Contact (Buddhism) [1]

In Tibetan Buddhism, this distinguishes the object as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral and is thus the basis of feeling and, thereby, of desire, hatred and ignorance. In Hinayana Buddhism, it is manifested in the sense sphere by the coinciding of the object, which is the physical basis, and consciousness. This does not refer only to touch but to any of the senses where consciousness and object impinge.

One of the five omnipresent mental factors defined in Tibetan Buddhism. One of the formations aggregate (mental coefficients) of Hinayana Buddhism, being listed among the constant states which appear in their true nature, and as general primary (always present in any consciousness). Also, taking sparsa as contact with the surroundings in a general sense, the sixth of 12 links – nidana – perpetuating the cycle of birth and death as delineated in the Buddhist causally continuous doctrine of being.