English
as the second ram, so should form be seen; as the convergence of them, so should contact be seen." Thus, contact has the characteristic of touching and the function of impact. "Just as, great king, two cymbals might strike...pe... two hands might strike, as one hand, so should the eye be seen, as the second hand, so should form be seen; as the convergence of them, so should contact be seen. Thus, contact has the characteristic of touching and the function of impact" (M. i, 2.3.8)— the elaboration. Or, just as in "having seen form with the eye," and so on (Dhs. 1352, 1354), eye-consciousness and so on are spoken of by the name of eye and so on, so this is. These also, it should be understood, are spoken of by way of eye and so on. Therefore, in "Thus the eye is to be seen," and so on, the meaning should be understood in this way: "Thus, eye-consciousness is to be seen." Thus, since there is contact from the collision of mind and object, in this sutta also, by way of function, it is established that contact has the characteristic of collision. However, because it is declared in terms of its own cause, which is called the triad-meeting, it has the characteristic of meeting. For it is declared in various places, "The meeting of three is contact," thus in terms of its cause. And the meaning of this sutta-passage is that contact is the meeting of three; not that mere meeting is contact. However, because it is declared thus, it arises in that very way, therefore it is called having the characteristic of meeting. By way of result, however, by way of arising, it is called having the characteristic of feeling. For it causes feeling to arise, that is, it produces it. And as it produces, just as heat arising from the element called lac, even due to an external heat-condition, causes softness in its basis, but not in the external heat-condition called spent embers, so too, although it arises from another condition, called object, because it is based on the mind, it is the producer of feeling in its basis, the mind, but not in its condition, the object. However, it should be understood that because it arises without interruption in the sphere encompassed by the sense faculty and the collection of things arising from it, it is called having the characteristic of the object that has come into range. Feeling is what feels. It has the characteristic of feeling, the characteristic of experiencing, or the characteristic of enjoying a pleasant form, it has the characteristic of mental satisfaction, it has the characteristic of tranquility. "Indeed, there is no four-level feeling that does not have the characteristic of feeling. However, the characteristic of experiencing is found only in pleasant feeling," having said this, and then rejecting that statement, "Whether it is pleasant feeling, painful feeling, or neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, all have the characteristic of experiencing," having said this, this meaning is explained – the experience of the flavor of the object. Having reached destruction, the remaining associated states experience only a portion. For contact, there is only the touching; for perception, only the perceiving; for volition, only the willing; for consciousness, only the knowing. But with mastery, confidence, and ownership, the feeling experiences the flavor of the object to a full extent. For feeling is like a king, the remaining states like a cook. Just as a cook, having prepared food of various flavors, puts it in a basket, marks it, presents it to the king, breaks the seal, opens the basket, takes the best of all the curries and sauces, puts it in a dish, and tastes it to examine its good and bad qualities, then presents the food of various excellent flavors to the king. The king, with mastery, confidence, and ownership, eats as he pleases. There, the tasting of the food by the cook is like the partial experience of the object's flavor by the remaining states. Just as the cook tastes only a portion of the food, so too do the remaining states experience only a portion of the object's flavor. But just as the king, with mastery, confidence, and ownership, eats as he wishes, so too does feeling, with mastery, confidence, and ownership, experience the flavor of the object. Therefore, it is called the flavor of experiencing. In the second interpretation of meaning, the feeling intended here, in whatever way it may be, enjoys only the agreeable aspect of the object, thus it is called the flavor of enjoying the agreeable aspect. Since it is the mental satisfaction, with reference to its own nature, it is called the manifestation of mental satisfaction. Since "one feels ease with a calmed body," it should be understood as having tranquility as its basis. Perception recognizes the object as blue, etc. It has recognition as its characteristic, and re-cognition as its function. For there is no perception in the four planes that does not have recognition as its characteristic. All have recognition as their characteristic. But that which recognizes with identification is called having re-cognition as its function. She, having made a mark on the wood of Vaḍḍhaki, and again, at the time of recognizing it by that mark, like when one observes a mark such as a black mole on a person and then, at the time of recognizing him by that mark, saying, "This is so-and-so"; and like when the treasurer of the king's ornaments, having tied a name tag on each ornament, when told, "Bring such-and-such ornament," lights a lamp, enters the jewel chamber, reads the tag, and brings that very ornament—the process should be understood. Another way: Saññā, indeed, has the characteristic of perceiving in a comprehensive manner. Its function is to make the sign a condition for re-cognition, like carpenters in relation to wood and other materials. Its manifestation is to cause attachment according to the sign as it was grasped, like the blind men who touched the elephant. Or its manifestation is to remain briefly, due to its unstable functioning in the object, like lightning. Its basis is the subject that appears, like the perception of "men" that arises in young animals towards scarecrows. Whatever saññā here is associated with knowledge, that saññā follows knowledge itself. It should be understood that the remaining phenomena in conditioned earth and so on are like earth and so on. Cetanā, because it intends, that is, it directs the phenomena associated with itself towards the object. Its characteristic is intending, that is, the characteristic of the state of intention. Its function is accumulation. For there is no four-plane cetanā that does not have the characteristic of intending. All have the characteristic of intending. But the function of accumulation exists only in the wholesome and unwholesome. For having reached the place of accumulating wholesome and unwholesome karma, the remaining associated phenomena have only a small part of the task. But cetanā has extra effort, extra exertion, double the effort, double the exertion. Therefore, the ancients said, "And this cetanā is established in a stable nature." "Thāvariya" means the owner of the field. Just as the owner of the field, taking fifty-five strong men, descends into the field together, thinking, "I will reap." His effort is extra, his exertion is extra, double. Then effort is doubled, exertion is doubled, it says, "Take it up continuously," and so on, it indicates the boundary, it knows their liquor, rice, perfume, garlands, and so on, it makes the path even. This attainment should be understood thus. Consciousness is like a field owner. Fifty-five skillful qualities arisen as parts of the mind are like fifty-five bali men. When the field owner doubles his effort and exertion, so too, when consciousness reaches the place of accumulating skillful and unskillful actions, effort is doubled, exertion is doubled. Thus its essence of accumulation should be understood. Now, this has the characteristic of organizing. Organizing, it arises, accomplishing its own task and the tasks of others, like a senior student, a master carpenter, and so on. Just as a senior student, seeing his teacher coming from afar, while studying himself, sets the other boys to their respective studies, when he begins to study, they too study, following his lead. And just as a master carpenter, while planing himself, sets the other carpenters to their respective planing tasks, when he begins to plane, they too plane, following his lead. And just as a war leader, while fighting himself, sets the other soldiers to their fighting duties, when he begins to fight, they too fight without retreating, following his lead. Likewise, this too, proceeding in its own task with the object, sets the other associated qualities to their respective functions. When she begins her own task, those associated with her also begin. Therefore it is said, "Accomplishing its own task and the tasks of others, like a senior student, a master carpenter, and so on." And in remembering urgent tasks and so on, it should be understood that this, proceeding as the encouragement of its associates, becomes evident. The meaning of the word "citta" has already been stated in the way, "It thinks of the object." But in terms of characteristic and so on, citta has the characteristic of knowing, the function of being foremost, the manifestation of organizing, The base is the establishment of the immaterial. For in the four planes of existence, there is no consciousness that does not have the characteristic of knowing. All have the characteristic of knowing. But having reached the door, in the place of discerning the object, consciousness is the forerunner, the scout. For with the eye, one knows a seen object with consciousness… with the mind, one knows a cognized object with consciousness. Just as a city guard, sitting in the middle of the city at a crossroads, determines and ascertains people as they come,