How Does the Sensation of Hunger Arise? The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

After food is digested in the stomach and the stomach becomes empty, the mental faculty (manas-indriya) discerns this condition and engages in subtle discrimination. Then the Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the body consciousness (kaya-vijnana) and mental consciousness (mano-vijnana) to perceive the tangible object (spraṣṭavya) of hunger. The body faculty (kaya-indriya) contacts the tangible object of hunger, while simultaneously the mental faculty contacts the mental object (dharma) associated with this tangible object. The Tathagatagarbha generates the body consciousness and mental consciousness, and these two consciousnesses perceive the tangible object of hunger. Following discrimination, the mental consciousness produces verbal concepts, defining this condition as "hunger," and determines that eating is necessary. It then transmits this information to the mental faculty. The mental faculty contacts [the object], directs attention (manaskara), experiences feeling (vedana), and engages in perception (samjna). After deliberation, it deems eating necessary and thus decides to eat. The Tathagatagarbha, in accordance with the mental faculty, gives rise to the six consciousnesses. The eight consciousnesses operate in unison to arrange the matter of eating.

Fullness and hunger are both tangible objects, one of the six kinds of objects (vishaya). How do they arise? When we eat and ingest food into the stomach, the stomach contacts the food and drink, enabling us to perceive whether it is full or not. This perception is actually also the sensation of the body consciousness. When full, it is the tangible object of satiety. Afterwards, the food and drink are gradually digested. Once the food and drink are completely digested, the stomach becomes empty. The body consciousness then perceives hunger, necessitating food and drink to fill the stomach again.

Of course, the body consciousness alone cannot perceive tangible objects; it must be simultaneously accompanied by the mental consciousness for perception. Concurrently, mental objects (dharmas) also manifest on the tangible object. The mental faculty faces these, the faculty and object contact each other, and the Tathagatagarbha gives rise to the body consciousness and mental consciousness to experience the phenomenon of hunger. The six objects are manifested by the Tathagatagarbha; thus, the tangible objects are also manifested by the Tathagatagarbha. Tangible objects like hunger, thirst, cold, and heat follow the same principle: they are manifested by the Tathagatagarbha based on the specific conditions of the body and the environment. Then, the body faculty contacts these tangible objects, the mental faculty contacts the mental objects on the tangible objects, the Tathagatagarbha generates the body consciousness and mental consciousness, and we perceive tangible objects like hunger, thirst, cold, and heat.

In summary, the Tathagatagarbha produces the six faculties (indriya). It produces the six objects (vishaya). When the six faculties contact the six objects, they give rise to the six consciousnesses (vijnana). Only through the combined contact (sparsha) of the faculties, objects, and consciousnesses do the various discriminating activities of the sentient being's five aggregates (skandhas) occur. Therefore, it is said that all dharmas are the marvelous functioning of the Tathagatagarbha.