Eradicating the View of Self Regarding Consciousness as the Self (IV)

Furthermore, the consciousness mind associated with ear consciousness should be analyzed to understand how illusory it is and how it arises and ceases. When we hear sounds, consciousness must necessarily participate. Consciousness can analyze what kind of sound it is, where it originates from, how near or far it is from me, what the sound signifies, whether it is coarse or subtle, whether it is a male or female voice, whether it is emitted by an object or arises from the universe, how it affects me, and how to handle or respond to this sound, and so on. All these are the contents discerned and processed by the consciousness mind.

What conditions are required for the manifestation of the consciousness mind that accompanies ear consciousness? Its manifestation requires the ear faculty, ear consciousness, the eighth consciousness, manas, the seeds of consciousness mind itself, and external sounds. Only when all these conditions are complete can we hear sounds, and only then can we discriminate, discern, judge, analyze, contemplate, plan, and give rise to various minds such as joy, greed, and aversion regarding that sound. All these mental activities arise due to the functions of the consciousness mind.

Analyzing the arising-and-ceasing nature of this consciousness mind: if external sounds disappear, the consciousness mind cannot discern the sound objects here and shifts elsewhere to discriminate, rather than continuing to discriminate sound objects at this location. If one condition is lacking—for example, if the ear faculty is damaged—then ear consciousness also ceases to exist, and the consciousness mind cannot attend to this sound. Thus, it can be seen how illusory this consciousness mind is. External sounds arise due to various causes and conditions; without external sounds, the consciousness mind cannot manifest. Without the seeds of consciousness, the consciousness mind cannot manifest. If manas is not interested in the dharma objects and does not generate attention toward this sound object, the consciousness mind cannot manifest. If a person is sleepy or unconscious, the consciousness mind cannot manifest, and I cannot hear sounds. Therefore, this consciousness mind of mine that can hear sounds, analyze sounds, and contemplate the content of sounds is also arising and ceasing, impermanent, and produced by causes and conditions. Hence, the consciousness mind is not me; it is constantly arising and ceasing and fundamentally cannot be me at all.