Untitled in the source — Sāmaññavagga — the third chapter of the Elevens
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
The same cowherd simile and eight contemplations, now crossed against the six kinds of consciousness
Length
~1 minute to read; stands for forty-eight discourses
Third of ten categories
Consciousness, the third step in this chapter's ten-part analytical sequence
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the same established pattern, one category over
Why this discourse
The same eleven-factor cowherd simile and eight contemplations apply to the six kinds of consciousness that arise from each sense faculty and its object — eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness — forty-eight further discourses (AN 11.118–165).
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
The identical cowherd simile and eight contemplations now apply to the six kinds of consciousness — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness — the third of this chapter's ten categories.
What consciousness adds to the sequence
Having covered the sense faculty (what perceives) and the sense object (what is perceived), this page moves to consciousness — the awareness that arises specifically when a given faculty meets its corresponding object, the third link in the causal chain this chapter's sequence is tracing.
Named for its faculty, not its object
Each of the six consciousnesses in this page's list takes its name from the sense faculty it arises through — ‘eye consciousness’, not ‘sight consciousness’ — a naming convention consistent throughout the canon's treatment of the six sense bases.
The same forty-eight
Six kinds of consciousness times eight contemplations gives forty-eight discourses, matching AN 11.118 through AN 11.165 exactly — the same arithmetic already established at AN 11.70–117, now the third of eight remaining categories to repeat it.
Key terms
cakkhuviññāṇe, sotaviññāṇe, ghānaviññāṇe, jivhāviññāṇe, kāyaviññāṇe, manoviññāṇe — “eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind consciousness” — the six kinds of consciousness, each named for its corresponding sense faculty.
viññāṇa — “consciousness”, awareness — the third step in this chapter's analytical sequence, arising when faculty meets object.
cakkhuviññāṇa — “eye consciousness” — the first of the six, arising specifically when the eye meets a sight.
manoviññāṇa — “mind consciousness” — the sixth and final kind, completing the list.
aniccānupassī...paṭinissaggānupassī — the same eight contemplations from AN 11.22–29, again left entirely implicit.
The text
The compressed text in full: the same pattern, now applied to the six kinds of consciousness. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Six consciousnesses, the same pattern
§1… “… eye consciousness … ear consciousness … nose consciousness … tongue consciousness … body consciousness … mind consciousness. …”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What category does this page address?
Correct: B. The third step in this chapter's analytical sequence.
Question 2 of 6
What convention names each of the six consciousnesses, according to the guide?
Correct: B. Consistent throughout the canon's treatment of the six sense bases.
Question 3 of 6
When does eye consciousness specifically arise, according to the guide?
Correct: B. Consciousness is the awareness arising when faculty meets object.
Question 4 of 6
How many discourses does this page stand for?
Correct: C. 6 × 8 = 48, matching AN 11.118 through AN 11.165.
Question 5 of 6
What is the sixth and final consciousness named here?
Correct: C. Completing the six-consciousness list.
Question 6 of 6
Where is this compressed passage set?
Correct: B. No location is given for this compressed passage.
