Analysis of the Six Realms
Six internal realms are to be experienced:
The realm of the eye
The realm of the ear
The realm of the nose
The realm of the tongue
The realm of the body
The realm of the mind
Six external realms are to be experienced:
The realm of shapes
The realm of sounds
The realm of scents
The realm of tastes
The realm of touch
The realm of things
Six bodies of consciousness are to be experienced:
Eye consciousness
Ear consciousness
Nose consciousness
Tongue consciousness
Body consciousness
Mind consciousness
Six bodies (kaya) of self-contact (sam-phassa) are to be experienced:
Eye self-contact
Ear self-contact
Nose self-contact
Tongue self-contact
Body self-contact
Mind self-contact
It is at this point, where sense organ meets sense-object, that individualized perception of sense arises; emerges from an undifferentiated background.
Eighteen ponderings are to be experienced:
Seeing forms with the eye
Thinking arising from forms on which satisfaction is established;
thinking arising from forms on which dissatisfaction is established;
thinking arising from forms on which detachment is established.
Hearing sounds with the ear
Thinking arising from sounds on which satisfaction is established;
thinking arising from sounds on which dissatisfaction is established;
thinking arising from sounds on which detachment is established.
Smelling scents with the nose
Thinking arising from scents on which satisfaction is established;
thinking arising from scents on which dissatisfaction is established;
thinking arising from scents on which detachment is established.
Savoring tastes with the tongue
Thinking arising from tastes on which satisfaction is established;
thinking arising from tastes on which dissatisfaction is established;
thinking arising from tastes on which detachment is established.
Feeling contacts with the body
Thinking arising from contacts on which satisfaction is established;
thinking arising from contacts on which dissatisfaction is established;
thinking arising from contacts on which detachment is established.
Consciousness of things with the mind
Thinking arising from things on which satisfaction is established;
thinking arising from things on which dissatisfaction is established;
thinking arising from things on which detachment is established.
Thirty-six paths beings tread are to be experienced:
Six worldly situations giving satisfaction
Getting the experience of or contemplating getting the experience of or recollecting the getting of the experience of seeing pleasing forms with the eye;
Getting the experience of or contemplating getting the experience of or recollecting the getting of the experience of hearing pleasing sounds with the ear;
Getting the experience of or contemplating getting the experience of or recollecting the getting of the experience of smelling pleasing scents with the nose;
Getting the experience of or contemplating getting the experience of or recollecting the getting of the experience of savoring pleasing tastes with the tongue;
Getting the experience of or contemplating getting the experience of or recollecting the getting of the experience of feeling pleasing contacts with the body;
Getting the experience of or contemplating getting the experience of or recollecting the getting of the experience of being conscious of pleasing things with the mind;
Six world-abandoning situations giving satisfaction
Seeing the impermanence of forms seen with the eye and realizing that past, future or present, all forms are impermanent and ultimately painful;
Seeing the impermanence of sounds heard with the ear and realizing that past, future or present, all sounds are impermanent and ultimately painful;
Seeing the impermanence of scents smelled with the nose and realizing that past, future or present, all scents are impermanent and ultimately painful;
Seeing the impermanence of tastes savored with the tongue and realizing that past, future or present, all tastes are impermanent and ultimately painful;
Seeing the impermanence of contacts felt with the body and realizing that past, future or present, all contacts are impermanent and ultimately painful;
Seeing the impermanence of being conscious of things with the mind and realizing that past, future or present, all things are impermanent and ultimately painful;
Six worldly situations giving dissatisfaction
Not getting the experience of or contemplating not getting the experience of or recollecting the not having gotten the experience of seeing pleasing forms with the eye;
Not getting the experience of or contemplating not getting the experience of or recollecting the not having gotten the experience of hearing pleasing sounds with the ear;
Not getting the experience of or contemplating not getting the experience of or recollecting the not having gotten the experience of smelling pleasing scents with the nose;
Not getting the experience of or contemplating not getting the experience of or recollecting the not having gotten the experience of savoring pleasing tastes with the tongue;
Not getting the experience of or contemplating not getting the experience of or recollecting the not having gotten the experience of feeling pleasing contacts with the body;
Not getting the experience of or contemplating not getting the experience of or recollecting the not having gotten the experience of being conscious of pleasing things with the mind;
Six world-abandoning situations giving dissatisfaction
Seeing the impermanence of forms seen with the eye and realizing that past, future or present, all forms are impermanent and ultimately painful; and thinking: "O O O when will I enter on and abide in that ultimate freedom in which the Arahant abides!" he experiences dissatisfaction in connection with abandoning the worldly.
Seeing the impermanence of sounds heard with the ear and realizing that past, future or present, all sounds are impermanent and ultimately painful; and thinking: "O O O when will I enter on and abide in that ultimate freedom in which the Arahant abides!" he experiences dissatisfaction in connection with abandoning the worldly.
Seeing the impermanence of scents smelled with the nose and realizing that past, future or present, all scents are impermanent and ultimately painful; and thinking: "O O O when will I enter on and abide in that ultimate freedom in which the Arahant abides!" he experiences dissatisfaction in connection with abandoning the worldly.
Seeing the impermanence of tastes savored with the tongue and realizing that past, future or present, all tastes are impermanent and ultimately painful; and thinking: "O O O when will I enter on and abide in that ultimate freedom in which the Arahant abides!" he experiences dissatisfaction in connection with abandoning the worldly.
Seeing the impermanence of contacts felt with the body and realizing that past, future or present, all contacts are impermanent and ultimately painful; and thinking: "O O O when will I enter on and abide in that ultimate freedom in which the Arahant abides!" he experiences dissatisfaction in connection with abandoning the worldly.
Seeing the impermanence of being conscious of things with the mind and realizing that past, future or present, all things are impermanent and ultimately painful; and thinking: "O O O when will I enter on and abide in that ultimate freedom in which the Arahant abides!" he experiences dissatisfaction in connection with abandoning the worldly.
Six worldly situations resulting from detachment
To the ordinary common person, having seen a form with the eye, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Not having seen the danger in and not having overcome desire for pleasurable sights, the detachment that arises is the detachment of the worldly. Such detachment is a mental state; dependent on seeing worldly forms which are impermanent and therefore it is itself impermanent. Such detachment carries with it the underlying tendency to blindness followed by desires which result in conjuring up (upadana) ways to get such, which results in existence, birth, aging, sickness, suffering and death, grief and lamentation, pain and misery and despair.
To the ordinary common person, having heard a sound with the ear, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Not having seen the danger in and not having overcome desire for pleasurable sounds, the detachment that arises is the detachment of the worldly. Such detachment is a mental state; dependent on hearing worldly sounds which are impermanent and therefore it is itself impermanent. Such detachment carries with it the underlying tendency to blindness followed by desires which result in conjuring up ways to get such, which results in existence, birth, aging, sickness, suffering and death, grief and lamentation, pain and misery and despair.
To the ordinary common person, having smelled a scent with the nose, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Not having seen the danger in and not having overcome desire for pleasurable scents, the detachment that arises is the detachment of the worldly. Such detachment is a mental state; dependent on smelling worldly smells which are impermanent and therefore it is itself impermanent. Such detachment carries with it the underlying tendency to blindness followed by desires which result in conjuring up ways to get such, which results in existence, birth, aging, sickness, suffering and death, grief and lamentation, pain and misery and despair.
To the ordinary common person, having tasted a savour with the tongue, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Not having seen the danger in and not having overcome desire for pleasurable tastes, the detachment that arises is the detachment of the worldly. Such detachment is a mental state; dependent on tasting worldly savours which are impermanent and therefore it is itself impermanent. Such detachment carries with it the underlying tendency to blindness followed by desires which result in conjuring up ways to get such, which results in existence, birth, aging, sickness, suffering and death, grief and lamentation, pain and misery and despair.
To the ordinary common person, having felt a contact with the body, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Not having seen the danger in and not having overcome desire for pleasurable contacts, the detachment that arises is the detachment of the worldly. Such detachment is a mental state; dependent on feeling worldly contacts which are impermanent and therefore it is itself impermanent. Such detachment carries with it the underlying tendency to blindness followed by desires which result in conjuring up ways to get such, which results in existence, birth, aging, sickness, suffering and death, grief and lamentation, pain and misery and despair.
To the ordinary common person, having had consciousness of a thing with the mind, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Not having seen the danger in and not having overcome desire for pleasurable states of consciousness, the detachment that arises is the detachment of the worldly. Such detachment is a mental state; dependent on being conscious of worldly things which are impermanent and therefore it is itself impermanent. Such detachment carries with it the underlying tendency to blindness followed by desires which result in conjuring up ways to get such, which results in existence, birth, aging, sickness, suffering and death, grief and lamentation, pain and misery and despair.
Six world-abandoning situations resulting from detachment
To the well educated student of the Aristocrat having seen a form with the eye, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Seeing the impermanence of forms seen with the eye and realizing that past, future or present, all forms are impermanent and ultimately painful, he experiences the detachment of the world-abandoning. Such detachment goes beyond this world to detachment from all that which has been own-made.
To the well educated student of the Aristocrat having heard a sound with the ear, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Seeing the impermanence of sounds heard with the ear and realizing that past, future or present, all sounds are impermanent and ultimately painful, he experiences the detachment of the world-abandoning. Such detachment goes beyond this world to detachment from all that which has been own-made.
To the well educated student of the Aristocrat having smelled a scent with the nose, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Seeing the impermanence of scents smelled with the nose and realizing that past, future or present, all scents are impermanent and ultimately painful, he experiences the detachment of the world-abandoning. Such detachment goes beyond this world to detachment from all that which has been own-made.
To the well educated student of the Aristocrat having tasted a savour with the tongue, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Seeing the impermanence of savours tasted with the tongue and realizing that past, future or present, all savours are impermanent and ultimately painful, he experiences the detachment of the world-abandoning. Such detachment goes beyond this world to detachment from all that which has been own-made.
To the well educated student of the Aristocrat having felt a contact with the body, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Seeing the impermanence of contacts felt with the body and realizing that past, future or present, all contacts are impermanent and ultimately painful, he experiences the detachment of the world-abandoning. Such detachment goes beyond this world to detachment from all that which has been own-made.
To the well educated student of the Aristocrat having cognized a thing with the mind, there arises not-painful-but-not-pleasant experience. Seeing the impermanence of things cognized with the mind and realizing that past, future or present, all things are impermanent and ultimately painful, he experiences the detachment of the world-abandoning. Such detachment goes beyond this world to detachment from all that which has been own-made.
Using the one,
abandon the other.
Using the six world-abandoning situations giving satisfaction,
abandon the six worldly situations giving satisfaction.
Using the six world-abandoning situations giving dissatisfaction
abandon the six worldly situations giving dissatisfaction.
Using the six world-abandoning situations resulting from detachment
abandon the six worldly situations resulting from detachment.
■
There is a diversity of detachments where detachment is situated on the diverse:
Such is detachment from form,
such is that from sound,
such is that from scent,
such is that from savour,
such is that from contact.
Note that in this case there is no detachment situated on the mind. Such a thing is not possible. This sort of detachment is detachment while still identifying with a self and that, being an idea in the mind, precludes detachment from the mind.
There is a single sort of detachment where detachment is situated on that which is not based on diversity of perception:
Such is detachment from the Realm of the Space-situated;
such is that from the Realm of the Consciousness-situated;
such is that from the Realm of the No Things Had There-situated;
such is that from the Realm of Neither-Perception-nor-Non-Perception-situated.
In this case the nature of the detachment is the same for each situation because the nature of each situation on which that detachment is based is the same: abandoning. The Realm of Space, for example is arrived at by wholly transcending perception of forms, by the settling down of perception of sensory reactions, by not attending to perception of variety, thinking: 'Space is unending,'; the Realm of Consciousness is arrived at by abandoning the Realm of Space, etc. Said another way, there is detachment attached to 'things' (equanimity) which changes from thing to thing, and there is detachment from all things which is based on the single process that is abandoning (upekkha)
Using the single detachment singly-situated,
abandon diversity detachment diversity-situated.
— based on, but not a translation of MN 137.
References:
See also: MN 148. An elaboration in great detail of the not-self nature of the six sense realms.
MN 152. The Buddha instructs Ānanda on the attitude which should be developed with regard to the sense organs, their objects, and the sensations and emotions arising from sense experience. He then describes it as a power of one who has so developed his sense faculties that he can, at will live with whatever attitude and perceptions he may wish among both the ugly and the beautiful.
