The Six Principles of Consciousness in Prajnaparamita (Mahāyāna Buddhism)

The Six Principles of Consciousness in Prajnaparamita (Mahāyāna Buddhism)

The Six Principles of Consciousness are the : 

eye-consciousness, 

the ear-consciousness, 

the nose-consciousness, 

the tongue-consciousness, 

the body-consciousness, and 

the mind-consciousness.1 

The Contacts by Touch are the contact of the eye, of the ear, of the nose, of the tongue, of the body, and of the mind. The Sensations resulting from the Contacts are of the eye, of the ear, of the nose, of the tongue, of the body, and of the mind. 

'The Six Elements are :

Earth, 

Water, 

Fire, 

Air, 

Ether, and 

Consciousness. 

'The Twelve Nidanas (δεσμά) are :

Ignorance, 

Conformations [of Thought], 

[Birth] Consciousness, 

Psychic and Physical Elements [Six] Sense-Faculties, 

Contact, 

Sensation, 

Craving, 

Grasping [or Enjoying], 

Existence [or Becoming], 

Birth, 

Age, and 

Death.' 

Then, at the end, concerning the Divine Duties, or Paramitas, it teaches : 

'All the bodily divine duties precede the Wisdom and follow the Wisdom. 

All the divine duties of the Speech precede the Wisdom and follow the Wisdom. 

All the divine duties of the Mind precede the Wisdom and follow the Wisdom.' 

In other words, as the canonical Prajna-Paramita also teaches, these Divine Duties of the Bodhisattva must be mastered, or fully discharged, before the Supreme Wisdom of Bodhi can be attained; and thereafter, as adornments of Buddhahood, they glorify It. Although recognized as being apocryphal, this work is, nevertheless, highly esteemed and regarded by the laity as being almost as authoritative as the canonical epitomes themselves. The canonical stating of the Prajna-Paramita corresponds to the negative aspect of the Doctrine of the Voidness, as denoted by the term Shunyata, while this noncanonical exposition corresponds to the positive aspect, as denoted by the term Tathata.

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Prajnaparamita (η τελειότητα της (υπερβατικής) σοφίας) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Prajñāpāramitā refers to this perfected way of seeing the nature of reality, as well as to a particular body of sutras and to the personification of the concept in the Bodhisattva known as the "Great Mother" (Tibetan: Yum Chenmo). The word Prajñāpāramitā combines the Sanskrit words prajñā "wisdom" with pāramitā "perfection". Prajñāpāramitā is a central concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism and is generally associated with the doctrine of emptiness (Shunyata) or 'lack of Svabhava' (essence) and the works of Nagarjuna. Its practice and understanding are taken to be indispensable elements of the Bodhisattva path. wikipedia.org