The Six Sense Bases

Monks, there are these six sense bases.

What six?

The eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the body, the mind.

When, Monks, a Noble Disciple understands as they really are the gratification, the danger, and the escape in the case of these six sense bases;

Then he is called a Noble Disciple who is a Stream-Enterer, no longer bound to the nether world, fixed in destination, with Nibbāna (Enlightenment) as his destination.

(Reference: SN 23.7)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares The Six Sense Bases.

The Six Sense Bases are the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. These are more specifically referred to as The Six Internal Sense Bases. These are the internal organs that, through contact, bring experiences to the awareness of the mind.

The Six Internal Sense Bases experience forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical objects, and mental objects. These are more specifically referred to as The Six External Sense Bases.

The eyes see a form. The ears hear a sound. The nose smells an odor. The tongue tastes a flavor. The body touches a physical object. The mind recognizes a mental object.

All discontentedness is experienced through The Six Internal Sense Bases coming into contact with The Six External Sense Bases. The unEnlightened mind considers the object either agreeable or disagreeable then experiencing either pleasant feelings, painful feelings, or feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Discontentedness is experienced through The Six Sense Bases. The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and the mind. These are the six internal sense bases or the six internal sense faculties. You will see different people using different language to describe Gotama Buddha’s Teachings because even how people describe these Teachings is impermanent. It is not steady, fixed, or constant as different people choose to use different language.

The six internal sense bases experience the six external sense bases of forms, sounds, odors, flavors, physical objects, and mental objects.

The mind longing for pleasant feelings through the six internal sense bases for the six external sense bases is one of the significant problems of the unEnlightened mind described in The Ten Fetters as “sensual desire”. The mind is chasing after pleasant feelings through The Six Sense Bases looking to fulfill the objects of its desires through impermanent conditions.

The mind experiences discontentedness through longing for sensual pleasure through these six (6) sense bases.

The Six Sense Bases

When seeing an agreeable form through the eyes, one experiences pleasant feelings. When seeing a disagreeable form through the eyes, one experiences a painful feeling. The mind is discontent.

When hearing an agreeable sound through the ears, one experiences pleasant feelings. When hearing a disagreeable sound through the ears, one experiences a painful feeling. The mind is discontent.

When smelling an agreeable odor through the nose, one experiences pleasant feelings. When smelling a disagreeable odor through the nose, one experiences a painful feeling. The mind is discontent.

When tasting an agreeable flavor through the tongue, one experiences pleasant feelings. When tasting a disagreeable flavor through the tongue, one experiences a painful feeling. The mind is discontent.

When touching an agreeable physical object through the body, one experiences pleasant feelings. When touching a disagreeable physical object through the body, one experiences a painful feeling. The mind is discontent.

When recognizing an agreeable mental object through the mind, one experiences pleasant feelings. When recognizing a disagreeable mental object through the mind, one experiences a painful feeling. The mind is discontent.

Mental objects are mental states. A mental state is a mental quality in which the qualities of the mind are constant even though the state itself may be dynamic (i.e. changing).

Through all six (6) sense bases or The Six Doorways to Discontentedness, the mind experiences pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant. When pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant are experienced, the mind is discontent.

As the mind chases pleasant feelings, due to the impermanent nature of these feelings, the mind is then inviting in painful feelings and/or feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant as the mind still has a longing with a strong eagerness for impermanent conditions to create pleasant feelings. If the mind is basing its inner pleasant feelings on impermanent conditions, it is also going to experience painful feelings and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant based on impermanent conditions. Instead, the mind can be trained to be inwardly peaceful and calm no longer yearning for pleasant feelings through conditions which are all impermanent.

To attain Enlightenment, you will need to learn how to “guard” the doorways to discontentedness and “protect your own contentedness” through developing a life practice of non-craving, non-desire, non-attachment, or non-clinging. We are each responsible to “protect or maintain our own contentedness of mind”, no one else can do that for us.