pañcakkhandha

The pañcakkhandha, or five aggregates, is a core concept in Buddhism. It describes the composite nature of what is conventionally perceived as a self or individual. These five aggregates are rupa (form or matter), vedana (feeling or sensation), sañña (perception or recognition), sankhara (mental formations or volitions), and viññana (consciousness).

Rupa refers to the physical aspects of existence, including the body and the external material world. Vedana encompasses the pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral sensations experienced through sense contact. Sañña involves the cognitive process of recognizing and labeling sensory input, essentially identifying what something is. Sankhara represents the volitional activities and mental impulses that shape our thoughts, intentions, and actions. Viññana is the awareness or consciousness that arises from the interaction of sense organs and sense objects.

Buddhism teaches that these five aggregates are impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha), and without a permanent, independent self (anatta). The understanding and contemplation of the pañcakkhandha are crucial for developing insight into the nature of reality and for liberation from suffering. By seeing that there is no inherent, unchanging self within these aggregates, one can begin to detach from clinging and aversion, leading to the cessation of suffering. The aggregates are not separate entities but constantly arising and ceasing phenomena that create the illusion of a continuous self.