The Sanskrit term āyatana (dwelling place) comes from the verb ‘to seat’ or ‘to set up’ (yātate). It was used in reference to the ritual site as a place of correspondence (bandhu) between the worshipper and the gods. A dwelling place (āyatana) is the place where shared satisfaction (sukha) is obtained in the ritual work (kamma) of creation. That ritual work (kamma) is sacrifice.
In the Paṭhamadvayasutta (SN 35.92) Buddha describes the six-fold dwelling place of sense (saḷāyatana) a dyad (dvayaṁ) that consists of an inner dwelling place (ajjhattikāni āyatana), or sense power (indriya), and an outer dwelling place (bāhirāni āyatana), or sense field (viṣaya). The saḷāyatana differs from Western sense, because it includes mind (mano) as a sense power (indriya).
It’s just the eye and sights (cakkhuñceva rūpā), ear and sounds (sotañceva saddā), nose and smells (ghānañceva gandhā), tongue and tastes (jivhā ceva rasā), body and touches (kāyo ceva phoṭṭhabbā), mind and phenomena (mano ceva dhammā).
Suppose someone were to say, I’ll destroy the conditions (paccakkhāya) of this dyad and describe another. He’d have no language for that (vācāvatthukamevassa). He be stumped by questions and end up vexed (vighātaṁ).
What would be the cause (hetu) for that? Because he is without sense fields (avisayasmin)
Paṭhamadvayasutta (SN 35.92)
The sense powers (indriya), per se, are our six sense organs. So, there is a perceptual gap in the dyad (dvayaṁ): ‘this here’ (idha) and ‘that there’ (huraṃ). One way to describe the dependent relation (paṭicca) this sensory gap creates is to say ‘that there’ (huraṃ) depends on ‘this here’ (idha). What we are coming to is the suttas’ presentation of sense consciousness (viññāṇa) as media, similar to Siegfried Zielinski’s notion of media as “spaces of action for constructed attempts to connect what is separated” (Deep Time of the Media, pg.7).
There are a number of suttas that illustrate this. For instance, the Dukkhasamudayasutta (SN 35.106) states that sense consciousness (viññāṇa) arises in dependence upon both its sense power (indriya) and its sense field (viṣaya). The sensory event is called contact (phassa). Contact (phassa) becomes present when the saḷāyatana and corresponding consciousness (viññāṇa) converge.
Eye consciousness (cakkhuviññāṇaṁ) arises (uppajjati) depending on the eye and sights (cakkhuñca paṭicca rūpe ca). The meeting of the three is contact (tiṇṇaṁ saṅgati phasso) ….
Dukkhasamudayasutta, (SN 35.106)
The Āhārasutta (SN 12.11) calls the saḷāyatana the first knot (saḷāyatananidāno), the arising (saḷāyatanasamudayo), the birth (saḷāyatanajātiko) and the root (saḷāyatanapabhavo) of contact (phassa). Hence, the six-fold dwelling place of contact (channaṃ phassāyatanānaṃ) parallels the saḷāyatana, as found in the Paṭhamachaphassāyatanasutta (SN 35.71).
The Vibhaṅgasutta (SN 12.2) makes this dependency relation between the saḷāyatana, contact (phassa) and sense consciousness (viññāṇa) more clear. It specifically states that the sense powers (indriya) condition (paccayā) contact (phassa).
The six-fold dwelling place of sense conditions (saḷāyatanapaccayā) contact (phasso). And what is the six-fold dwelling place of sense (saḷāyatanaṁ)?
The dwelling place of eye (cakkhāyatanaṁ), ear (sotāyatanaṁ) nose (ghānāyatanaṁ), tongue (jivhāyatanaṁ), body (kāyāyatanaṁ) and mind (manāyatanaṁ).
Vibhaṅgasutta (SN 12.2)
The Uṇṇābhabrāhmaṇasutta (SN 48.42) maps out the sensory system in detail. It states that five sense powers (pañcimāni indriyāni) can only discriminate (vijānāti) their own sense field (viṣaya). The sixth power (indriya), the mind (manas), alone, undergoes (paccanubhotī) the entire six-fold dwelling place of sense (saḷāyatana). So mind (manas) is a somatic sense organ. Needless to say, it also discriminates (vijānāti) its own sense power (indriya) and sense field (viṣaya) at mental contact (manosamphassa).
These five sense powers (pañcimāni indriyāni) each have different fields (nānāvisayāni) and ways of grazing (nānāgocarāni) and don’t undergo (paccanubhonti) any other relation (aññamaññassa) of sensory activity (gocaravisayaṁ) than their own. That is, the powers of the eye (cakkhundriyaṁ), ear (sotindriyaṁ), nose (ghānindriyaṁ), tongue (jivhindriyaṁ), and body (kāyindriyaṁ).
What do these five powers, each with their different fields (nānāvisayānaṁ) and ways of grazing (nānāgocarānaṁ), which don’t undergo (paccanubhontānaṁ) any other relation (aññamaññassa) of sensory activity (gocaravisayaṁ) than their own, resort to (paṭisaraṇaṁ)? What undergoes (paccanubhotī) all these sense activities (gocaravisayaṁ)?
These five powers have resort to the mind (mano paṭisaraṇaṁ). The mind (mano) undergoes (paccanubhotī) all diverse sense activities (nesaṁ gocaravisayaṁ).
What does the mind (mano) have resort to (paṭisaraṇan)? It has resort to (paṭisaraṇan) retention (sati).
Uṇṇābhabrāhmaṇasutta (SN 48.42)
Evidently, Buddha’s penetration (vibhajja) into the the first knot (nidāna) of being (bhava) produced a fulsome phenomenology. But we’re here to get a grip on sense. So to recall: Sense is a dyadic (dvaya) form of dependently originated inner (ajjhattikā) sense powers (indriya), our sense organs, and their outer (bāhirā) sense fields (viṣaya).
Sense consciousness (viññāṇa) is embodied and becomes present (uppajjati) as an event. That event, called contact (phassa), is not representation; it is the sensory happening itself. It is where the sense powers (indriya) bridge the gap in ‘this here’ (idha) and ‘that there’ (huraṃ) in the convergence of the six-fold dwelling place of sense (saḷāyatana) and sense consciousness (viññāṇa). And because the five sense powers (pañcimāni indriyāni) have the sixth sense base, mind (manas), as their resort (paṭisaraṇa), contact always involves the mind (manas).
Finally, I would be remiss not to add that the saḷāyatana is impermanent (anicca), not-self (anattā) and suffering (dukkha). Therefore, sense consciousness (viññāṇa) is impermanent (anicca), not-self (anattā) and suffering (dukkha).
Eye is impermanent (aniccaṁ), decaying (vipariṇāmi) & perishing (aññathābhāvi). (Thus) form is impermanent, decaying & perishing. So, this duality (dvayaṁ) is tottering & toppling (calañceva byathañca); it’s impermanent, decaying & perishing.
Eye consciousness (cakkhuviññāṇaṁ) is impermanent (aniccaṁ), decaying (vipariṇāmi) and perishing (aññathābhāvi). The causes and conditions (hetu paccayo) that give rise (uppādāya) to eye consciousness are also impermanent, decaying and perishing. Since eye consciousness arises dependent on conditions (paccayaṁ paṭicca) that are impermanent (aniccaṁ), how could it exist permanently (niccaṁ bhavissati)?
Dutiyadvayasutta (SN 35.93)
| Sense Power (indriya) | Sense Field (viṣaya) | Inner Dwelling Place (ajjhattikāni āyatana) | Outer Dwelling Place (bāhirāni āyatana) | Contact Nexus (samphassa) | Consciousness Body (viññāṇakāyā) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cakkhuṁ (eye) | rūpā (sights) | cakkhāyatanaṁ (eye) | rūpāyatanaṁ (sights) | cakkhusamphassa (eye contact) | cakkhuviññāṇaṁ (eye consciousness) |
| sotaṁ (ear) | saddā (sounds) | sotāyatanaṁ (ear) | saddāyatanaṁ (sounds) | sotasamphassa (ear contact) | sotaviññāṇaṁ (ear consciousness) |
| ghānaṁ (nose) | gandhā (smells) | ghānāyatanaṁ (nose) | gandhāyatanaṁ (smells) | ghānasamphassa (nose contact) | ghānaviññāṇaṁ (nose consciousness) |
| jivhā (tongue) | rasā (tastes) | jivhāyatanaṁ (tongue) | rasāyatanaṁ (tastes) | jivhāsamphassa (tongue contact) | jivhāviññāṇaṁ (tongue consciousness) |
| kāyo (body) | phoṭṭhabbā (touches) | kāyāyatanaṁ (body) | phoṭṭhabbāyatanaṁ (touches) | kāyasamphassa (body contact) | kāyaviññāṇaṁ (body consciousness) |
| mano (mind) | dhammā (phenomena) | manāyatanaṁ (mind) | dhammāyatanaṁ (phenomena) | manosamphassa (mind contact) | manoviññāṇaṁ (mind consciousness) |
Sources
Zielinski, Siegfried. (2006) Deep time of the media: toward an archaeology of hearing and seeing by technical means. trans., Gloria Custance. Cambridge: MIT Press.
