The Illusory Nature of Body Faculty's Contact with Sensory Dust in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra

Original text: Ananda, you often rub your head with your hand in the morning. What do you think? Regarding this rubbing, who is the one that perceives the touch? Is it the hand that is able to touch, or is it the head? If it is in the hand, then the head has no perception; how can it be called touching? If it is in the head, then the hand is useless; how can it be called touching?

Explanation: Ananda, you often touch your head with your hand in the morning. What do you think? Regarding the knowledge produced by touching the head, who is the knower that touches? Is it the hand that knows the touch, or is the head that knows the touch? If it is the hand that knows the touch, then the head cannot know the touch; how can it be called the hand touching the head? If it is the head that knows the touch, then the hand is useless and does not know the touch; how can it be called the hand touching the head?

Original text: If each has it, then you, Ananda, should have two bodies. If the touch is produced from one touch for both the head and hand, then the hand and head should be one entity. If it is one entity, touch cannot be established. If it is two entities, then who is the one that touches? The one that touches has perception, the one touched has no perception. It should not be that the void forms touch with you. Therefore, it should be known that the perceived touch and the body both have no fixed location; that is, the body and touch are both illusory, originally not due to causes and conditions, nor of natural nature.

Explanation: If both the hand and head are able to perceive the touch, then you, Ananda, have two bodies that can perceive. If the perception of the head and hand arises from one touch, then the head and hand are one entity. If it is one entity, touch cannot be established, because one cannot touch oneself; for example, the nose cannot touch the nose, the neck cannot touch the neck; A cannot touch A, B cannot touch B; there must be A and B touching each other for touch to be established. If the head and hand are two entities, then who is the one that touches? The one that touches has perception, the one touched has no perception. If the hand is the one that touches, the head is the one touched, so the head has no perception, but the head has perception just like the hand; if the head is the one that touches, the hand is the one touched, so the hand has no perception, but the hand has perception at the same time as the head. It should not be that the head and hand touch the void, because the void is the object touched and has no perception, while the head and hand are the touchers and both have perception; this reasoning does not hold. Therefore, it is said that the perceived touch sensation and the body both have no location; the body and touch sensation are both illusory, originally not due to causes and conditions, nor of natural nature, but are the nature of the Tathagata-garbha.