Saṃyukta Āgama Volume 8

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the medicinal mango grove of Jīvaka Komārabhacca in Vaiśālī. Then the Blessed One addressed the monks: "There are six sense bases. What are the six? The eye sense base, the ear sense base, the nose sense base, the tongue sense base, the body sense base, and the mind sense base. If ascetics and brahmins do not understand as they really are the arising, the cessation, the gratification, the danger, and the escape regarding these six sense bases, they should be known to be far from my Dhamma and Discipline, as distant as the sky is from the earth."

Explanation: The Blessed One addressed the monks, saying there are six sense bases where contact occurs: the eye sense base contacting form, the ear sense base contacting sound, the nose sense base contacting odor, the tongue sense base contacting taste, the body sense base contacting tangible objects, and the mind sense base contacting mental objects. If ascetics and brahmins, regarding these six sense bases, do not understand as they really are the arising of the sense bases, do not understand as they really are the cessation of the sense bases, do not understand as they really are the gratification and clinging to the sense bases, do not understand as they really are the danger in the sense bases, and do not understand as they really are the escape from craving for the sense bases, then it should be known that such ascetics and brahmins are still far from the Four Noble Truths and the Discipline, as distant as the sky is from the earth.

Then a certain monk rose from his seat, adjusted his robe, paid homage to the Buddha, joined his palms, and said to the Buddha: "I fully understand as they really are these six sense bases — their arising, cessation, gratification, danger, and escape." The Buddha said to the monk: "I now question you. Answer me accordingly. Monk, do you regard the eye sense base as self, as belonging to self, or as existing mutually within self?" He replied: "No, Venerable Sir."

The Buddha said to the monk: "Good, good. Regarding this eye sense base, to know and see as it really is that it is 'not self, not belonging to self, not existing mutually within self' — one who does so does not give rise to taints, the mind is not defiled or attached, and the mind is liberated. This is called the first sense base that has been fully understood, cut off at the root, known, and abandoned. Its root is cut off like a tālī tree stump, so that it is no longer subject to future arising — namely, eye-consciousness and forms."

Explanation: At that time, a monk from elsewhere stood up from his seat, adjusted his robe, paid homage to the Blessed One, and with palms joined said to the Buddha: "I completely and truly know the arising, cessation, gratification, danger, and escape regarding the six sense bases." The Buddha told this monk: "I will question you now; answer according to my question. Monk, do you perceive the eye sense base as self, as belonging to self, or as existing mutually within self?" The monk replied: "Venerable Sir, I do not perceive the eye sense base as self, as belonging to self, or as existing mutually within self."

The Buddha said to the monk: "Good. For one who knows and sees as it really is that this eye sense base is not self, not belonging to self, and not existing mutually within self, such a person does not give rise to the taints of greed, hatred, and delusion. The mind is no longer defiled by attachment to the eye sense base, and the mind is liberated. This is called having cut off the initial view of the eye sense base as self, having realized that the eye sense base is not self, not belonging to self, and not existing mutually within self. Thus, the view of self has been severed at its root, like cutting off the top of a tālī tree. In future existences, the view of the eye sense base as self or belonging to self will never arise again.

Then the craving for eye-consciousness and the mental formations clinging to forms will never again appear. Because the eye contact is not self and not belonging to self, the eye-consciousness and forms born dependent on eye contact are likewise not self and not belonging to self. Without craving for eye contact, one does not engage in any discrimination based on eye contact; eye-consciousness does not arise, forms do not appear in eye-consciousness, and the mind does not perceive forms.

The Buddha continued: "Do you regard the ear sense base, nose sense base, tongue sense base, body sense base, and mind sense base as self, as belonging to self, or as existing mutually within self?" He replied: "No, Venerable Sir." The Buddha said to the monk: "Good, good. Regarding the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind sense bases, to know and see as they really are that they are 'not self, not belonging to self, not existing mutually within self' — one who does so does not give rise to taints, the mind is not defiled or attached, and the mind is liberated. This, monk, is called the six sense bases that have been fully understood, cut off at the root, known, and abandoned. Their root is cut off like a tālī tree stump, so that they are no longer subject to future arising — namely, mind-consciousness and mental objects." When the Buddha had spoken this discourse, the monks, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and undertook it respectfully.

Explanation: The Blessed One continued questioning the monk: "Do you regard the ear sense base, nose sense base, tongue sense base, body sense base, and mind sense base as self or belonging to self, believing that self exists within the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind sense bases, or that the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind sense bases exist within self?" The monk replied: "Venerable Sir, I do not perceive them thus."

The Buddha said to the monk: "Good. For one who knows and sees as it really is that the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind sense bases are not self, not belonging to self, and not existing mutually within self, such a person does not give rise to the taints of greed, hatred, and delusion. The mind is no longer defiled by attachment to the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind sense bases, and the mind is liberated. Monks, regarding these ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind sense bases, the view of self has been cut off; it is known that they are not self, not belonging to self, and not existing mutually within self — like cutting off the top of a tālī tree. Then in future existences, ear-consciousness and sounds, nose-consciousness and odors, tongue-consciousness and tastes, body-consciousness and tangibles, as well as mind-consciousness and mental objects, will never again arise. There will be no more craving for sounds, odors, tastes, tangibles, mental objects, or for ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness.

This is describing who no longer clings to the six consciousnesses and six sense objects? Naturally, it is the manas (the seventh consciousness, the defiled mental faculty) that no longer clings, because the manas has eradicated the view of self regarding the six sense bases and no longer delights in any discrimination arising from the six senses. Thus, the six consciousnesses do not arise, and the six sense objects do not appear in the six consciousnesses.

One who contemplates to eradicate the view of self develops true knowledge and vision regarding the six sense bases, giving rise to genuine wisdom. Observing the true reality of the six sense bases — that they are not self, not belonging to self — one exhausts all defilements, liberates the mind, and eradicates the view of self completely. Wrong views do not arise, meaning the eradication of self-clinging, leading to the attainment of the remainderless Nirvāṇa. The manas, which originally held the wrong view

regarding the six sense bases as self and belonging to self, now ceases to regard the six sense bases as self or belonging to self. Thus, it possesses right view and true knowledge and vision. Not regarding the six sense bases as self, the mind is liberated and defilements are completely eradicated.

Attempting to fit the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) into this framework becomes illogical. It cannot be that the manas originally held the wrong view of regarding the six sense bases as the eighth consciousness, and through contemplation gained right knowledge, ceasing to regard the six sense bases as the eighth consciousness. If this were the case, was the original wrong view truly wrong? And is the subsequent right view truly right? It is fundamentally not so. If it were, then no sentient being would need to eradicate the view of self, because all beings are inherently without self — regarding the eighth consciousness as self, not regarding form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness as self. In that case, there would be no need for the Buddha to come to the Sahā world to teach the Four Noble Truths in the Āgamas, nor would it be necessary for sentient beings to realize the mind and see the nature (awaken to the eighth consciousness). Such a necessity would not exist.