It is the change in the contact changes our feelings, perceptions and thoughts.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

"...Eye-contact is inconstant, changeable, alterable. Ear-contact is inconstant, changeable, alterable. Nose-contact is inconstant, changeable, alterable. Tongue-contact is inconstant, changeable, alterable. Body-contact is inconstant, changeable, alterable. Intellect-contact is inconstant, changeable, alterable.

"One who has conviction & belief that these phenomena are this way is called a faith-follower: one who has entered the orderliness of rightness, entered the plane of people of integrity, transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill. He is incapable of doing any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away until he has realized the fruit of stream-entry.

"One who, after pondering with a modicum of discernment, has accepted that these phenomena are this way is called a Dhamma-follower: one who has entered the orderliness of rightness, entered the plane of people of integrity, transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill. He is incapable of doing any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away until he has realized the fruit of stream-entry.

"One who knows and sees that these phenomena are this way is called a stream-enterer, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening."

In this short sutta Buddha talks about the importance seeing contact as impermanent and is subject to change as the sense stimuli arise and pass away. The person who has the true conviction that these phenomena behave in such a way is called faith-follower (Saddhānusāri). The person who is able to grasp and comprehend after reflecting on the them, how contact arise and pass away will gain access to a stage of enlightenment before stream entry called Dhamma-follower (Dhammānusārī). Finally Buddha said both these individuals are incapable of passing away till they realize fruits of stream entry (stream winner).

The fruits of stream entry (stream winner) is discussed in other posts.

Please see labes. Here are some examples.

Who is a stream-winner ?

stream-winners...never again destined for states of woe

The number of rebirths remaining for the stream-winner...

In ordinary day to day life we are bombarded with contact through our six senses all the time (Figure 2) chewing us away and we are unable to see this. Buddha gave an excellent simile for contact in one sutta. He compared contact to a flayed cow.

"And how is the nutriment of contact to be regarded?

Suppose a flayed cow were to stand leaning against a wall. The creatures living in the wall would chew on it. If it were to stand leaning against a tree, the creatures living in the tree would chew on it. If it were to stand exposed to water, the creatures living in the water would chew on it. If it were to stand exposed to the air, the creatures living in the air would chew on it. For wherever the flayed cow were to stand exposed, the creatures living there would chew on it. In the same say, I tell you, is the nutriment of contact to be regarded."

Puttamansa Sutta: A Son's Flesh

In the mind works model if you follow the flow chart you can see how contact arises. The contact is basically a union of thee things. For example the eye, the object and the eye-consciousness make the eye contact (Figure 1). The same principal applies for other five senses too (Figure 2). As the object changes, eye consciousness changes and so does the eye contact. These changes happen at such a rapid speed and it is almost impossible for us to see them clearly unless you train yourself. So in ordinary life with no training, we get caught up with different feelings (pleasant, unpleasant...) perceptions and mental formations (thoughts). However we fail to recognize that only the change in the contact caused all these changes in feelings, perceptions and thoughts in us Failure to recognize this results in suffering and continuous existence in the smasara (see the flow chart, Figure 2). This is the result of the unwise attention (Ayoniso manasikara) of the mind.

However Buddha said:

"When the nutriment of contact is comprehended, the three feelings [pleasure, pain, neither pleasure nor pain] are comprehended. When the three feelings are comprehended, I tell you, there is nothing further for a disciple of the noble ones to do."

Puttamansa Sutta: A Son's Flesh

The TheFoundations of Mindfulness: (Satipatthana Sutta) , the contemplation of the body (kayanupassana), feeling (vedananupassana), mind (cittanupassana), and mental objects (dhammanupassana) which is shown in yellow bubbles in the flow chart (Figure 3), is the training and will enable us to see things clearly. With wise attention (Yoniso manasikara) we can now contemplate on The Three Characteristics (ti-lakkha.na), Impermanence (Anicca), Suffering or Unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and Not-self or Insubstantiality (anattaa) and this is the final common pathway of contemplation of insight.

Not seeing how the six senses work, we recycle ourselves in the samsara.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Buddha said: "Not knowing, not seeing the eye as it actually is present; not knowing, not seeing forms as it actually is present, consciousness at the eye as it actually is present, contact at the eye as they actually are present; not knowing, not seeing whatever arises conditioned through contact at the eye — experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain — as it actually is present, one is infatuated with the eye... forms... consciousness at the eye... contact at the eye... whatever arises conditioned by contact at the eye and is experienced as pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain.

"For him — infatuated, attached, confused, not remaining focused on their drawbacks — the five clinging-aggregates head toward future accumulation. The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now this & now that — grows within him. His bodily disturbances & mental disturbances grow. His bodily torments & mental torments grow. His bodily distresses & mental distresses grow. He is sensitive both to bodily stress & mental stress.

(Same applies to other senses and their respective stimuli).

Maha-salayatanika Sutta: The Great Six Sense-media Discourse

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.149.than.html

Now lest us examine this passage from the Great-sense-media sutta and see how it will apply to "mind works model" (Figure 3).

We will take first the eye as the example (Figure 3) as we know that exact same thing happens at other senses (Figure 2) too.

When Buddha said "Not knowing, not seeing the eye as it actually is present..." he meant was ordinarily are not aware of the true working of of the eye in relation to our mind. We are not normally aware of the eye meeting the form (object), how eyes consciousness arises and (meeting of the three- the eye , eye-consciousness and the form/object) when contact arises and so on. These things happen at an incredible speed multiple times as long you have the attention (Manasikara) on the object. From contact arises feeling (pleasure, pain, or neither-pleasure-nor-pain) and from that craving arises as we are ordinarily in a mode of unwise attention (Ayoniso manasikara). We therefore we cling to the five aggregates saying this "mine", this is "me" this is "my-self" (please see the post below)

This body not "mine", not "me" and not "myself"...

If you follow the flow chart in the "mind works model" (Figure 3) it will make clear how it all happens, theoretically.

Once craving arises it continues on the Dependent Origination (Please see labels) path to end up with another round of becoming and a birth. Then he is subjected to bodily suffering such as old age, sickness as well as mental suffering as sorrow, lamentation, and distress.

And that is what Buddha meant when he said:

"For him — infatuated, attached, confused, not remaining focused on their drawbacks — the five clinging-aggregates head toward future accumulation. The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now this & now that — grows within him. His bodily disturbances & mental disturbances grow. His bodily torments & mental torments grow. His bodily distresses & mental distresses grow. He is sensitive both to bodily stress & mental stress.

Now how can be aware of the actual working of the eye (and other senses) and the five aggregates in real life? Not easy, but can be done. This needs training... lots of training! This is the practice of insight or vipassana meditation. The wise attention (Yoniso manasikara*) is the key. Please see labels on six fold senses and vipassana for further detail discussions on these subjects in relation to suttas.

*Yoniso manasikara - translated in English as wise attention. This can be broken down to (Yo+Nisi+Manasikara) Yoniso manasikara means the correct understanding of how the mind works. This is reason for the name I chose for my model "the mind works."

Here are examples some more posts on six senses in relation to sutta:

How does a monk guard the doors to his sense faculties?

How should one know, how should one see, for ignorance to be abandoned and true knowledge to arise?

How to stop this craving...

What is the "All"

How do you examine completely, in every detail "the All" (six senses)?

Dependent Origination (DO): How do we apply it?

Other related posts on Vipassana:

The party is cancelled!

Our six senses are responsible for our own existence

Life is like whatching a "movie".....check out how it works !

This body not "mine", not "me" and not "myself"...

Figure 1

Figure 2

Personality view or self Identity view (sakkaya-ditthi[sakkaaya-di.t.thi*]) is one of the main fetters that binds us to samsara. It is the first (lower fetter) of the ten fetters. Release from this is the hardest but the most important breakthrough to become a Stream Enterer and finally become a Stream Winner, the first stage of enlightenment. The stream winner also has break two more fetters and they are discussed in detail in other posts. (See labels to learn about fetters/stages of enlighenment/Stream Winner). For the purpose of this post we will mainly focus on the personality view.

There are 4 types of Personality Views that can arise for each of the five aggregates. (Please see Figure 2).

For example for the body (form)

1. The body is "me"

2. "I am" the body

3. The body is in "me"

4. "I am" in the body

The same applies to other four aggregates, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness. Therefore there are twenty types of personality views one could have (4X5=20). Please see Figure 1 and 2.

This view is driven by three fundamental defilements of the mind. Its the craving, conceit and ignorance.

The main three themes that comes up again and agin in the personality view are "mine" (due to craving), this is me (due to conceit) and this is my self (due to ignorance).

There is an Excellent sutta to contemplate and investigate Not-self (Anatta). This is the second disclose of the Buddha after his enlightenment. If one contemplates this sutta mindfully often enough applying to oneself, this can be excellent tool to gain some insight into the true nature of the personality view. This message of Not-self ("Anatta") comes up in many other suttas too and you can read them by clicking on the links given at the end of this post.

Before starting to contemplate on this sutta you need to contemplate on some background information on the five aggregates to gain some insight into how they work. First you need to know is their precursors or their nutriments. After that you need to contemplate on what basis you say that the five aggregates are impermanent. Otherwise the whole exercise may not make much sense.

1. The physical body or form- is made of the four main elements, the solid, liquid, heat and gas . The body is dependent on nutriments, the physical foods both coarse and fine. Without nutriments the body cannot be sustained. We all know that all condition things that are subject to birth, change while existing and cease to exist eventually. The body is no exception. It is not so difficult to see the impermanent nature of the body compared to the other aggregates. We just have be mindful and contemplate.

(Please see the labels to learn more about elements and nutriments)

2. Feeling- Feeling arises dependent on contact as its nutriment. Contact is impermanent as it depends of union of thee which are also impermanent. Something that arises of an impermanent thing cannot be permanent.

Please see the two beautiful similes in this post:

What is impermanence ?

This way we can contemplate on the nutriment and the impermanence of feeling.

3. Perception - same as feeling above.

4. Mental formation - same as feeling above.

5. Consciousness- The Nutriment for is Name-and-Form. From the suttas its not very clear the exact relationship between the two. However it is clearly stated that one cannot survive without the other, suggesting they are co-dependent. My "mind works" model give some some insights to how they may be co-dependent (please see label on the mind works model). To contemplate on impermanence of consciousness you can use same principal as in feeling. When name-and-form is impermanent it is impossible for the consciousness to be permanent.

Now to our main discussion....

To understand the sutta better here I have first extracted the discussion on the body (form) aggregate from the sutta.

Now this is how it goes:

"Bhikkhus, form is not-self. Were form self, then this form would not lead to affliction, and one could have it of form: 'Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.' And since form is not-self, so it leads to affliction, and none can have it of form: 'Let my form be thus, let my form be not thus.'

"Bhikkhus, how do you conceive it: is form permanent or impermanent?" —

"Impermanent, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent painful or pleasant?" — "Painful, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent, what is painful since subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: 'This is mine, this is I, this is my self'"? —

"No, venerable sir."

"So, bhikkhus any kind of form whatever, whether past, future or presently arisen, whether gross or subtle, whether in oneself or external, whether inferior or superior, whether far or near, must with right understanding how it is, be regarded thus: 'This is not mine, this is not I, this is not myself.'

(same applies to feeling, perception, mental formation (translated here as determinations), and consciousness.

And to conclude the sutta Buddha said:

"Bhikkhus, when a noble follower who has heard (the truth) sees thus, he finds estrangement in form, he finds estrangement in feeling, he finds estrangement in perception, he finds estrangement in determinations, he finds estrangement in consciousness.

"When he finds estrangement, passion fades out. With the fading of passion, he is liberated. When liberated, there is knowledge that he is liberated. He understands: 'Birth is exhausted, the holy life has been lived out, what can be done is done, of this there is no more beyond.'"

Please read the full sutta:

Anatta-lakkhana Sutta: The Discourse on the Not-self Characteristic

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.059.nymo.html

To listen to a short talk on the personality view of sakkaya-ditthi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bspOKV8iosY&feature=player_embedded

Other sutta on Anatta:

Girimananda Sutta: To Girimananda ( Anatta used as a meditation subject here)

Nandakovada Sutta: Nandaka's Exhortation (MN 146) [Thanissaro]

Pañcavaggi Sutta: Five Brethren - Access to Insight

Udana Sutta: Exclamation

Sambodhi Sutta: Self-awakening

Ananda Sutta: To Ananda - Access to Insight

Channa Sutta: To Channa - Access to Insight

Maha-punnama Sutta: The Great Full-moon Night Discourse

Three Cardinal Discourses of the Buddha - Access to Insight

Further reading:

No-self or Not-self?

The Not-self Strategy

Meditating on No-Self: A Dhamma Talk (Edited for Bodhi Leaves)

* sakkaya-ditthi [sakkaaya-di.t.thi]:

Self-identification view. The view that mistakenly identifies any of the khandha as "self"; the first of the ten fetters (samyojana). Abandonment of sakkaya-ditthi is one of the hallmarks of stream-entry (see sotapanna).

Nutriments for the maintenance of beings and for those seeking a new existence ...

Figure 1

Figure 2

"There are these four nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those in search of a place to be born. Which four? Physical food, gross or refined; contact as the second, intellectual intention the third, and consciousness the fourth. These are the four nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those in search of a place to be born."

Puttamansa Sutta: A Son's Flesh

In many suttas Buddha talks about these four kinds of nutriment (food) for the maintenance of beings that already have come to be and for the support of those seeking a new existence (Figure 1).

The Four Nutriments:

1. Physical nutriment : gross or subtle (kabali'nkaaro)
2. Contact nutriment (phassa)
3. Mental volition (formations) nutriment (mano-sancetanaa)
4. Consciousness nutriment (viññaa"na)

Nayna ponika Thera says:

"All beings subsist on nutriment" — this, according to the Buddha, is the one single fact about life that, above all, deserves to be remembered, contemplated and understood. If understood widely and deeply enough, this saying of the Buddha reveals indeed a truth that leads to the root of all existence and also to its uprooting....

....the laws of nutriment govern both biological and mental life, and this fact was expressed by the Buddha when speaking of four kinds of nutriments

.... It is hunger that stands behind the entire process of nutrition, wielding its whip relentlessly. The body, from birth to death, craves ceaselessly for material food; and mind hungers as eagerly for its own kind of nourishment, for ever new sense-impressions and for an ever expanding universe of ideas.

.....Craving (ta.nhaa) is the principal condition of any "in-take" or "up-take" (upaadaana), that is, of nutriment in its widest sense. This is the first factor common to all types of nutriment, be they physical or mental.

The Four Nutriments of Life-An Anthology of Buddhist Texts

translated from the Pali, with an Introductory Essay by Nyanaponika Thera

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel105.html

So Buddha says "With the arising of craving there is the arising of nutriment. With the cessation of craving there is the cessation of nutriment."

Now let us examine how it will work in the "mind works" model (Figure 2). The physical nutriment essential to sustain the 5 sense bases, eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. The three types of mental nutriment sustains the mind. The Contact food (shown in green), Mental volition /formations (shown in orange) and the 6 different Consciousness nutriments (are shown in purple). The dotted green boxes and arrows highlights or points to these foods. From the model it is clear that entire existence of a person is a self-sustained environment provided that food is supplied from outside (physical) and within (mental).