The Five Aggregates (five focuses of a mind that 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, such its origin, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origin, such its disappearance; such is perception, such its origin, such its disappearance; such are the mental formations, such their origin, such their disappearance; such is consciousness, such its origin, such its disappearance.
Insights
“In this way, one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects internally, or one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects externally, or one dwells contemplating mind-objects as mind both internally and externally.
Or else mindfulness that “there are mind-objects” is simply established to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous mindfulness. And one abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
That is how one abides contemplating mind-objects as mind-objects in terms of the five aggregates affected by clinging.
Perception Aggregate
Sutra Such is perception, such its origin, such its disappearance…
Commentary
1. Perception Description
Perception is the capacity of the mind to identify the distinctive marks of an object and it is closely associated with the faculty of memory. It arises when there is sense contact.
Perception names, identifies, classifies, discriminates, and categorizes experiences. By doing so, perception enables the mind to recognize forms, sounds, odors, tastes, body impressions, and mental objects the next time a similar experience occurs. When we hear a sound it is merely vibrations hitting the eardrum. Perception recognizes the sound and names it as bird, airplane, and so on. We may recognize and image of a friend and “name” it.
2. Perception and Language
Our linguistic ability is closely tied to perception. It is language that helps us form ideas or points of view. We strongly identify ourselves with ideas: “This is my point of view, this is my idea, this is my opinion, this is what I meant.” Sometimes the identification is so strong that we go to war or are willing to sacrifice our lives for the sake of an idea. This is what the Buddha meant when he referred to “clinging to view.”
3. Perceptions and Impermanence
Since our ideas (opinions, and views) change with the state of our emotions or our circumstances, it is not possible to hold to perceptions as being permanent or “mine” without coming to grief. When perception arises without mindfulness, we only see and remember the surface appearance of things.
Superficial perceptions without mindfulness cannot penetrate experiences to realize their impermanent and insubstantial nature. It is similar to looking into a fan and not seeing its blades because they are moving so quickly. It is only by slowing the process down that we can see how quickly the blades are actually turning. Another example is seeing a film on a movie screen. The frames are moving so quickly that it appears to be one flow of experience instead of the constant arising and passing away of each frame.
Mindfulness enables us to refine our attention so that we can penetrate beyond the surface level of things to see their insubstantial and impermanent nature.
4. Perceptions and World View
Each of us live in a mind created universe, and no two universes are the same. On a gross level, a physician’s perception of the world will be quite different than an architect’s, a politician’s, or a businessperson’s. More subtly, whatever we strongly identify with is what we notice in the world. If we identify with our bodies, that is what we see when we meet another person. If we identify with our intellect, when we meet someone we will compare our intelligence to his or hers.
No two people have the same perceptions. However, there are sufficient common factors which allow us to form superficial agreements with others about what we experience. In truth, however, each of us lives in a separate world formed mostly through “preconceptions.”
5. Perceptions of Time (Please reflect on the following statements)
The idea or construct of self is reinforced through the concept of time. Because of memories and the capacity to project into the future, we believe that we lived before and will continue to exist in this idea called time.
Time has no objective existence. We look at a clock and believe that it is measuring time. Time is a concept and there is no way to separate time (i.e., past, future, or even the present moment) from our thoughts about it.
Our past is nothing but memory. Without our memory we would have no past. We imagine that certain experiences have happened to us. However, the “us” that it happened to (e.g., the body sensations, feelings, perceptions, thoughts, moments of volitions, consciousness, etc.) disappeared along with the experience. Isn’t this true?
Because of identifying with our perception of a “past” as if it were more than a mental construct, many of us carry around a heavy psychological burden of being a survivor of abuse, a victim of some circumstance, and so forth). These ideas are nothing more than the mind’s perceptions. They are true but not real!!
The past does seem real – memory and images and the illusion of a self that existed in the past create a convincing drama when it arises in the moment.
We cannot “let go” of our past. When we see that it is nothing more than a story in the mind, the “our past” falls away on its own.
Our “future” is the sum total of our desires and fears. We want our lives to turn out to be our version of “happily ever after,” so we desire certain outcomes. At the same time we are frightened of what will come since we know we will most likely encounter aging, illness, and death. We live in a psychological dilemma – we are both attracted and fearful of what may arise in our lives.
However, the future is nothing but thoughts – if we had no desires to which we were attached, and no fears of what could happen, we would have no future. The “relative” future exists as a concept. The “absolute” future does not exist at all.
The present moment is not between the past and future. How could a real moment exist between two non-existent points in time? The present moment is outside of time.
Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and death. The Buddha.
6. Perceptions of self
On a superficial level, many people have pride and conceit regarding the mind’s natural ability to perceive. We see this occurring many times when perception has been trained to recognize wine, food, art or music. In these cases the process of perception is identified with being a “self” that perceives.
The concept of having or being an independent self comes from a superficial perception of our experience. Without a deep investigation, this self-concept is clung to tenaciously and it blocks our capacity to realize our true nature and inherent freedom.
Nothing has a “self” or a substantial unchanging core as part of its nature. For example, there is no “tree” in a tree. If you take away the branches, the bark, the sap, the leaves, and so forth, there is no “tree” to be found. The word tree is merely a designation for a constellation of factors that come together and are in a constant state of flux.
What we consider our “self” to be is merely a constellation of material and mental elements that are in a constant state of flux. Without penetrating deeply, we are persuaded by our superficial perception that there is a self which is behind, as part of, or in control of our experience.
Through the facet of memory we recall past events and as a consequence we believe that we existed at that time (true but not real). By projecting similar experiences into the future we anticipate that we will also exist at that time (not true and not real). By thinking about our present experiences we believe that we currently exist. All this is the work of perception based upon memory and does not reflect the actual reality.
We need to be careful not to fall into the trap where we start to believe that there is “no self.” The teaching of no-self is merely pointing to wrong view, rather than as the negation of an entity called self. Everything arises through causes and conditions. Craving and clinging is not done by the self, but rather the self construct arises when there is craving and clinging. Buddha taught “not self” He did not teach “no self”. That would be another opinion!
Suppose a man who was not blind beheld the many bubbles on the Ganges as they drove along, and he watched them and carefully examined them; then after he carefully examined them they would appear to him empty, unreal and unsubstantial. In exactly the same way does the meditator behold all the material phenomena, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and states of consciousness – whether they be of the past, or the present, or the future, far or near. And he watches them, and examines them carefully; and, after carefully examining them, they appear to him empty, void and without a self. The Buddha
Practice #1
1. One way to help stop the cycle of identifying with our perceptions is to reverse the way we experience the subject/object duality.
a. Carefully consider your experience of being a subject (a knower) who experiences a sense object. Reflect on what it is like to know the presence of a sight, sound, smell, touch, thought, etc.
b. We are now going to reverse the process.
c. If you see another person, for example, imagine that you are that person and mentally observe yourself from that person’s perspective. How do you look from that that person’s point of view?
d. One very effective practice is to look in the mirror and see the image as the subject with you being the object.
2. We are in reality, an object to everything and everyone else. We are only a subject from our own limited point of view. Please do not quickly dismiss or pass over this understanding.
3. By identifying with the perception of being the “knower,” we are creating a mental construct of being a self. But to everything else in the universe you are just another object! By letting go of our identification with the subject as well as the object, we are setting the groundwork for realizing that Life itself is the only true subject.
Practice #2
1. Everything takes place in the mind. Our perception is that there exists an “objective” reality, or that an inherent “self” exists in objects or individuals.
2. While there are similarities as to the class of objects upon which we can agree, everyone sees things differently. Simply look at the various religious dogma beliefs.
3. What we consider to be logical conclusions or scientific proofs also exist only within the mind.
THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION CAN BE TRANSFORMATIONAL
5. Take time to look back at many of yesterday’s experiences from today’s perspective, and compare them with the memories of last night’s dream. Keep observing until you realize the dream-like quality of both. There is no difference.
6. Now take time to look at today’s experiences from tomorrow’s perspective, and compare that with the quality of our dreams. There is absolutely no difference!
7. Reflect on the outcome of this thought experiment in terms of what truly has meaning in your life.
Practice #3
1. On a sheet of paper, create a list of all the ways in which you have defined yourself over the years. Think of as many as many as you can (tall, cute, sweet, strong, funny, loving, disabled, angry, depressed, intense, generous, kind, sensual, spiritual, a human, a parent, a child, a teacher, a student, a physician, a meditator, and so forth)
2. Closely examine those definitions. Are any of them absolute or do they only exist relative to some other characteristic (you are tall only in relation to others being short, you are spiritual only in relation to others being worldly, and so forth)?
3. All views of self are relative. In other words, they cannot exist without having a concept (or perception) of the opposite perspective. Any way in which we define ourselves is always in comparison to the opposite attribute.
4. If you were the only person on the face of the earth, and there was no one to compare yourself with, who would you be? Please take time to consider this question.
5. The reason we cannot find an “absolute” definition of our “self,” is that the self only exists as a concept, a dualistic mental construct that only exists within the mind.
6. However, we cannot say that the self is “non-existent,” since that is just another conceptual trap.
7. Believing that there is a real, substantial, independent, and permanent self that is in control of our lives limits our ability to recognize the inherent non-dual and Absolute reality that is our true identity.
The First Foundation of Mindfulness (Mindfulness of Body) challenges us to confront the changing nature, satisfactoriness, and impermanence of the body.
The Second Foundation challenges us to confront the tropism toward and away from what is pleasant and unpleasant.
The Third Foundation challenges us to become aware of the contingent nature of all mind states.
But the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness (Mindfulness of Dhammas (Objects of Mind) is perhaps the deepest contemplation of all. It continually challenges us to confront this illusion of self that we have created, and nurtured. It is from this vantage point that we begin to see with clarity and release our grip on what we hold more dearly than any other concept- the concept of a separate self.
May you all well, happy and peaceful.
