རེག་པ། | Glossary of Terms

The sixth of the twelve links of dependent origination. See “dependent origination.”

The sixth link of dependent arising.

This can mean either, more literally, “touch,” or coming into contact; in the context of the twelve parts of dependent arising, “contact” refers more specifically to the coming together of the object, faculty, and consciousness. According to some abhidharma masters, this coming together gives rise to a specific entity called “contact,” while others consider “contact” to simply describe a specific state of those three entities, i.e., when object, faculty, and consciousness are “together” and thus able to give rise to notion. It is also worth noticing that the root spṛś is used far more often in Sanskrit than either “to touch” or “to come in contact with” is used in English, and can often mean something like “to obtain” etc.

Sixth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

Sixth of the twelve links of dependent origination.

The contact of the sense organs with the sense objects. Also translated here as “touch.”

The contact of the sense organs with the sense objects. Also translated here as “sensory contact.”