大乘義章 8.60

8.60

第一釋名。十二入者，生識之處，名之為入，如八勝處名八除入。又復根塵迭相順入，亦名為入。入義不同，離分十二，所謂眼耳鼻舌身意、色聲香味觸法。此十二中，初六是內、後六是外，內名六根、外名六塵。云何名眼，乃至名意？釋有兩義：一約對以論，對色名眼，乃至第六對法名意。二就能以釋，能見名眼、能聞曰耳、能嗅稱鼻、能甞名舌、能覺稱身、能思曰意。云何名色，乃至名法？解云有二：一約對以釋，對眼名色，乃至第六對意名法。二當相解釋，質礙名色。通而論之，聲香味等皆悉質礙，而彼色塵質礙相顯，故偏名之。又復形顯亦名為色，響韻稱聲，芬馥名香，此名不足，於中亦有腥臊臭等，不可備舉，且存香稱，此則是其不盡語門。可甞名味，可棠曰觸，自體名法。名字如是。

First is explaining the names. As for the 'twelve bases' (āyatana), the places where consciousness arises are called 'bases' (ru), just as the eight bases of mastery (aṣṭāv abhibhv-āyatanāni) are called the eight bases of elimination (chu ru). Furthermore, because the sense faculties and sense objects mutually conform and enter (ru) into one another, they are also called 'bases' (ru). Since the senses of 'base' differ, they are divided into twelve: namely, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind; visible form, sound, odor, taste, tangible, and mental phenomena. Among these twelve, the first six are internal and the latter six are external; the internal are called the six faculties, and the external are called the six dusts (sense objects). Why are they called 'eye' down to 'mind'? There are two explanations: First, discussed in terms of correspondence: corresponding to visible form it is called 'eye', down to the sixth which, corresponding to mental phenomena, is called 'mind'. Second, explained according to capacity: that which can see is called 'eye'; that which can hear is called 'ear'; that which can smell is called 'nose'; that which can taste is called 'tongue'; that which can feel [touch] is called 'body'; that which can cogitate is called 'mind'. Why are they called 'visible form' down to 'mental phenomena'? It is explained that there are two [meanings]: First, explained in terms of correspondence: corresponding to the eye it is called 'visible form', down to the sixth which, corresponding to the mind, is called 'mental phenomena'. Second, explained according to their intrinsic characteristics: that which has material obstruction is called 'visible form'. Universally speaking, sound, odor, taste, and the rest are all materially obstructive; yet because the characteristic of material obstruction is prominent in the object of visible form, it is uniquely named [so]. Furthermore, shape and color are also called 'visible form'; reverberation and cadence are called 'sound'; fragrance is called 'odor'—this name is not exhaustive, for among them there are also fishy, gamey, and foul [smells], which cannot be enumerated fully; provisionally retaining the designation 'odor' (fragrance) is an incomplete manner of phrasing. That which can be tasted is called 'taste'; that which can be felt is called 'tangible'; its own intrinsic nature is called 'mental phenomena'. Such are the names.