One Who Dismantles Not Builds Up Abandons and Not Clings To The Five Aggregates

Monks, those Ascetics and Brāhmins who recollect (recall/remember) their countless past lives all recollect The Five Aggregates subject to clinging or a certain one among them.

What five?

When recollecting thus, Monks: I had such form in the past; it is just form that one recollects.

When recollecting: I had such a feeling in the past; it is just feeling that one recollects.

When recollecting: I had such a perception in the in the past; it is just perception that one recollects.

When recollecting: I had such volitional formations (choices/decisions) in the past; it is just volitional formations that one recollects.

When recollecting: I had such consciousness in the past; it is just consciousness that one recollects.

And why, Monks, do you call it form?

It is deformed, Monks, therefore it is called form.

Deformed by what?

Deformed by cold, deformed by heat, deformed by hunger, deformed by thirst, deformed by contact with flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and serpents.

It is deformed, Monks, therefore it is called form.

And why, Monks, do you call it feeling?

It feels, Monks, therefore it is called feeling.

And what does it feel?

It feels pleasure, it feels pain, it feels neither pain-nor-pleasure.

It feels, Monks, therefore it is called feeling.

And why, Monks, do you call it perception?

It perceives, Monks, therefore it is called perception.

And what does it perceive?

It perceives blue, it perceives yellow, it perceives red, it perceives white.

It perceives, Monks, therefore it is called perception.

And why, Monks, do you call them volitional formations?

They construct the conditioned, Monks, therefore they are called volitional formations (choices/decisions).

And what is the conditioned that they construct?

They construct conditioned form as form; they construct conditioned feeling as feeling; they construct conditioned perception as perception; they construct conditioned volitional formations as volitional formations; they construct conditioned consciousness as consciousness.

They construct the conditioned, Monks, therefore they are called volitional formations (choices/decisions).

And why, Monks, do you call it consciousness?

It recognizes, Monks, therefore it is called consciousness.

And what does it recognize?

It recognizes sour, it recognizes bitter, it recognizes pungent, it recognizes sweet, it recognizes sharp, it recognizes mild, it recognizes salty, it recognizes bland.

It recognizes, Monks, therefore it is called consciousness.

Therein, Monks, the instructed Noble Disciple reflects thus: I am now being consumed by form. In the past too I was consumed by present form. If I were to seek excitement in future form, then in the future too I shall be consumed by form in the very same way that I am now being consumed by present form.

Having reflected thus, he becomes indifferent towards past form, he does not seek excitement in future form, and he is practicing for distancing towards present form, for its fading away and elimination.

(Similar discourses were also spoken in the case of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. The discourses then continued as following.)

What do you think, Monks, is form permanent or impermanent?

‘Impermanent, Venerable Sir.’

Is what is impermanent discontentedness or contentedness?

‘Discontentedness, Venerable Sir.’

Is what is impermanent, discontentedness, and subject to change fit to be regarded thus: This is mine, this I am, this is my self?

‘No, Venerable Sir.’

(Similar discourses were also spoken in the case of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. The discourses then continued as following.)

Therefore, Monks, any kind of form whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all consciousness should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself.

(Similar discourses were also spoken in the case of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. The discourses then continued as following.)

This is called, Monks, a Noble Disciple who dismantles and does not build up; who abandons and does not cling: who scatters and does not amass; who extinguishes and does not inflame.

And what is it that he dismantles and does not build up? He dismantles form and does not build it up. He dismantles feeling... perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness and does not build it up.

And what is it that he abandons and does not cling to? He abandons form and does not cling to it. He abandons feeling... perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness and does not cling to it.

And what is it that he scatters and does not amass? He scatters form and does not amass it. He scatters feeling...perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness and does not amass it.

And what is it that he extinguishes and does not inflame? He extinguishes form and does not inflame it. He extinguishes feeling... perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)... consciousness and does not inflame it.

Seeing thus, Monks, the instructed Noble Disciple experiences fading away of strong feelings towards form, fading away of strong feelings towards feeling, fading away of strong feelings towards perception, fading away of strong feelings towards volitional formations (choices/decisions), fading away of strong feelings towards consciousness. Experiencing fading away of strong feelings, he becomes free of strong feelings. Through freedom from strong feelings (his mind) is liberated. When it is liberated there comes the knowledge: It’s liberated.

He understands: Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more for this state of being.

This is called, Monks, a Noble Disciple who neither builds up nor dismantles, but who resides having dismantled; who neither abandons nor clings, but who resides having abandoned; who neither scatters nor amasses, but who resides having scattered; who neither extinguishes nor inflames, but who resides having extinguished it.

And what is it, Monks, that he neither builds up nor dismantles, but resides having dismantled?

He neither builds up nor dismantles form, but resides having dismantled it. He neither builds up nor dismantles feeling… perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness, but resides having dismantled it.

And what is it that he neither abandons nor clings to, but resides having abandoned?

He neither abandons nor clings to form, but resides having abandoned it. He neither abandons nor clings to feeling... perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness, but resides having abandoned it.

And what is it that he neither scatters nor amasses, but resides having scattered?

He neither scatters nor amasses form, but resides having scattered it. He neither scatters nor amasses feeling... perception… volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness, but resides having scattered it.

And what is it that he neither extinguishes nor inflames, but resides having extinguished?

He neither extinguishes nor inflames form, but resides having extinguished it. He neither extinguishes nor inflames feeling... perception... volitional formations (choices/decisions)… consciousness, but resides having extinguished it.

When, Monks, a Monk is thus liberated in mind, the heavenly beings together with Indra, Brahma (God), and Pajapati pay homage (respect) to him from far away.

Homage (respect) to you, O thoroughbred man!

Homage (respect) to you, O highest among men!

We ourselves do not directly know

Dependent upon what you meditate.

(Reference: SN 22.79)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares details guiding Students to not hold on to The Five Aggregates of form, feelings, perceptions, volitional formations (choices/decisions), or consciousness. The Five Aggregates are shared in Chapter 7 of this book.

The Buddha describes the cause of discontentedness and continued rebirth as craving/desire/attachment, etc. If the mind is unwise to this truth and continues to hold on to The Five Aggregates, the Practitioner will continue to experience discontentedness and rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.

None of The Five Aggregates are permanent, so why hold on to them?

Attempting to hold on to impermanent objects will only cause the mind discontentedness.

None of these Five Aggregates are “the self”.

Letting go of The Five Aggregates the mind can experience freedom from strong feelings, liberation, and Enlightenment.