The Principle of How the First Five Consciousnesses and the Mind Consciousness Discern Sense Objects

As long as one has meditative concentration, when observing material sense-objects, one will discover that the eye consciousness must first see the colors—whether blue, yellow, red, or white, or black, or dim and dark, or empty voidness and chaos. In the second instant, one sees a blurry shape, and then forms appear, and thus more information about the material sense-object manifests. Therefore, the content discerned by the mind consciousness is both abundant and detailed. When one has meditative concentration and observes outwardly, the eye consciousness sees first, and the mind consciousness sees and discerns afterward; that is, the manifest form (rūpa) appears first, then the eye consciousness arises. In the second instant, shape-form (saṃsthāna-rūpa), expressive form (vijñapti-rūpa), and non-expressive form (avijñapti-rūpa) arise, and then the mind consciousness is born. The fact that the mind consciousness is born afterward shows that these shape-forms, expressive forms, and non-expressive forms are dharmas that manifest later than the manifest form, appearing as mental sense-objects.

In the hindbrain, at the supreme faculty (rūpa-prasāda), there are many regions divided up. One region is the supreme faculty of the eye, where manifest form is rendered; one region is the supreme faculty of the ear, where the coarse forms of sound are rendered; one region is the supreme faculty of the nose, where coarse scent sense-objects are rendered. These coarse five sense-objects are all formed from particles of the four great elements. In addition, there is the place where the mental sense-objects upon the five sense-objects are born—the place where form subsumed under the Dharmāyatana is produced. Whether this place is located in the same region as the places of the previous five supreme faculties has not yet been observed, and there is no theoretical or scientific basis to prove it. This position in the hindbrain is especially complex, divided into many regions, which we cannot see, but scientists can observe in detail with highly sophisticated instruments. The forms, sounds, scents, flavors, and tangibles manifested by the tathāgatagarbha are produced in different regions, and the mental sense-objects produced upon the basis of these forms, sounds, scents, flavors, and tangibles—the mental sense-objects upon the five sense-objects—may possibly be produced in another region.