The Black Box World (20)

Where do those six consciousnesses arise? Naturally, at the subtle sense faculty (胜义根) located at the point where the sense faculties and their objects come into contact, which is at the back of the head. Although the conscious mind is formless and without a specific location, not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body, the Tathāgatagarbha (如来藏) transmits the seeds of consciousness to the subtle sense faculty at the point where the sense faculties and objects contact. Thus, the six consciousnesses differentiate within this "black box," distinguishing the vast sky and the immense universe of the material world, and differentiating all phenomena within the physical body. The internal manifestation (内相分) of the six sense objects at the back of the head constitutes the entire world in which our mind roams. Although there are many other mental objects (法尘) beyond this, those are what the seventh consciousness contacts. Due to the obscuration of ignorance, when constrained, the six consciousnesses can only cognize these contents, or perhaps only a very small part of them, or perhaps cognize them unclearly. This is the karmic retribution of pitiable ignorant sentient beings.

Therefore, all the activities of differentiation and cognition performed by our six consciousnesses occur at the back of the head. Even the tactile sensation from a toe on the body is transmitted to the subtle sense faculty at the back of the head. The body consciousness and mental consciousness also cognize the condition of the toe at that location in the back of the head; they cannot directly cognize the toe outside the subtle sense faculty. This "black box" of the subtle sense faculty is the entire world cognized by the six consciousnesses. If we can contemplate and realize this point, we will understand how illusory the sense faculties are, how illusory the sense objects are, and how illusory consciousness is. Which of them is not arising and ceasing instantaneously? They all arise and cease instantaneously. The sense faculties, composed of the Four Great Elements (四大), arise and cease moment by moment. The sense objects, composed of the Four Great Elements, arise and cease moment by moment even more so. As for consciousness, each seed of consciousness arises and then ceases; ceasing and arising again—it too arises and ceases instantaneously. What is there that does not arise and cease? All phenomena in this world are subject to arising and cessation.

The external mountains, rivers, and earth—the external manifestations (外相分) of form, sound, taste, smell, and touch—are collectively produced, manifested, and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha of all sentient beings. When our Tathāgatagarbha connects with that external manifestation, it extracts the Four Great Elements present on that external manifestation. Once extracted, they form minute particles, becoming photons, which are then continuously transmitted. They pass through the physical sense faculties (浮尘根) and the transmission nerves, conveyed to the subtle sense faculty. Then, when the sense faculty and the object come into contact, the Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the six consciousnesses, which then cognize the reflection of the external mountains, rivers, and earth. Consequently, we take these reflections as the true external phenomena, clinging to them in countless ways and endlessly scheming and calculating over them.