Body and mind, are made up of a combination of “elements” which are Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and the ‘Knowing’ element that still contains ignorance.
These Five Elements form the five ‘Kanthas’ or the Five Aggregates, namely…
(1) Corporeality (Earth, Water, Wind, Fire)
(2) Feeling / Sensation (feeling of happiness, suffering, or neither)
(3) Perception
(4) Mental Formation / Volitional Activities
(5) Consciousness / Ability to recognize the senses
Eventually, in the nature of things, these Five Aggregates will inevitably “disintegrate or fall apart”.
But, due to the “ignorance” or misunderstanding. Foolishly thinking that the five aggregates are “self” or belong to us
Whenever a phenomenon or a feeling arises, for example…
When a sight is visible to the eyes, we foolishly think it is “us” who see.
When a sound is audible to the ears, we foolishly think it is “us” who hear.
When an odor gives a smell in the nose, we foolishly think it is “us” who smell.
When a taste makes contact with the tongue, we foolishly think it is “us” who taste.
When an object makes contact with the body, we foolishly think it is “us” who feel the touch.
When mental objects (feelings) appear in the mind, we foolishly think it is “us” who think, feel, have such feeling.
Mistakenly having ourselves “involved” is caused by not perceiving things as they are. Thus we foolishly think there is “us” or ourselves in that phenomenon.
If we can steer clear of the mental preoccupations (indulging in the senses, the past, or the future) and remain mindful or “stay with the knowing” for uninterrupted period of time.
Simply perceive things that arise by using an object of recollection (mental bait) [such as reciting “buddho”, staying mindful of our own body movement, etc.]
You will be able to see that there are always feelings / mental phenomena occurring and there is someone who recognizes those feelings / phenomena through the senses or what we’ve called “consciousness”.
Consciousness will take those things through a mental process such as thinking, assigning meaning, linking to personal experience, liking, disliking, etc.
In every present moment, this consciousness of yours will work together with the feeling / sensation, memory / recollection, and mental formation, and will naturally cease to exist when this process is completed.
Likewise, the feelings / phenomena that you are able to recognize only come to exist for a period of time and will eventually cease to exist into emptiness.
Your consciousness plays the role of knowing / recognizing only in that instance and then ceases to exist, repeatedly at lightning speed.
By considering how things are in this way, we will see that both the consciousness and the feelings / phenomena that get recognized, come to exist and cease to exist in the emptiness.
Therefore, the consciousness that recognizes things and the feelings / phenomena that get recognized does not have an actual existence.
It is not an animal, a person, existence, “us”, or “them”.
It is simply a natural phenomenon that takes turn occurring and ceasing to exist.
There is nothing that can be truly hung onto.
So everything concludes at… Let it be
Luangta Narongsak Kheenalayo
Preaching from VDO : Who Am I?
YouTube VDO : Who Am I (English Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZwxDoBk-7s
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For further English information, please visit YouTube channel “LuangtaNarongsak Kheenalayo”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvt8eL0quDPs0tGJk_p3vYg
Follow up channels (in Thai) :
Luangta’s Dhamma Media Follow up Channel VDO
(วีดีโอช่องทางติดตามสื่อธรรมหลวงตา)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW2qyxl-bwU
www.luangtanarongsak.org
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