Spiny Norman wrote:acinteyyo wrote:
1......the skin is the border which separates what is internal and external...
2......the way the suttas define internal and external, namely internal are the sense bases, external the corresponding objects.
I'm not sure I see the difference between 1 and 2.
I made the distinction above because I suppose that many people consider their thoughts and ideas as being part of their "inner" world, so to say they're thoughts and ideas are "in here" and not "out there" in the external world. So for them the border between what is internal and external is their own body or better what they consider as themselves. What "I am" opposed to what "I am not". Here the reference for what is internal or external is what one considers as him or herself. This would be the understanding of
example 1.
But the suttas describe what is internal and external
with reference to the world differently. Internal are the sensebases and external are the corresponding sense objects.
mn148 wrote:"'The six internal media should be known.' Thus was it said. In reference to what was it said? The eye-medium, the ear-medium, the nose-medium, the tongue-medium, the body-medium, the intellect-medium. 'The six internal media should be known.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said. This is the first sextet.
"'The six external media should be known.' Thus was it said. In reference to what was it said? The form-medium, the sound-medium, the aroma-medium, the flavor-medium, the tactile sensation-medium, the idea-medium. 'The six external media should be known.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said. This is the second sextet.
My eye is external but sight is internal,
my ear is external but hearing is internal,
my nose is external but olfaction is internal,
my tongue is external but taste is internal,
my body is external but sense of touch is internal
and my thoughts and ideas are external but my mind is internal.
It's not brain external, mind internal! (dhammāyatanaṃ is external and manāyatanaṃ is internal)
Here the reference for what is internal or external is the world (loka) and the world is the six-sense media. This would be the understanding of
example 2.
There is another Sutta (MN28 - Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta) where the Buddha talks about internal and external with reference to the four great elements (mahābhūta).
Here the border between internal and external with reference to the four great elements is in fact what is this or inside of this body and what is outside of this body. But both what is internal or external with reference to the four great elements is just the four great elements. Still the reference for what is internal or external is not what "I am" opposed to what "I am not" but what is this body and what is not this body.
Imho it's important not to mix up these two ways of talking about internal and external. One is with reference to the world and the other is with reference to the four great elements.
The most important thing to understand is that this all is not in any way about a real existing world in or out anywhere but that we usually make a distinction between what "I am" and what "I am not", i.e. a view of my-self and the rest of the world "out there".
best wishes, acinteyyo