Brief Discussion on Material Elements (Draft)

Nineteen: The Speed of Transmission of Form as One of the Six Sense-Objects Is Fast

Question: Last night while sitting in meditation observing the breath, I suddenly felt a flash of white light pass through my head, and immediately afterward I heard the sound of a stool being moved upstairs. Was the flash of white light in my head generated from the contact between faculty and sense-object?

Answer: The sound of the stool being moved upstairs was transmitted to the supreme faculty (indriya) in the brain; when faculty and sense-object made contact, consciousness was generated, and the ear consciousness heard the sound. Before the sound was heard, the sound sense-object suddenly contacted the supreme faculty, and the supreme faculty had an abnormal reaction—the flash of white light in the head was that reaction. Because the five supreme faculties are also material form composed of the four great elements, and the sound sense-object is also material form of the four great elements, if a relatively large sound sense-object is transmitted to the supreme faculty, it will impinge upon the supreme faculty of the body faculty; receiving this sudden impingement, the brain of the body faculty will have a stress reaction.

If one is in relatively quiet meditative concentration (samādhi), with the mind unprepared, and a sense-object realm suddenly appears, the manas will prompt the body faculty to have an abnormal reaction. If one is in the usual scattered, distracted state, such a sudden stimulus reaction will not occur. Another example: a very loud sound such as thunder will also vibrate the eardrums, and may even cause deafness in the ear faculty; the eardrum belongs to the physical body of the body faculty, and the vibration belongs to the contact sense-object, which is discerned by the body consciousness. This shows that the sound sense-object has material properties and is also material form; therefore part of material form can also be discerned through the eye consciousness, and the flash of white light in the head is precisely what was discerned by the eye consciousness. In the future, when the six faculties interfunction and are used interchangeably, hearing sounds will not require the ear consciousness, seeing forms will not require the eye consciousness, smelling scents will not require the nose consciousness, tasting flavors will not require the tongue consciousness, feeling touches will not require the body consciousness, and thinking of dharmas will not require the mind consciousness.

For sense-object realms from the same place of origin, does the eye consciousness see first, or does the ear consciousness hear first, or does the nose consciousness smell first, or does the tongue consciousness taste first, or does the body consciousness touch first? The speeds of transmission of the six sense-object realms are certainly not the same; exactly which one transmits fastest still requires much observation. For example, when thunder occurs in the sky, does the eye consciousness first see the lightning, or does the ear consciousness first hear the thunder? Generally speaking, the speed of transmission of form sense-objects is faster than that of sound sense-objects; for sense-object realms transmitted from the same place of origin, the eye consciousness sees them first, and the ear consciousness sees them afterward. Another example: when sunlight is transmitted over, the eye consciousness first sees the light, and the body consciousness afterward feels the warmth.