The Relationship Between the Dharma Object and the Five Sense Objects

Question: Someone says that the mental sense-object (dharma-viṣaya) arises alone in the supreme faculty (indriya), and after the manas contacts it, the mind consciousness arises to discern the mental sense-object. Is this so?

Answer: The mental sense-object within the supreme faculty is transmitted through the five faculties together with the outer five sense-objects at the same time, becoming the inner six sense-objects, for the manas to contact and also for the six consciousnesses to discern simultaneously. The inner mental sense-object (inner dharma-viṣaya) does not arise alone within the supreme faculty. If it did, the mental sense-object would have no connection whatsoever with the five sense-objects; a mental sense-object arising alone would appear abrupt and unfounded, somewhat like fabrication, unable to reveal the nature and content of the five sense-objects, and the consciousness accompanied by the five senses (pañca-sahagata-mano-vijñāna) would likewise have no close relationship with the five consciousnesses.

After the consciousness accompanied by the five senses makes choices and judgments regarding the discernment of the mental sense-object, it must convey information to the manas; the information about the five sense-objects discerned by the five consciousnesses is also conveyed to the manas together with the mind consciousness, because the manas is also the coexistent basis (sahabhū-hetu) for the arising of the five consciousnesses. Only when the manas decides to discern and process the five sense-objects can the five consciousnesses arise; therefore the actions and activities of the five consciousnesses must be directed by the manas, be accountable to the manas, and serve as a reference for the manas.

The five sense-objects together with the mental sense-object combine to constitute the complete six sense-object realms of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas. What the five consciousnesses discern and process is the relatively coarse portion of the six sense-objects, while what the mind consciousness discerns and processes is the relatively subtle portion. The information combining the coarse and the subtle is conveyed to the manas; the manas simultaneously receives information about both coarse dharmas and subtle dharmas, and through its own independent deliberation (manasikāra), makes its own judgment and choice regarding the six sense-objects as a whole.

For example, when going to a shopping mall to buy clothes and seeing garments of various colors, the manas will want to choose a garment whose color suits it. The eye consciousness and the mind consciousness will discern the clothing simultaneously: the eye consciousness discerns only the colors, while the mind consciousness discerns the mental sense-objects beyond the colors, including the style, material, and charm of the clothing. After the information about the form sense-object and the mental sense-object is conveyed to the manas, the manas will deliberate on the color, style, and material, and then have the mind consciousness separately analyze and judge which color, red or black, is more suitable, and which style is more appropriate—this is the domain of the solitary consciousness (mano-vijñāna-eka-citta). The solitary consciousness then imagines the effect of wearing it on the body and conveys the results of its imaginative analysis to the manas; the manas deliberates and judges again, making its own decision. Finally, with the several consciousnesses working in concert, the garment that satisfies the manas is purchased, and the six consciousnesses have completed their service to the manas.

The manifest color (niyata-rūpa) that constitutes the colored portion of the garment as a whole is the form sense-object discerned by the eye consciousness; all parts other than the color—the visible form (saṃsthāna-rūpa), expressive form (vijñapti-rūpa), and non-expressive form (avijñapti-rūpa)—are the mental sense-objects discerned by the mind consciousness. The two combine to constitute a piece of clothing. At the time the garment is produced and processed, the form sense-object and the mental sense-object exist simultaneously. When each person discerns it, the form sense-object and the mental sense-object are transmitted through the five faculties into one's own supreme faculty, forming the inner material sense-object (inner rūpa-viṣaya) and the inner mental sense-object (inner dharma-viṣaya), for the eye consciousness and mind consciousness to discern. It is not the case that when the garment is produced there is only color, without mental sense-object content such as style, material, length, width, size, and charm; if that were so, it would not be called a garment at all, there would be no need to process the fabric with sewing and tailoring equipment, and there would be no such thing as fabric. Therefore, the mental sense-object is bound together with the five sense-objects, and does not arise alone within the supreme faculty.