Commentary on the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Second Edition) (Newly Revised)

Chapter 5: Contemplating the Dharmas and Dwelling

Section 3: Contemplating the Six Internal and External Sense Bases and Dwelling

Original text:复次。诸比丘。比丘即于六内外处法。观法而住。然。诸比丘。比丘如何于六内外处法观法而住耶。于此。诸比丘。比丘知眼知色。知缘其二者生结。而知未生之结生起。又知已生之结灭尽。又知已灭尽之结。于未来不再生起。

Explanation: Continuing further down, O bhikkhus, a bhikkhu should contemplate the six internal sense bases and the six external sense bases, and the mind should dwell upon contemplating the six internal sense bases and the six external sense bases. Regarding this contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), O bhikkhus, how does a bhikkhu contemplate the dharmas and dwell upon the six internal sense bases and the six external sense bases? It is like this: O bhikkhus, a bhikkhu should know the eye faculty, know material form, and know that bonds arise conditioned upon these two. He knows that bonds which have not yet arisen now arise; he further knows that bonds which have already arisen now cease and are extinguished; and he further knows that bonds which have already been extinguished will not arise again in the future.

The six internal sense bases refer to the six internal faculties: the five faculties within the supreme faculties (indriya), namely the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body faculties, as well as the manas. The manas belongs both to the external faculties and to the internal faculties. The six external sense bases refer to the six sense objects: the forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas that land upon the supreme faculties. When the six faculties come into contact with the six sense objects, if the manas deliberates and wishes to create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the tathāgatagarbha will give birth to the six consciousnesses, and the mental activities of the six consciousnesses will then be produced. If mental activities such as craving and aversion appear at this point of contact, these are the bonds of birth and death.

There are altogether nine bonds: the bond of craving, the bond of aversion, the bond of conceit, the bond of ignorance, the bond of views, the bond of grasping (upādāna), the bond of doubt, the bond of jealousy, and the bond of stinginess. All afflictive bonds occur at the point of contact between faculties and sense objects. If the manas does not determine to discern the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses will not arise, and these afflictive bonds will not be produced. Even after the six consciousnesses have discerned the six sense objects and transmitted the results of that discernment to the manas, if the manas has no afflictions, it will not prompt the six consciousnesses to give rise to afflictions. If the six consciousnesses have no afflictions, they will subtly influence and regulate the manas, and afflictions can also fail to arise; thus there are no bonds of birth and death. Therefore, during contemplative practice, one should mostly practice contemplation when the six faculties contact the six sense objects. When the mind dwells at the six internal dharmas and the six external dharmas, one can truly know one's own mental activities, and one can subdue and eradicate one's own afflictive bonds—this is cultivation.

When contemplating the pair of dharmas consisting of the eye faculty and material form, meditative concentration (samādhi) and wisdom grow, and the mind becomes increasingly pure. The bonds that previously existed gradually fade and disappear, and later they disappear quite thoroughly, to the point that they will never appear again in the future. This is eradicating afflictive bonds through contemplative practice, and the mind attains ease. All of these conditions must be known clearly and distinctly in the mind. For example, one who originally enjoyed traveling and sightseeing, through contemplative practice, no longer has any interest in traveling and sightseeing; the mind has grown weary of it and no longer wishes to play, and one can guarantee that in the future one will never again become interested in traveling and sightseeing.

Original text:又知耳知声。知缘其二者生结。而知未生之结生起。又知已生之结灭尽。又知已灭尽之结。于未来不再生起。乃至知鼻知香。知缘其二者生结。而知未生之结生起。又知已生之结灭尽。又知已灭尽之结。于未来不再生起。乃至知舌知味。知缘其二者生结。而知未生之结生起。又知已生之结灭尽。又知已灭尽之结。于未来不再生起。

Explanation: One should also know the ear faculty, know sounds, and know that bonds of birth and death arise conditioned upon the ear faculty and sounds. Then one must further know that bonds which have not yet arisen in the mind now arise, know that bonds which have already arisen now cease and are extinguished, and further know that bonds which have already been extinguished will not arise again in the future.

Next, one should continue to know the nose faculty, know odors, and know that bonds of birth and death arise conditioned upon the nose faculty and odors. One must again know that bonds which had not previously arisen now arise, know that bonds which have already arisen now cease and are extinguished, and further know that bonds which have already been extinguished will not arise again in the future. Furthermore, one should know the tongue faculty, know tastes, and know that bonds of birth and death arise conditioned upon the tongue faculty and tastes. One must then further know that bonds which have not yet arisen now arise, that bonds which have already arisen now cease and are extinguished, and further know that bonds which have already been extinguished will not arise again in the future.

How does one contemplate the arising of bonds in the mind? For example, when the ear faculty comes into contact with music, originally there was no craving in the mind, but as one listens, one gradually comes to like it, and the bond of craving arises. Later, for some reason, one no longer likes this kind of music, and the bond of craving for this music is extinguished, and one knows that in the future, upon hearing this music again, one will no longer like it. When encountering any states of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma, one must learn to observe what the bonds in one's own mind are. As long as one knows that these are bonds of birth and death and are not in accord with the Dharma, that is sufficient. Transmit this thought and view to the manas, gradually influencing the manas, and the manas will deliberate (manasikāra) without the mind consciousness being aware of it. Once it knows that bonds such as craving are indeed unwholesome, it will subdue its own afflictions; when the power of meditative concentration strengthens, one can extinguish the afflictive bonds.

Original text:乃至知身知触。知缘其二者生结。而知未生之结生起。又知已生之结灭尽。又知已灭尽之结。于未来不再生起。乃至知意知法。知缘其二者生结。而知未生之结生起。又知已生之结灭尽。知已灭尽之结。于未来不再生起。

Explanation: Furthermore, one should know the body faculty, know touches, and know the bonds of birth and death that arise conditioned upon the body faculty and touches. One knows that bonds which had not previously arisen now arise, knows that bonds which have already arisen now cease and are extinguished, and knows that bonds which have already been extinguished will not arise again in the future. Furthermore, when the manas contacts mental objects (dharmas), one knows the manas, knows the mental objects, and knows that bonds of birth and death arise conditioned upon the manas and mental objects. One knows that bonds which had not previously arisen now arise, knows that bonds which have already arisen now cease and are extinguished, and knows that bonds which have already been extinguished will not arise again in the future.

Original text:如是。或于内法观法而住。于外法观法而住。于内外法观法而住。或于法观生法而住。或于法观灭法而住。或于法观生灭法而住。尚又智识所成。及忆念所成。皆会有法之思念现前。彼当无所依而住。且不执着世间任何物。比丘如是。于法观法而住。

Explanation: Contemplating in this way, one dwells contemplating the dharmas with respect to the internal dharmas—the six faculties—or dwells contemplating the dharmas with respect to the external dharmas—the six sense objects; or one simultaneously contemplates the internal and external dharmas, the six faculties and the six sense objects, with the mind dwelling upon the contemplation of dharmas; or with respect to these dharmas, one contemplates their arising, then contemplates their ceasing, or simultaneously contemplates both their arising and ceasing.

After the contemplative practice of the internal and external dharmas is complete, and the contemplation of arising dharmas and ceasing dharmas has also been completed, within every successive thought of the consciousness there exists a dharma, and within mindfulness there are also all these dharmas. Then one must empty out these notions of the internal and external dharmas; the mind does not dwell relying on dharmas, and does not dwell clinging to any object in the world—not a single dharma dwells in the mind. It dwells neither in internal dharmas nor in external dharmas, because one has known that both internal and external dharmas are subject to arising, ceasing, change, and impermanence, and cannot be relied upon. The mind empties out all dharmas and does not dwell relying on any dharma. Moreover, one does not dwell clinging to any single object in the world; in this way the mind becomes empty and extremely thoroughly pure. A bhikkhu should dwell contemplating the dharmas in just this way.