STUDENT:

Buddhadharma also speaks of the eighteen realms, which include the six consciousnesses. Three components must come together whenever a sentient being comes into contact with the environment: a sense organ, a sense object, and a sense consciousness. For instance, the eye is a sense organ; form, shape and color are sense objects; and seeing is the sense consciousness. The same holds for sound, smell, taste and touch. This is clear. But I am still not sure what the three components of the sixth consciousness are.

SHIH-FU:

The six sense organs, the six sense consciousnesses, and the six sense objects make up what we call the eighteen realms. The six sense objects are also called the six kinds of sense dust. The objects of the sixth (mental) consciousness are the symbols we use to think, reason and remember. These symbols make up the sense dust of the sixth consciousness. Thinking, reasoning, remembering make up the consciousness component of the sixth consciousness.

The symbols come from the five other kinds of sense dust. We conceptualize with images and language. Language consists of the combination of varying sounds which present themselves as symbols to the sixth consciousness. When the mental consciousness uses these symbols, it can reason, remember, and make judgments. The mental consciousness cannot function without symbols.