–Volume 3(Part5)
Author: Fafu
Translator : Gemini
Hello, Dharma Friends! Welcome to this episode of the podcast contributed by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we delve deep into how the Buddha dissects the illusory nature of the Eighteen Realms, using the examples of the Eye, Form, and Eye-Consciousness, the Ear, Sound, and Ear-Consciousness, and the Nose, Scent, and Nose-Consciousness. Through rigorous logic, the Buddha reveals that the Eighteen Realms are merely phenomena compounded by causes and conditions, manifesting illusorily according to karma. They have no fixed location and no definable boundaries. Their fundamental essence is the deathless Wondrous True Suchness Nature.
1. The Nature of the Eighteen Realms: Illusory Manifestation Arising from the True Mind
The Buddha teaches that the Eighteen Realms (the Six Roots: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; the Six Objects: form, sound, scent, taste, touch, dharma; and the Six Consciousnesses: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mind-consciousness) are the interaction of the Roots, Objects, and Consciousnesses. They manifest illusorily in accordance with karmic momentum, like a dream or a magical illusion, all being illusory concepts repeatedly conditioned by living beings. Although these phenomena arise dependent on the Wondrous Bright True Mind, they are not the True Mind itself. They have no substance apart from their objects, have no definable boundaries, and are merely the illusory “karmic existence.” Their fundamental essence is the “Tathagata-garbha, the Wondrous True Suchness Nature,” which is pure and unchanging, being neither conditioned nor spontaneous. Today, we focus on the Eye, Form, and Eye-Consciousness, the Ear, Sound, and Ear-Consciousness, and the Nose, Scent, and Nose-Consciousness, to individually analyze their illusion and destroy inverted views.
2. The Illusion of Eye, Form, and Eye-Consciousness:
- Refuting Arising Solely from the Eye (Root): If the Eye-Consciousness arose solely from the Eye Root, without Form Object or empty space to distinguish, the Eye-Consciousness would be useless, unable to manifest blue, yellow, red, or white. With nothing to indicate, how could a Realm be established? Arising solely from the eye is untenable.
- Refuting Arising Solely from Form (Object): If the Eye-Consciousness arose solely from the Form Object, when seeing empty space (which is non-Form), the Form disappears, and the Eye-Consciousness should cease. But one can still recognize the nature of empty space, proving that the Eye-Consciousness does not arise solely from Form. If the Eye-Consciousness changed with the shifting Form, the characteristic of the Realm would disappear with the change; if the Eye-Consciousness did not change, it should not be able to recognize the location of empty space—a contradiction.
- Refuting Arising Jointly from Eye and Form: If the Eye and Form combined to produce the Eye-Consciousness, if they unite, there is no middle ground for distinction—how can consciousness arise? If they separate, there is no combination—how can Eye-Consciousness arise? Whether united or separate, their fundamental nature is chaotic, making the establishment of a Realm impossible.
Conclusion: Eye, Form, and Eye-Consciousness are causes and conditions that generate the Eye-Consciousness Realm. Since the three places are all void, they are all illusory. Their fundamental essence is the “Tathagata-garbha, the Wondrous True Suchness Nature,” neither conditioned nor spontaneous. The Eye-Consciousness does not arise solely from the eye or Form, nor from the combination of Eye and Form. It has no definable boundaries, manifesting merely in accordance with karma.
3. The Illusion of Ear, Sound, and Ear-Consciousness:
- Refuting Arising Solely from the Ear (Root): If the Ear-Consciousness arose solely from the Ear Root, without the two characteristics of motion and stillness (sound and silence), the Ear Root would be unknowing, and hearing could not be established. Without the capacity for cognition, what form or shape would the Ear-Consciousness have? Without the Sound Object, hearing cannot be established. Arising solely from the ear is untenable.
- Refuting Arising Solely from Sound (Object): If the Ear-Consciousness arose solely from the Sound Object, it would not be related to hearing. A dead person should also hear sound. If there is no hearing, where does the characteristic of sound reside? If the Ear-Consciousness is the sound, then hearing would be hearing the consciousness. Who is it that knows the Consciousness of Hearing? If the Ear-Consciousness is unknowing, like grass and wood, but a person is not grass and wood—a contradiction.
- Refuting Arising Jointly from Ear and Sound: If the Ear and Sound combined to produce the Ear-Consciousness, if they unite, there is no middle ground for distinction; if they separate, there is no combination. Their fundamental nature is chaotic, making the establishment of a Realm impossible.
Conclusion: Ear, Sound, and Ear-Consciousness are causes and conditions that generate the Ear-Consciousness Realm. Since the three places are all void, they are all illusory. Their fundamental essence is the “Tathagata-garbha, the Wondrous True Suchness Nature,” neither conditioned nor spontaneous. The Ear-Consciousness does not arise solely from the ear or Sound, nor from the combination of Ear and Sound. It has no definable boundaries, manifesting merely in accordance with karma.
4. The Illusion of Nose, Scent, and Nose-Consciousness:
- Refuting Arising Solely from the Nose (Root): If the Nose-Consciousness arose solely from the Nose Root, is the nose the physical form or the capacity for smelling? If it is the physical form, it belongs to the Body Root, which knows touch, not smell, and is therefore irrelevant to the Nose-Consciousness. If the capacity for smelling is the Nose-Consciousness, the physical body knows touch, not smell. If knowing is attributed to emptiness, emptiness knows by itself, and the body has no sensation—a contradiction. Arising solely from the nose is untenable.
- Refuting Arising Solely from Scent (Object): If the Nose-Consciousness arose solely from the Scent Object, knowing belongs to the scent, which is irrelevant to you. If scent and foulness arose from the nose, then I-lan and Sandalwood should have no scent or foulness. If the nose does not have the substance of scent and foulness, when you smell the nose itself, is it scented or foul? Scent and foulness are opposites. If one nose knows two natures, there should be two noses—a contradiction. If consciousness arises from scent, then it should not know the scent; if it knows the scent, then it is not generated by the scent; if it does not know the scent, then it is not consciousness. Scent has no knowing; the Scent Realm cannot be established.
- Refuting Arising Jointly from Nose and Scent: If the Nose and Scent combined to produce the Nose-Consciousness, if they unite, there is no middle ground for distinction; if they separate, there is no combination. Their fundamental nature is chaotic, making the establishment of a Realm impossible.
Conclusion: Nose, Scent, and Nose-Consciousness are causes and conditions that generate the Nose-Consciousness Realm. Since the three places are all void, they are all illusory. Their fundamental essence is the “Tathagata-garbha, the Wondrous True Suchness Nature,” neither conditioned nor spontaneous.
5. Summary: The Eighteen Realms are All Vain, the Fundamental Tathagata-garbha
Through the dissection of the Eye, Form, and Eye-Consciousness, the Ear, Sound, and Ear-Consciousness, and the Nose, Scent, and Nose-Consciousness, the Buddha reveals the illusory nature of the Eighteen Realms:
- Refuting Single and Joint Arising: The concepts of the Root, Object, or Consciousness arising singularly or jointly to produce consciousness are all refuted. Whether from a single cause or joint causes, they are all contradictory and cannot be established.
- No Definable Boundaries: The boundaries of the Eighteen Realms are undefinable. The three places of Root, Object, and Consciousness are all void, being merely illusory manifestations compounded by causes and conditions.
- The True Suchness Nature: Although the Eighteen Realms are illusory, their fundamental essence is the “Tathagata-garbha, the Wondrous True Suchness Nature,” which is neither produced nor destroyed, bright and brilliant, neither conditioned nor spontaneous.
The Eighteen Realms are like scenes in a dream: although they arise dependent on the Wondrous Bright True Mind, they are like images on a screen—they have no true existence.
Thank you!
