Selected Lectures on the Sutra of the Meeting of Father and Son

Chapter Two   General Explanation of the Six Elements and Six Sense Bases

Original Text: The Buddha said to the king: "Great King, these six elements, investigated by the eighteen elements at the six sense bases, constitute the Puruṣa (human being), who arises dependent upon them. What are the six elements? They are the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element, and the consciousness element."

Explanation: The Buddha said to King Śuddhodana: Great King, the six elements previously mentioned can be observed and contemplated within the six sense bases and the eighteen elements. It is by relying on these six elements as conditions that the human being arises. What are the six elements? They are the earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, space element, and consciousness element.

If one attains the state of an Arhat in the remainderless Nirvāṇa, there is no arising or transmigration of the five aggregates body within the three realms, and thus the six elements cease to manifest. The six sense bases are the eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, and mind base. The eighteen elements are the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses. It is at the six sense bases and within the eighteen elements that the manifest existence of the six elements can be observed. "Puruṣa" is the Sanskrit word for "human being," referring to the provisional self composed of the five aggregates. The five aggregates arise dependent upon the six elements as conditions. The arising of sentient beings with five aggregates depends on the six great seeds as conditions. Among them, the earth, water, fire, wind, and space elements give rise to the sentient being's five aggregates body (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness aggregates). The consciousness element gives rise to the sentient being's conscious mind. Together, the six elements give rise to the sentient being's five aggregates: the form aggregate, feeling aggregate, perception aggregate, mental formations aggregate, and consciousness aggregate.

A being possessing the five aggregates and eighteen elements is a sentient being. Where there are five aggregates, there is contact: the eye contacts form objects, the ear contacts sound objects, the nose contacts smell objects, the tongue contacts taste objects, the body contacts tangible objects, and the mind faculty contacts mental objects. These are the six sense bases. Among these, the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body faculties are composed of the first five elements (earth, water, fire, wind, space). Forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tangibles are also composed of the first five elements. The last faculty, the mind faculty, is the conscious mind, generated by the consciousness element, the great seed of consciousness. After the six faculties contact the six objects, the six consciousnesses arise, enabling discrimination. Subsequently, feelings, thoughts, judgments, and mental processes arise, and finally, decisions are made.

Within the eighteen elements, the six faculties contacting the six objects produce the six consciousnesses. Once the six consciousnesses arise, the discriminatory nature of the conscious mind appears, and the five aggregates begin to function and operate. The five faculties (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body) and the six objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, mental objects) are composed of the earth, water, fire, wind, and space elements. The mind faculty and the six consciousnesses are formed by the consciousness element. Both the six sense bases and the eighteen elements cannot exist apart from the six elements. This means the five aggregates of sentient beings cannot exist apart from the six elements; they arise and function dependent upon the six elements as conditions.

Original Text: "What are the six sense bases? As for the eye sense base, it sees forms. As for the ear sense base, it hears sounds. As for the nose sense base, it smells scents. As for the tongue sense base, it tastes flavors. As for the body sense base, it directly experiences tangible objects. As for the mind sense base, it cognizes mental objects."

Explanation: What are the six sense bases? It is the eye sense base that enables seeing forms; at the place where the eye faculty and form objects contact, the eye consciousness arises and sees forms. At the place where the ear faculty contacts sound objects, the ear consciousness arises and hears sounds. At the place where the nose faculty contacts smell objects, the nose consciousness arises and smells fragrances, foul odors, and miscellaneous smells. At the place where the tongue faculty contacts taste objects, the tongue consciousness arises and tastes the various taste objects: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty.

At the place where the body faculty contacts tangible objects, the body consciousness arises and can feel tangible objects. For example, contacting sunlight allows one to feel warmth; when there is wind, the body consciousness can feel coolness or warmth. Feelings of lightness, comfort, hunger, thirst, fatigue, soreness, and exhaustion are also tangible objects. At the place where the mind faculty contacts mental objects, the mental consciousness arises and can cognize all mental object realms.

Original Text: "What are the eighteen investigated by the mind? After the eye sees a form, if pleasure arises, or if distress arises, or if one abides in equanimity — similarly, each of the six faculties, each encountering its object, gives rise to these three states: pleasure, etc. These are called the eighteen investigated by the mind."

Explanation: What is the investigation by the eighteen elements? "Investigation" means observation, discrimination, cognition, and sensation. For example, after the eye faculty contacts a form object, the eye consciousness and mental consciousness discriminate the form object. If a state of joy or distress arises, or if one abides in a neutral state without joy or sorrow, three types of feelings appear. The triad of faculty, object, and consciousness constitutes three elements, forming one set. The remaining five faculties — ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind — similarly form five sets. When a faculty contacts an object, consciousness arises. Once consciousness arises, sensations appear, producing either joy, distress, or the neutral state without joy or aversion (equanimity). Separately, there are five sets comprising fifteen elements; together, they form six sets of eighteen elements. After each faculty contacts its object, there are the three elements of faculty, object, and consciousness. The six faculties contacting the six objects, combined with the six consciousnesses, constitute the eighteen elements, respectively producing the three feelings of suffering, pleasure, and equanimity. This is what is meant by the eighteen investigated by the mind.