English
According to Vibhavini Tika, the material eye itself is called the eye and, according to Manisaramanjusa, the nine material qualities, excluding the sensitive material quaHty of the eye, out of the group of " eye-decad " are called the eye. EAR-DOOR By ear is meant the sensitive clement of the ear, or that material quality in the internal ear, capable of hearing auditory objects. When the ear itself becomes a door, it is known as ear door. NOSE-DOOR By nose is meant the sensitive clement of the nose, or that material quality inside the nose resemblmg a goat's hoof, capable of smelling odours. When the nose itself becomes a door, it is known as nose-door. TONGUE-DOOR By tongue is meant the sensitive element of the tongue, or material quality present in the tongue, capable of tasting sapids. When the tongue itself becomes a door, it is known as tongue- door. BODY-DOOR By body is meant the sensitive element of the body, or the material quality of the body present all over the body, with the exception of the ends of hair, nails, down and dried epithelial scales, capable of perceiving touch. When the body itself becomes a door, it is known as body-door. MIND-DOOR By mind is meant the life-continuum. It is not the ordinary life-continuum, but the life-continuum that gets arrested imme- diately before the consciousness that turns to sense impressions. When the mind itself becomes a door, it is known as mind-door. 175 If such be the case, a question may be asked as to whether •each of the life-continua immediately following rebirth con- sciousness, which also gets arrested before the arising of the succeeding one, is also called the mind-door. They should not be considered as mind-doors, for, from the lirst life-continuum up to the last one in the series, each gets arrested for the origination of the immediately contiguous ones. It is only the life-continuum that gets arrested for the origination of a thought process is called the mind-door. If such be the case, would the life continuum that gets arrested for the origination of a five-door process of thought, whenever a sense impression comes in contact with any of the doors as eye and so on, be called the mind-door ? The reply to that question is in the negative. The life-continuum that gets arrested for the origination of the five-door apprehending is common to all the five doors and not to a particular door. Therefore, it is only the life-continuum that gets arrested before the origination of the mind-door apprehending that is called the mind-door. ILLUSTRATION The life-continuum that gets arrested before the origination •of the five-door apprehending and the mind-door apprehending could be understood by the following illustration : — On a very cloudy day, without any sunshine, when a bird alights on the end of a branch of a tree, its image does not fall on the ground. Similarly, the life-continuum that gets arrested immediately before the arising of the five-door apprehending. Whereas, on the other hand, on a bright sunny day, when a bird alights on the end of a branch of a tree, then that act and the falling of the shadow of the bird take place simultaneously without any appreciable interval of time. Similarly, the life-continuum that gets arrested immediately before the origination of the mind-door apprehending, and objects or concepts coming in contact with the mind-door apprehending cognition take place :simultaneously. 176 CLASSES OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH THE EYE-DOOR The 46 classes of consciousness arising through the eye-door are as follows : — (0 (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) Five-door apprehending Two classes of visual cognition Two classes of recipient consciousness Three classes of investigating consciousness One class of determining consciousness Twenty-nine classes of Kamaloka apperceptions, viz. 12 immoral, i of aesthetic pleasure (ineffective), 8 morally beautiful and 8 ineffective classes conditioned by roots. Eight classes of retention, which are the great resultants- conditioned bv roots Although the three classes of investigating consciousness are also classes of retention they are not included under (7) as they have already been counted under retention class. These classes would be better understood when processes of thought are studied later. CLASSES OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH THE OTHER FOUR DOORS The number of classes of consciousness arising through each of the other four doors is the same. The difference would be the substitution of the corresponding classes of consciousness, such as the two auditory consciousness and so on, m place of visual consciousness. Therefore, it will be seen that there are 54 classes of conscious- ness through the live doors. CLASSES OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH THE MIND-DOOR There are 67 classes of consciousness arising through the mind-door viz : — (i) One class of mind-door apprehending (2) 5 5 classes of apperceptions (3) 1 1 classes of retention. 177 Here, as the three classes of investigation are also included,, the retention classes become eleven. CLASSES OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT ARE DOOR-FREED There are 19 classes of consciousness which do not arise through any of the six doors, but perform the functions of rebirth,^ life-continuum and icdecease. Therefore, they are called 'door- freed.' They are as follows ; — (1) 2 classes of resultant consciousness unconditioned by- roots called investigating consciousness, one resulting from immoral deeds done in a previous birth, and the other from moral deeds done in a previous birth (2) Eight great classes of Kamaldka resultants (3) Five resultants of Rupaloka (4) Four resultants of Arupaloka. OF OBJECT OF CONSCIOUSNESS In the summary of objects, that which is called object is of six kinds, to wit : —visible object, audible object, odorous object, sapid object, tangible object and cognizable object. Here, only one visible form is visible object ; again, only sound is audible object and so forth. Note i Rupa (^lO) here seems to be confined to the vannayatana (©4JiS53GeGJtO), or sense of colour, the only strictly visible object (sanidassana rupan 00 5$5^aODaD djOo), the form,, the figure, the shape (santhana CQ4^±otS^) being known inferentially in any one of the sequels of sense cognition. But cognizable object is classified under six groups, to wit, the sensitive parts of the organs, subtle forms^, cognitions,, mental concomitants, Nibbana and name-and-notion^. 178 Here, of all cognitions arising through the organ of sight, visible form is the object and such visible form as is present. Again, of all cognitions arising through the organs of hearing, smell, taste and touch, the corresponding sense objects only are the objects, and they are present objects. Note i 'Gross' and 'subtle' is one division of all rupa (d^O) or non- mental forms (i.e. material qualities). The former comprises all sense-organs and sense-objects ; the latter, the principles or . states of the two sexes, the vital principle, the two media of communication ( viniiatti ©CS^CXS^), space, certain pro- perties of matter and the nutritive principles in foods. Note 2. Pafiiiatti (Cf5^C5{5^) includes nama pannatti (name or term ) and attha paiinatti (notion, idea or concept). But the object of mmd-door cognition is a sixfold present, past or future object, or one out of time, according to its capacities. Further, the objects of those *door-frced' classes of con- sciousness which are called rebirth, life-continuum and re-decease <:ognitions, are also of six kinds according to circumstances. They have usually been grasped in the immediately preceding existence by way of the six doors ^• they are objects of things either present, or past or they are concepts^. And they are known as Karma, sign of Karma or sign of destiny'*. Note i And that at the time of approaching death. Note 2 The attha paiiiiatti ( Qe30O£3^i5x9 ) is here intended, that is, the idea, the notion or the concept. Note 3 Gatinimittan ( ® cS s©®(550o ), literally, 'sign of going' or of the objective of one's going, that is, of one's destiny. 179 Of those classes of consciousness which have this or that object, visual cognition has visible form only as its object; similarly, in the case of the other four senses. But the objects of the triple element of apprehension* are five-fold, being the five sense-objects. The remaining kinds of Kamaloka resultant consciousness, as well as aesthetic pleasure,, have in all cases only Kamaloka objects.