Saṃyukta Āgama, Discourse 294, Part One

(1) Original text: 尔时。世尊告诸比丘。愚痴无闻凡夫无明覆。爱缘系得此识身。内有此识身。外有名色。此二因缘生触。此六触入所触。愚痴无闻凡夫苦乐受觉。因起种种。云何为六。眼触入处。耳鼻舌身。意触入处。

Explanation: The World-Honored One said to the bhikṣus: Ignorant worldlings without learning, because of the obscuration of ignorance, have the obstructing conditions of craving that bind this body of consciousness. Within there is this body of consciousness, and outside there is nāma-rūpa (name-and-form). From the conjunction of these two conditions, contact arises. When contact occurs at the six contact-bases, ignorant worldlings without learning give rise to feelings of suffering and pleasure in various ways. What are the six? The eye contact-base, the ear, nose, tongue, and body contact-bases, and the mind contact-base.

The minds of sentient beings are all obscured by ignorance. If ignorance is removed, the mind-ground will radiate light, and all matters and principles will become clear. The Buddha's mind has no covering; His mind radiates light illuminating heaven and earth, and the dharmadhātus of the ten directions are all brightly lit. Every worldling has the conditioning of craving binding the mind within, and thus there are the eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, and mind consciousness—this body of six consciousnesses is called the body of consciousness. Without craving, there would be no such body of consciousness. With the body of six consciousnesses, one will contact the eleven kinds of material forms as well as mental dharmas, and will give rise to feelings of suffering, pleasure, and neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā).

Sentient beings, due to craving accumulated over beginningless kalpas, have this body of six consciousnesses. Why are the six consciousnesses the consciousnesses within the body? Because they are produced within the supreme faculties (indriya). Why does nāma-rūpa belong to the external body? Because nāma-rūpa constitutes the external entrances (āyatana), entering from outside into the supreme faculties, where they contact the six consciousnesses, and feelings arise. Thereafter, bodily, verbal, and mental actions continue without cease, and the six consciousnesses continue without cease. When the six faculties do not contact the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses cease; when the six consciousnesses cease, there are no various things—nothing at all. Speaking up to this point, we now clearly understand this chain of the twelve links of dependent origination, and clearly understand all the activities of the five-aggregate body: if bodily, verbal, and mental actions do not cease, the six consciousnesses will certainly keep arising. As the mind always has grasping, the six consciousnesses have no choice but to constantly appear before you to serve you. When the consciousness-mind does not cease, there will be a future life—this is the cause of the next life.