September 27, 2024 at 5:50 pm
#52157
Keymaster
Yes. That is correct.
The following is an easy way to avoid confusion between “bahira” and “bahiddha.”
1. When sense faculties (cakkhu, sota, ghana, jivha, kaya, mana) are used with defilements (raga, dosa, moha) in mind, they become “ajjhatta ayatana.”
- When that happens, the corresponding external rupas (rupa, sadda, gandha, rasa, phottabba, dhamma) become “bahira ayatana.”
2. The term “bahiddha” is usually used with the five aggregates or pancakkhandha (rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara, vinnana.) These are generally pancupadanakkhandha for a puthujjana.
- They arise with a coming together of bahira and ajjhatta ayatana (for example, sota and sadda.)
- That contact leads to the arising of pancupadanakkhandha characterized by the set rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara, and vinnana. In the above example of sota and sadda coming to contact, a “sadda rupa” is created in two steps involving bahiddha sadda rupa (with only distorted sanna; no attachment yet) and ajjhatta sadda rupa (with subsequent attachment to distorted sanna).
- With that bahiddha sadda rupa the mind will generate bahiddha vedana, bahiddha sanna, bahiddha sankhara, and bahiddha vinnana. If the mind attaches to that bahiddha sadda rupa, it becomes ajjhatta sadda rupa. Then, corresponding ajjhatta vedana, ajjhatta sanna, ajjhatta sankhara, ajjhatta vinnana will also arise.
3. I hope that will help remember the usage of “bahiddha” and “bahira.”
- “Bahiddha” is used with pancupadanakkhandha and “bahira” is used with ayatana.