One of the Buddha's own disciples, Sati by name, held that the Master taught:
'It is the same consciousness that transmigrates and wanders about.'
The Buddha asked him what he meant by 'consciousness'.
Sati's reply is classical:
'It is that which expresses, which feels, which experiences the results of good and bad deeds here and there'.
‘T o whomever, you stupid one', remonstrated the Master, 'have you heard me expounding the doctrine in this manner ?
Haven't I in many ways explained consciousness as arising out of conditions:
that there is no arising of consciousness without conditions.'
Then the Buddha went on to explain consciousness in detail:
'Conciousness is named according to whatever condition through which it arises:
on account of the eye and visible forms arises a consciousness, and it is called visual consciousness;
on account of the ear and sounds arises a consciousness, and it is called auditory consciousness;
on account of the nose and odours arises a consciousness, and it is called olfactory consciousness;
on account of the tongue and tastes arises a consciousness, and it is called gustatory consciousness;
on account of the body and tangible objects arises a consciousness, and it is called tactile consciousness;
on account of the mind and mind-objects(ideas and thoughts) arises a consciousness, and it is called mental consciousness.'
Then the Buddha explained it further by an illustration:
A fire is named according to the material on account of which it burns.
A fire may burn on account of wood, and it is called woodfire.
It may burn on account of straw, and then it is called strawfire.
So consciousness is named according to the condition through which it arises.
Dwelling on this point, Buddhaghosa, the great commentator,
explains: '. . . a fire that burns on account of wood burns only when there is a supply,
but dies down in that very place when it (the supply) is no longer there, because then the condition has changed,
but (the fire) does not cross over to splinters, etc., become a splinter-fire and so on;
even so the consciousness that arises on account of the eye and visible forms arises in that gate of sense organ (i.e., in the eye),
only when there is the condition of the eye, visible forms, light and attention, but ceases then and there when it (the condition) is no more there,
because then the condition has changed, but (the consciousness) does not cross over to the ear, etc., and
become auditory consciousness and so on . .
The Buddha declared in unequivocal terms that consciousness depends on matter, sensation, perception and mental formations,
and that it cannot exist independently of them.
He says: 'Consciousness may exist having matter as its means (riipupayam), matter as its object (rupdrammanani),
matter as its support (rupapatittham), and seeking delight it may grow, increase and develop;
or consciousness may exist having sensation as its means . . . or perception as its means . . . or mental formations as its means,
mental formations as its object, mental formations as its support, and seeking delight it may grow, increase and develop.
'Were a man to say: I shall show the coming, the going, the passing away, the arising, the growth, the increase or
The development of consciousness apart from matter, sensation,perception and mental formations, he would be speaking of something that does not exist.'
첫댓글 제자 사티가 '식' 에 대한 misunderstanding 으로 야단 맞고, 다섯시간 ㅎ 설교 듣는 순간.
밉상 2탄 입니다.