Commentary on The Sutra of the Gathering of Fathers and Sons (VI)

What Are the Six Realms

Original Text: The Buddha said to the King: "O Great King, these Six Realms, perceived and contemplated through the six sense-contact bases and the eighteen realms, are the conditions upon which a person comes into existence. What are the Six Realms? They are the earth realm, the water realm, the fire realm, the wind realm, the space realm, and the consciousness realm."

Explanation: The Buddha addressed King Śuddhodana, saying: "Great King, the aforementioned Six Realms are what the six sense-contact bases and the eighteen realms can observe and contemplate. It is by relying on these Six Realms as conditions that a person is born. If one were like an Arhat in complete nirvana, without a five-aggregate body existing within the three realms, then the Six Realms would not manifest. What are the Six Realms? They are the earth realm, water realm, fire realm, wind realm, space realm, and consciousness realm."

The Six Realms refer to the six great seed realms of earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness. The six sense-contact bases are the eye-contact base, ear-contact base, nose-contact base, tongue-contact base, body-contact base, and mind-contact base. The eighteen realms consist of the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses. "Person" (補噜沙, puruṣa) denotes a provisional self, meaning that this provisional self comes into existence by relying on the Six Realms as conditions. For this provisional 'person' to arise, it must depend on the six great seeds as conditions. Among them, the earth, water, fire, wind, and space realms give rise to the five aggregates of sentient beings’ physical body, while the consciousness realm gives rise to the mind-consciousness of sentient beings. Together, the Six Realms produce the five aggregates of sentient beings: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.