The Relationship Between the Inner Six Sense-Objects and the Outer Six Sense-Objects

Does the mental sense-object (dharma-dust) upon the five external sense-objects exist? If the external mental sense-object does not exist, then what is it that the manas takes as its object?

The mental sense-object upon the five sense-objects is also called form subsumed under the Dharmāyatana, and it is the content discerned by the manas and the mind consciousness. On the sense-object of form, there is the division of visible color (rūpa), which is discerned by the eye consciousness—this is the inner material sense-object; while shape-color (saṃsthāna), expressive color (vijñapti), and non-expressive color (avijñapti) are the parts discerned by the mind consciousness—this is the inner mental sense-object. Shape-color refers to long, short, square, round, large, small, thick, and thin. If the inner mental sense-object has such shape-color, how does this appear? Where does it come from? Without external shape-color, can there be inner shape-color? The same applies to expressive color and non-expressive color.

For example, the shape of a table is shape-color; what the mind consciousness sees is the inner shape-color. If there is no external shape-color, then there can be no inner shape-color. When a table is made by hand, the shape-color of the table must certainly also be manufactured; the table as the essential object (essence-realm) must have a shape of long, short, square, or round. If the table in the essential object had no shape, then what kind of table would the workers be manufacturing? Tables made by different manufacturers would then have no distinction; not only that, they would also have no distinction from other material forms. Because all these things would have only visible color as their coloring, without hardness or softness, without any notion of mass, and with no other information at all. Then how would the tathāgatagarbha, in accordance with the table in the essential object, conjure up an identical table within the supreme faculty, just like a mirror reflecting an image?

When all material forms come into being, they have shape and substance, so as to be distinguished from one another and to manifest their own inherent characteristics; otherwise, there would be no difference between one material thing and another. For example, while sentient beings are in the mother's womb, the tathāgatagarbha must give birth to the physical body's limbs and their configuration, the size and plumpness or thinness of the body, the expressive color of flesh, as well as the non-expressive color of whether the body is robust and healthy or not, and lovable or not. After emerging from the womb, every sentient being still must have shape-color such as limbs, head and feet, tallness or shortness, fatness or thinness, as well as expressive color and non-expressive color. The shape-color of the limbs and so forth is external shape-color to others, while what others see is the inner shape-color. If a sentient being itself had no shape of limbs, others could not see the sentient being's shape-color such as limbs, nor could they know the sentient being's expressive and non-expressive colors, such as whether it is healthy, lively, and active, or its temperament and disposition.

The tathāgatagarbha reflects images like a mirror, displaying images as they truly are: the inner material sense-object is identical to the external material sense-object, and the inner sound sense-object is identical to the external sound sense-object. If they were not identical, it would not be like a mirror reflecting images (except for reasons of karmic power). It is like a person standing before a mirror: the mirror displays a shadow identical to the real person, and the mirror does not perform any processing, because the mirror has no mind. Therefore it is said that all material forms have an external mental sense-object, including sounds, taste sense-objects, scent sense-objects, and touch sense-objects—all have external mental sense-objects of shape-color and expressive color. Furthermore, for example, external forms form inverted images on the retina, and trees can also form inverted reflections in river water. The form sense-object has upright, inverted, and skewed aspects; it has above and below, left and right, inside and outside. This shows that the form sense-object has shape-color; having shape-color, there is an external mental sense-object, which is transmitted through the manas into the supreme faculty, for the mind consciousness to discern.