August 19, 2007
Mind as a 6th Sense?
Ki to Revitalization
Phenomena & Noumena
Focus the Senses; the Mind Follows
Sensory Purification
Cleansing the Doors of perception
六根清浄 {rokkon-shojo}
The Six Sensory Consciousnesses {Sad-vijnana/vinnana} are:
- Sight or vision
- Hearing or audition
- Smell or olfaction
- Taste or gustation
- Touch or tactition
- Perception
In Western Buddhism we sometimes tend to avoid talking about the traditional concept of six senses, as this is confusing. The very idea of a sixth sense is likely to raise eye brows. This is because, in the west, "the 6th sense" is associated with Extra Sensory Perception {ESP}, so it comes across as superstitious or mystical. However, the Buddhist concept of six sensory organs or faculties {Sad-indriya} is solidly rooted; it is found in the Suttas of the Pali Canon. It is just that the idea of a sixth sense should not be confused with the much maligned western concept of ESP. The sixth Sensory Organ in Buddhism is simply the brain.
In terms of Sensory Purification we are, at least initially, mainly concerned with the brain as a perceiver of phenomena. One objective to turn off all the cognition and chatter going on in there; to just observe impartially and without abstract conception; to perceive phenomena the same way the nose smells aromas.
Just as the ears hear sounds, the brain perceives phenomena. Kant defined phenomena as objects of sensible intuition, sensible entities coextensive with appearances. My present take is that the brain or mind, in the sense of a sense organ, or the seat of mano-vijnana, differs slightly from the abstract cerebral-consciousness {manas}, which deals with cognition or understanding of what Kant called noumena.
A phenomenon iapears to be a concrete object; while a noumenon seems to be an abstract concept. The Buddhist term for phenomena is dhamma or dharma, which is the same word as, but distinct in nuance of meaning from, "The Dhamma" or The Dharma. Note that, as a convenience, in English, we write dharma, without 'caps,' when we intend it in the sense of phenomena. The term for noumena is probably caitta, but I need to look into that more.
Put another way, a phenomena generaly has shape & color, it may emit an odor, it might make a sound, and it probably has a texture. A concept has none of those qualities, {or should I say quantities?}, it is abstract. Eighteen Sensory Relams, Dharma Dhatu, Juhachi Kai looks at the 6 senses in terms of the sensory organs, their organs, & their objects.
The body, heart, mind, & soul looks at Consciousness in more depth.