The Five Aggregates | Pañcakkhandhā

The Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandhā)

The noble truth of unsatisfactoriness includes the five clinging-aggregates (pañcupadānakkhandhā), which are to be fully understood. The five aggregates are the form aggregate, the feeling aggregate, the recognition aggregate, the fabrications aggregate, and the consciousness aggregate. This fivefold classification includes all of the fabricated bodily and mental phenomena which comprise a living human being. All of these phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and not-self.

The Form Aggregate (Rūpakkhandha)

SN 22.56 Upādānaparivatta Sutta defines the form aggregate, as well as the condition for its arising, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation as follows:

Now monks, what is form? The four great elements and the form derived from the four great elements: this is called form. With the arising of nutriment there is the arising of form. With the cessation of nutriment there is the cessation of form. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of form, that is, integral view, integral resolve, integral speech, integral action, integral livelihood, integral effort, integral mindfulness, integral meditative composure.

MN 28 Mahāhatthipadopama Sutta adds the following:

Friends, just as when a space is enclosed by timber, vines, grass, and clay, it comes to be gathered under the term “house,” in the same way, when a space is enclosed by bones and sinews, flesh and skin, it comes to be gathered under the term, “form.”

And SN 22.79 Khajjanīya Sutta makes it clear that the fabricated phenomena of form included within the form aggregate primarily pertain to the body of a living human being:

And why, monks, do you call it “form”? It is “afflicted,” therefore it is called “form.” Afflicted by what? Afflicted by cold and heat and hunger and thirst, afflicted from contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles. It is afflicted, monks, therefore it is called form.

MN 62 Mahārāhulovāda Sutta offers the full definition of the four form elements as follows:

And what, Rāhula, is the earth element? The earth element can be either internal or external. What is the internal earth element? Whatever internally, within oneself, that is hard, solid, and clung-to, that is, head-hairs, body-hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, bone-marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, mesentery, stomach contents, feces, or whatever else internally, within oneself, that is hard, solid, and clung-to: this is called the internal earth element. Now both the internal earth element and the external earth element are simply earth element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper discernment thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the earth element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the earth element.

And what, Rāhula, is the water element? The water element can be either internal or external. What is the internal water element? Whatever internally, within oneself, that is water, watery, and clung-to, that is, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, mucus, synovial fluid, urine, or whatever else internally, within oneself, that is water, watery, and clung-to: this is called the internal water element. Now both the internal water element and the external water element are simply water element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper discernment thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the water element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the water element.

And what, Rāhula, is the fire element? The fire element can be either internal or external. What is the internal fire element? Whatever internally, within oneself, that is fire, fiery, and clung-to, that is, that by which one is warmed, ages, and is consumed, and that by which what is eaten, drunk, consumed, and tasted gets completely digested, or whatever else internally, within oneself, that is fire, fiery, and clung-to: this is called the internal fire element. Now both the internal fire element and the external fire element are simply fire element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper discernment thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the fire element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the fire element.

And what, Rāhula, is the air element? The air element can be either internal or external. What is the internal air element? Whatever internally, within oneself, that is air, airy, and clung-to, that is, upward moving winds, downward moving winds, winds in the stomach, winds in the bowels, winds that course through the limbs, in-breath and out-breath, or whatever else internally, within oneself, that is air, airy, and clung-to: this is called the internal air element. Now both the internal air element and the external air element are simply air element. And that should be seen as it actually is with proper discernment thus: ‘This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.’ When one sees it thus as it actually is with proper discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the air element and makes the mind dispassionate towards the air element.

earth	derivative forms
water	the body
fire
air

The Feeling Aggregate (Vedanākkhanda)

SN 22.56 Upādānaparivatta Sutta defines the feeling aggregate, as well as the condition for its arising, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation as follows:

And what, monks, is feeling? There are these six classes of feeling: feeling born of eye-contact, feeling born of ear-contact, feeling born of nose-contact, feeling born of tongue-contact, feeling born of body-contact, feeling born of mind-contact. This is called feeling. With the arising of contact there is the arising of feeling. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of feeling. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of feeling, that is, integral view, integral resolve, integral speech, integral action, integral livelihood, integral effort, integral mindfulness, integral meditative composure.

visual feeling	bodily comfort
auditory feeling	bodily discomfort
olfactory feeling	mental happiness
gustatory feeling	mental unhappiness

The Recognition Aggregate (Saññākkhanda)

SN 22.56 Upādānaparivatta Sutta defines the recognition aggregate, as well as the condition for its arising, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation as follows:

And what, monks, is recognition? There are these six classes of recognition: recognition of forms, recognition of sounds, recognition of odors, recognition of flavors, recognition of tactual objects, recognition of phenomena. This is called recognition. With the arising of contact there is the arising of recognition. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of recognition. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of recognition, that is, integral view, integral resolve, integral speech, integral action, integral livelihood, integral effort, integral mindfulness, integral meditative composure.

recognition of visible form	recognition of flavor
recognition of sound	recognition of tactual object
recognition of odor	recognition of mental object

The Fabrications Aggregate (Saṅkhārakkhandha)

SN 22.56 Upādānaparivatta Sutta defines the fabrications aggregate, as well as the condition for its arising, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation as follows:

And what, monks, are fabrications? There are these six classes of volitional intention: volitional intention with regard to forms, volitional intention with regard to sounds, volitional intention with regard to odors, volitional intention with regard to flavors, volitional intention with regard to tactual objects, volitional intention with regard to phenomena. These are called fabrications. With the arising of contact there is the arising of fabrications. With the cessation of contact there is the cessation of fabrications. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of fabrications, that is, integral view, integral resolve, integral speech, integral action, integral livelihood, integral effort, integral mindfulness, integral meditative composure.

volitional intention pertaining to:
visible form, sound, odor, flavor, tactual object, mental object

craving or aversion pertaining to:
visible form, sound, odor, flavor, tactual object, mental object

discursive thinking pertaining to:
visible form, sound, odor, flavor, tactual object, mental object

emotions pertaining to:
visible form, sound, odor, flavor, tactual object, mental object

The Consciousness Aggregate (Viññāṇakkhanda)

SN 22.56 Upādānaparivatta Sutta defines the consciousness aggregate, as well as the condition for its arising, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation as follows:

And what, monks, is consciousness? There are these six classes of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, mental-consciousness. This is called consciousness. With the arising of name-and-form there is the arising of consciousness. With the cessation of name-and-form there is the cessation of consciousness. And this noble eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of consciousness, that is, integral view, integral resolve, integral speech, integral action, integral livelihood, integral effort, integral mindfulness, integral meditative composure.

visual consciousness	gustatory consciousness
auditory consciousness	tactile consciousness
olfactory consciousness	mental consciousness