Brief Discussion on Material Elements (Draft)

Nine: The Differences and Connections Among the Essential Realm, the Outer Six Sense-Objects, and the Inner Six Sense-Objects

The outer six sense-objects existing in the universe are jointly produced and jointly upheld by the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings; they are sustained by all tathāgatagarbhas using the seeds of the four great elements. The seeds of the four great elements arise moment by moment and cease moment by moment, and thus the outer six sense-objects arise and cease moment by moment. The realm of the outer six sense-objects is the most primordial material form; it is relatively substantial material form composed of real seeds. Strictly speaking, it is called the essential realm (the object in itself), which is cognized by the tathāgatagarbha; the manas cannot cognize it, and the six consciousnesses even less so. Even so, the essential realm is also arising, ceasing, and changing moment by moment. In the process of arising, ceasing, and mutating of the seeds of the four great elements, these seeds radiate outward, radiating even into the various tathāgatagarbhas, which is why we can sense that there is a magnetic field and energy around matter.

The tathāgatagarbha will take back the seeds of the four great elements that have radiated outward; only after they have been taken in are they called the outer six sense-objects. The tathāgatagarbha then transmits the seeds of the four great elements on the outer six sense-objects into the supreme faculty (indriya) through the five faculties. The five faculties refer to the various nervous systems of the body; for example, the eye faculty has the vitreous body and a neural conduction system, which transmits the particles of the four great elements emitted by matter outside the eye faculty all the way to the supreme faculty of the eye at the back of the brain, thereby forming the inner material sense-object (inner rūpa-viṣaya). When the inner material sense-object lands in the supreme faculty of the eye, faculty and object come into contact. In fact, both the outer material sense-object and the inner material sense-object are first cognized by the manas; after cognizing them, if the manas wishes to know them in detail, then the eye consciousness and mind consciousness are brought forth; if the manas does not wish to know them in detail, then we do not know that such material sense-objects exist. The mental sense-objects (dharma-viṣaya) that accompany the five sense-objects are transmitted together with them simultaneously: the mental object of form is transmitted through the eye faculty together with the material sense-object of form; the mental object of sound is transmitted through the ear faculty together with the material sense-object of sound; the mental object of scent is transmitted through the nose faculty together with the scent object; and it is the same with the mental objects of taste and touch.

This means that there are many dharmas within the supreme faculty; when the manas does not wish to cognize them, the six consciousnesses cannot cognize them, and we do not know the dharmas transmitted in through the five faculties. If the transmission by the nervous system involves no obstruction or error, the inner six sense-objects thus formed will somewhat resemble the outer six sense-objects, or even resemble them very closely, because the inner six sense-objects are the shadow of the outer six sense-objects; and the outer six sense-objects are the shadow of the essential realm, like the reflection in a mirror. The inner six sense-objects we discriminate are like the reflection in a mirror, while the outer six sense-objects, which we cannot discriminate, correspond to the actual object outside the mirror; that actual object is somewhat more real than the inner six sense-objects, and accords more closely with the original essential realm of the six sense-objects. The essential realm is composed of real four great elements, which the manas cannot contact. Only after the tathāgatagarbha, like a mirror, has taken in the four great elements on that essential realm and conjured them into appearance can the manas take it as its object.