The True Definition of ‘A Being’

Venerable Sir, it is said, ‘a being, a being’.

In what way, Venerable Sir, is one called a being?

One is stuck, Rādha, tightly stuck, in desire, lust, excitement, and craving for form; therefore one is called a being.

One is stuck, tightly stuck, in desire, lust, excitement, and craving for feeling, for perception, for volitional formations (choices/decisions), for consciousness; therefore one is called ‘a being’.

(Reference: SN 23.2)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the definition of a living being.

A living being will have The Five Aggregates of form, feelings, perceptions, volitional formations (choices/decisions), and consciousness.

The Five Aggregates are what makes “a being, a being”. A living being will have all five aggregates, also known as “elements” or “collections”.

The Five Aggregates

Form: the physical body.

Feelings: results of experiences in the mind through The Six Sense Bases.

Perceptions: a belief or opinion based on how things seem.

Volitional Formations: choices or decisions that are made.

Consciousness: the mind.

For example, a tree is unable to make a choice or decision to uproot itself, move to a new location, and replant itself. Therefore, while we may consider a plant alive in some respects, it is not a living being based on The Five Aggregates.

But, a human and animal has form, feelings, perceptions, volitional formations (choices/decisions), and consciousness.

A being is “tightly stuck, in desire, lust, excitement, and craving for form, feelings, perceptions, volitional formations (choices/decisions), consciousness; therefore one is called a being”. It is when a Practitioner is able to no longer cling, crave, or hold on to The Five Aggregates that it can eliminate discontentedness and escape The Cycle of Rebirth no longer taking pleasure in existence or in non-existence.