[243] "But, venerable sir, in what way is a bhikkhu fit to be called 'skilled in the sense bases (āyatana)'?"
"Ānanda, there are these six internal and external sense bases: the eye and forms, the ear and sounds, the nose and odors, the tongue and tastes, the body and tangibles, the mind and mental phenomena (dhammā). When, Ānanda, a bhikkhu knows and sees these six internal and external sense bases, in that way, Ānanda, he is fit to be called a bhikkhu skilled in the sense bases."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.