09/03/2025
In Buddhism, the five skandhas (or âaggregatesâ) comprise what we normally think of as a âselfâ:
1ď¸âŁ Form (rupa) â the body, physical matter
2ď¸âŁ Feeling (vedana) â sensations, pleasant or unpleasant
3ď¸âŁ Perception (samjĂąa) â recognition, labeling things
4ď¸âŁ Mental formations (samskara) â thoughts, emotions, habits
5ď¸âŁ Consciousness (vijĂąana) â awareness of experiences
Together these are five aspects that make up your experience of the world, and what you would normally think of as your Self.
But in the Heart Sutra, Avalokiteshvara tells us that the skandhas are âempty of nature.â This doesnât mean they donât exist; it means they donât exist as solid, permanent entities. They are fluid, ever-changing processes, arising from causes and conditions. None of them are the 'essence' or inherent 'self-ness' of a person, and there is no core, no base, no seed of 'self' that exists. None of the skandhas, individually or together, can be found to be a permanent, independent âself.â Therefore, they are empty of inherent existence
Why does this matter in daily life? Because so much of our suffering comes from clinging to what we think of as our nature. We want our body to be some way, our feelings to be pleasant, our identity to be secure. When we look closely and see the skandhas as processes without a core self, that clinging loosens. Instead of being trapped by change, we can flow with it.
