View source for Āyatana

{{short description|Buddhist term for the six senses}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Buddhism-simple}}
{{Buddhist_term
| title={{IAST|ṣaḍāyatana}}
| pi={{IAST|saḷāyatana}}
| sa={{IAST|ṣaḍāyatana}}
| ko=육입, 육처 
| ko-Latn=yuk-yip, yuk-tcher
| zh=六入, 六処
| zh-Latn= liùrù
| vi=lục nhập
| ja=六入, 六処 
| ja-Latn= rokunyū, rokusho
| bo=skye.mched
| tl=ayatana
| en=six cognitive functions,<br/>six sense bases, six sense spheres
| th=อายตนะ ({{RTGS|ayatana}})
}}

In [[Buddhism]], '''''āyatana''''' ([[Pāli]]; [[Sanskrit]]: आयतन) is a "center of experience" or "mental home,"{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=2}} which create one's experience. The term '''''{{IAST|saḷāyatana}}''''' (Pāli; Skt. '''''{{IAST|ṣaḍāyatana}}''''') refers to six cognitive functions, namely sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, body-cognition, and mind-cognition.{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=2}} 

''Āyatana'' may refer to both ordinary experience and the chain of processes leading to bondage, as to awakened experience centered in detachment and meditative accomplishment. The Buddhist path aims to relocate one from the ordinary, sensual centers of experience to the "mental home" of the purified, liberated awareness of the jhanas.{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=3}}

Traditionally, the term ''āyatana'' is translated as "sense base", "sense-media" or "sense sphere,"{{efn-la|name="sense-base"}} due to the influence of later commentators like [[Buddhaghosa]].{{sfn|Ellis|2020|p=5}}  The ''{{IAST|saḷāyatana}}'' are traditionally understood as referring to the five senses and the mind.{{efn-la|name="mano"}}

==Etymology==
''Āyatana'' ([[Pāli]]; [[Sanskrit]]: आयतन) is a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] term that does not have a single definition or meaning.{{sfn|Aung|Rhys Davids|1910|p=183}} The standard PTS Pāli-English Dictionary by Davids & Stede (1921) gives the following meanings of ''āyatana'':{{sfn|Ellis|2020|p=1}}
#. stretch, extent, reach, compass, region; sphere, locus, place, spot; position, occasion
#. exertion, doing, working, practice, performance
#. sphere of perception or sense in general, object of thought, sense-organ & object; relation, order

While ''āyatana'' is usually translated as "base" or "sphere,"{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=1}} or more specifically as "sense field,"{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=1}} "sense base", "sense-media" or "sense sphere,"{{efn-la|name="sense-base"}} according to Ellis, "these are inadequate translations because they are based on later Buddhist traditions and commentarial literature and not on an historical understanding of the term."{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=1}}

In Vedic literature ''āyatana'' is "used for a regular place, position, etc. occupied by a person."{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=1}} In some Upanishads it has the meaning of a "dwelling place" or "resort," or a "resting place for the mind," indicating that ''āyatana'' means "the place in which experience happens" or a "center of experience." According to Ellis, "center of experience" or "mental home" is a more adequate interpretation than "base" or "sphere."{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=2-3}}

Ellis notes that ''āyatana'' in the suttas most commonly appears as a compound, namely ''saḷāyatana'' or ''cha phassāyatanā'', the "six āyatanas of sensual experience." According to Ellis, "This context is so dominant that translators like Bodhi and Walshe translate ‘sense bases’ even if the Pāli texts only mentions ''āyatana'', and not ''saḷāyatana''."{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=2}}

Ellis further notes that ''saḷāyatana'' is traditionally interpreted anatonomically, and understood as referring to the five senses and the mind. Yet, according to Olivelle, ''saḷāyatana'' refers to cognitive functions,{{efn-la|name="Olivelle"|Olivelle, ''The Early Upanishads'': "In dealing with sight and hearing … [the early upanishads] clearly distinguish the power or the act of seeing and hearing from the respective external organs, the eyes and the ears. Indeed, they consistently use different Sanskrit terms for the two—cakṣus and śrotra for sight and hearing, and akṣan and karṇa for eye and ear, respectively.."}} and therefor are understood by Ellis as referring to  sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, body-cognition, and mind-cognition.{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=2}}

The ''saḷāyatana'' are related to the ''[[indriya]]'', the five senses and the mind; the ''indriya'' become ''saḷāyatana'' when they are distorted by a defiled mind.<ref>[https://puredhamma.net/key-dhamma-concepts/key-pali-terms-tanha-lobha-dosa-moha/indriya-and-ayatana-big-difference/ Indriya and Āyatana – Big Difference]</ref> ''Indriya'' also refers to the five spiritual facultues, which are used to

==In the Pali Canon==
Throughout the [[Pali Canon]], the ''saḷāyatana'' are referenced in hundreds of discourses.{{efn-la|>The greatest concentration of discourses related to the ''saḷāyatana'' is in the [[Samyutta Nikaya]], chapter 35, entitled "The Book of the Six Sense Bases" (''{{IAST|Saḷāyatana-vagga}}'').  For instance, in Bodhi (2000b) edition of the Samyutta Nikaya, this chapter alone has 248 discourses. The Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25) entry for [https://archive.today/20120707190050/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.0:1:2840.pali "Āyatana" (p. 105)] also mentions other discourses in each of the Pali nikayas.}} In these diverse discourses, the sense bases are integrated in various mnemonic lists.

===Internal and external ''āyatana''===
{{Chachakka|figno=1}}
The ''āyatana'' are further refined as six internal ''āyatana''{{efn-la|(Pali: ''ajjhattikāni āyatanāni''; also known as, "organs", "gates", "doors", "powers" or "roots"{{sfn|Pine|2004|p=102}}}} and six corresponding external ''āyatana''.{{efn-la|''Bāhirāni āyatanāni'' or "sense objects"; also known as ''vishaya'' or "domains."{{sfn|Pine|2004|p=103}}}} Together they form:{{efn-la|name="Saḷāyatana"}}
:* sight ('eye') and [[rupa (Buddhism)|visible objects]]{{efn-la|The Pāli word translated here as "visible objects" is ''[[rūpa]]''. In terms of the Buddhist notion of the ''saḷāyatana'', rūpa refers to ''visual'' objects (or objects knowable by the eye through light).  This should not be confused with the use of the word rūpa in terms of the Buddhist notion of [[skandha|aggregates]] where rūpa refers to ''all'' material objects, both of the world and the body. Thus, when comparing these two uses of rūpa, the rūpa aggregate (''rūpakkhandha'') includes the rūpa sense-object (''rūpāyatana'') as well as the four other material sense-objects (sound, odor, taste and touch).}}
:* hearing ('ear') and sound
:* smelling ('nose') and odor
:* tasting ('tongue') and taste
:* body-cognition ('body') and touch
:* mind-cognition ('mind'){{efn-la|name="mano"}} and [[Dharma (Buddhism)|dharmas]] (mental objects){{efn-la|Other frequently seen translations for ''dharma'' include "mental phenomena" (e.g., Bodhi, 2000b, pp. 1135''ff''.), "thoughts," "ideas" [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html (e.g., Thanissaro, 2001a)] and "contents of the mind"  (VRI, 1996, p. 39) while some translators simply leave this word untranslated due to its complex overtones in the [[Pali literature]].}}

===Five skandhas===
Based on these six pairs of ''āyatana'', a number of mental factors arise, as described in the [[five skandhas]]. Thus, for instance, when the auditive cognitive function ('the ear') is triggered by sound, the associated consciousness (Pali: ''[[Vijñāna|{{IAST|viññāṇa}}]]'') arises. With the presence of these three elements ('' [[Skandha#Eighteen dhātus and four paramatthas|dhātu]]'') – hearing function, sound and hearing function-related consciousness – "contact" (''[[phassa]]'') arises, which in turn is apprehended as a pleasant or unpleasant or neutral "feeling" or "sensation" (''[[vedanā]]''). With feeling, "craving" (''{{IAST|[[taṇhā]]}}'') (or aversion) arises.  (See Figure 1.) 

Such an enumeration can be found, for instance, in the "Six Sextets" discourse (''Chachakka Sutta'', [[Majjhima Nikaya|MN]] 148), where the "six sextets" (six sense organs, six sense objects, six sense-specific types of consciousness, six sense-specific types of contact, six sense-specific types of sensation and six sense-specific types of craving) are examined and found to be [[anatta|empty of self]].<ref>{{IAST|Ñāṇamoli}} & Bodhi (2001), pp. 1129–36; and, [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.148.than.html Thanissaro (1998a).]</ref>

{{Nidanas|float=left}}
The ''saḷāyatana'' are included in the [[Twelve Nidanas]], a list compiled of several sublists including the five skandhas, which describes the process of becoming.<ref>Note that the Twelve Causes and Six Sextets describe the relationship between the ''saḷāyatana'' and consciousness in different ways. Relatedly, there are canonical discouses that put forth hybrid models of these various psychophysical factors, such as described in "The World Discourse" (''Loka Sutta'', [[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 12.44) [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.044.than.html (Thanissaro, 1998b]; and, Bodhi, 2005a, pp.&nbsp;358–59) where the aforementioned six "sextets" (from the eye and form to craving) condition the last four "causes" (clinging, becoming, birth, old age & death) and suffering.  In reference to this and similar "variant" discourses, Bodhi (2005a) notes:
:"These variants make it plain that the sequence of factors should not be regarded as a linear causal process in which each preceding factor gives rise to its successor through the simple exercise of efficient causality. Far from being linear, the relationship among the factors is always complex, involving several interwoven strands of conditionality." (Bodhi, 2005a, p. 316.)</ref>

==="The All"===
In a discourse entitled, "The All" ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.23), the Buddha states that there is no "all" outside of the six pairs of the ''saḷāyatana''.{{efn-la|Bodhi (2000b), p. 1140; and, [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html  Thanissaro (2001b).] According to Bodhi (2000b), p. 1399, ''n''. 7, the Pali commentary regarding the ''Sabba Sutta'' states: "...[I]f one passes over the twelve ''saḷāyatana'', one cannot point out any real phenomenon."  Also see [https://archive.today/20120707171513/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:3261.pali Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25), p. 680, "Sabba" entry] where ''{{IAST|sabbaŋ}}'' is defined as "the (whole) world of sense-experience."<}} In the next codified discourse (SN 35.24), the Buddha elaborates that the All includes the first five aforementioned sextets (sense organs, objects, consciousness, contact and sensations).<ref>Bodhi (2000b), p. 1140; and, [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.024.than.html Thanissaro (2001a).]</ref> References to the All can be found in a number of subsequent discourses.<ref>For instance, [[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.25 through 35.29, including the famed "Fire Sermon" (SN 35.28).</ref> In addition, the [[Abhidhamma]] and post-canonical Pali literature further conceptualize the ''saḷāyatana'' as a means for classifying ''all'' factors of existence.<ref>Bodhi (2000b), p. 1122.</ref>

=== "Aflame with lust, hate and delusion" ===
In "The Vipers" discourse (''Asivisa Sutta'', [[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.197), [[the Buddha]] likens the internal ''saḷāyatana'' to an "empty village" and the external ''saḷāyatana'' to "village-plundering bandits."  Using this metaphor, the Buddha characterizes the "empty"<ref>In the context of SN 35.197, the term "empty" might simply be meant to convey "passive."  It could also be used in the Buddhist sense of self-less, as in ''[[anatta]]'' (''see''). In fact, in [[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.85, the Buddha applies this latter notion of emptiness (''[[Shunyata|suññata]]'') to all internal ''and'' external ''saḷāyatana'' (Bodhi, 2000b, pp. 1163–64; and  [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.085.than.html Thanissaro, 1997c)].</ref> sense organs as being "attacked by agreeable & disagreeable" sense objects.<ref>Bodhi (2000b), pp. 1237–1239 (where this discourse is identified as SN 35.238); Buddhaghosa (1999), p. 490 (where this discourse is identified as S.iv,175); and, [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.197.than.html Thanissaro (2004)].

Similarly, in the last sutta of the Samyutta Nikaya's ''Salayatana-samyutta'', entitled "The Sheaf of Barley" (which Bodhi, 2000b, identifies as SN 35.248 and Thanissaro, 1998d, as SN 35.207), the Buddha describes the sense organs as "struck" or "thrashed" by "agreeable and disagreeable" sense objects (Bodhi, 2000b, pp. 1257–59; [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.207.than.html Thanissaro, 1998d]).</ref>

{{Quote box
| quote =  the contact between the senses and the sense objects<br>gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress.<br>Bhagavad Gita 2 : 14<ref>[https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/2/verse/14 BG 2.14]</ref>
| align = right
| bgcolor = #00FFFF
}}
Elsewhere in the same collection of discourses ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.191), the Buddha's Great [[Sravaka|Disciple]] [[Sariputta]] clarifies that the actual [[dukkha|suffering]] associated with sense organs and sense objects is not ''inherent'' to these ''saḷāyatana'' but is due to the [[Fetter (Buddhism)|"fetters"]] (here identified as "desire and lust") that arise when there is contact between a sense organ and sense object.<ref>Bodhi (2000b), pp. 1230–1231 (where this discourse is identified as SN 35.232); and, [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.191.than.html Thanissaro (1997b)].</ref>

In the "[[Fire Sermon]]" (''Adittapariyaya Sutta'', [[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.28), delivered several months after the Buddha's [[bodhi|awakening]], the Buddha describes all ''saḷāyatana'' and related mental processes in the following manner:
:"Monks, the All is aflame. What All is aflame? The eye is aflame. [[Rupa (Buddhism)|Forms]] are aflame. [[Vinnana|Consciousness]] at the eye is aflame. [[Phassa|Contact]] at the eye is aflame. And whatever there is that arises in dependence on contact at the eye – experienced as [[Vedana|pleasure, pain or neither-pleasure-nor-pain]] – that too is aflame. Aflame with what? Aflame with the fire of [[Kilesa|passion]], the fire of aversion, the fire of delusion. Aflame, I tell you, with [[Dukkha|birth, aging & death, with sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs]]."<ref>[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.028.than.html Thanissaro, 1993.]  For other references to the ''saḷāyatana'' as "the All," see [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html Thanissaro (2001b)] and [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.024.than.html Thanissaro (2001a).]  The ''saḷāyatana'' are "the All" insomuch that all we know of the world is known through the ''saḷāyatana''.</ref>

===Liberation===
The Buddha taught that, in order to escape the dangers of the ''saḷāyatana'', one must be able to apprehend the ''saḷāyatana'' without [[kilesa|defilement]]. In "Abandoning the Fetters" ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.54), the Buddha states that one abandons the fetters "when one knows and sees ... as [[impermanence|impermanent]]" (Pali: ''anicca'') the [''saḷāyatana''], objects, sense-[[vinnana|consciousness]], [[Sparśa|contact]] and [[Vedana|sensations]].<ref>Bodhi (2000b), p. 1148.</ref> Similarly, in "Uprooting the Fetters" (SN 35.55), the Buddha states that one uproots the fetters "when one knows and sees ... as [[Anatta|nonself]]" (''anatta'') the aforementioned five sextets.<ref>Bodhi (2000b), p. 1148. For a correspondence between impermanence and nonself, see [[Three marks of existence]].</ref>

To foster this type of penetrative knowing and seeing and the resultant release from suffering, in the [[Satipatthana Sutta]] ([[Majjhima Nikaya|MN]] 10) the Buddha instructs monks to meditate on the ''saḷāyatana'' and the dependently arising fetters as follows:
:"How, O [[bhikkhus]], does a bhikkhu live contemplating mental object in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases?
:"Here, O bhikkhus, a bhikkhu understands the eye and material forms and the fetter that arises dependent on both (eye and forms); he understands how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he understands how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he understands how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be. [''In a similar manner:''] He understands the ear and sounds ... the organ of smell and odors ... the organ of taste and flavors ... the organ of touch and tactual objects ... the consciousness and mental objects....
:"Thus he lives contemplating mental object in mental objects ... and [[upadana|clings]] to naught in the world."<ref>[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.soma.html Soma (1999)], section entitled, "The Six Internal and the Six External Sense-bases."</ref>

In the [[Four Noble Truths]], one of many summaries of the [[Buddhist path to liberation]], ''[[dukkha]]'' ('suffering') is observed to arise with craving (Pali: ''[[Taṇhā|{{IAST|taṇhā}}]]''; Skt.: ''{{IAST|tṛṣṇā}}'', lit. 'thirst'). In the chain of [[Twelve Nidanas|Dependent Origination]], craving arises with [[Vedana|sensations]] when the ''saḷāyatana'' is activated by [[Sparśa|contact]]. To detach from ''tanha'' and ''dukkha'', one should develop awareness (''[[Sati (Buddhism)|sati]]'' (mindfullness) and ''[[sampajañña]]'' (clear comprehension)) of the chain of events triggered by the ''saḷāyatana'', and practice restraint and detachment (''sammā-vāyāma'' ([[Four Right Exertions|right effort]]) and ''[[Dhyana in Buddhism|dhyana]]'' ('meditation')).{{efn-la|Bodhi (2005b), starting at time 50:00. Bodhi (2005b) references, for instance, [[Majjhima Nikaya]] Sutta No. 149, where the Buddha instructs:
:"...[K]nowing & seeing the eye as it actually is present, knowing & seeing [visible] forms... consciousness at the eye... contact at the eye as they actually are present, knowing & seeing whatever arises conditioned through contact at the eye – experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain – as it actually is present, one is not infatuated with the eye... forms... consciousness at the eye... contact at the eye... whatever arises.... The craving that makes for further becoming – accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now this & now that – is abandoned by him. His bodily disturbances & mental disturbances are abandoned. His bodily torments & mental torments are abandoned. His bodily distresses & mental distresses are abandoned. He is sensitive both to ease of body & ease of awareness..." [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.149.than.html (Thanissaro, 1998c).]}}

Ellis notes that ''āyatana'' may also refer to the various stages of meditation (''[[jhana]]''), and "even the state of liberated Buddhist
masters is termed ''āyatana''."'{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=2-3}} As such, they are also a "center of experience" or "mental home," in which our normal states of mind are abandoned and one relocates in the purified, liberated awareness of the jhanas.{{sfn|Ellis|2021|p=3}}

==In post-canonical Pali texts==
The ''[[Vimuttimagga]]'', the ''[[Visuddhimagga]]'', and associated [[Atthakatha|Pali commentaries]]<ref>In terms of the Pali commentaries, for instance, there is overlap between the Visuddhimagga and the commentary to the [[Dhammasangani]], ''Atthasālinī'' (e.g., cf. Vsm. XIV,49 [Buddhaghosa, 1999, p. 446] and Asl. 310 [Rhys Davids, 1900, p. 178 n. 2]).</ref> and [[Subcommentaries, Theravada|subcommentaries]] all contribute to traditional knowledge about the ''saḷāyatana''.

===Understanding sense organs===
When the Buddha speaks of "understanding" the eye, ear, nose, tongue and body, what is meant?

According to the first-century CE Sinhalese meditation manual, ''Vimuttimagga'', the sense organs can be understood in terms of the object sensed, the consciousness aroused, the underlying "sensory matter," and an associated [[mahabhuta|primary or derived element]] that is present "in excess."<ref>In regards to defining the ''saḷāyatana'' in terms of excess primary elements, the Visuddhimagga (Vsm. XIV, 42) is critical:
:"... Others say that the eye is sensitivity of those [primary elements] that have fire in excess, and that the ear, nose, tongue, and body are [sensitivity] of those [primary elements] that have [respectively] aperture, air, water and earth in excess.  They should be asked to quote a sutta.  They will certainly not find one." (Buddhaghosa, 1999, p. 444, para. 42.)</ref> These characteristics are summarized in the table below.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! sense<br>organ
! sense<br>object
! sense<br>consciousness
! sensory<br>matter
! element<br>in&nbsp;excess
|-
| eye
| visual objects
| visual consciousness
| style="text-align:left" | "...the three small fleshy discs round the pupil, and the white and black of the [[human eye|eye-ball]] that is in five layers of flesh, blood, wind, phlegm and serum, is half a poppy-seed in size, is like the head of a [[louse]]ling...."
| Earth
|-
| ear
| sound waves
| auditory consciousness
| style="text-align:left" | "...in the interior of the two ear-holes, is fringed by tawny hair, is dependent on the membrane, is like the stem of a blue-green bean...."
| Sounds
|-
| nose
| odors
| olfactory consciousness
| style="text-align:left" | "...in the interior of the nose, where the three meet, is dependent on one small opening, is like a ''{{IAST|Koviḷāra}}'' (flower in shape)...."
| air
|-
| tongue
| tastes
| gustatory consciousness
| style="text-align:left" | "...two-finger breadths in size, is in shape like a blue lotus, is located in the flesh of the tongue...."
| water
|-
| body
| tangibles
| tactual consciousness
| style="text-align:left" | "...in the entire body, excepting the hair of the body and the head, nails teeth and other insensitive parts...."
| Heat (or lack thereof)
|-
| colspan=5 style="background:#eeeeee; text-align:left" | <u>Table 1.</u> The ''Vimuttimagga's'' characterization of sense organs.<ref>This table is based on Upatissa ''et al.'' (1995), pp. 238–240.</ref>
|}

The compendious fifth-century CE ''[[Visuddhimagga]]'' provides similar descriptors, such as "the size of a mere louse's head" for the location of the eye's "sensitivity" (Pali: ''pasāda''; also known as, "sentient organ, sense agency, sensitive surface"),<ref>Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–25), p. 446, entry for "Pasāda" (retrieved 2008-04-16 from "U. Chicago" at [https://archive.today/20120710221309/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:2481.pali]).</ref> and "in the place shaped like a goat's hoof" regarding the nose sensitivity ([[Visuddhimagga|Vsm]]. XIV, 47–52).<ref>Buddhaghosa (1999), pp. 445–6.  While this Visuddhimagga chapter (XIV) actually pertains to the [[Skandha|Five Aggregates]], this characterization is referenced in the Visuddhimagga chapter (XV) on the Sense Bases (Buddhaghosa, 1999, p. 489, verse 8).</ref> In addition, the Visuddhimagga describes the sense organs in terms of the following four factors:
:* characteristic or sign (''lakkha{{IAST|ṇ}}a'')
:* function or "taste" (''rasa'')
:* manifestation (''paccupa{{IAST|ṭṭ}}hāna'')
:* proximate cause (''pada{{IAST|ṭṭ}}hāna'')
Thus, for instance, it describes the eye as follows:
:Herein, the eye's characteristic is sensitivity of [[mahabhuta|primary elements]] that is ready for the impact of visible data; or its characteristic is sensitivity of primary elements originated by [[Karma|kamma]] sourcing from desire to see.  Its function is to pick up [an object] among visible data.  It is manifested as the footing of eye-[[vijnana|consciousness]].  Its proximate cause is primary elements born of kamma sourcing from desire to see.<ref>Vsm. XIV, 37 (trans. Buddhaghosa, 1999, p. 443; square-bracketed text in original).  The Pali (from the Burmese CSCD, retrieved 2008-04-16 from "VRI" at http://www.tipitaka.org/romn/cscd/e0102n.mul2.xml) associated with this passage is:
:{{IAST|Tattha rūpābhighātārahatappasādalakkhaṇaṃ daṭṭhukāmatānidānakammasamuṭṭhānabhūtappasādalakkhaṇaṃ vā cakkhu, rūpesu āviñchanarasaṃ, cakkhuviññāṇassa ādhārabhāvapaccupaṭṭhānaṃ, daṭṭhukāmatānidānakammajabhūtapadaṭṭhānaṃ.}}</ref>

In regards to the sixth internal ''āyatana'' of mind (''mano''), Pali [[Subcommentaries, Theravada|subcommentaries]] (attributed to Dhammapāla Thera) distinguish between consciousness arising from the five physical ''saḷāyatana'' and that arising from the primarily post-[[Pali Canon|canonical]] notion of a "life-continuum" or "unconscious mind" (''bhava{{IAST|ṅ}}ga-mana''):<ref>Regarding ''bhava{{IAST|ṅ}}ga'' being a primarily post-canonical concept, see Matthews (1995, p. 128) where he states for instance: "''Bhava{{IAST|ṅ}}ga'' does not occur in the [[Sutta Pitaka]], but its appearance in both the ''[[Dhammasangani|Dhammasa{{IAST|ṅ}}ga{{IAST|ṇ}}i]]'' and the ''[[Patthana|Pa{{IAST|ṭṭ}}hāna]]'' assured that it received much post-classical attention in the Theravāda." He further amplifies this in an endnote (p. 140, ''n''. 34): "... [A]lthough ''bhava{{IAST|ṅ}}ga'' does appear in the [[Abhidhamma Pitaka|Abhidhamma Pi{{IAST|ṭ}}aka]], it is not until the post-classical era that it receives much attention." Citing Ñā{{IAST|ṇ}}amoli and others, Matthews (1995, p. 123) defines the "classical age" as "ended about the 4th century A.D.," just prior to the "great age of [[Atthakatha|commentaries]]."</ref>
:"Of the consciousness or mind aggregate included in a course of cognition of eye-consciousness, just the eye-base [not the mind-base] is the 'door' of origin, and the [external sense] base of the material form is the visible object.  So it is in the case of the others [that is, the ear, nose, tongue and body sense bases].  But of the sixth sense-base the part of the mind base called the life-continuum, the unconscious mind, is the 'door' of origin...."<ref>Soma (2003), p. 133.  This excerpt is from the subcommentary to the [[Majjhima Nikaya|Majjhima Nikāya]], the ''Līnatthapakāsanā Tīkā''.</ref>

===The roots of wisdom===
In the fifth-century CE exegetical ''Visuddhimagga'', [[Buddhaghosa]] identifies knowing about the ''saḷāyatana'' as part of the "soil" of liberating [[Wisdom in Buddhism|wisdom]].  Other components of this "soil" include the [[skandha|aggregates]], the [[indriya|faculties]], the [[Four Noble Truths]] and [[Dependent Origination]].<ref>Buddhaghosa & Ñā{{IAST|ṇ}}amoli (1999), pp. 442–43.</ref>

==Related Buddhist concepts==
*'''[[Skandha|Aggregates]]''' (Pali, ''khandha''; Skt., ''skandha''):<br>In a variety of suttas, the aggregates, elements (''see below'') and ''saḷāyatana'' are identified as the "soil" in which [[Taṇhā|craving]] and [[upadana|clinging]] grow.<ref>See, for instance, [[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.91 where the Buddha proclaims:
:"Whatever, [[bhikkhu]]s, is the extent of the aggregates, the elements, and the ''saḷāyatana'', [a right-practicing monk] does not conceive that, does not conceive in that, does not conceive from that, does not conceive, 'This is mine.' Since he does not conceive anything thus, he does not cling to anything in the world. Not clinging, he is not agitated.  Being unagitated, he personally attains [[Nirvana (concept)|Nibbāna]]..." (Bodhi, 2000b, p. 1171).</ref> In general, in the [[Pali Canon]], the aggregate of material form includes the five material sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue and body) and associated sense objects (visible forms, sounds, odors, tastes and tactile objects); the aggregate of consciousness is associated with the sense organ of mind; and, the mental aggregates (sensation, perception, mental formations) are mental sense objects.<ref>See, for instance, Bodhi (2000b), pp. 1122–24. Beyond the five aggregates, ''[[Nibbana]]'' is also identified as a "mental object" perceivable by "mind" (''mano'') (see, for instance, Bodhi, 2000a, p. 288).</ref>    <br>Both the aggregates and the ''saḷāyatana'' are identified as objects of [[Sati (Buddhism)|mindfulness]] [[Buddhist meditation|meditation]] in the [[Satipatthana Sutta]]. In terms of pursuing liberation, meditating on the aggregates eradicates self-doctrine and wrong-view [[upadana|clinging]] while meditating on the ''saḷāyatana'' eradicates sense-pleasure clinging.<ref>See, for instance, Bodhi (2000b), pp. 1124–26; and, Bodhi (2005b), starting at time 48:47.  Also see the article on ''[[upadana]]'' for the [[Pali Canon|canonical]] explanation of the four types of clinging: sense-pleasure, wrong-view, rites-and-rituals and self-doctrine.</ref>

*'''[[Pratitya-samutpada|Dependent Origination]]''' (Pali: ''{{IAST|paṭicca-samuppāda}}''; Skt.: ''pratitya-samutpada''):<br>As indicated in Figure 2 above, the six ''saḷāyatana'' (Pali; Skt.: ''{{IAST|ṣaḍāyatana}}'') are the fifth link in the [[Twelve Nidanas|Twelve Causes]] (''nidāna'') of the chain of Dependent Origination and thus likewise are the fifth position on the [[Bhavacakra|Wheel of Becoming]] (''bhavacakra''). The arising of the six ''saḷāyatana'' is dependent on the arising of [[namarupa|material and mental objects]] (Pali, Skt.: ''nāmarūpa''); and, the arising of the six ''saḷāyatana'' leads to the arising of "[[Sparśa|contact]]" (Pali: ''phassa''; Skt.: ''sparśa'') between the ''saḷāyatana'' and [[Vijnana|consciousness]] (Pali: ''{{IAST|viññāṇa}}''; Skt.: ''visjñāna'') which results in pleasant, unpleasant and neutral [[vedana|feelings]] (Pali, Skt.: ''vedanā'').
*'''Elements''' (Pali, Skt.: ''dhātu''):<ref>The Pāli word referenced here as "element," ''dhātu'', is used in multiple contexts in the [[Pali canon|Pāli canon]]. For instance, Bodhi (2000b), pp. 527–8, identifies four different ways that ''dhātu'' is used including in terms of the "eighteen elements" and in terms of "the four primary elements" (''[[mahabhuta|catudhātu]]'').</ref><br>The eighteen elements include the twelve ''saḷāyatana''. The eighteen elements are six triads of elements where each triad is composed of a sense object (the external ''saḷāyatana''), a sense organ (the internal ''saḷāyatana'') and the associated sense-organ-consciousness (''{{IAST|viññāṇa}}'').<ref>In Buddhist literature, when a sense object and sense organ make contact (Pali, ''phassa''), sense-consciousness arises.  (See for instance [[Majjhima Nikaya|MN]] 148.)</ref> In other words, the eighteen elements are made up of the twelve ''saḷāyatana'' and the six related sense-consciousnesses.
*'''[[Karma in Buddhism|Karma]]''' (Skt.; Pali: ''kamma''):<br>In a [[Samyutta Nikaya]] discourse, the Buddha declares that the six internal senses bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind) are "old kamma, to be seen as generated and fashioned by volition, as something to be felt."<ref>Bodhi (2005b), pp. 1211–12.  See also [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.145.than.html Thanissaro (1997a).]</ref> In this discourse, "new kamma" is described as "whatever action one does now by body, speech, or mind."  In this way, the internal ''saḷāyatana'' provide a link between our volitional actions and subsequent perceptions.

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Heart Sutra]]—[[Mahayana]] text that shows the ayatanas in Mahayana discourse
* [[Indriya]]—"faculties", which include a group of "six sensory faculties" similar to the six ''saḷāyatana''
* [[Wisdom in Buddhism|Prajna]] (wisdom)
* [[Satipatthana Sutta]]—includes a meditation using ''saḷāyatana'' as the meditative object
* [[Skandha]]—a similar Buddhist construct
* [[Twelve Nidanas]]—the chain of endless suffering of which the ''saḷāyatana'' are the fifth link
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist|35em|group=lower-alpha|refs=
<!-- M -->
<!-- "mano" -->
<ref group=lower-alpha name="mano">Mano:
* The Pāli word translated here as "mind" is ''mano''. Other common translations include "intellect" [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html (e.g., Thanissaro, 2001a)] and "consciousness" [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.soma.html (e.g., Soma, 1999).] In the [[Suttapitaka]], ''mano'' does not necessarily refer to all mental processing. Other oft-mentioned complementary mental processes include "consciousness" (''[[viññāṇa]]'') and "mental states" (''citta''). Nonetheless, in the [[Abhidhamma Pitaka]] and later texts, these terms are at times used synonymously.
* Buddhism and other Indian epistemologies identify six 'centers of experience',  conventionally interpreted as "senses"; as such the number differs from the Western identification of five senses. In Buddhism, "mind" denotes a 'center of experience', conventionally interpreted as an 'internal sense organ', which interacts with sense objects, including [[phassa|sense impressions]], [[vedana|feelings]], [[sañña|perceptions]] and [[Saṅkhāra|volition]], all belonging to the five skandhas. See, for instance, {{harvtxt|Bodhi|2000a|p=288}}, and Hamilton (2001), p. 53: "... six senses, including one relating to non-sensory mental activity, are recognized in Buddhism and other Indian schools of thought." {{harvtxt|Pine|2004|p=101}} argues that this scheme probably predates Buddhism, because it has ten external members (ear, sound, nose, odor, tongue, taste, body, touch) corresponding to the single external skandha (form), and only two internal members (mind and thought) corresponding to the four internal skandhas.

</ref>
<!-- S -->
<!-- "Saḷāyatana" -->
<ref group=lower-alpha name="Saḷāyatana">test - ''{{IAST|Saḷāyatana}}'' is generally used in the context of the [[Twelve Nidanas|Twelve Causes (''nidāna'')]] of the chain of [[Pratitya-Samutpada|Dependent Origination]]; see <nowiki>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:3909.pali Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–5), p. 699.]</nowiki>. {{IAST|Ṣaḍāyatana}} is the fifth link in the '''[[Twelve Nidanas|Twelve Nidānas]]''' of [[Pratitya-Samutpada]] (Dependent Origination) and thus likewise in the fifth position on the [[Bhavacakra]] (Wheel of Becoming). {{IAST|Ṣaḍāyatana}} (Sense Gates) is dependent on [[Namarupa|Nāmarūpa]] (Name and Form) as condition before it can exist: "With [[Namarupa|Name and Form]] as condition, Sense Gates arise." {{IAST|Ṣaḍāyatana}} is also the prevailing condition for the next condition in the chain, Contact (''[[Sparśa]]''): "With|Sense Gates as condition, [[Sparśa|Contact]] arises".</ref>
<!-- "sense-base" -->
<ref group=lower-alpha name="sense-base">"Sense base" is used for instance by Bodhi (2000b) and Soma (1999). "Sense-media" is used by Thanissaro (e.g., cf. <nowiki>[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.149.than.html Thanissaro, 1998c]</nowiki>). "Sense sphere" is used for instance by VRI (1996) and suggested by <nowiki>[https://archive.today/20120707190050/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.0:1:2840.pali Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–5), p. 105]</nowiki>, whose third definition for ''Āyatana'' is: 
:sphere of perception or sense in general, object of thought, sense-organ & object; relation, order. – [Aung & Rhys Davids (1910)], p. 183 says rightly: 'āyatana cannot be rendered by a single English word to cover both sense-organs (the mind being regarded as 6th sense) and sense objects'. – These āyatanāni (relations, functions, reciprocalities) are thus divided into two groups, inner (ajjhattikāni) and outer (bāhirāni)....</ref>
}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
;Primary
* {{cite book | last1 =Aung | first1 =S.Z. | last2 =Rhys Davids | first2 =C.A.F. | year =1910 | title =Compendium of Philosophy (Translation of the Abhidhamm'attha-sangaha | location =Chipstead | publisher =[[Pali Text Society]]}}
* {{cite book | last =Bodhi | first =Bhikkhu | year =2000a | author-link =Bhikkhu Bodhi | title =A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma: The Abhidhammattha Sangaha of Ācariya Anuruddha | location =Seattle, WA | publisher =BPS Pariyatti Editions | isbn =1-928706-02-9}}
* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000b). ''The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya''. (Part IV is "The Book of the Six Sense Bases (Salayatanavagga)".) Boston: Wisdom Publications. {{ISBN|0-86171-331-1}}.
* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2005a). ''In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. {{ISBN|0-86171-491-1}}.
* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (18 Jan 2005b). ''MN 10: Satipatthana Sutta (continued)'' (MP3 audio file) [In this series of talks on the [[Majjhima Nikaya]], this is Bodhi's ninth talk on the Satipatthana Sutta. In this talk, the discussion regarding the sense bases starts at time 45:36]. Available on-line at http://www.bodhimonastery.net/MP3/M0060_MN-010.mp3{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.
* [[Buddhaghosa]], Bhadantācariya (trans. from Pāli by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli) (1999). ''The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga''. (Chapter XV is "The Bases and Elements (Ayatana-dhatu-niddesa)".) Seattle, WA: BPS Pariyatti Editions. {{ISBN|1-928706-00-2}}.
* {{IAST|Ñāṇamoli}}, Bhikkhu (trans.) & Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2001). ''The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. {{ISBN|0-86171-072-X}}.
* [[Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids|Rhys Davids, Caroline A.F.]] ([1900], 2003). ''Buddhist Manual of Psychological Ethics, of the Fourth Century B.C., Being a Translation, now made for the First Time, from the Original Pāli, of the First Book of the Abhidhamma-Pi{{IAST|ṭ}}aka, entitled Dhamma-{{IAST|Saṅgaṇi}} (Compendium of States or Phenomena)''. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7661-4702-9}}
<!-- P -->
* {{cite book | last =Pine | first =Red | year =2004 | title =The Heart Sutra: The Womb of the Buddhas | publisher =Shoemaker & Hoard | isbn =1-59376-009-4}}
<!-- S -->
* Soma Thera (trans.) (1999). ''The Discourse on the Arousing of Mindfulness'' ([[Majjhima Nikaya|MN]] 10). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.soma.html Satipatthana Sutta: The Discourse on the Arousing of Mindfulness].
* Soma Thera (2003). ''The Way of Mindfulness: English translation of the Satipa{{IAST|ṭṭ}}hāna Sutta Commentary''. Kandy, Sri Lanka: [[Buddhist Publication Society]]. {{ISBN|955-24-0256-5}}.
* [[Thanissaro Bhikkhu]] (trans.) (1993). ''Adittapariyaya Sutta: The Fire Sermon'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.28). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.028.than.html Adittapariyaya Sutta: The Fire Sermon].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997a). ''Kamma Sutta: Action'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.145). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.145.than.html Kamma Sutta: Action].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997b). ''Kotthita Sutta: To Kotthita'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.191). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.191.than.html Kotthita Sutta: To Kotthita].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997c). ''Suñña Sutta: Empty'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.85). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.085.than.html Suñña Sutta: Empty].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998a). ''Chachakka Sutta: The Six Sextets'' ([[Majjhima Nikaya|MN]] 148). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.148.than.html Chachakka Sutta: The Six Sextets].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998b). ''Loka Sutta: The World'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 12.44). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.044.than.html Loka Sutta: The World].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998c). ''Maha-salayatanika Sutta: The Great Six Sense-media Discourse'' ([[Majjhima Nikaya|MN]] 149). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.149.than.html Maha-salayatanika Sutta: The Great Six Sense-media Discourse].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998d). ''Yavakalapi Sutta: The Sheaf of Barley'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.207). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.207.than.html Yavakalapi Sutta: The Sheaf of Barley].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2001a). ''Pahanaya Sutta: To Be Abandoned'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.24). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.024.than.html Pahanaya Sutta: To Be Abandoned].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2001b). ''Sabba Sutta: The All'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.23). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html Sabba Sutta: The All].
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2004). ''Asivisa Sutta: Vipers'' ([[Samyutta Nikaya|SN]] 35.197). Available on-line at [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.197.than.html Asivisa Sutta: Vipers].
*Upatissa, Arahant, N.R.M. Ehara (trans.), Soma Thera (trans.) and Kheminda Thera (trans.) (1995). ''The Path of Freedom (Vimuttimagga)''. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society. {{ISBN|955-24-0054-6}}.
* Vipassana Research Institute (VRI) (trans.) (1996). ''{{IAST|Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta}}: The Great Discourse on Establishing Mindfulness'' (Pali-English edition). Seattle, WA: Vipassana Research Publications of America. {{ISBN|0-9649484-0-0}}.

;Secondary
<!-- E -->
* {{citation | last =Ellis | first =Gabriel | year =2020 | title =Āyatana in Early Buddhism (draft)}}
* {{cite journal | last =Ellis | first =Gabriel | year =2021 | title =Āyatana, the Buddha’s forgotten teaching | journal =Academia Letters |article-number=Article 749 | doi =10.20935/AL749}}
<!-- H -->
* Hamilton, Sue (2001). ''Indian Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-285374-5}}.
* Matthews, Bruce (1995). "Post-Classical Developments in the Concepts of Karma and Rebirth in Theravāda Buddhism," in Ronald W. Neufeldt (ed.), ''Karma and Rebirth: Post-Classical Developments''. Delhi, Sri Satguru Publications. (Originally published by the State University of New York, 1986). {{ISBN|81-7030-430-X}}.
* [[T. W. Rhys Davids|Rhys Davids]], T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921–5). ''The Pali Text Society's Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.

{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/index.html#salayatana "Salayatana Vagga – The Section on the Six Sense Bases"] of the [[Samyutta Nikaya]], on www.accesstoinsight.org
* [https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/ayatana-in-context/5942 'āyatana' in context], suttacentral
* [https://puredhamma.net/key-dhamma-concepts/key-pali-terms-tanha-lobha-dosa-moha/indriya-and-ayatana-big-difference/ Indriya and Āyatana – Big Difference]

{{Buddhism topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayatana}}
[[Category:Twelve nidānas]]
[[Category:Eighteen dhātus]]
[[Category:Sanskrit words and phrases]]