The Carrier of The Burden

Monks, I will teach you the burden, the carrier of the burden, the taking up of the burden. Listen to that ....

And what, Monks, is the burden?

It should be said: The Five Aggregates subject to clinging.

What five?

The form aggregate subject to clinging, The feeling aggregate subject to clinging, The perception aggregate subject to clinging, The volitional formations (choices/decisions) aggregate subject to clinging, The consciousness aggregate subject to clinging.

This is called the burden.

And what, Monks, is the carrier of the burden?

It should be said: the person, this Venerable One of such a name and clan.

This is called the carrier of the burden.

And what, Monks, is the taking up of the burden?

It is this craving that leads to renewed existence, accompanied by excitement and desire, seeking excitement here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.

This is called the taking up of the burden.

(Reference: SN 22.22)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares The Five Aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations (choices/decisions), and consciousness (the mind). When a human being comes into existence, it is the coming together of The Five Aggregates (i.e. elements or collections) that identifies a human being as a human being.

There is physical “form”, “feelings”, “perceptions”, “volitional formations”, and “consciousness” (the mind) that makes a human being a human being - there is a physical body and a mind. It is a burden to carry The Five Aggregates in existence as a human being and it is “craving that leads to renewed existence”.

Not only does craving cause discontentedness, but it is also the cause of rebirth. Through training the mind to eliminate craving/desire/attachment then the mind will eliminate discontentedness and with the elimination of craving there is no more rebirth.

Craving is the fuel that causes a new existence, but it is ignorance (unknowing of true reality) that keeps the mind trapped in The Cycle of Rebirth and wisdom that transforms the mind to eliminate ignorance. Learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings one independently verifies the truth in The Teachings to acquire wisdom.

The being has “laid down the burden” of carrying The Five Aggregates through wisdom by deeply understanding the problem, the cause of the problem, the solution to the problem, and the path leading to the complete solution of the problem as described in The Four Noble Truths.

The Four Noble Truths along with all the other Teachings of The Buddha develop into a mind with deep wisdom eradicating ignorance (unknowing of true reality) for a Practitioner to entirely understand the problems and the solutions to those problems on The Path to Enlightenment described as The Natural Laws of Existence.