  Thus, the Nikāyas do not offer a comprehensive picture of  consciousness as a distinct phenomenon, but only as something that  arises and passes away as a result of the activity of all the other  psycho-physical elements. Its characteristic aspect is determined by  the sensory system with which it happens to be associated. Thus, the  distinctive aspect of visual consciousness is determined by the  makeup of the visual sense and not by any intrinsic properties of its own.