# Externality of rupa and its cause question from "The Buddhist Teaching on Physical Phenomena" book **URL:** \ **Category:** General Theravada topics\ **Tags:** abhidhamma\ **Created:** [October 16, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/externality-of-rupa-and-its-cause-question-from-the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena-book/1496 "2024-10-16T16:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Citta](https://classicaltheravada.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@Citta](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/Citta)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 4:33pm UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/externality-of-rupa-and-its-cause-question-from-the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena-book/1496/1 "2024-10-16T16:33:32Z")
I’ve just re-read _The Buddhist Teaching on Physical Phenomena_” book by Nina Van Gorkom. > “_Rūpas_ outside the body are only produced by temperature, not by kamma, citta or nutrition.\*” -xii or pg14 pdf. Exactly what kinds of _rūpa_ is meant here? Any kind or is it limited to something, such as “_only naturally produced by insentient matter_”? If any kind of _rūpa_ is meant, then there is a difficulty: When a person builds something (lets say a house), that external thing (_rūpa_) was produced due to kamma and citta of the well fed person who built it. It wasn’t just due to “temperature” (I think that there should be a better translation of that word). Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Paññādhammika](https://classicaltheravada.org/user_avatar/classicaltheravada.org/pa%C3%B1%C3%B1%C4%81dhammika/32/972_2.png) [@Paññādhammika](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/Pa%C3%B1%C3%B1%C4%81dhammika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/externality-of-rupa-and-its-cause-question-from-the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena-book/1496/2 "2024-10-16T20:03:14Z")
In physics terms, temperature means energy conservation. Matter being able to be created via kamma and mind is basically violation of energy conservation law. Since I don’t think there’s a detailed measurement of the human body to account for all matters in it to see if it obeys energy conservation, the Buddhist claim still can fit in light of current scientific data. In terms of building houses and so on, it’s not like magically the brick appear out of nothing, not just thin air, but nothing at all. Since it’s not the case, the matter of the house is merely rearranged by humans. Not created. ---
**Author:** ![Ceisiwr](https://classicaltheravada.org/user_avatar/classicaltheravada.org/ceisiwr/32/1260_2.png) [@Ceisiwr](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/Ceisiwr)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/externality-of-rupa-and-its-cause-question-from-the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena-book/1496/3 "2024-10-17T00:06:23Z")
The matter of science and the rūpa of the Abhidhamma are completely different. ---
**Author:** ![RobertK](https://classicaltheravada.org/user_avatar/classicaltheravada.org/robertk/32/1498_2.png) [@RobertK](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/RobertK)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 2:25am UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/externality-of-rupa-and-its-cause-question-from-the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena-book/1496/4 "2024-10-17T02:25:24Z")
> [@Citta](#): > > When a person builds something (lets say a house), that external thing (_rūpa_) was produced due to kamma and citta of the well fed person who built it. Matter - rupa - is not houses. Humans can’t create kalapas. ---
**Author:** ![Namyal](https://classicaltheravada.org/user_avatar/classicaltheravada.org/namyal/32/1060_2.png) [@Namyal](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/Namyal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2024, 7:06am UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/externality-of-rupa-and-its-cause-question-from-the-buddhist-teaching-on-physical-phenomena-book/1496/5 "2024-10-17T07:06:23Z")
Yes, for example is there any scientist who can say when speaking of ‘quarks’ , attano yāthāva buddha atthaṃ?