Namo Tassa Bagawato Arahato Samma Sam Buddha Sa: CH14: Phassa (Contact)

Sunday, August 17, 2025

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

Phassa = the contact when a sense base meets a sense object with the appropriate consciousness (SN 12.2).
Six contacts (SN 12.2): cakkhu-samphassa (eye-contact), sota-, ghāna-, jivhā-, kāya-, mano-samphassa (mind-contact).
Placement (Ch02): Present Effect—conditioned by saḷāyatana and conditioning vedanā (SN 12.1).
Round (Ch03): Vipāka-vaṭṭa (result): merely the meeting; not yet wholesome/unwholesome.
Function: sets the timing for feeling; without contact, no feeling arises.

Saḷāyatana → Phassa: a door “comes online”; object appears; matching consciousness is present → contact happens.
Phassa → Vedanā: contact conditions the hedonic tone (pleasant / painful / neither).
Practice hinge: because C2 (vedanā → taṇhā) follows immediately, clean recognition of contact buys the half-second needed to prevent craving.

Triangle Whisper (60–90 sec)
At the next stimulus, whisper the triangle once: “base — object — consciousness → contact.” Stop. Feel how simple the event is before tone/story.
Door Pairing (2 min)
For three everyday moments, name the pair out loud: “ear—sound,” “eye—form,” “mind—idea.” Then add one word: “contact.” Notice how vedanā appears after this naming.
Contact-to-Feeling Delay (3 min)
Choose a frequent trigger (notification/itch). When it fires, count one slow breath labeling “contact,” then label the feeling tone. This inserts space before taṇhā can form.

SN 12.1; SN 12.2.

QR Footer (left → right)

Audio QR-CH14-AUD1 — “Contact Triangle: base–object–consciousness.” (Alt: “QR to audio: guided phassa drill”)
Video QR-CH14-VID1 — Catching contact before tone. (Alt: “QR to video: phassa timing demo”)
Slides QR-CH14-PPT1 — Six contacts chart + triangle. (Alt: “QR to slides: phassa teaching deck”)
Prompt QR-CH14-PRM1 — Contact→Feeling Delay script. (Alt: “QR to prompt: insert one-breath space”)