Perspectives on the Five Skandhas | There Is No Suffering

The line “[Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva] perceived that the five skandhas are empty, and transcended all suffering,” speaks of the bodhisattva’s perception of the true nature of existence. Such a biased view, emphasizing only the negation of the five skandhas, can lead some to develop aversion to the world. People with this view direct their practice toward personal liberation, to depart escape samsara and enter nirvana. Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, perceive that the five skandhas, as well as sentient beings, are simultaneously empty and existent. Therefore, they neither attach to, nor avoid self and phenomena; not seeking nirvana, they remain in samsara to help liberate sentient beings.

Of the five skandhas, only form is part of the physical realm. The remaining four—sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness—make up the mental realm. Together, the five skandhas compose all universes, all beings that inhabit them, and all phenomena. Futhermore, form—the physical skandha—traditionally comprises four elements: earth, water, wind, and fire. These four elements are the components of our human body as well as of the environment in which we live.

The other four skandhas describe our psychological makeup. Sensation is what occurs when we come into contact with the environment, and it can be pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Perception is the awareness of that with which what we have interacted, including recognition, discrimination, and judgment.

Volition is the decision or intention to respond to the interaction, whether by thought, speech, or action.

The fifth skandha—consciousness—is much more than the ‘consciousness’ that is usually defined in the West. In fact, the combination of sensation, perception, and volition make up ordinary discriminating consciousness, our thought process. The fifth skandha results when form, sensation, perception, and volition interact. It includes the consciousness we normally refer to as cognition, plus what we define as the self. It is the ‘I’ that creates meaning in what we experience and holds these mental processes together, preventing them from falling to pieces. The fifth skandha is the recipient and creator of karma, and continues from life to life. We can say that the fifth skandha is the conesquence of previous karma; and karma is that which results from the interaction of the first four skandhas with the karmic world-the result of our past actions. Therefore, the fifth skandha is our self-perpetuating mechanism. But consciousness without the other four skandhas could not produce karma. In fact if any one of the five skandhas is absent, then the entire process breaks down. All five skandhas are necessary for interaction.

The Yogacara, or Consciousness-Only School of Buddhism, speaks of sixth, seventh, and eighth consciousnesses. The sixth consciousness refers to the ordinary mind of discrimination, and also includes the consciousness aspect of the five sense organs (eye consciousness, ear consciousness, and so on). As already mentioned, the seventh consciousness corresponds to a kind of overseer of sensation, perception, volition, and discriminating consciousness. It is the part of our consciousness that attaches the ‘I’ to everything we do and think we are. Finally, the eighth consciousness (alaya) is the karmic repository within sentient beings. The Heart Sutra, however, predates the teachings of the Consciousness-Only School, and does not mention these different levels of consciousness.

The five skandhas are the essence of our being, and whether we intellectually grasp the concept or not, we must free ourselves from our attachment to them in order to be liberated. Of course, liberation would never happen of its own accord. Our recognizable as well as tacit attachments are too deeply rooted for us simply to drop them. Therefore, Buddhism outlines a path that can lead to enlightenment. Hence, to be liberated one must hear the Dharma, practice the methods, and contemplate the five skandhas until one directly realizes their true nature. In other words, to develop wisdom, one must practice.

Arhats22 have developed the ‘eye of wisdom,’ which liberates them from attachment to self and gives them a new perspective on existence. However, they are not completely free from attachment to the subtle, elemental dharmas. Bodhisattvas have the ‘eye of Dharma,’ which liberates them from all attachments. Although liberated, they neither detest nor cherish the world, but choose to remain in it to help sentient beings.

The Surangama Sutra describes a practice, which is to look at any one of the five skandhas as being empty at any given moment. If you can recognize any one of these five skandhas as being empty, you will perceive that the other four are also empty. To perceive is to look, or view, with illumination that the five skandhas are empty. Again, looking, or viewing, has many levels, depending on whether you are an ordinary sentient being, an arhat, or a bodhisattva. Illumination is wisdom; therefore the perception the sutra speaks of is limited to that of arhats and bodhisattvas. Ordinary sentient beings can look, and may even have the proper view, but they do not have the wisdom to go along with it.

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