The Immaterial Contact of Citta and Rupa Dharmas

Question: Since the mind consciousness 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 subtle sense faculties and sense objects make contact in the brain?

Answer: For sentient beings possessing subtle sense faculties, the prerequisite and necessary condition for the birth of the six consciousnesses is the contact between the sense faculties and sense objects; only after contact occurs do the six consciousnesses arise. Contact between sense faculties and sense objects includes contact between the five external sense faculties and the five external sense objects, contact between the mental faculty and external mental objects, contact between the five internal sense faculties and the five internal sense objects, and contact between the mental faculty and internal mental objects. However, the five external sense objects and mental objects cannot be contacted by the six consciousnesses because, at that stage, the six consciousnesses have not yet arisen; only the seventh and eighth consciousnesses exist. Therefore, contact involving external sense faculties and objects cannot give birth to the six consciousnesses. Only contact involving internal sense faculties and objects can give birth to the six consciousnesses. What the six consciousnesses discriminate are all the internal six sense objects within the subtle sense faculty of the brain.

Moreover, what the mental faculty discriminates includes not only internal objects but also external objects. This "external object" is not the fundamental realm initially produced by the Tathāgatagarbha; rather, it is the object-realm transformed and produced by the Tathāgatagarbha after the fundamental realm, which the mental faculty can discriminate. Only after this external object enters the subtle sense faculty and becomes an internal object, if the mental faculty desires detailed discrimination or wishes to engage in volitional activity, will the six consciousnesses arise to perform discrimination and processing. Otherwise, even though internal six sense objects exist and make contact with the six sense faculties, the six consciousnesses will not arise or perform discrimination.

Although the six consciousnesses arise at the location of the subtle sense faculty in the brain, the six consciousnesses are formless and without characteristics; they are not form dharmas with characteristics. Therefore, they cannot make contact with the subtle sense faculty, which is a form dharma. Consequently, they are not inside, outside, or in the middle of the subtle sense faculty. Thus, even if there is a location for the birth of the six consciousnesses, it is equivalent to having no location. Otherwise, if one were to slice the subtle sense faculty of the brain piece by piece, one should be able to find the six consciousnesses. However, in reality, even if the entire brain is smashed to pieces, the six consciousnesses cannot be seen. The mental faculty is likewise: formless and without characteristics, contacting all objects, discriminating both internal and external objects, yet not located on those internal or external objects. The "contact" between sense faculty and object is not contact in the material sense. The mind consciousness is also not material. We ordinary people are still unable to comprehend or imagine contact between material and non-material entities, or contact between non-material entities. We often mistakenly interpret these two types of contact as being like contact between material things, but this is not actually the case. Therefore, the mind consciousness is not inside, outside, or in the middle of the physical body.

If one can understand that kind of contact which is of a non-material nature, then it becomes easier to comprehend the contact between the Tathāgatagarbha and all dharmas. One will then know 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 mundane understanding of contact, understanding and realizing the eight consciousnesses becomes less difficult.