Taste Elements

Next are the three elements associated with the taste sensation. lce is tongue, so lce'i khams is the tongue element (jihvad-dhatu.)

ro is taste, so ro'i khams is the taste element (rasa-dhatu.)

As we know that lce is tongue, then lce'i rnam par shes pa'i khams is the tongue consciousness element (jihva-vijnana-dhatu.)

This leads to an interesting observation. One of the main topics in this Abhidharma-Samuccaya is to show that there are really no self-existent things, such as a a self-existent taste universal. There are three factors involving, of which the tongue consciousness element is as important. It really means that there's nothing self-existent about what taste bad and what taste good. In real life this is easy to show, just check out how one dish is considered icky for someone, but a great delicacy for someone else.

It also means that there's really no limit to what someone could do concerning getting to a state where everything taste as bliss.