#6. Involvement

All philosophers must accept that the five aggregates are described in language that refers to either the past, future, or present.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, there are these three scopes of language, terminology, and descriptions. They’re uncorrupted, as they have been since the beginning. They’re not being corrupted now, nor will they be. Sensible ascetics and brahmins don’t look down on them. What three? When form has passed, ceased, and perished, its designation, label, and description is ‘was’. [Read More]

The five aggregates are burning.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness are burning. Seeing this, a learned noble disciple grows disillusioned with form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. Being disillusioned, desire fades away. When desire fades away they’re freed. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed. They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence. [Read More]

Mahāli the Licchavi reports to the Buddha that the rival teacher Pūraṇa Kassapa asserts that there is no reason for beings to be either defiled or pure. The Buddha denies this, and goes on to explain how it happens.So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, at the Great Wood, in the hall with the peaked roof. Then Mahāli the Licchavi went up to the Buddha … and said to him: “Sir, Pūraṇa Kassapa says this: ‘There is no cause or condition for the corruption of sentient beings. [Read More]

In the Deer Park at Varanasi the Buddha teaches the famous second discourse, on not-self with regard to the aggregates, to the group of five monks. At the conclusion, they become perfected ones.At one time the Buddha was staying near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Buddha addressed the group of five mendicants: “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this: “Mendicants, form is not-self. For if form were self, it wouldn’t lead to affliction. [Read More]

The Buddha declares that a mendicant is freed by wisdom by non-attachment to the aggregates, in just the same way as he himself. He then explains that the difference between himself and another awakened mendicant is simply that he was the first to discover the path and teach it to others.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, a Realized One, a perfected one, a fully awakened Buddha is freed by not grasping, due to disillusionment, dispassion, and cessation regarding form. [Read More]

To be fully accomplished, a mendicant should investigate the five aggregates in light of the four noble truths, as well as their gratification, drawback, and escape. In addition, they should investigate the elements, sense fields, and dependent origination.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, in this teaching and training a mendicant who is skilled in seven cases and who examines in three ways is called consummate, accomplished, a supreme person. And how is a mendicant skilled in seven cases? [Read More]

The Buddha did not claim to be awakened until he had fully understood each of the five aggregates in the light of each of the four noble truths. This discourse includes definitions of each of the aggregates.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, there are these five grasping aggregates. What five? The grasping aggregates of form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. As long as I didn’t truly understand these five grasping aggregates from four perspectives, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Brahmās, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. [Read More]

The Buddha utters an enigmatic saying that non-identification leads to cutting off the fetters. A mendicant asks how to achieve this.At Sāvatthī. There the Buddha was inspired to exclaim: “‘It might not be, and it might not be mine. It will not be, and it will not be mine.’ A mendicant who makes such a resolution can cut off the five lower fetters.” When he said this, one of the mendicants asked the Buddha, “But sir, how can a mendicant who makes such a resolution cut off the five lower fetters? [Read More]

Consciousness is like a seed that is planted in the soil of the other four aggregates and watered with craving.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, there are five kinds of plants propagated from seeds. What five? Plants propagated from roots, stems, cuttings, or joints; and those from regular seeds are the fifth. Suppose these five kinds of plants propagated from seeds were intact, unspoiled, not weather-damaged, fertile, and well-kept. But there’s no soil or water. [Read More]

Consciousness stands dependent on the other four aggregates, and this attachment is what fuels the cycle of rebirth.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, if you’re involved, you’re not free. If you’re not involved, you’re free. As long as consciousness remains, it would remain involved with form, supported by form, founded on form. And with a sprinkle of relishing, it would grow, increase, and mature. Or consciousness would remain involved with feeling … Or consciousness would remain involved with perception … Or as long as consciousness remains, it would remain involved with choices, supported by choices, grounded on choices. [Read More]