So what are Skandhas anyway? – Buddhism’s “Who am I?”

So I have noticed that on occasion I have mentioned the word Skandha, in various forms of misspelling, in some of the SL discussion group’s discussions. I have always planned to write a article about these things. They have been quite revelatory for me in my pursuit of learning about Buddhism. So this article will be an attempt at explaining these mysterious things called Skandhas. – DV

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My first run in with skandhas (aggregates)

The first time I heard of a skandha they came in the form in another word, aggregate. The term was a mysterious word used in one of my favorite Buddhist things, the Heart Sutra (also called the “Perfection of Wisdom”). When I was first learning about Buddhism I learned of the Heart Sutra, and although parts of it were so mysterious to me, the sutra and its preface seemed a koan that brought many ah-ha, insights, and understanding each time I meditated on it. If you don’t know the Heart Sutra it goes something like this:

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara,
while deeply immersed in prajna paramita,
clearly perceived the empty nature of the five skandhas [aggregates],
and transcended all suffering.
Sariputra! Form is not different from emptiness,
emptiness is not different from form.
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
So it is with feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness.
Sariputra! All dharmas are empty in character;
neither arising nor ceasing,
neither impure nor pure,
neither increasing nor decreasing.
Therefore, in emptiness, there is no form;
there is no feeling, conception, volition, or consciousness;
no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;
no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas;
no realm of vision, and so forth, up to no realm of mind-consciousness;
no ignorance or ending of ignorance, and so forth,
up to no aging and death or ending of aging and death.
There is no suffering, no cause, no extinction, no path.
There is no wisdom and no attainment.
There is nothing to be attained.
By way of prajna paramita,
the bodhisattva’s mind is free from hindrances.
With no hindrances, there is no fear;
freed from all distortion and delusion,
ultimate nirvana is reached.
By way of prajna paramita,
Buddhas of the past, present, and future,
attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Therefore, prajna paramita
is the great powerful mantra,
the great enlightening mantra,
the supreme and peerless mantra.
It can remove all suffering.
This is the truth beyond all doubt.
And the prajna paramita mantra is spoken thus:

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha

It has taken me much time to learn the meaning of these words, and I know I still have only scratched the surface. But the word aggregates (or skandhas, depending on the translation) was a mystery until I delved deeper into learning about the eightfold path. In truth the description of what an aggregate is was hidden in the passage itself.

The five skandhas in simple terms from the sutra are:

– The first: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body

– The second: sound, smell, taste, touch, mind, vision

– The third: feeling and conception

– The fourth: volition

– The fifth: consciousness

The Five Skandhas in Detail – What makes us “us”

A explanation of the Heart Sutra is the stuff volumes are made of, and I will not attempt anything like that here, but I will try to describe each of the skandhas in a little more detail.

To understand the relevance to Buddhism we can go back to the description of the Four Noble Truths (for a description you can read “The Buddha Taught: The Four Noble Truths“) and the simple truth that we suffer. In order to figure out why a person suffers it is almost impossible to do so without some definition of “who we are.” The definition of “I” becomes very important, and critical in how one can go about understanding how impermanent (changing) a person is in reality.

Skandas are simply the five things defined in Buddhism that makes up a person.

When I first came to this understanding I was amazed by the wonderful and sensible description and classification made by those in the East. I was like wow… the analysis and understanding is quite impressive. But enough about my amazement, let’s describe how these five things can make up a person at any moment.

Skanda One: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body

These are our sensual organs. Our sensual organs are our contact with the physical world. Our organs certainly are a part of what makes us “us”.

(Hang in there… it may make more “sense” as you read on…)

Skanda Two: sound, smell, taste, touch, mind, vision

These may look like the same as Skanda one, but they are different. This skandha is made up of not the sensual organs themselves, but sensation. Our impression of the world is filtered through our sense organs. All sensations, those perceived as “good” or “bad” fit in this group, as well as perception or mind. The way we perceive sensations certainly makes up a part of what makes us “us”.

Skanda Three: feeling and conception

This one is a little more difficult to describe. This is where the sensual meets the mind. Where the second skandha is the sensation, this skandha is more about perception of those sensations. Our perceptions certainly make up part of what makes us “us”.

Skanda Four: volition

These are our actions, or in other terms our karma. As much as we don’t like to admit it, our actions, will, attention, confidence, desire, concentration, mindfulness, wisdom, likes and dislikes, and fears really do make up part of what makes us “us”.

Skanda Five: consciousness

Consciousness is also very difficult to describe, is different than sensation and perception because perception and sensation is “the feeling” where consciousness is more of “an awareness”. It is what allows us to describe a sensation. To see an apple and notice it is red, or to stub a toe and notice a feeling of pain. Our awareness of our senses surely is part of what makes us ‘us”.

Why is this relevant?

Some might say, that there really isn’t an “I” in Buddhism, but we have just defined what makes up an “I” in Buddhism. The truth lies in looking at each of these things that make up parts of “us” and see how there is no consistency. Each is volatile and changing from moment to moment. When someone has a day that is not going well, what makes up that person at that moment is never the same as another day. The combinations of all these factors, of all these aggregates is quite astounding when you think about it. And this is the point: much of what make us what is “us” is truly impermanent.

So when you say “I am happy.” That defines you for that very moment. The next moment your skandhas will be different. You may still be happy, but you are not exactly the same you. This is a good thing, because it is proof of how change is not only possible but is really always occurring, even within ourselves.

The other way this is relevant is in learning about oneself. In looking at the eightfold path (the middleway) when taking the skandhas in to account, you may be able to realize that it is not all just some naval-gazing, but really a systematic classification of how to recognize what motivates us and what we fear. A tool for how one can use what they know of what makes us “us” to get not only a better understanding of themselves, but to find compassion for others.

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