Lesson 7: THE FIVE AGGREGATES (the 5 Khandhas)

The Buddha analysed a being into Five 'Aggregates' (also known as 5 Khandhas or Skandhas):
FORM, FEELING, PERCEPTION, MENTAL FORMATIONS & CONSCIOUSNESS.
1) FORM - the body (comprised primarily of solidity, fluidity, heat, motion + 24 secondary elements)
2) FEELING - a sensation arising when an object comes into contact with one of our senses (i.e. when a sound strikes your ear.
3) PERCEPTION - a process that takes place when there is contact between a sense door and the appropriate object. One type of perception for each of the senses
4) MENTAL FORMATIONS. -50 different mental qualities which give characteristics to the state of consciousness such as love kindness and compassion or anger ill-will or gred, or netural qualities like concetration or attention.
5) CONSCIOUSNESS - is not constant but arises when a sense door is stimulated by the appropriate object then a particular typw of consciousness arises. Eg if a smell strikes the nose the olfactory consciousness will arise. This consciousness arises and passes away in a split second.
Buddha said the Five Aggregates are all changing from moment to moment. However, we don't see things as they really are. Nothing is permanent (Anicca). There is no self inherent in anything (anatta). Suffering is a given of all conditioned things (Dukkha).
This dhamma class was given by Richard Jones at the London Buddhist Vihara. 2016

[@khamano]

*excerpt from sutta SN22.95,*
*A Lump of Foam*
... Form is like a lump of foam,
Feeling like a water bubble;
Perception is like a mirage,
Volitions like a plantain trunk,
And consciousness like an illusion,
So explained the Kinsman of the Sun. ...
... “A bhikkhu with energy aroused
Should look upon the aggregates thus,
Whether by day or at night,
Comprehending, ever mindful. ....
🙏🙏🙏
May all beings realize Nibbana

[@ginoporrasabarca3854]

Thanks to you for uploading this video, I learned various things. My thanks go to the professor, too. What a good class.

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

You're very welcome!

[@gaminijayasinghe4706]

EXCELLENT.i.am.begin 'llng.yo.understand.this.difficult.topic

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

Wonderful.

[@hasalakaarampola1607]

Would love to visit Lodon Buddhist Vihara and attend your lectures dear sir. Profound teaching of the dhamma. Even the buddha would praise you sir... in my humble opinion 🙏

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

Sir, thank you for your wonderfully kind words. Mr Richard Jones passed over in 2018. But the Dhamma remains and is taught by various skilled and wise teachers. More information can be found at www.londonbuddhistvihara.org.

[@hasalakaarampola1607]

May he attain his aspired bodhi with all merits we acquire. What a great teacher, what a loss for us.
I visited LBV many times ages ago. (especially remember when Ven Soma visited many years ago) Now I live in Sri Lanka.
Shall visit website and visit LBV one day in person... hopefully ;) 🙏 🙏 🙏

[@hasalakaarampola1607]

Also... Thank You so much for your kind response. 🙏 💎 💎 💎

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

@@hasalakaarampola1607 You can also watch daily live stream videos on LBV's Facebook or here on UA-cam: www.youtube.com/@londonbuddhistvihara6569/streams

[@katatammochannel8699]

Sathu​ anumotami.. 🙏🙏🙏

[@davidpakdeepraput9563]

SEE THINGS AS IT BE. RATHER THAN SEE THINGS AS IT IS.

[@Avida-l7s]

Merci beaucoup !
Thanks a lot !
🙏

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

De rien. 🙏🏽

[@Avida-l7s]

@@LondonBuddhistVideos this talk is very helpful for me 🙂

[@findkeef]

🙏🙏🙏

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

You're welsome

[@juncakarina7690]

but now we have millions of people experiencing consciousness after death , ie near death experiences. How would you explain those? That would point to the permanence and continuance of consciousness away from the physical.

[@aceoffools86]

I think, its not "after death" becouse they dont die. One explanation can be: there is still some mind activity, and probably also some fellings of sences, so from buddhist perspective a cause of arising counciousness is there. But i think also that self, counciousness and all this impermanent things, it is all manifestation of GOD. And is up to GOD what to do with it. For me there is actually no contrary between christianity, hinduism, buddhism, taoism, and all religions. GOD just do whatever want to do and buddhism explains things technically and logically, so human intelligence can grab it more easy than in other religions...maybe this will make sence to someone😃

[@juncakarina7690]

@@aceoffools86 our body doesn't produce consciousness that's now actually in the process of being proven and established. Via biology, quantum physics

[@juncakarina7690]

@@aceoffools86 and experiencial empirical studies

[@juncakarina7690]

@@aceoffools86 find this video
Consciousness beyond death, with Dr. Pim van Lommel

[@aceoffools86]

​@@juncakarina7690 yes, make sence, the counciousness dont have to be necessarily product of body, but they are still connected somehow, so if something happen in the body, it goes to counciousness and vice versa i guess, you can imagine something and feel it in your body.

[@sukbhinderlalli2088]

Buddhism like all the religions of India teaches reincarnation and then you have Annata (non self) surely this is contradictory..im confused, was Buddha a annihalist or eternalist?

[@LondonBuddhistVideos]

@sukbhinderlalli2088 Please read Walpole Rahula's 'What the Buddha Taught' for deeper discourse and further elucidation on this subject. The text includes references to the suttas. My recollection is that Richard Jones' Dhamma talks drew upon this seminal text; he greatly admired Walpole Rahula's work and had actually met him and benefitted from some personal instructions from him I believe.