The Mystery of Contact Through the Combination of the Three: Sense Faculties, Sense Objects, and Consciousness

When consciousness contacts sense objects, the contact arises from the union of the faculty, the object, and consciousness. What is the result of this? What are the functions of the six consciousnesses? The union of these three in contact is extremely important; its result is that consciousness acquires the functions of sensation, perception, and volition, from which the activities of body, speech, and mind are produced, leaving behind karmic seeds. If consciousness does not contact sense objects, it has no function whatsoever.

What kind of objects does each consciousness contact? Clarifying the scope of objects each consciousness can contact allows all dharmas to be thoroughly understood and contemplated. Then contemplate: what can be done without the six consciousnesses? All these functions are produced by the six consciousnesses; they are arising, ceasing, and illusory.

Beings in the formless realm lack the five physical sense faculties; why does consciousness still exist, and what does consciousness depend on for its existence? On what conditions does the powerful discriminative function of consciousness depend? Once these questions are clarified, one will be able to attain deeper realization in the future, whether in the Mahayana or Hinayana traditions. Currently, contemplative practice is neither comprehensive nor profound; those with intellectual understanding are increasing, yet they experience no substantial meritorious benefit within, and afflictions remain just as heavy. Some observe others gesticulating and recognize certain points of function, then feel as if they understand, perhaps thinking they have realized something. However, they have not reached the root and essence of the issue; this is not genuine realization.

When the faculty contacts an object, consciousness arises; if the faculty does not contact an object, consciousness cannot arise. At the end of life, the four great elements decompose first; at this time, consciousness still exists, capable of discrimination and sensation, hence experiencing extreme suffering. Each person's physical body is sustained by their own eighth consciousness, and changes to one's own body are also the result of the functions of one's several consciousnesses. So how can one person kill another, thereby altering the physical condition of that other person? Without consciousness, the five consciousnesses cannot arise. Discrimination of the six sense objects is determined by the mental faculty, which acts as the master. The mental faculty necessarily contacts dharmas as objects. If the mental faculty does not decide or act as master, the eighth consciousness does not produce the five consciousnesses. When the mental faculty predominates, it contacts dharmas as objects, necessarily giving rise to mental consciousness, which is also the concomitant support for the five consciousnesses.