The Sutra on the Aggregates, Elements, and Sense Bases, Fascicle One

(2) Original text: 彼名字因缘身六入受。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名身六入受。彼六入因缘身六思望。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名为身六思望。彼思望因缘身六痛。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名为身六痛。彼痛因缘六身爱。色爱声爱香爱味爱触爱法爱。是名为六身爱。彼爱因缘受为四受。一欲受。二见结受。三戒愿受。四身结行受。是名为四受。 

Explanation: Due to the condition of nāma-rūpa, the six entrances of the material body arise — the eye entrance, ear entrance, nose entrance, tongue entrance, body entrance, and mind entrance — these are called the six entrances of the body as feeling. Due to the condition of the six entrances, the six mental deliberations and aspirations of the body arise — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind — these are called the six deliberations and aspirations of the body. Due to the condition of these deliberations and aspirations, the six feelings of the body arise — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind — these are called the six feelings of the body. Due to the condition of these feelings, the six loves of the body arise — love of form, love of sound, love of scent, love of taste, love of touch, and love of dharmas — these are called the six loves of the body. Due to the condition of love, feeling arises as the four graspings: first, the grasping of desire; second, the grasping of views; third, the grasping of precepts and vows; fourth, the grasping of the self-assertion of the body. These are called the four graspings. 

Why is the contact of the six faculties with the six sense objects called the six deliberations and aspirations? Because this contact is decided by the manas. The manas makes this decision because it has thoughts, hopes, desires, and aspirations; otherwise it would not decide to contact the six sense objects, and without contact there would be no subsequent feeling, perception, and volitional formations. Contact is a very crucial link. The purpose of contact is to discern and distinguish, to engage in activity, to come to know something. This shows that the manas is not tranquil, that it has clinging and craving, that it wants the dharmas to continue on. Because the manas has these mental activities, it decides on contact, and thus the six faculties contact the six sense objects — this is precisely the manifestation of the manas acting as the determining consciousness. When faculties and objects contact each other, consciousness arises; after the six consciousnesses arise, they discern and distinguish the six sense objects, and thereafter the subtle dharmas of the six sense objects are known. When the six consciousnesses know the six sense objects, the manas accordingly knows the subtle aspects of the six sense objects, and its purpose is gradually fulfilled. 

From the link of contact, one can see whether a person has genuine cultivation, whether the mind is calm, whether one is inwardly restrained or drawn to external objects, whether one seeks something or seeks nothing, and whether one is in tranquil stillness with meditative concentration. After contact, many conflicts and disputes arise; without contact there are no conflicts and disputes, the mind is tranquil, and one is liberated with respect to the objects of the six sense objects; conversely, there is bondage. 

Original text: 彼受因缘有。为三有。一欲界二色界。三无色界。是名为三有。彼有因缘生。为上五阴。六持六入。己有如有生。聚已住堕致分别根。已入得有。是名为生死。为何等名。为人人所在。在所住已。住坏已过。死时是命六根已闭塞是为死。上本为老。后要为死。是故名为老死。 

Explanation: The existence produced by the condition of grasping is existence in the three realms: existence in the desire realm, existence in the form realm, and existence in the formless realm — these are called the three existences. The living beings produced by the condition of existence are the five aggregates, six faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses mentioned above. With the three existences, there are also living beings; after the living being arises and gathers, the six faculties become complete, and one falls into the three existences — this is called birth and death. Why is it called birth and death? Birth and death is something everyone has. The process of arising, ceasing, and change of the five-aggregate body is called birth and death. After birth, the period during which life remains is called abiding; after abiding, decay is called aging; when life has expired and the six faculties are closed off and can no longer function, it is called death. First there is aging, then death — this is called aging and death.