..续本文上一页r of the consciousnesses inhabiting our bodies. Some of them live in our eye sockets, some live in our earholes, some in our nostrils, some in our mouth, our throat, our gums. They”re just like people, only we can”t understand their language. They have jobs and careers, families and homes, and places to vacation all over our body. These consciousnesses in our bodies sometimes get into battles and wars, just like red ants and black ants. Sometimes lizards and toads get into battles — I”ve seen it happen. It”s the same in our body, so where are we going to go to escape from it all

　　 The beings in our eyes lay claim to our eyes as their home. The ones in our ears claim our ears as their home. The ones in our blood vessels claim those as their home. Sometimes their claims overlap, so they get into feuds. As the texts say, there are feelings that arise from consciousness. This is why there are so many things that can happen to the body. Some kinds of consciousness give rise to disease, some are just waiting their chance. For instance, some kinds of consciousness without bodies hang around our blood vessels waiting for wounds and boils to develop. That”s their chance to take on bodies as worms and germs. As for the ones who don”t yet have bodies, they travel around as chills and thrills and itches and aches all over our body. It”s all an affair of consciousnesses.

　　In short, there are three classes in all — three clans, and all of them great big ones. The first are the living beings with bodies that live in our body. Then there are the consciousnesses that don”t have bodies of their own, but inhabit our body. Then there”s our own consciousness. So all in all there are three. These three types of consciousness get all mixed up together, so we don”t know which kinds of consciousness belong to animals with bodies, which kinds belong to beings that don”t yet have bodies, and which kind of consciousness is our own. We don”t know. When we don”t know this, how can we know the five aggregates

　　 "Viññanakkhandho" that we chant every morning — how can we know it

　　 All we know is "consciousness, consciousness," but our own consciousness is so slack and limp that it”s like a rope dragging on the ground. It”s the same with the phrase, "Consciousness is not-self." All we know is the words they say.

　　Only when we develop discernment from concentrating the mind will we be able to understand consciousness. That”s when we”ll be able to understand the 18 properties, starting with: "Cakkhu-dhatu, rupa-dhatu, cakkhu-viññana-dhatu" — eye property, form property, eye-consciousness property. To understand these three things you need the kind of knowledge that comes from concentration. For example, how many kinds of consciousness are there in our eye

　　 When a form appears to the eye and there”s consciousness of the form — is it really our consciousness, or is it the consciousness of some other being without a body that”s getting into the act

　　 Or is it the consciousness of a being with a body getting in our way, making us doubtful and unsure

　　 The three kinds of consciousness that arise at the eye, that see forms: how many different ways do they react

　　 And are those reactions really a result of our own consciousness, or of the consciousness of beings with bodies inhabiting our body

　　 Or are they the result of consciousnesses without bodies. We don”t know. We haven”t the slightest idea. When we don”t know even this much, how are we going to know, "Cakkhu-dhatu, rupa-dhatu, cakkhu-viññana-dhatu"

　　 There”s no way. We have no insight, no knowledge, no discernment at all.

　　"Sota-dhatu": our ear, which is the basis for ear-consciousness to arise. Which kind of ear-consciousness arises first

　　 Do we know

　　 No, not at all. Is it our own …

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