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aggregates

  • this is one way to divide and conquer the fabricated idea of a permanent self or ego
  • use the deduction tag above for similar examples
Zen master Dogen said:
  • To study Buddhism is to study the self.
  • To study the self is to forget the self.
  • To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.
  • To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barriers between oneself and others.
graph TD
aggregates --> form
aggregates --> feelings
aggregates --> perceptions
aggregates --> mental_formations
aggregates --> consciousness
  • 5 heaps or aggregates
  • like baggage everyone carries around on their shoulders
  • like the 6 senses if you take one of these away the person exists
  • therefore no self is found in any individual aggregate
  • you are not your body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations or consciousness
  • these all arise from interdependent causes and pass away

The Five Aggregates

The Five Aggregates (Pali: khandha, Sanskrit: skandha) are a key concept in Buddhist philosophy that describe the basic components of human experience. They are:

  1. Form (Rupa)
  2. Feeling (Vedana)
  3. Perception (Sanna)
  4. Mental Formations (Sankhara)
  5. Consciousness (Vinnana)

Form (Rupa)

Aspect Definition
1. Visible form The physical body and all external objects that are perceived through the eyes or other senses.
2. Sound All auditory experiences, including speech, music, and environmental sounds.
3. Smell All olfactory experiences, including scents and odors.
4. Taste All gustatory experiences, including flavors and textures.
5. Touch All tactile experiences, including sensations of pressure, heat, cold, and texture.

Feeling (Vedana)

Aspect Definition
1. Pleasant The experience of pleasure, enjoyment, or satisfaction.
2. Unpleasant The experience of pain, discomfort, or dissatisfaction.
3. Neutral The absence of any strong emotional or sensory experience.

Perception (Sanna)

Aspect Definition
1. Perception of forms The ability to recognize and distinguish visual objects and shapes.
2. Perception of sounds The ability to recognize and distinguish auditory stimuli.
3. Perception of smells The ability to recognize and distinguish olfactory stimuli.
4. Perception of tastes The ability to recognize and distinguish gustatory stimuli.
5. Perception of touches The ability to recognize and distinguish tactile stimuli.
6. Perception of mental objects The ability to recognize and distinguish mental states and phenomena, such as emotions, thoughts, and beliefs.

Mental Formations (Sankhara)

Aspect Definition
1. Volition The intention or will to act or think in a certain way.
2. Attention The ability to focus and direct one's awareness towards specific objects or experiences.
3. Perception The mental process of recognizing and interpreting sensory stimuli.
4. Thought The process of forming and manipulating mental concepts and ideas.
5. Emotion The experience of affective states such as joy, anger, fear, or desire.
6. Memory The ability to retain and recall past experiences and information.
7. Craving The mental state of attachment or desire for particular objects, experiences, or states.
8. Ignorance The mental state of not understanding or recognizing the true nature of phenomena.

Consciousness (Vinnana)

Aspect Definition
1. Eye-consciousness The awareness or perception of visual objects through the eyes.
2. Ear-consciousness The awareness or perception of auditory stimuli through the ears.
3. Nose-consciousness The awareness or perception of olfactory stimuli through the nose.
4. Tongue-consciousness The awareness or perception of gustatory stimuli through the tongue.
5. Body-consciousness The awareness or perception of tactile sensations through the body.
6. Mind-consciousness The awareness or perception of mental states and phenomena.

what is khanda sutta

The Khandha Sutta is a discourse from the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. The word "khandha" in Pali refers to the five aggregates of physical and mental phenomena that make up the concept of an individual self.

The five aggregates are:

  • form (body)
  • feelings
  • perceptions
  • mental formations
  • consciousness

In the Khandha Sutta, the Buddha teaches about the nature of the five aggregates and their interdependence. He explains that these aggregates are not a permanent, unchanging self, but are instead impermanent and constantly changing phenomena that arise and pass away in response to different conditions.

The Khandha Sutta is often used as a teaching tool to help practitioners understand the nature of self and reality. By examining the five aggregates, practitioners can gain insight into the impermanence and lack of self in all things and develop a more profound understanding of dependent origination, the idea that all phenomena arise in dependence upon other phenomena.

Through this insight, practitioners can overcome attachment and ignorance, and eventually attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The Khandha Sutta is an important text in Theravada Buddhism and is widely studied by practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of Buddhist teachings.

Alagaddupama Sutta

The Alagaddupama Sutta discusses the five aggregates of experience: form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. It explains how these aggregates are the source of suffering and how to liberate oneself from them.

The Buddha teaches that the aggregates are not permanent or solid. They are constantly changing and impermanent. He also teaches that the aggregates are not self. They are not something that you are. They are simply experiences that you have.

The Buddha teaches that when you cling to the aggregates, you suffer. When you try to control them or make them permanent, you suffer. When you identify with them, you suffer.

The Buddha teaches that the way to liberate yourself from suffering is to let go of the aggregates. Let go of your attachment to them. Let go of your need to control them. Let go of your need to make them permanent. Let go of your need to identify with them.

When you let go of the aggregates, you are free from suffering. You are free to experience the world without attachment. You are free to experience the world without suffering.