आयतन
Āyatana
Sense-base / Sphere of sense experience
處
Grammar 語法
neuter noun (a-stem): from ā + yatati (to strive toward)
Definition 釋義
The twelve āyatanas — six internal (ajjhattika) and six external (bāhira) sense bases that together condition all sense experience: (1) eye (cakkhu) / visible form (rūpa); (2) ear (sota) / sound (sadda); (3) nose (ghāna) / smell (gandha); (4) tongue (jivhā) / taste (rasa); (5) body (kāya) / touch (phoṭṭhabba); (6) mind (mano) / mind-objects (dhammā). Each pair of internal-external āyatanas, when they meet, produces contact (phassa) and then consciousness (viññāṇa). The Buddha's analysis of experience through the āyatanas deconstructs the notion of a unified experiencer.
Canonical Example 典籍例句
Cakkhuñcāvuso, paṭicca rūpe ca uppajjati cakkhuviññāṇaṃ.
Dependent on the eye and forms, friend, eye-consciousness arises.
Source: MN 28 (Mahāhatthipadopama Sutta)
At a Glance
- Pali
- Āyatana
- IAST
- Āyatana
- Devanagari
- आयतन
- Chinese
- 處
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Related Words
🃏 Study with Flashcards
Practice this vocabulary →