The Five Consciousnesses and the Mind Consciousness Together Discern the Complete Material Form

Question: The inner six sense-objects are form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and form included in the dharma base (dharmāyatana). Is form included in the dharma base the same as the mental sense-object (dharma-viṣaya)? What is its specific definition? What is the relationship between the five sense-objects and this mental sense-object — are they equal, parallel, or one subsumed under the other?

Answer: Form included in the dharma base is precisely the mental sense-object; it is a mental sense-object that is manifested once again on the basis of the inner five sense-objects. It is also composed of particles of the four great elements and belongs to material form (rūpa). Combined with the five sense-objects, it constitutes the complete form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The five sense-objects are only a small portion of the content of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, not the complete five sense-object forms; the mental sense-object constitutes the greater portion of the content of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, and only when combined together do they form the complete material form. For example: only when the form sense-object and the mental sense-object upon it are combined together is it the complete inner form sense-object; only when the sound sense-object and the mental sense-object upon it are combined together is it the complete sound sense-object. The five sense-objects and the mental sense-object stand in a parallel, coordinate relationship, mutually dependent; the mental sense-object arises and exists in dependence on the five sense-objects. The inner five sense-objects are discerned by the five consciousnesses, while the mental sense-object is discerned by the mind consciousness. From this it can be seen that the five consciousnesses alone cannot discern form, sound, smell, taste, and touch, and the mind consciousness alone also cannot discern form, sound, smell, taste, and touch; only when the five consciousnesses and the mind consciousness are combined together can the complete form, sound, smell, taste, and touch be discerned.