Knowing the Sense Bases : The Great Six Sense - Media Discourse ( Maha Salayathanika Sutra MN)

 

Our samsaric journey is due to ignorance and craving (avidya, tanha) and therefore if we abandon ignorance and craving, we can end the samsaric journey or this endless cycle of rebirth. Samsaric journey entails a 'person’, one who hasn't seen the truth. In this journey a person faces so many hardships and suffer both physically and mentally, associating both good and bad people.

Worldlings who are caught up in samsaric suffering tend to search for relief from that suffering, hence, they struggle to distance themselves from suffering and to enjoy happiness and mental relief. On the other hand, the wise person seeks the truth of life questioning what samsara is? what do we experience in this samsara? what is existence? what is the eye, what is the visible form, what are ear and sound, nose and odour, tongue and taste, body and feelings, mind and mental factors.

Maha Salayathana sutta was preached by the Buddha to benefit those who are in search of the truth of dukkha. It was not for those who are gripped with the urge to escape from dukkha or avert smasaric pain.

This Dhamma is for those who think without holding on to or dwelling in the eye and forms, ear & sound, nose and odour and so on. This dhamma is not for those who are bent towards reasoned reflection (akara parivitakka), also, it is not for those who adhere to logical reasoning.

“Monks!”  the Buddha addressed all monks who were present, “I will teach you the great six sense-media. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak."

"As you say, lord," the monks responded.

The Blessed One preached, chakkum ajanam, apassam, rupam ajanam apassam, chakku vinnana ajanam apassam…..

The one who is ignorant of the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye, the one who lives without seeing the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye, as they really are, the one who clings to the above ; holds on to the eye, forms , consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye. This is considered as the existence. As long as we experience sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye; we associate the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye and contact at the eye.

Think about this, what is eye? what is visible form? do we investigate what they are or do we continue to dwell in them ignorantly?  We tend to simply follow our own concepts of form, for instance, taking it as a visible illustration. We further tend to name a form conceptually. We give a name to the form and call it so & so; this is the way the samsaric journey continues. 

As we do not see things as they really are, we cling to them and as a result we experience gratification that we enjoy, failing to see the truth of their impermanence, dukkha and non self nature and therefore continue to associate things and dwell in them. This is the role of craving, which takes us along with the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye, over and over again (ponobhavika). It is the phenomena referred to as ‘stitching of the exitance’ in Majje Sutra which causes accumulation(upachaya) of the five grasping aggregates as explained in this (Mahasalayatanika) Sutra.

Now the person has a choice, either to hold onto that eye or reject it. In whatever manner he reacts, the self notion persists. Even if the person rejects the eye while being attached to it, he still holds onto that eye. Being engrossed even if the person pursues on seeing impermanence of the eye and attempts to reject it, he is still within the existence as it is him who has developed a need to reject it. This is the nature of rebirth or becoming.

As said the person either goes along with what he gained or makes an effort to reject it and begin to observe its impermanence, attempting to distance himself from it without inquiring its truth. Such person still holds on to an existence (bhava) though he seeks nonexistence (vibhava) in form of rejection. This dilemma is discussed in Oga tharana, Lokawalokana and dittigatha Sutras.

We need to understand why the Buddha refers to 3 types of craving as desire for sensual pleasure, desire for existence and desire for nonexistence. In addition to the former, commonly referred to, worldlings hold on to the desire for existence (bhava tanha) or desire for nonexistence (vibhawa tanha) as discussed, in their samsaric journey.

Craving is described in the Teachings as a thing that keeps growing[1], When one’s desire grows it accompanies both bodily and mental distress as well as bodily and mental torments and this is suffering. As a result, the person develops an urge to abandon the eye by rejecting it having already grasped and dwelled in it. Such person continues to be gripped with the self-notion and fail to search the reality. When one begins to inquire, a need to go along with or to reject the eye becomes meaningless.

Samsara brings about bodily distress and mental distress, it further builds mental and bodily torments that end in lamentation. The only two options worldlings are left with are, either to go along with the flow or to find the way to end suffering.

We need to investigate what is the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye, the ear, sound, consciousness at the ear, contact at the ear and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the ear and so on. When we inquire, the expressions such as eye, form, eye consciousness etc. will have no bearing, therefore, nothing remains to be held onto or to reject. The one who investigates the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned through the contact at the eye would not expect to be gratified but will endeavour discerning (Vitakkhana).

Similarly, we cling to the ear, sound, consciousness at the ear, contact at the ear; tongue, taste, consciousness at the tongue and contact at the tongue, body, tactile, consciousness at the body and the contact at the body, mind, mental objects, consciousness at the mind and contact at the mind. When we cling to them and go along with, for instance the mind and the mental objects, we get infatuated and attached (sarajjati), and when we become distressed as a result, we tend to reject them without investigating.

When you do not search what the mind is, what mental objects are and what consciousness at the mind is as said, for instance, you continue your existence in Samsara. The outcome could be either joy or frustration, either way it ends in accumulation of the five aggregates. The one who continues to live enjoying the worldly pleasures, cling to the self notion and keep accumulating the five aggregates of clinging.

As discussed earlier, the one who dwells in existence, either wants to go along with it or reject it. Such is the worldly existence where you lean towards yourself rather than towards the dhamma heard from a salutary friend (kalyana mitta), or the path.

As long as the truth is not seen due to lack of wisdom, craving continue to grow forcing the prolongation of samsara, the repetition of birth & death (or the existence).

As said before those who haven’t understood the dhamma, uphold their ideas and impulses and therefore are trapped in samsara, one has to either go along with or attempt to escape from such existence. The Blessed One said only those who develop the right view will see with insight.

The one who learns about these revelations by the Buddha begins to follow instructions from a salutary friend and see the dhamma to embark on the Path and end samsara. 

Let’s examine the opposite.

When one dwells seeing (janan passan), the eye forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and sensations that are conditioned by the contact at the eye, he will be uninfatuated, unattached (na sarajjati), as a result no further becoming to prolong his samsara. There is no benefit in holding on to or rejecting as neither of these would take effect.

This is the role of wisdom, its application or the nature - janan passan, as explained in Sabbasawa Sutra with reference to yoniso mansikara and in Upanisa Sutra as ithi rupan ithi rupassa (this is how the form is, this is how the form originates and how it ceases…., but not as this is form, this is sensation and so on)

As long as one is uninfatuated, unattached and do not dwell in the eye, forms, consciousness at the eye, contact at the eye and, sensations that are conditioned by the contact at the eye, he is not deluded. Therefore, the person sees their bad outcomes and the dangers and thus do not accumulate five clinging aggregates but dissipates them (apacayan gaccami), while he abandons the self notion (sakkaya) in the process.

Due to abandoning the desire which causes rebecoming, bodily and mental torment as well as bodily and mental distress are no more, hence the person dwells with bodily and mental happiness and joy.

The person with such vision, has no 'eye' to cling to as he is not grasping the eye, or form, eye consciousness and eye contact, therefore he is called the one who has seen and known (janato passato).

The vision thus gained is the right view (samma ditti), thoughts arising through that vision are called right contemplation (samma sankappa) the effort becomes the right effort (samma vayama), concentration is the right concentration (samma samadi), action through body, speech and livelihood (samma kammanta, samma vaca, samma ajiva) are already pure.

The noble eightfold path develops in this manner and is practiced with four foundations of mindfulness in form of meditation (contemplation) along with the four qualities of accomplishments (irdipada), five faculties (indriya), five powers (bala) and seven factors of enlightenment (saptha bojjanga ). It is said that both tranquil meditation and insight meditation (samatha and vipassana) practices are developed reciprocally.

There are things that one needs to comprehend in particular and things that one needs to abandon, furthermore, there are things that one needs to realise. Therefore, it is said that those that are to be comprehended have been comprehended, those that needs to be abandoned have been abandoned and those that are to be realised have been realised.

What are those that were comprehended with particular knowledge - the five grasping aggregates have been comprehended. He has comprehended the grasping aggregates of form, sensation, perception, formation and knowing. What is that he abandons with particular knowledge – ignorance & desire (avidya and tanha). In the process the person practices the two forms of contemplation, samatha vipassana.

He has realised with particular knowledge, (vidya and vimutti) and through the path (patipada) he crossed the samsara.

In the same manner, one can see the reality of ear-sound, nose -odour, tongue taste, tactile-body and mental object - mind.

(Based on a Dhamma Discourse by Ven Alawwe Anomadassi)

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[1] Tanha ponobhavika nandiraga sahagatha, thatra tatrabhinandani (The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now this & now that ….)