Why Is the Vijñāna Not Located Inside, Outside, or in Between the Rūpakāya?

Question: Since the conscious mind is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body, why is it said that the six consciousnesses arise at the point where the manas-indriya contacts sense objects?

For sentient beings possessing the manas-indriya, the prerequisite and necessary condition for the arising of the six consciousnesses is the contact between the sense faculties and their objects; only after this contact do the six consciousnesses arise. Contact between faculties and objects includes contact between the five external sense faculties and the five external sense objects, contact between the manas and external mental objects (dharma-āyatana), as well as contact between the five internal sense faculties and the five internal sense objects, and contact between the manas and internal mental objects. However, the five external sense objects and mental objects cannot be contacted by the six consciousnesses because, at that moment, the six consciousnesses do not yet exist; only the seventh and eighth consciousnesses are present. Therefore, contact between external faculties and objects does not produce the six consciousnesses. Only contact between internal faculties and objects can give rise to the six consciousnesses, and what the six consciousnesses perceive are all the six sense objects within the manas-indriya of the brain. However, what the manas perceives includes not only internal objects but also external objects. This "external object" is not the fundamental realm initially produced by the Tathāgatagarbha, but rather the object-realm transformed and produced by the Tathāgatagarbha after the fundamental realm, which the manas can perceive. Only when this external object enters the manas-indriya and becomes an internal object, and if the manas desires detailed perception or wishes to engage in some action, will the six consciousnesses arise and perform perception. Otherwise, even if internal six sense objects exist and are in contact with the six sense faculties, the six consciousnesses will not arise and perceive.

Although the six consciousnesses arise at the location of the brain's manas-indriya, they are formless and without characteristics; they are not inside, outside, or in the middle of the manas-indriya. Having a location is equivalent to having no location. Otherwise, if one were to dissect the brain's manas-indriya piece by piece, one should be able to find the six consciousnesses. Yet, in reality, even if the entire brain is shattered, the six consciousnesses cannot be seen. The manas is likewise, formless and without characteristics; it contacts all objects, perceives both internal and external objects, yet it is not located on or within these internal or external objects. The "contact" (sparśa) between faculty and object is not contact in the material sense. The conscious mind is also not material. Contact between material and non-material entities, or between non-material entities, is something we ordinary people cannot yet comprehend or imagine. We often mistakenly equate it with contact between material things, but it is actually not the same. Therefore, the conscious mind is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body.

If one can understand this non-material nature of contact, then understanding the contact between the Tathāgatagarbha and all dharmas becomes easier. One will realize that the Tathāgatagarbha is both upon all dharmas and yet not inside, outside, or in the middle of all dharmas. If one can set aside the worldly understanding of contact, comprehending and realizing the eight consciousnesses becomes less difficult.

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