Contact as a cetasika?

Discussion of Abhidhamma and related Commentaries
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DooDoot
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Contact as a cetasika?

Post by DooDoot »

Dear Abhidhamma gurus

Abhidhamma includes contact as a cetasika

At least according to the suttas, contact is comprised of three constituents, namely, sense-organ, sense-object & sense-consciousness

Therefore can it be said the physical sense organs and physical sense objects are also 'cetasika'?

What is meant by 'contact' as a 'cetasika'?

Thank you
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Pondera
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Re: Contact as a cetasika?

Post by Pondera »

I am no Abhidmma guru (though Buddhaghosa’s work led me to complete Unbinding) however “contact” is specifically facilitated by “sense consciousness”.

Consciousness is a totality. Ie. it exists in and around everything.

In the presence of a sight and an eye - eye consciousness makes the connection throughout space and time.

The only reason that eye even meets sight is that there is eye-consciousness.

Simply put - in the absence of eye-consciousness (ie. if someone has purged consciousness from their mind) then there is simply “neither perception nor non perception”. The eye does not contact the sight. However the intellect acknowledges the sight despite the eye being absolutely removed from it.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
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