CH13: Saḷāyatana (Six Sense Bases)

At-a-glance: Present Effect • Vipāka-vaṭṭa

A. Definition & place in DO

• Saḷāyatana = the six sense bases that support experience (SN 12.2).

• Six internal bases (ajjhattikāni āyatanāni): cakkhu (eye), sota (ear), ghāna (nose), jivhā (tongue), kāya (body), mano (mind).

• Six external bases (bāhirāni): rūpā (forms), saddā (sounds), gandhā (odors), rasā (tastes), phoṭṭhabbā (tangibles), dhammā (ideas).

• Placement (Ch02): Present Effect—conditioned by nāma-rūpa, and conditioning phassa → vedanā (SN 12.1).

• Round (Ch03): Vipāka-vaṭṭa (result): the operating “gearbox” of experience, not yet wholesome/unwholesome in itself.

• Teaching note: Bases are functional doorways, not owners or selves; they enable contact when object + base + matching consciousness meet.

B. Mechanism (how saḷāyatana conditions the next)

• Viññāṇa → Nāma-rūpa → Saḷāyatana: once an episode is lit by knowing, name-and-form organizes; the doors come online for that encounter.

• Saḷāyatana → Phassa: when a base meets its object with the appropriate consciousness, contact (phassa) occurs.

• Onward flow: phassa → vedanā (felt tone) → at C2 the tilt to taṇhā can begin if unexamined.

• Practice implication: refining door recognition slows reactivity and prepares precise attention at vedanā.

C. Practice (micro-drills, 1–3 minutes)

1. Door Callout (60–90 sec)
   Let any stimulus arise; name one internal base + one external base once (e.g., “eye—form,” “ear—sound”). Stop before story. Feel the simplicity of the door pair.

2. Contact Triangle (2 min)
   Choose a quick event (e.g., phone buzz). State the triangle aloud: “base—object—consciousness → phassa.” Then watch for vedanā and label its tone (pleasant/neutral/painful).

3. Mind-Door Sweep (3 min)
   Sit quietly; for 3–5 arising ideas (dhammā), label “mano—dhamma.” Note the moment of contact, then the tone. If a lean begins, name “taṇhā,” soften jaw/chest/hands.

D. Cross-links

• Ch11 Viññāṇa and Ch12 Nāma-rūpa (upstream setup).

• Ch14 Phassa (immediate downstream condition).

• Ch15 Vedanā (how tone arises at the door meeting).

• Ch06 Three Connections (preparing for C2 after feeling).

Sources

SN 12.1; SN 12.2.

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QR Footer (left → right)

• Audio QR-CH13-AUD1 — “Six Doors in daily life.” (Alt: “QR to audio: saḷāyatana recognition practice”)

• Video QR-CH13-VID1 — Base–Object–Consciousness → Contact. (Alt: “QR to video: phassa triangle demo”)

• Slides QR-CH13-PPT1 — Internal & external bases chart. (Alt: “QR to slides: six bases teaching deck”)

• Prompt QR-CH13-PRM1 — Mind-door sweep script. (Alt: “QR to prompt: mano–dhamma scan”)

Next: Ch14 — Phassa (Contact).