Kalapas
Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia is now 14 years old
Our Encyclopedia recently received a wonderful opportunity for a major renewal on its 14th birthday . After many years of growing our Encyclopedia had become bit slow and sometimes even decided not to answer when people knocked on the door.
A very big thank you and blessings to Dmytro Rudiy (rudiy.nl) for his great work in upgrading the server, website and all of the infrastructure and helping make TBE fast and reliable again for everyone!
We kindly ask our readers to help us cover the cost of this important upgrade and also help with the ongoing costs of keeping the Encyclopedia alive and freely available.
or card
Every little donation helps and every one is deeply appreciated. 🙏🙏🙏
OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM 🙏🙏🙏
May blessings shower down on all of yous 🙏🙏🙏
How A Kalapa Is Formed
A group of people association is called a club. In Pali kalapa also means a group. As said before rupa (matter) cannot exist in isolation. Appropriate units of matter combine to exist as a group or an
aggregate. Such a group with common properties, existing together, disappearing together, is termed 'one kalapa'.
Matter In Combination
The four fundamental elements - pathavi, tejo and apo - together with vanna (appearance), ghanda (scent), rasa (taste), oja (essence of nutrition) are the eight classes of matter found always
in coexistence. A lump of soil is an aggregate of eight classes of matter too. It has a certain appearance
and a specific smell and taste; it can be touched and felt. The same is true for water, wind, fire, heat, light etc. They are all aggregates of the eight classes of matter.
The Size Of A Kalapa
Each kalapa is so minute that you cannot see it with your naked eye. Even the finest dust particle is an aggregate of a large number of kalapas. A bacterium, which can only be seen with the most powerful microscope is
composed of countless kalapas formed by kamma, citta, utu and chara. Therefore the minuteness of a kalapa is beyond description. (Reference may be made to text on Abhidhamma for classes of kalapas and their names).