Dear Yong Peng,
In the Elephant's Footprint Simile (Wheel 101) this has been explained in a
note:
<Clung- to (upaadinna). Cy: strictly spoken, only that corporeal form which
is produced by Kamma (kammasamu.t.thaana), is called 'clung to' (or
'karmically acquired' ,Ven. Nyanatiloka's rendering). But, in a general
sense, as here, it is a designation of the entire bodily frame. The bodily
frame, namely, may be either "clung to" ('karmically acquired', upaadinna)
or 'not clung-to' (not karmically acquired, anupaadi.n.na; see Dhammasangani
§653-4). But because the whole body is clung-to [tenaciously], grasped at
[as 'mine'], and misapprehended [as an Ego] [namely by way of conceit,
craving and wrong views; maana, ta.nhaa, di.t.thi], the bodily frame in its
entirety is here said to be 'clung -to' (by Craving).>
End quote. The sqare brackets were additions from subco.
Yong Peng is completely correct in the translation. Rupas of the body can be
produced by four factors, as taught in the Abhidhamma: by kamma, by citta,
by heat and by nutrition. Strictly spoken only corporeality produced by
kamma is upaadi.n.na, but as explained above, this can be said of the whole
body. Thus also of the element of space. See also the Co to the sutta.
Nina.

op 24-04-2003 13:04 schreef Ong Yong Peng op ypong001@...:

> the words "clung to" appear each time for the five dhaatu (elements).
> At first, I thought it refers to some form of (mental) attachment to
> these elements as permanent, self [... as is concluded in each
> paragraph with Ta.m 'neta.m mama, nesohamasmi, na meso attaa'ti]. But
> now, after five rounds, the words "clung to" seem to be out-of-the-
> place to me, as they do not seem to fit into the sentence. Is my
> initial interpretation correct?