諸經要集 12.61

12.61

Question: How do the four nutriments subsume each other? Answer: As taught in the Abhidharma, generally speaking, all four nutriments are present in the six realms, yet there are differences in breadth and narrowness. For example, in the hells, one can have solid food: for instance, there are iron pellets and molten copper broth; although these augment suffering, because they are ingested out of hunger and thirst, they are called solid food. Furthermore, in the light-confinement hells, one can experience cold and warm; two winds alternating in touching the body are also called solid food. Only in the upper two realms is there no solid food, because their bodies are subtle and light. A verse in the treatise states: