The Immaterial Contact of Citta and Rupa Dharmas

Question: Since the discerning mind is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body, why is it said that the six consciousnesses arise at the point where the manas-indriya (subtle sense faculty) contacts sense objects?

Answer: For sentient beings possessing manas-indriya, the prerequisite and necessary condition for the arising of the six consciousnesses is the contact between sense faculties and sense objects. Only after contact do the six consciousnesses arise. Contact between faculties and objects includes contact between the five external sense faculties and the five external sense objects, contact between manas and external mental objects (dharmas), contact between the five internal sense faculties and the five internal sense objects, and contact between manas and internal mental objects. However, the external five sense objects and mental objects cannot be contacted by the six consciousnesses themselves, because at that moment the six consciousnesses do not yet exist; only the seventh and eighth consciousnesses are present. Therefore, contact involving external faculties and objects cannot give rise to the six consciousnesses. Only contact involving internal faculties and objects can give rise to the six consciousnesses. What the six consciousnesses discern are exclusively the internal six sense objects within the brain's manas-indriya.

Moreover, what manas discerns includes not only internal objects but also external objects. These external objects are not the fundamental realm (svabhāva-viṣaya) initially produced by the Tathāgatagarbha; rather, they are the object-realms transformed and produced by the Tathāgatagarbha after the fundamental realm, which manas can discern. These external objects only become capable of giving rise to the six consciousnesses after they enter the manas-indriya and become internal objects, if manas desires to discern them in detail or intends to engage in any volitional activity. Then the six consciousnesses arise to perform the discernment and processing. Otherwise, even if internal six sense objects exist and contact the six faculties, the six consciousnesses will not arise or perform discernment.

Although the six consciousnesses arise at the location of the brain's manas-indriya, the six consciousnesses themselves are formless and without appearance; they are not form dharmas (rūpa) with characteristics. Therefore, they cannot contact the manas-indriya, which is a form dharma. Consequently, they are not inside, outside, or in the middle of the manas-indriya. Thus, even though the arising of the six consciousnesses has a location, it is effectively locationless. Otherwise, if one were to dissect the brain's manas-indriya piece by piece, one should be able to find the six consciousnesses. Yet, in reality, even if the brain is completely pulverized, the six consciousnesses cannot be seen. Manas is likewise; it is formless and without appearance, contacts all objects, discerns both internal and external objects, yet it is not located on or within those objects. The 'contact' (sparśa) between faculty and object is not contact in the material sense. The discerning mind is also not material. We ordinary people are generally unable to comprehend or imagine contact between the material and the non-material, or contact between non-material entities. We often mistakenly equate these two types of contact with the contact between material things, but they are not the same. Therefore, the discerning mind is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body.

If one can understand this non-material nature of contact, then understanding the contact between the Tathāgatagarbha and all dharmas becomes easier. One will realize that the Tathāgatagarbha is both upon all dharmas and yet not inside, outside, or in the middle of all dharmas. If one can set aside the conventional understanding of contact, understanding and realizing the eight consciousnesses becomes less difficult.