How Does the Feeling of Hunger Arise?

After food is digested in the stomach and the stomach becomes empty, the manas discerns this condition. Wishing to make subtle discrimination, the tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the body consciousness and the mind consciousness to discern the sense-object of hunger. When the body faculty contacts the sense-object of hunger, and at the same time the manas contacts the mental sense-object upon that sense-object, the tathāgatagarbha produces the body consciousness and the mind consciousness; these two consciousnesses then feel the sense-object of hunger. After discriminating it, the mind consciousness produces verbal designations and concepts, defining this condition as hunger, and decides that one should eat; it then transmits this situation to the manas. The manas, through contact, mental engagement, feeling, and perception, deliberates and concludes that one should eat, and thus decides to eat. The tathāgatagarbha cooperates with the manas and gives birth to the six consciousnesses; the eight consciousnesses function in harmonious conjunction, arranging the matter of eating.

Both fullness and hunger are sense-objects of contact, one of the six sense-objects. How do they arise? When we eat and the food and drink enter the stomach, the stomach contacts the food and drink and can feel the food and drink—whether it is full or not full. This is actually also the feeling of the body consciousness. When it is full, that is the sense-object of fullness; afterwards, as the food and drink are gradually digested, once everything has been digested, the stomach becomes empty, and the body consciousness feels hunger, needing food and drink to fill the stomach.

Of course, the body consciousness alone cannot yet feel the sense-object of contact; the mind consciousness must also be present to feel it in coordination. At the same time, the mental sense-object also manifests upon the sense-object of contact; the manas faces it, faculty and object contact each other, and the tathāgatagarbha gives birth to the body consciousness and the mind consciousness to feel the phenomenon of hunger. The six sense-objects are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, and the sense-object of contact is likewise manifested by the tathāgatagarbha. Sense-objects of contact such as hunger, thirst, cold, and heat follow the same principle: they are manifested by the tathāgatagarbha according to the specific conditions of the body and the environment. Then the body faculty contacts these sense-objects of contact, the manas contacts the mental sense-object upon them, and the tathāgatagarbha produces the body consciousness and the mind consciousness; we then feel these sense-objects of contact such as hunger, thirst, cold, and heat.

In summary, the tathāgatagarbha produces the six faculties and produces the six sense-objects; when the six faculties contact the six sense-objects, the six consciousnesses are then produced. Only when faculties, objects, and consciousnesses—the three—contact in harmonious conjunction can sentient beings' five aggregates carry out their various discriminating activities. Therefore, all dharmas are the wondrous functioning of the tathāgatagarbha.