The Five Aggregates (skandhas Or Khandhas)

[abrakamowse]

I am studying the buddhist doctrine, something that I feel so true and really helped me to understand what was happening to me was how a "person" is created.
That is the 5 aggregates of buddhism. I found this on wikipedia:

Quote

"Skandhas (Sanskrit) or khandhas (Pāḷi) means "heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings". In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates concept that asserts five elements constitute and completely explain a sentient being’s mental and physical existence.The five aggregates or heaps are: form (or matter or body) (rupa), sensations (or feelings, received from form) (vedana), perceptions (samjna), mental activity or formations (sankhara), and consciousness (vijnana)."

 

What caught my attention was that Buddha grouped consciousness into the 5 aggregates, and I had the idea that we are consciousness. So, it can't be an aggregate right?

What am I missing?

 

Thanks!!!!

[Leo Gura]

Be very careful with the word "consciousness". Almost every spiritual teacher uses it to mean something different.

You don't really know what consciousness is.

[abrakamowse]

On 5/19/2017 at 9:11 PM, Leo Gura said:

Be very careful with the word "consciousness". Almost every spiritual teacher uses it to mean something different.

You don't really know what consciousness is.

Thanks @Leo Gura that's why I was wondering what did Buddha mean with that. Not sure if that "consciousness" is the pure awareness that Nisagardatta talks about, our true self, the absolute... or something different.

I think he's talking about our consciousness as a separated being, the lower self consciousness. Not the higher self.

 

[cetus]

@abrakamowse I think of it this way, when we attach "knowing" to conscionesness than it becomes an aggregate also.

All aggregates arise mutually within the known = "lower-self" consciousness.

Higher consciousness is pure consciousness, beyond  the knower that creates aggregates.

Self is like a leach clinging to consciousness.

[abrakamowse]

36 minutes ago, cetus56 said:

@abrakamowse I think of it this way, when we attach "knowing" to conscionesness than it becomes an aggregate also.

All aggregates arise mutually within the known = "lower-self" consciousness.

Higher consciousness is pure consciousness, beyond  the knower that creates aggregates.

Self is like a leach clinging to consciousness.

Nice, that makes sense. Thanks @cetus56