August 1 , 2003
The human personality [sakk±ya] comprises the mind and matter [N±mar³pa] devoid of Self or Soul. It is merely composed of the 6-senses bases [sal±yatanas] or organs. Buddha also declares that the human personality can be considered alternately to be composed of the five aggregates [puñcakkhandhas], namely:
• 1. Corporeal form [R³pa]
• 2. Sensations [Vedan± ]
• 3. Perceptions [Saññ± ]
• 4. Volitional activities [Sankh±r±]
• 5. Consciousness [Viññ±na]
The corporeal form is made up of four Great Elements [Dh±tus], namely, Earth, Water, Fire and Wind. The four Great Elements are impermanent and non-self. In dependence upon the corporeal form, arise sensations of feelings. Feelings are categorized into three classes, namely, pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling and neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling. In dependence upon feelings or sensations, there arise perceptions. Perception is the capacity to identify and recognize the object perceived. Through the capacity of perception, the perceiver is able to discriminate and know the characteristics or nature of the object. Volitional activities are the productive capacity of manufacturing kammas. When one holds the Self-view [att±-view], there arises grasping or clinging on the five aggregates [puñca-up±d±na-khandas]. Grasping is the result of the ignorance of Anatt± of the human personality. Under such circumstances, one’s external conduct is motivated by selfishness or egoness because of the notion of Iness or I-making [Ahamk±ra]. The selfishness or egoness in mirrored by the unwholesome actions [akusalakammas] rooted in greed [lobha] or hatred [dosa] or delusions [moha]. Consciousness is cognition. When there is grasping upon the five aggregates, the cognition or consciousness is impure as
the mind is corrupted with cankers [±savas] or defilements [kilesas]. When one has developed intuitively the wisdom of Anatt±, the cognition or consciousness is pure because the cankers are destroyed.
The Buddha proclaims that:
• 1. Corporeal form is Non-self
• 2. Sensations is Non-self
• 3. Perception is Non-self
• 4. Volitional activities is Non-self
• 5. Consciousness is Non-self.
The five aggregates are declared as Non-self. It means that none of the five aggregates is you, belongs to you; is yours. Therefore, the Buddha advises us:
Do not grasp upon the corporeal form;
Do not grasp upon the sensations;
Do not grasp upon the perceptions;
Do not grasp upon the volitional activities;
Do not grasp upon the consciousness.
Do not grasp upon the human personality.
By not grasping upon the five aggregates, one is detached from the activities of the 6 senses by staying aloof and alienating from the five aggregates. In other words, do not regard oneself as the owner of the five aggregates which have no owner on the basis of the truth of Anatt±. In this matter, one transforms the state of five-grasping aggregates [puñca-up±d±na-khandas] into the original state of five-non-grasping aggregates. The transformation is resulted from the Anatt±-view of the human personality expressed by the Buddha as: This am I not; this does not belong to me; this is not mine. Consequently, the unwise become the wise who is the master of the five aggregates. An unwise or an ordinary man is the slave of the five aggregates.
When either agreeable / pleasant or disagreeable / unpleasant objects are presented to the Wise, he is neither attached to the agreeable / pleasant object not is he averse or repels the disagreeable or unpleasant object. He responds with equanimity or even-mindedness. He is liberated mentally. In this very life, here and now, his body is inflicted but his mind is not inflicted. Most importantly, he is emancipated from suffering [dukkha] or anguish. If he has attained the first state of enlightenment as Stream-winner [Sot±panna], he will experience 7 more rebirths among the worlds of gods and human beings from which he will gain Full Awakening. He is liberated from any downfall into the four woeful states of demons [asura], ghost [petas], animals [tiracch±na] and hell beings [niraya].If he has attained the second state of enlightenment, he becomes a Once-returner [Sakad±gam² ] who will experience one more rebirth in this world from which he will gain Full Awakening. If he has attained the third state of enlightenment, he becomes a Never-returner [An±gam² ]. He will be reborn in the World of Brahm± [higher god] from which he will win Full Awakening. If he has attained the 4th state of enlightenment, he becomes a Fully Awakened One called Arahant in this very life in this world.
Therefore, the Buddha expressly admonishes us that:
The body is not yours;
The sensations are not yours;
The perceptions are not yours;
The volitional activities are not yours.
The consciousness is not yours.
Give them up; abandon them.
The Buddha does not advise us to discard or destroy the 5 aggregates. He warns us not to regard the 5 aggregates as our own private properties. We are advised to disown them because the ultimate truth is that none of the components of the human personality is Self. It is only appropriate to regard the human personality as: This am I not; this does not belong to me; this is not mine. On the basis of Anatt±, one is to apply mindfulness and clear comprehension of Anatt± to all the activities of the 6 senses. In other words, the four-fold mindfulness [satipatth±na] is to be applied on the Body, Feelings, Mind and Mind-objects. The Buddha declares that:
The five aggregates are impermanent;
The five aggregates are suffering.
The five aggregates are selfless.
The five aggregates are dependently co-arisen.
The five aggregates are murderers.
A delivered or liberated one comprehends intuitively all the above 5 declarations. Therefore, as a practitioner of true Dhamma, one ought to strive diligently through investigation of the true nature of the five aggregates so that this intellectual Buddhism is converted into authentic Buddhism. Therefore, in order to tread on the Buddha Path, one has to undertake the training of the Noble Eight Fold Path of Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. To actualize the fruit of the Noble Eight Fold Path, the applications of mindfulness on the Body, Feelings, Mind and Mind-objects must be exercised zealously. To accelerate rate of attaining the fruit of self-realization of Anatt± , Buddhist meditation is highly recommended. The Buddha himself prescribes the meditation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness [Satipatth±na] of the Body, Feelings, Mind and Mind-objects. The Buddha has verified its validity through this Tranquility [Samatha] and Insight [Vipassan±] Meditation. The Buddha invites us to try ourselves, test validity of the method ourselves and verify it by direct experience and not by blind faith.
The Buddha instructs us to practice ‘Letting go’ at all times in all places thus:
Abandon the corporeal form because it is not yours;
Abandon the sensations because it is not yours;
Abandon the perceptions because it is not yours.
Abandon the volitional activities because it is not yours.
Abandon the consciousness because it is not yours.
Abandoning the human personality because it is not yours.
‘Abandoning the five aggregates’ means ‘stopping the grasping upon the five aggregates’ or ‘detaching from the five aggregates’. This is done on the basis of the intuitive understanding of Anatt±. Constantly be mindful and clearly aware that: There is only action taking place and there is no actor who acts. There is only the feeling taking place but there is no feeler who feels. There is only the perceiving but there is no perceiver. There is only the production of kammas but no producer of kammas. There is only the cognizing but no cognizer. Human personality is merely a phenomenon which is impermanent, suffering and selfless. Such wisdom leads to non-grasping. It results in detachment. Thus, cankers are thereby destroyed. The mind is thus purified. This is fruit of Self-awakening due to self-realization of Anatt± .
The key message of the Buddha is crystallized in the following points of the Buddha’s Doctrine:
Constituting the human personality
Is the five aggregates.
None of the aggregates
Is you; belongs to you; is yours.
Stay aloof
And alienate yourself from
The body,
The feelings,
The perceptions;
The volitional activities;
And the consciousness.
Outgrow them;
Thus you gain liberation.
Anguish is eradicated;
Nibb±na is won.
Done what are to be done;
Destroyed is death;
There is more such or so.
The above verses are precise summary of the principal discourses of the Buddha. Commit them to memory. Practise its content zealously until self-realization of Anatt± is actualized. The Buddha’s final advice before parinibb±nna is relevant to all. It is thus expressed:
All conditioned things [things are dependently co-arisen] are
Impermanent and strive on diligently [to realize Anatt± ].
It has motivated me to work hard to cultivate according to authentic Buddhism [authentic Word of the Buddha (Buddhavacana)]. I hope it will work well on you too. Of course, all good things do not come easy. Great efforts are of paramount importance.