The Black Box World (20)

Where do the six consciousnesses arise? Naturally, at the subtle sense faculties (胜义根) located at the back of the head, where the sense faculties and their objects make contact. Although the conscious mind is formless and without specific location—neither inside, outside, nor within the physical body—the Tathāgatagarbha (如来藏) transmits the seeds of consciousness to the subtle sense faculties at the point of contact between faculties and objects. Thus, within this Black Box, the six consciousnesses discern the vast sky, the immense universe of the material world, and all phenomena within the physical body. The inner manifestations of the six sense objects at the back of the head constitute the entire world traversed by our mind. Although there are many other mental objects beyond this, those are the domain of the seventh consciousness. Obscured by ignorance, the six consciousnesses, when constrained, can only perceive this content—or perhaps only a minuscule part of it—and even that perception may be unclear. This is the pitiable karmic retribution of sentient beings obscured by ignorance.

Therefore, all activities of discernment performed by our six consciousnesses occur at the back of the head. Even the tactile sensation of a toe on the body is transmitted to the subtle sense faculties at the back of the head. The body consciousness and mental consciousness discern the condition of the toe at that location in the back of the head; they cannot directly perceive the toe beyond the subtle sense faculties. The Black Box of the subtle sense faculties is the entire world discerned by the six consciousnesses. If we can contemplate and realize this, we will understand how illusory the faculties are, how illusory the objects are, and how illusory consciousness is. Which of them does not arise and cease moment by moment? All arise and cease instantaneously. The faculties, composed of the four great elements, arise and cease moment by moment. The objects, also composed of the four great elements, arise and cease even more transiently. As for consciousness, each seed of consciousness arises and then ceases; ceasing, it arises again—likewise arising and ceasing moment by moment. 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 of form, sound, taste, smell, and touch—are collectively born, manifested, and sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha of all sentient beings. When our Tathāgatagarbha encounters these external manifestations, it extracts the four great elements from them. These extracted elements form particles, become photons, and are continuously transmitted through the gross sense faculties (浮尘根) and the conductive nerves to the subtle sense faculties. There, the faculties and objects make contact, the Tathāgatagarbha gives rise to the six consciousnesses, and we discern the reflections of the external mountains, rivers, and earth. Mistaking these reflections for genuine external realities, we become deeply attached to them and incessantly discriminate.