–Volume 3(Part2)
Author: Fafu
Translator : Lotus
Dear Dharma friends！
Hello everyone. Welcome to this episode of the podcast contributed by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we continue to explore how the Buddha analyzes the “Six Entrances,” focusing on the illusory nature of the tongue entrance, body entrance, and mind entrance, guiding us toward realizing the “Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true nature.”
1. The Essence of the Six Entrances: The Illusory Fatigue Phenomena
The Buddha teaches that the Six Entrances arise from the discriminative mind of sentient beings. They depend on external objects (dust) and have no inherent substance when separated from them, being merely “The illusory fatigue phenomena” like dreams or mirages. The Six Consciousnesses (eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness) manifest based on the inherent nature of Bodhi, yet due to continuous perception and conditioning, they give rise to illusory phenomena. Their essence, however, is the “Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true nature,” which is pure and unchanging.
2. The Illusory Nature of the Tongue Entrance
When the tongue tastes flavors, it perceives bitterness, sweetness, blandness, and so forth. This “knowing of taste” (tongue-consciousness) arises due to illusory external objects such as “sweetness, bitterness, or blandness” and is mistakenly regarded as the inherent nature of tasting.
The sutra states: “This knowing of taste, when separated from the objects of sweetness, bitterness, or blandness, ultimately has no substance.” If the ability to know taste is considered the inherent nature, it would cease to exist without the phenomena of sweetness, bitterness, sourness, spiciness, or blandness. Yet, the true inherent nature is ever-present and constant.
The Buddha further refutes the source of the tasting nature:
It does not arise from sweetness, bitterness, or blandness: If the tasting nature came from “sweetness or bitterness,” it could not perceive blandness; if it came from “blandness,” it could not perceive sweetness, bitterness, sourness, or spiciness. Yet, the tasting nature can perceive all flavors, proving it does not arise from these objects.
It does not arise from the tongue organ: If it arose from the tongue organ, it would not distinguish between sweetness, bitterness, or blandness and would taste everything uniformly.
It does not arise from space: If it arose from space, space itself would taste, regardless of whether the tongue is involved.
Conclusion: The tongue entrance is illusory and not truly existent. Its essence is the “Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true nature,” neither arising from causes and conditions nor occurring naturally.
3. The Illusory Nature of the Body Entrance
The Buddha uses the example of “a cold hand touching a warm hand” to illustrate the sensation of touch (the ability to perceive contact and separation). This “knowing of sensation” (body-consciousness) arises due to the illusory external objects of “contact and separation” or “comfort and discomfort” and is mistakenly regarded as the inherent nature of sensation.
The sutra reveals: “This knowing of sensation, when separated from the objects of contact, separation, comfort, or discomfort, ultimately has no substance.” If body-consciousness is taken as the inherent nature of sensation, it is mistaken. Once separated from the phenomena of contact, separation, comfort, or discomfort, it ceases to exist; it is not the true nature of sensation. The true nature of sensation is constant.
The Buddha further refutes the source of the sensation nature:
It does not arise from contact, separation, comfort, or discomfort: If the sensation nature came from “separation,” it could not perceive contact; if it came from “contact,” it could not perceive comfort or discomfort. Yet, the sensation nature can perceive all these, proving it does not arise from these objects.
It does not arise from the body organ: If it arose from the body organ, it would not distinguish between contact, separation, comfort, or discomfort and would sense everything uniformly.
It does not arise from space: If it arose from space, space itself would sense, regardless of whether the body is involved.
Conclusion: The body entrance is illusory and not truly existent. Its essence is the “Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true nature,” neither arising from causes and conditions nor occurring naturally.
4. The Illusory Nature of the Mind Entrance
Mind-consciousness manifests as phenomena such as “fatigue leading to sleep, awakening from deep sleep, recalling objects upon seeing them, and forgetting when memory is lost.” This “knowing awareness” (mind-consciousness) arises due to the illusory internal objects of “wakefulness, sleep, arising, and ceasing” and is mistakenly regarded as the inherent nature of awareness.
The sutra clarifies: “This knowing awareness, when separated from the objects of wakefulness, sleep, arising, or ceasing, ultimately has no substance.” If mind-consciousness is separated from the phenomena of wakefulness, sleep, or the arising and ceasing of memories in the mind, it ceases to exist. The true nature of awareness is constant.
The Buddha refutes the source of the awareness nature:
It does not arise from wakefulness, sleep, arising, or ceasing: If the awareness nature came from “wakefulness,” it could not perceive sleep; if it came from “sleep,” it could not perceive wakefulness. Yet, the awareness nature can perceive wakefulness, sleep, arising, and ceasing, proving it does not arise from these objects.
It does not arise from the mind organ: If it arose from the mind organ, it would not distinguish between wakefulness, sleep, arising, or ceasing and would know everything uniformly.
It does not arise from space: If it arose from space, space itself would know, regardless of whether the mind is involved.
Conclusion: The mind entrance is illusory and not truly existent. Its essence is the “Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true nature,” neither arising from causes and conditions nor occurring naturally.
5. Summary: The Six Entrances Are Illusory, the Treasury of the Tathagata Through analyzing the tongue, body, and mind entrances, the Buddha reveals the illusory nature of the Six Entrances:
Dependent on objects: Tongue-consciousness depends on sweetness, bitterness, or blandness; body-consciousness depends on contact, separation, comfort, or discomfort; and mind-consciousness depends on wakefulness, sleep, arising, or ceasing. All are illusory phenomena arising from toilsome objects, lacking substance when separated from them.
No true reality: The Six Entrances are merely products of the discriminative mind, with no independent existence. They are not truly existent, being only “phenomena that arise momentarily and cease wherever they occur.”
The true nature: Though the Six Entrances are illusory, their essence is the “Tathagatagarbha, the wondrous true nature,” which is unborn, undying, and eternally pure.
The Six Entrances are like a dream, manifesting based on the wondrously clear true mind. Due to continuous perception and conditioning, they give rise to the illusory fatigue phenomena.
Thank you all!
