What Are the Symptoms of the Imbalance of the Four Great Elements?

When the four elements are imbalanced, all diseases arise; all physical ailments are caused by the disharmony of the four elements. The causes of this disharmony are twofold: one is due to karmic obstructions, and the other is due to acquired environmental factors. Disharmony of the four elements means that the composition of the four elemental seeds changes, and the body must accordingly undergo transformations, leading to the emergence of various illnesses. Imbalance in a single element alone can cause corresponding diseases. For example, when the water element is imbalanced, the water in the body is either excessive or deficient. Whether the water component is too much or too little, it can lead to diseases such as edema, dry skin, kidney disease, eczema, dermatitis, blood viscosity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and other water-related ailments. Imbalance in the wind element can cause wind-related diseases, such as respiratory illnesses, urticaria, rheumatism, and so on. Imbalance in the fire element can cause fire-related diseases, such as body temperature disorders (chills or fever), high fever, low fever, etc. Imbalance in the earth element can cause diseases related to the hardness and supportive nature of earth, such as calcium deficiency, limb weakness, physical frailty, hunched back, body aches, and so on. Imbalance in a single element can lead to a multitude of diseases, let alone when all four elements are imbalanced, which results in layers upon layers of illnesses. In summary, these are all karmic retributions resulting from sentient beings' actions since beginningless time. In rare cases, they are caused by temporary physical maladaptation due to sudden environmental changes, but the majority are karmic illnesses. Whether it is a karmic illness or a temporary environmental discomfort, the changes are all the work of the tathagatagarbha. The four elemental seeds are delivered from the tathagatagarbha, and when their proportional composition changes, the physical body must undergo corresponding transformations. The alteration in the composition of the four elemental seeds is determined by the tathagatagarbha. What does the tathagatagarbha rely on to decide to change the output of the four elemental seeds? One is the karmic seeds; the tathagatagarbha can perceive the karmic seeds, and its operation must rely on them. The other is the environment contacted by the physical body, because the tathagatagarbha can perceive the body faculty and the environment of the material world. Based on this, the tathagatagarbha must continuously adapt to the environment and the body faculty, altering the structure of the four elemental seeds. Thus, the body is constantly undergoing various changes. Every sentient being's physical body changes moment by moment in this way; there is no unchanging state, and it is all the work of their own tathagatagarbha.