The Difference Between the Supreme Faculty (rūpa-prasāda) and Material Form Inside and Outside

When scientists observe matter through microscopes magnifying billions of times, are they observing the material form (rūpa) within the supreme faculty (rūpa-prasāda), or the material form outside the supreme faculty? If what scientists observe is the inner sense-object within the supreme faculty, then through how many transformations and transitions has this inner sense-object passed before becoming the wave-like state of extremely fine particles seen by the eye consciousness and mind consciousness?

As long as the eye consciousness and mind consciousness know it, it is the inner sense-object that is known; it is forever impossible to know the outer sense-object. Instruments themselves have no capacity for knowing. This is precisely the meaning of how the mind consciousness influences the results of observation. What scientists observe is the inner sense-object; the state of the outer sense-object is unknown, and it cannot possibly be in exactly the same state. Because in the transmission process, the particles of the four great elements pass through the microscope, through the naked eye, through various transmission nerves, and only finally arrive at the supreme faculty. At each stage of the process, a certain degree of obstruction appears, and the particles of the four great elements must change somewhat. Exactly how much they have changed by the time they reach the supreme faculty, we cannot know.

The more stages the process passes through, the more change occurs. The material form seen through ten layers of glass is certainly different from the material form seen directly through the eye faculty without passing through glass. Those who are interested may try it themselves. As the essential nature of the outer sense-object passes through each layer of glass lens, the particles of the four great elements must undergo change; the glass lens will block or filter out some of the coarser particles, and only the most subtle particles can pass through the various layers of lenses, the vitreous body of the eye, and the transmission nerves. In this process, the colors must change, the forms of matter and so on must undergo change, and the clarity is reduced. If the lenses are not white but colored, then when the particles of the four great elements pass through, even more particles may be blocked and filtered out. Even among different kinds of white lenses, the obstructions encountered by the particles of the four great elements as they pass through are different, and consequently the images formed by the particles arriving at the supreme faculty will differ.

After all this research and investigation, has the manas come to feel that material form is illusory? When the mind consciousness investigates, the manas absolutely does not proceed in sync; when the mind consciousness realizes, the manas cannot realize at the same time. Only through meditative concentration and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) can the manas be brought to grant its recognition and certification.

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