(1) Matter (body) 色
We sometimes tend to identify ourselves with our bodies. When analyzed,
we know that our body changes all the time. Medical reports actually show
that our body cells got totally renewed in every 7 years.
Defining the boundary of our body is hard also when we intake air and food,
is our body the same as before? When we cut our nails and hair, does that
change our body into something else? (Keep in mind the ancient Japanese
temple example we discussed in class.) As analyzed, our body is not permanent,
but changes all the time. Can I consist my body?
(2) Sensation受
This includes all our feelings, pleasant (樂 受),
unpleasant (苦 受) and neutral (捨 受).
Our feelings change form moment to moment. It is less stable that our body.
(3) Perception 想
Our perceptions are produced through the contact of our six senses (六
根) with the external world.
Since we perceive differently form time to time, how can we consisder perception
to constitute "self."
(4) Mental Formation 行 ; Karma
This group includes all volitional activities both good and bad, It
is the desire, the will to live, to exist, to re-exist, to become, to grow,
to accumulate more and more., We tend to consider our "will" to
be part of ourselves.
Take for example, breathing is a semi-automatic process that we cannot
control entirely. Then , does that means that breathing is not part of
oneself?
(5) Consciousness 識
It is a response which has one of the six senses as its basis, and one
of the six corresponding eternal phenomena as its object. ( see table
below)
| 六 根 | 六 塵 | 六 識 |
| Six Senses | Six external phenomena | Six consciousness |
| Eye | Visible Form | Eye consciousness |
| Ear | Sound | Ear consciousness |
| Nose | Odour | Nose consciousness |
| Tongue | Taste | Tongue consciousness |
| Body | Tangible | Body consciousness |
| Mind | Mind-object | Mind consciousness |
Summary on Five Aggregates
The 1st aggregates constitutes the physical part (色 法) and the other four aggregates constitute the mental energy (心 法) of our existence. These five elements together constitute what we called " self ." From the above discussion , we can see that all five elements are constantly changing, so a permanent self cannot be found.
E.g. A river moves constantly in waves of large & small size.
- Is the river the same between last year & now?
E.g. A fire keeps on burning with different fuel like wood. Gasoline
and dry leaves.
- Is the fire the same or different as time goes by?