This talk focuses on reviewing Salayatana (sah-lah-yah-tuh-nah), the Six Sense Bases, a concept for contemplation found in the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness: the eyes and seeing, ears and hearing, nose and smelling, tongue and tasting, reflected in the mind with cognition. All sensory stimulation is processed through the functions of the mind, referring incoming stimulation with categories relating to prior experience. This process manifests as the subjective experience of being a self relating to the world, and this whole process is to be understood and deconstructed, discovering the absence of an enduring and autonomous self. Skillful attention is cultivated to investigate the distinction between the sensory stimuli and the transient and insubstantial fabricating function of the mind, a concept called namarupa, with nama representing the meaning-making process and rupa the sensory stimuli. The This talk is meant to be supplemented by the recorded “Guarding The Sense Doors” meditation found in the audio archive.
Here are the notes prepared for this talk: Salayatana, The Six Sense Bases
During the talk Peter referred to another important concept for contemplation, paticca samuppada, (pah-tee-chah sahm-ooh-pah-dah), translated as dependent origination; the title here reflects a different approach to understanding the concept: Contingent Provisional Emergence
Next week’s talk will focus on the next conceptual topic in the Fourth Foundation, the Five Aggregates With Clinging.
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