[237] "But, venerable sir, in what way is a bhikkhu fit to be called 'skilled in the elements (dhātu)'?"
"Ānanda, there are these eighteen elements: the eye element, the form element, the eye-consciousness element; the ear element, the sound element, the ear-consciousness element; the nose element, the odor element, the nose-consciousness element; the tongue element, the taste element, the tongue-consciousness element; the body element, the tangible element, the body-consciousness element; the mind element, the mind-object element, the mind-consciousness element. Ānanda, when a bhikkhu knows and sees these eighteen elements, to that extent, Ānanda, he is fit to be called 'a bhikkhu skilled in the elements.'"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.