CH12: Nāma-rūpa (Name-and-Form)

At-a-glance: Present Effect • Vipāka-vaṭṭa

A. Definition & place in DO

• Nāma-rūpa = the mental-and-material complex of an experience.

  • Nāma (name) per SN 12.2: vedanā (feeling), saññā (perception), cetanā (intention), phassa (contact), manasikāra (attention).

  • Rūpa (form) per SN 12.2: the four great elements (earth, water, fire, air) and form derived from them.

• Placement (Ch02): Present Effect, conditioned by viññāṇa and conditioning saḷāyatana → phassa → vedanā (SN 12.1).

• Round (Ch03): Vipāka-vaṭṭa (result).

• Teaching note: Some nāma factors (e.g., vedanā, phassa) also occur later as distinct links—here they are counted as constituents that build the episode.

B. Mechanism (how nāma-rūpa conditions the next)

• Viññāṇa → Nāma-rūpa: once knowing is present, the mental set (feel/perceive/intend/attend) and the material setup (posture, senses) organize around the object.

• Nāma-rūpa → Saḷāyatana: that organization enables the six bases to operate for this moment’s encounter.

• Onward flow: bases contact objects (phassa) → vedanā arises; at C2 (vedanā→taṇhā) escalation or cooling can occur.

• Practice frame: treat nāma-rūpa as a stack of functions, not a “self.”

C. Practice (micro-drills, 1–3 minutes)

1. Name the Five (90 sec)
   With any simple object (sound/visual), tick through nāma’s five out loud once: “feeling, perception, intention, contact, attention.” End with: “rūpa present.” Keep it factual, no story.

2. Four-Element Touch (2 min)
   Pick one bodily spot. Sense: solidity/pressure (earth), fluidity/slip (water), temperature (fire), movement/tension (air). Note how the material feel shifts moment by moment.

3. Re-aim the Cetanā (2–3 min)
   In a live moment, ask: “What is my intention here?” If tight/greedy, soften shoulders, choose a lighter aim (kindness, restraint). Watch how the whole nāma-rūpa set re-configures.

D. Cross-links

• Ch11 Viññāṇa (upstream ignition).

• Ch13 Saḷāyatana (downstream enabling of the six bases).

• Ch15 Vedanā (appears both within nāma and later as its own link).

• Ch06 Three Connections (track toward C2 after vedanā).

Sources

SN 12.1; SN 12.2.

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QR Footer (left → right)

• Audio QR-CH12-AUD1 — “Name the Five: quick nāma scan.” (Alt: “QR to audio: guided nāma-rūpa check”)

• Video QR-CH12-VID1 — From viññāṇa to vedanā via nāma-rūpa. (Alt: “QR to video: nāma-rūpa walkthrough”)

• Slides QR-CH12-PPT1 — Diagram: nāma (5) + rūpa (elements) in DO. (Alt: “QR to slides: nāma-rūpa teaching deck”)

• Prompt QR-CH12-PRM1 — Four-Element Touch script. (Alt: “QR to prompt: element scan cue”)

Next: Ch13 — Saḷāyatana (Six Sense Bases).