The Conduit to Existence

‘Venerable Sir, it is said, ‘the conduit to existence, the conduit to existence.’ What, Venerable Sir, is the conduit to existence, and what is the elimination of the conduit to existence?’

Rādha, the craving, desire, excitement, lust, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding form; this is called the conduit to existence. Their elimination is the elimination of the conduit to existence.

The craving, desire, excitement, lust, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding feeling; this is called the conduit to existence. Their elimination is the elimination of the conduit to existence.

The craving, desire, excitement, lust, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding perception; this is called the conduit to existence. Their elimination is the elimination of the conduit to existence.

The craving, desire, excitement, lust, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding volitional formations (choices/decisions); this is called the conduit to existence. Their elimination is the elimination of the conduit to existence.

The craving, desire, excitement, lust, engagement and clinging, mental standpoints, adherences, and underlying tendencies regarding consciousness; this is called the conduit to existence. Their elimination is the elimination of the conduit to existence.

(Reference: SN 23.3)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares “the conduit to existence”.

The Buddha is explaining that the mind clinging to The Five Aggregates is “the conduit to existence”. “The conduit to existence” is a means for it to continue. As long as the mind is clinging to The Five Aggregates, there will be continued rebirth. Training the mind to let go of The Five Aggregates, the mind is liberated from discontentedness and existence in The Cycle of Rebirth.

The Buddha shares clinging to The Five Aggregates as discontentedness in The Four Noble Truths as The First Noble Truth.

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And what, Monks, is the noble truth of discontentedness?

It should be said: The Five Aggregates subject to clinging; that is, the form aggregate subject to clinging, the feeling aggregate subject to clinging, the perception aggregate subject to clinging, the volitional formation aggregate subject to clinging, the consciousness aggregate subject to clinging. This is called the noble truth of discontentedness.

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The First Noble Truth titled, “the noble truth of discontentedness”, establishes “the problem” with the unEnlightened mind through an understanding of The Five Aggregates.

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.

It is when the mind “clings” or “holds on” to The Five Aggregates that the mind experiences continued discontentedness. Observing the impermanent nature of The Five Aggregates, a human being can “let go” no longer experiencing discontentedness due to “holding on” to The Five Aggregates experiencing constant rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.

Due to clinging to The Five Aggregates and a being coming into existence, the mind will experience discontentedness.

All unEnlightened beings will experience discontentedness.

Discontentedness: Gotama Buddha describes three feelings as discontent. The goal of these Teachings is to eliminate discontentedness of mind providing the mind a permanent place to reside in Enlightenment.

• A pleasant feeling (happiness, excitement, elation, thrill, exhilaration, euphoria, etc.)

• A painful feeling (sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, guilt, shame, fear, stress, etc.)

• A feeling that is neither painful-nor-pleasant (boredom, loneliness, shyness, displeased, uncomfortable, unsatisfied, etc.)