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one breaks the bodily fetter of clinging to rites and rituals, one does not cling to clinging to views. Such is the great benefit, since seeing them as a murderer and so on; Therefore, the wise one, the aggregates, should see as a murderer and so on. Thus, in the Visuddhimagga, made for the joy of good people, in the section on the development of wisdom, is the Exposition of the Aggregates, the Fourteenth Chapter. 15. Exposition of Sense Bases and Elements Detailed Account of Sense Bases 510. The sense bases are twelve sense bases – the eye sense base, the form sense base, the ear sense base, the sound sense base, the nose sense base, the smell sense base, the tongue sense base, the taste... the sense-base, the body-base, the tangible-base, the mind-base, the phenomena-base. Therein – By meaning, by characteristic, by extent, By summary, by detail, And by way of being seen, The determination is to be known. Therein, specifically, "it sees" is the eye; it tastes and makes manifest forms, that is the meaning. "It forms" is form; it manifests a change of color, becoming heart-pleasing, that is the meaning. "It hears" is the ear. "It spreads" is sound; it is uttered, that is the meaning. "It smells" is the nose. "It scents" is smell; it indicates its own object, that is the meaning. "It calls forth life" is the tongue. "Beings taste it" is taste; they savor it, that is the meaning. "It is the coming forth of blameworthy, defiled phenomena" is the body. "It is the place of arising" is the meaning. "It is touched" is the tangible. "It knows" is the mind. "They bear their own characteristics" are phenomena. 511. Without distinction, however, it should be understood as "sense-base" (āyatana) because it is a coming forth (āyatana), because it extends the comings forth (āyānaṃ tananato), and because it leads forth the extended (āyatassa ca nayanato). For in the eye, form, and so on, the mind and mental factors, which are those respective doors and objects, come forth, arise, strive, and endeavor by their own respective functions of experiencing, and so on. And it is said that these extend (tanonti) those phenomena that are comings forth (āyabhūte). And it is said that these lead forth (nayanteva), that is, continue, this exceedingly extended (ātīva āyataṃ) suffering of cyclic existence (saṃsāradukkhaṃ) that has been going on in this beginningless (anamatagge) cyclic existence (saṃsāre), until it ceases. Thus, all these phenomena are called "sense-base" (āyatana), "sense-base" (āyatana), because of being a coming forth (āyatanato), because of extending the comings forth (āyānaṃ tananato), and because of leading forth the extended (āyatassa ca nayanato). 512. Furthermore, "sense-base" (āyatana) should be understood in the sense of a dwelling place, in the sense of a mine, in the sense of a gathering place, in the sense of a place of origin, and in the sense of a cause. Thus, in the world, in expressions like "the dwelling place of Isvara, the dwelling place of Vasudeva," a dwelling place is called a sense-base. In expressions like "a mine of gold, a mine of silver," it is a mine. But in the Dispensation, in expressions like "birds frequent delightful sense-bases," it is a gathering place. In expressions like "the southern region is the origin of cows," it is a place of origin. The reason for statements like: "in each and every case, one attains the capacity for direct experience when there is a sense-base, in each sense-base" (A.N. 3.102). And those various mental and mental concomitant phenomena dwell in the eye and so on, because their existence depends on them; thus, the eye and so on are their dwelling place. And they are abundant in the eye and so on, because they depend on them and have them as their object; thus, the eye and so on are their mine. And the eye and so on are their meeting place, because they converge there in terms of base, door, and object. And the eye and so on are their place of origin, because they arise right there, being dependent on them and having them as object. And the eye and so on are their cause, because in their absence, they are absent. Thus, in the sense of a dwelling place, in the sense of a mine, in the sense of a meeting place, in the sense of a place of origin, and in the sense of a cause—for these reasons too, these phenomena are called "āyatana, āyatana." Therefore, by the meaning stated above, the eye and that sense-base is the eye-sense-base... (and so on)... and phenomena and those sense-bases are the phenomena-sense-base; thus, the determination here should be understood by its meaning. 513. By characteristics: the determination here should be understood by the characteristics of the eye and so on. And those characteristics of theirs should be known in the manner stated in the section on aggregates. As for "tāvatvata": it is due to the state of being so many. This is what is said: "The eye and so on are indeed just phenomena. This being the case, why, without just saying 'phenomena-sense-base,' are they called 'twelve sense-bases'?" Due to the distinction of the door and object for the arising of the six consciousness-groups, here, because of the distinction of the six consciousness-groups as doors and as objects, this is their distinction; thus, they are called twelve. For the consciousness-group included in the eye-consciousness process, the eye-sense-base itself is the door of arising, and the form-sense-base itself is the object; similarly, the others for the others. But for the sixth (consciousness-group), only a part of the mind-sense-base, called the life-continuum mind, is the door of arising, and the phenomena-sense-base itself, which is not common, is the object. Thus, due to the distinction of the door and object for the arising of the six consciousness-groups, they are called twelve. Thus, this determination should be understood here. 514. By order: Here too, among the orders of arising, etc., mentioned previously, the order of teaching is appropriate. For among the internal sense bases, the eye-base is evident because it has visible and impinging objects, so it is taught first. Then the ear-base and others, which have invisible and impinging objects. Or, because of their great usefulness as causes for the pre-eminence of sight and the pre-eminence of hearing, the eye-base and ear-base among the internal sense bases are taught first, then the three, the nose-base and others. The mind-base is last, because it is the sphere of all five. The external sense bases, the form-base and others, are in between, because they are the objects of the eye-base and others. Moreover, this order of these should be understood from the determination of the causes of the arising of consciousness. For it is said: "Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises... dependent on the mind and mental phenomena, mind-consciousness arises." Thus, this determination should be understood here by order. 515. In brief and in detail: In brief, all twelve sense bases are merely name and form, being comprised of the mind-base and a part of the mental phenomena base by way of name, and the remaining sense bases by way of form. In detail, among the internal sense bases, the eye-base is merely the eye-sensitivity in terms of kind, but it is of infinite variety in terms of the distinction of causes, paths, groups, and individuals. Similarly, the four, the ear-base and others. The mind-base is of eighty-nine kinds, and of one hundred and twenty-one kinds, by way of the distinction of wholesome, unwholesome, resultant, and functional consciousness. But it is of infinite variety in terms of the distinction of bases, practices, and so on. The form, sound, smell, and taste bases are of infinite variety in terms of the distinction of dissimilar causes and so on. The tangible base is of three kinds, by way of the earth element, fire element, and air element. It is of many kinds in terms of the distinction of causes and so on. The mental phenomena base is of many kinds in terms of the distinction of the inherent nature of the aggregates of feeling, perception, and mental formations, subtle matter, and Nibbāna. Thus, in brief and in detail. to be understood is the decision. 516. As for "to be seen," all conditioned sense bases are to be seen as not coming and not going. For they do not come from anywhere before their arising, nor do they go anywhere after their perishing. Rather, they are without an attained nature before their arising, and their nature is broken up after their perishing. They exist dependently on conditions in the middle between the past and future ends. Therefore, they are to be seen as not coming and not going. Similarly, they are to be seen as without striving and without activity. For it does not occur to the eye, forms, etc., "Oh, if only consciousness would arise in our combination!" Nor do they strive or engage in activity for the production of consciousness, whether as a door, a basis, or an object. Rather, it is a natural law that eye-consciousness, etc., arise when the eye, forms, etc., combine. Therefore, they are to be seen as without striving and without activity. Furthermore, the internal sense bases are to be seen like an empty village, being devoid of permanence, beauty, happiness, and self. The external ones are like village-destroying robbers, as they assail the internal ones. For it has been said, "The eye, monks, is assailed by agreeable and disagreeable forms," and so on. Furthermore, the internal sense bases are to be seen like six creatures, and the external ones like their pastures. Thus, in this way, the decision regarding "to be seen" is to be understood. This is the introduction to the detailed explanation of the sense bases. Detailed Explanation of Elements 517.