being in the present.

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Transcript

Sayar Myat: 0:02

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa,Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa, Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa. Theravada Buddhism series, Dhamma talk number twenty three. Today's topic is four causes of materiality of the body. There are four producing causes of the materiality of the body. They are karma, consciousness, climate and nutrition. The first one this materiality /rupa /matter are caused by kamma. Kamma is fruitional activities. Karma is the accumulated fruitional activities one has done in the past. For this specific case, kamma is the accumulated volutional activities one has done in the past lives. Every new rebirth is the result of past kamma. And when we say kamma born materiality of the body, it is the genome or a set of genetic information, and of course, the human anatomy that we are born with. All the perfections and the flaws in the DNA of a person are the product or the result of the past kamma. It is the basic material frame of the body we inherited from the past life's kamma. Based on the defect in the DNA, one may be prone to a certain kind of physical or mental diseases with a high probability to get affected in this life. Some people are deficient in sight, some in sound, speech. Some will be born with no legs or no hands. Some have a dwarfish body. These are the manifestations of the materiality of kamma. However, we are not ill-fated or doomed to live with a flawed DNA and substantive qualities of the human body. It is not a doomed scenario. Because we also have some accumulated good kamma. And when these good kammas come into play, it may give opportunities to correct these defects or subsend it of this physical body. And that is the material rupa produced by kamma of past lives. The next type of materiality is materiality produced by consciousness, citta, consciousness. The mind. Consciousness or the mind is another cause of producing materiality in our body. At a glance it seems difficult to accept that the mind can produce matter materiality. So let's see how this plays out. When the mind is happy, the body produce happy new chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytosin, and endorphin. These are the few chemicals that most of us quite heard about it quite often. When one is sad or depressed, the body produces less happy neurochemicals. When one is under heavy stress, neurochemicals such as adrenaline or noradrenaline, something like that, are produced in the body when the mind is heavily stressed. Those material products are a few examples of mind-made materiality produced by citta. In some cases, these material arise and disappear along with the subtle thoughts. Subtle thought arises, disappear, along with it, these materials arise and disappear. In other words, you don't really feel the effect, quite obviously. However, if stressed, stressful situations are extremely intense. Along with those repeated mental state, the body materiality, such as stress hormones, keep on producing repeatedly. That kind of materiality produced by consciousness, the mind, can and will affect and influence the basic cells or the material of the kamma that we have or that we are born with. These are the secondary products by the mind, but in a higher dose it can affect the basic frame, kamma materiality. Let's look at a scenario of a person born with mental health issues. That unwanted kamma materiality can be influenced or controlled with wholesome thoughts, with right attitudes, and one word meditation. These will produce more healthy cells, counteractive to the depressive cells. So just don't think that's wholesome thought, right attitude, right thoughts, meditations, does nothing. If a person diligently keeps up with a newly developed thought process or programs, the mind made good material can influence and even control the negative materiality one has at birth. This is how materiality of consciousness, citta, can affect the materiality of kamma. Kamma born rupa. Okay, this is straight out with the thoughts and wholesome attitudes. But let's look at it in a different angle. Let's look at it in terms of the available modern facilities. Suppose a person with mental illness from birth decided to see a counselor or a psychologist or psychiatrist. He or she may be or will be given a set of tools for behavioral activities to relieve the mental illness. So the supposition is the patient take these changes, behavior change, programs or tools to heart and live with it. And if one live with it, the fact of the matter is in this particular case, whenever the client is exercising these behavioral changes, there are a series of thoughts arising, and there's a series of thoughts directing to implement these changes. These behavior patterns, changes don't happen automatically. So, in other words, it's the thought that is making these programs. The key cause is the thought to implement these changes. These thoughts and attitudes are producing mind-made material. The mind. As such, the result of kamma that one is born with is no more a doomed scenario. It can be changed based on proper attitude. Wise attention, Yoni somanasikara, or programmed behavioral changes. Now a new line of good materiality produced by these are influencing the body of the person, of the patient, and the mental illness can be maintained, helped, or controlled. And these are the results of the mind materiality. That is how mind is producing a certain type of matter or materiality. Let's look at another little easier one related with the programming. Let's see, implementing a disciplined exercise program. Okay, you go to gym. Basically, what are you doing? You produce stronger heart, muscle, and bones. That's what you're doing by exercising. And overall, you are improving the body fitness and health. That's what you're doing, going to gym. But to develop a disciplined exercise program, going to gym five times a week, two hours each time, it needs a very strong discipline. And to develop a discipline exercise program, you need a series of thoughts. A series of thoughts totally controlled by discipline or determination. The key word is determination. A series of thoughts controlled by strong determination. A series thought with strong determination. A determine. And this is another example of how mind-made material arises. How the mind can produce material. If your mind is strong enough, you'll go to gym for once on triton, you drop out. Then mind-made material cannot be there. There's always a series of cause and effect, and always end up with the mind. Now we are going to talk one from the scripture. Because I'm explaining these karma-born material, mind-born material using the modern available information so that we can all relate it quite easily. That's what I'm trying to do. But this one comes directly from the scripture. All of you or some of you might have heard about a sutta discourse called Bojanga Sutta. Discourses on seven factors of enlightenment. Maybe one day I might give a talk on seven factors of enlightenment. And it has become a tradition to recite these Vajanga Sutta. Seven factors of enlightenment. Discourses on seven factors of enlightenment. When a family member is sick, of course it's for the Buddhists, because this is the Buddhist perspective and approach. So we have to know how this comes about, why it's become a tradition when somebody is sick, you recite this sutra for a person to recover from ill health. This particular sutta was recited by the Buddha when one of his disciples, Mahatirakasap, and at another time another disciple, Mahatira Maglana. Those are the senior disciples. When they were quite ill, Buddha went, but their bedside and recite these sutras so that they can listen. Not only listen, the disciple, listen, reflect, penetratively. The meaning, the essence, cause and effect. When the Buddha was chanting the sutta at their bedside, and it is said that their illness were averted. Not only became well, it is said that that particular illness never arise again. As if an Arahant who has eliminated all mental defilements. An Arahant who got enlightened. All mental defilements never arise again. Like that, all mental defilements are totally uprooted by the path consciousness. Just like that, that particular illness is being eliminated and never arise again. Also another instant when the Buddha was quite ill at one time, quite ill, seriously ill, he let Mahatira Sumda. The name is Sundak. Recited this sutra at his bedside. He said, hey Sundak, come on over here. Recite this sutra. And Sundamatti recited the sutta at the Buddha's bedside. The Buddha listened to the sutra with deep reflection. And he became well because he was quite ill, so he asked somebody to come and recite, and that way it is easier to follow the threads. How mind-made materiality can heal the body's negative materiality. Of course, to get well and have an immediate effect, one needs a developed and concentrated mind. So if one's like to develop mind-made good materiality to influence any negative materiality in the body or the negative materiality of karma. We all need to develop our mind and achieve good concentration so that we can have the effect of the mind made materiality to heal, to cure all the negative maturity of the body as soon as possible. Thank you very much.