The Five Aggregates. Remember! the Five “Aggregates” are the five focuses of a mind that still clings to a sense of self!!
Sutra
Again, one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging. And how does one dwell contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging?
Here, one knows: Such is material form (1), such its origin, such its disappearance; such is feeling (2), such its origin, such its disappearance; such is perception (3), such its origin, such its disappearance; such are the mental formations (4), such their origin, such their disappearance; such is consciousness (5), such its origin, such its disappearance.
Insights from this part of Sutta
“In this way, one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects internally (in this body/mind), or one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects externally (in others body/mind), or one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind objects both internally and externally (within us as well as others).
Or else one dwells contemplating in mind-objects their arising factors (what causes them to arise), or one dwells contemplating in mind-objects their vanishing factors (what causes them to vanish), or one dwells contemplating in mind-objects both their arising and vanishing factors.
Or else mindfulness that “there are mental formations” is simply established to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous mindfulness. And one abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
Mental Formations (Sankharas) the Fourth Aggregate)
Sutra
Such are mental formations, such their origin, such their disappearance…
Commentary
“Mental Formations” (Sankharas in Pali) is the umbrella term for the intellectual, emotional, and volitional aspects of experience. These are the mental factors that arise in different combinations during every moment of consciousness.
Sometimes the category is referred to purely as volition or intention (our volitional actions) since this key mental formation forms the basis for karma, or the law of cause and effect.
Although the number of mental formations are almost numberless, one can, divide the mental formations as those that arise based upon eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, and mind contact (thought based).
In the commentaries, we read about the 52 mental formations that arise as concomitants of consciousness. Feeling and perception are two of these and the Buddha thought them important enough to single them out as the second and third aggregates of clinging (we practiced with these during the previous two months).
Universal Mental Formations, meaning that they arise with every moment of consciousness. They are neutral in terms of karma formation.They include:
1. Contact – the confluence of sense organ, sense object, and sense consciousness.
2. Feeling – previously discussed
3. Perception – previously discussed
4. Volition -This is the intention to act, or not to act, in certain ways through the body, speech, or thought.
5.Concentration – previously discussed
6. Life Faculty or Vitality – This factor maintains the energy present in each moment of consciousness. When the moment of consciousness and its associated mental factors fade away, this mental formation also disappears.
7. Attention – This formation has the function of driving consciousness and its associated states towards the object. Even in the moments that we think we are “distracted,” there is still attention being focused on some object.
Nonuniversal Mental Formations. In addition to universals there are other mental formations that are associated with consciousness. These can be skillful or unskillful.
Some of these are skillful such as faith (based upon experience – not blind faith), mindfulness, moral shame (a sense of decency, in Buddhist jargon), compassion, joy, wisdom, and equanimity.
Some are unskillful such as worry, greed, hate, delusion, doubt, conceit, and so forth. In a sense, the mind is the battlefield between the skillful and unskillful mental formations. We will review some of these formations in the practice section, which follows.
Although there are many skillful mental formations, some of those that are present in skillful states of mind include:
1. Faith (based upon our experience with our practice, we recognize our potential for mindfulness)
2. Mindfulness
3. Shame (a sense of decency that keeps us from unwholesome actions)
4. Moral Dread (sometimes referred to as “blame” or “fear of blame”), which is best thought of as “a consideration of what a wise person would do or say”).
5. Non-greed (generosity)
6. Non-hatred (loving-kindness)
7. Balance of mind
8. Tranquility
Although there are also many unskillful mental formations, those that are present in unskillful state of mind include:
1. Delusion (spiritual blindness or ignorance, not seeing things as they really are, belief in permanency, a self, etc.)
2. Shamelessness (inability to apply internal restraint from unskillful actions)
3. Fearlessness of Wrong Doing (lack of moral dread, cannot apply social standards of morality to one’s actions/ ignoring what a noble person might do in your situation)
4. Restlessness (a mind that isn’t calm”)
Practice exercise #1 Please do this exercise! OK?
Throughout this month, work at recognizing the specific mental formations that are associated with the skillful or unskillful mental states that arise within the mind.
Can you recognize or tease out the delusion, shamelessness, fearlessness of wrong doing and restlessness in the unskillful states? How do you experience these? In the body? In the mind? Both?
Can you recognize or tease out the faith, mindfulness, shame (a sense of decency), moral dread, non-greed, non-hatred, balance of mind, and tranquility in the skillful states? How do you experience these? In the body? In the mind? Both?
Recognizing these mental formations makes it possible to short circuit the unskillful states (by bringing in mindfulness), and to further cultivate the skillful ones
Practice exercise #2: This Meditation Practice is called All Thoughts are in Time
Important! The goal of this meditation process is to discover that you cannot recognize Ultimate Truth by looking to your thoughts for the experience. All thoughts that arise either relate to the past or to the future. Truth is a present moment experience. Even if we are thinking about the present moment, we are still using concepts (thoughts) that were formed in the past.
1. Use your breath as the main object
2. Whenever your attention goes to your thoughts, look directly at those thoughts to see for yourself that each thought either refers to the past or the future.
3. Even if you have a thought about the present moment, look to see whether that idea is unique to this moment, or is merely a shadow of the past (that it is based upon concepts you learned from the past)or it is comparing something in the present with something in the past or future
4. Be careful not to get caught in an inner dialogue – just look to see the truth of your experience and then immediately go back to the breath
5. It will ultimately become clearer and clearer that Truth or Reality is found in the “present moment,” which is outside of time, which means that it is outside of thought. We can experience the truth of this moment but not based on concepts.
Practice exercise #3: The next practice is called Tracing Back the Thoughts.
Our thoughts arise out of Emptiness, are influenced by our conditioned and programmed mind, and fool us into thinking that we know something or anything.
In insight meditation we watch our thoughts rise and fall in order to recognize their impermanent nature, that they bring suffering in their wake when we cling to them, and that there is no self that is thinking.
Tracing back the thoughts is a contemplation that can help us see that thoughts are not ours, that they are simply expressed through the mind.
1. Begin by following the breath. Watch each mental formation rise and fall to consciousness.
2. When the mind is somewhat settled and concentrated, when a thought arises, hold it for a split second, and trace it back to see where it came from.
3. You can slide back on the thought like a fireman sliding down a pole.
4. This process will bring you to a place of emptiness, or silence, from which that thought arose.
5. Remain spacious and open, and feel the peace and freedom that is present.
6. Another way of proceeding with this practice, although it may not be as impactful, is to see where the thought has gone after it is no longer present in the mind. It will bring you to that same place of silence.
7. This meditation will give you a direct experience that thoughts arise from emptiness (which is not truly “empty” in the traditional sense of the word), and the peace that comes from living centered in the presence of being here right now.
Volition
The most significant component of all mental formation is volition or intention. It is the factor of mind concerned with the actualization of our goals. One of its functions is to direct all the other factors of mind so that a particular result is achieved.
Volitional actions through our body, speech, and mind do not occur in a vacuum. Our intentional actions all produce results. Intentions act as seeds that will ripen into specific outcomes.
Volition or intention is ethically neutral. What determines whether our results will be skillful or unskillful depends upon the motivational factor behind that intention. If intention is motivated by greed, hatred or delusion, the results will be unskillful and cause suffering. If intention is motivated by generosity, loving-kindness, or wisdom, the results will also be skillful.
One of the most significant identifications we have is with being the doer, that “I am willing this to happen.” It is important to realize that intention rises and falls based upon causes and conditions, having nothing to do with a self as part of, behind, or in control of the volitional process.
It is important for our deeper spiritual development to see the impermanent and selfless nature of intention. We accomplish this by becoming aware of our intentions as they are occurring.
There are two types of intentions that we can investigate. At a grosser level it is the intention prior to moving the body. At a more subtle level it is the intention prior to the movement of thought.
To help us recognize the intention that occurs prior to moving the body, we can experience the thought that tells us that an action is about to happen. For example, the thought that we are intending to change position to relieve some discomfort. Can you notice the intention to move is actually a mental process?If we slow down a bit we can see this more clearly
When a thought and the corresponding impulse enter the mind, we notice that they are impermanent. More importantly, we recognize that they arose due to certain causes and conditions such as discomfort from sitting so long, the need to go to the bathroom, the desire to get something to eat, and so forth. In other words, we didn’t say to ourselves that in fifteen seconds I will create the thought and impulse to get up. They just arose due to impersonal causes and conditions that had nothing to do with an independent self making a decision.
When sitting in meditation and the mind is calm and concentrated, we can recognize the intention to think. We can experience the mind beginning to grasp at something even before we know what the mind is grasping after. We can experience the mind beginning to resist or recoil from something even before we know to what the mind is having aversion. In fact, we can watch the rising and falling of these subtle intentions without the mind ever solidifying on any particular experience. Once again, we see that intentions are impermanent and that they rise and fall based upon causes and conditions without a self being in control of the process. We can notice this even without knowing what the causes and conditions were for the arising of any particular intention.
In conclusion, Mental Formations (sankharas) are possibly the most difficult of the five aggregates (five focuses of a clinging mind) to understand. They are so pervasive in our everyday lives that we don’t see them for what they are! It is only when we take the time to slow down and dissect them out of our experience (as part of skillfull and unskillful states) and see them for what they are that we discover their impermanence; the unsatisfactoriness of clinging to them; and that they don’t represent an unchanging “self” that we can rely on for true peace and happiness.
Please take time this month to work with some of these exercises. Work with them at work, at home, in the car, and during your sitting practice.
It’s appropriate that we end this topic with the final words of the Buddha prior to his death. I think he makes the importance of “knowing” mental formation very clear.
The last words of the Buddha, according to the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (in English and Pali), were “Disciples, this I declare to you: All conditioned things (mental formations/sankharas) are subject to disintegration – strive on untiringly for your liberation.” (Pali: “handa’dāni bhikkhave āmantayāmi vo, vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā ti.”)
