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Practice Exercises for the Six Internal

and Six External Sense Bases

Practice #1 Contemplation of the Six Internal and Six External Sense Bases

During the day, choose a particular sense organ (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and focus on the objects that present themselves to that sense organ (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mind objects) and the associated sense consciousness (eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, etc.). As you experience the feelings associated with the objects that come through that sense door, note their quality (pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral) and also the fetter that arises conditioned on such feelings (see Practice #3 below for a list of the fetters). Notice the momentary arising and disappearing of these fetters and their sense bases. Allow yourself to experience this viscerally, not cognitively.

Reflect on the following teaching of the Buddha from the Anattalakkhana Sutta (SN XXII.59) with respect to feelings and apply it to the associated fetters and sense bases which arise during the foregoing contemplation:

“What do you think, bhikkhus, is feeling permanent or impermanent?” – “Impermanent, venerable sir.” – “Is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?” – “Suffering, venerable sir.” – “Is what is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: ‘This is mine, this I am, this is my self’?” – “No, venerable sir.”

“Therefore, bhikkhus, any kind of feeling whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all feeling should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’

Practice #2 Meditation Practice with the Fetters:

Follow the breath. If you react to an object, determine if your reaction is fettered by greed, hatred or delusion. If fettered by greed, see how the mind reaches out from the sense organ to grasp the object. See how the mind is grasping and pushing away in each moment. If fettered by hatred, see how the mind grasps the object and experiences the pain of the experience, being bound to it. If fettered by delusion, see how you are identified with it.

Practice #3 Fetter Contemplation:

Contemplate the nature of each the ten fetters pertaining to the six sense bases and their objects – and how we define ourselves by identifying with them:

Sense desire

Ill-will or anger

Pride or conceit

False view

Doubt

Belief in rites and rituals

Desire for existence

Envy

Avarice

Ignorance