4.1. The Internal Dependency
Dependent Experiences
Starting from a firm foundation of mindfulness of sense experience, next we are going to examine the dependent nature of sense experience.
There's an excellent sutta on the topic, Majjhima Nikāya 148 is called the Chachakka Sutta, which means the Discourse on the Six Groups of Six.
This one paragraph in that sutta briefly outlines the remainder of this course. I translate very literally, and we then we can unpack the implications afterwards.
cha ajjhattikāni āyatanāni veditabbāni, cha bāhirāni āyatanāni veditabbāni, cha viññāṇakāyā veditabbā, cha phassakāyā veditabbā, cha vedanākāyā veditabbā, cha taṇhākāyā veditabbā.
The six internal fields should be known, the six external fields should be known, the six classes of consciousness should be known, the six classes of contact should be known, the six classes of vedanā should be known, and the six classes of craving should be known.
-- MN148 chachakkasuttaṃ
The sutta then goes on to define each group of six.
So what we have here, in the terse language of Pāḷi discourses, is a discussion about the dependency of every experience. Let's explore this in more detail.
The Internal Dependency
cakkhāyatanaṃ, sotāyatanaṃ, ghānāyatanaṃ, jivhāyatanaṃ, kāyāyatanaṃ, manāyatanaṃ. cha ajjhattikāni āyatanāni veditabbānī’ti – iti yaṃ taṃ vuttaṃ, idametaṃ paṭicca vuttaṃ. idaṃ paṭhamaṃ chakkaṃ.
The field of the eyes, the field of the ears, the field of the nose, the field of the body, the field of the mind. It was with reference to this that it was said, "The six internal fields should be known". This is the first group of six.
-- MN148 chachakkasuttaṃ
The first dependency is on the ajjhattikaṃ āyatanaṃ, literally the 'internal field', which we might render more understandably into English as the 'sense organ' or 'internal sense base'. These are the body's five sense organs and the mind.
The Buddha felt it very important to convey the understanding that every experience is dependent, it doesn't stand alone without supporting conditions. The most obvious condition for any sense experience is the organ through which the experience occurs. Without eyes, there is no sight. Without a tongue, there is no such thing as taste.
In order to really bring this home, let's do a practical exercise of seeing the dependency of every experience. The starting point, as always, will be awareness of the six sense fields, and from there we can look at the first dependency.
The practice consists of normal sense experience plus a little bit of analysis. Some people find the analysis invigorating, some people find it tiring. If you find that the analysis is difficult or tiring, come back to simply experiencing the senses. But after a minute, push yourself to go back to analysis, and stay with it for as long as you are able. If you are able to keep analysing every experience, by all means keep going.
Many people practising this report even stronger mindfulness than usual, because the analysis helps you to stay with the present object, and the mind has less opportunity to run away. There is also a little bit of internal verbalisation necessary, which takes the place of useless inner dialogue.
Most importantly, you are creating the conditions to perceive experience in a new way. These exercises shift the focus from what you are experiencing to how you are experiencing; from seeing the objects of experience to seeing the structure of experience.
Meditation on the internal dependency
Transcript
As you have done before, bring your attention to the experience you are having right now. Pay attention to naturally occurring experiences. --- When seeing, know that this experience is completely dependent on the eyes. Without eyes, there is no sight. When hearing, know that this experience is completely dependent on the ear. Without ears, there are no sounds. When smelling, know that this experience is completely dependent on the nose. Without a nose, there are no smells. When tasting, know that this experience is completely dependent on the tongue. Without a tongue, there is no such things as taste. When feeling a physical sensation, know that this experience is completely dependent on the body. Without a body, there are no physical sensations. When perceiving mental activity, know that this experience is completely dependent on the mind. Without a mind, there are no mental experiences. This is practising to know the internal dependency, dependency on the sense organ or sense base. --- What is the experience you are having right now? What is the internal dependency of this experience? --- If you are only able to analyse the internal dependency every ten seconds, then do it every ten seconds. If you are able to analyse the internal dependency once a second, then do it once a second. If you are able to analyse the internal dependency ten times a second, then do it ten times a second. To whatever level you are capable, keep analysing the internal dependency of each experience --- What is the experience you are having right now? What is it based on? What is the internal dependency of this experience? ---- No sense experience stands by itself. Every sense experience has certain conditions for its appearance. Keep knowing the internal condition for the appearance of every experience. --- Keep following experiences. Keep knowing the internal base of every experience. Use this exercise to help you to understand the internal dependency of experience. --- ^^^ Seeing is a construction. What is the first building block of this construction? Hearing is a construction. What is the first building block of this construction? Smelling is a construction. What is the first building block of this construction? Tasting is a construction. What is the first building block of this construction? Feeling sensations is a construction. What is the first building block of this construction? Mental phenomena is construction. What is the first building block of this construction? --- Keep analysing the internal dependency of each experience. What is this experience based on? What is the first condition necessary for it to occur?Stay with this exercise for a few sessions. Change posture a few times, go for a walk, take something to eat or drink, maintain your awareness of experience and keep analysing the internal dependency.
Q&A
Q: Do you have any questions or doubts at this point?