5 Skandhas / 5 aggregates

5 skandha are empty. There is no real person living. But due to ignorance the individual take it as real and attach to it. As he attach, there arise fuel for becoming. Becoming produce birth, old age and death. So can one give simple explanation about skandhas? Yes. It's as follows; Think that you have to create a living puppet which feel, discriminate, think and act. You put together mass of form or substance to build the body first. So, 1st skandha in form. Now you put feelings into it. This is 2nd skandha. You go on to put notion of "I" into it. It's 3rd skandha as Sanna. After you put behavioural pattern attributed to previously planted "i". It's 4th attribute as Sankhara. The last step is you put intelligence so that it come alive. This is 5th skandha as Vinnana. So puppet is ready. Now he think he is born, now act and think. But the most important question remains? The intelligence you put in the puppet belongs to whom? It belongs to the one who created the puppet. He trojen intelligence into it. These are 5 skhandas. And there is also higher intelligence who have took this form. We are just puppet made by Absolute. For the Absolute Buddha termed as Anatta. And for 5 skandhas as Anitya. Knowing that we are just puppet. There is no one here that lives or die, the sorrow comes to an end. This is awakening. Nor 5 skandhas is real you nor the absolute is you. So, you are annihilated totally. No more becoming, no more fuel. No more puppet, no more pain. May all awaken to it!

Form is the range of the Impingent (what is tangible and fluid) and what is of and is derived from the impingent. Derived form is the impinged(ie sensitive body) and the qualities of form such as the range of body sensibility and qualities of form such as decay, nutriment, maintenance and impermanence. The element of Space is also thus derived.

Vedana - It feels and is born of contact.

Perception - It perceives and is born of contact.

Consciousness - It cognizes what is felt, discerned and perceived. Is one of the three involved in the meeting of the three; The impingent, the impinged and the associated class of consciousness.

It arises as one thing and ceases as another. It is both requisite for contact and is resultant of contact; is conjoined with feeling and perception.

It is also called mind or intellect.

Fabrication - It fabricates; form as form, consciousness as consciousness, the impingent as impingent and the impinged as the impinged.

The six classes of intention are fabrications and are born of contact.

References are; mn43, sn22.57 the form interpretation is based abhidhamma exposition on form. The Sutta has form as 'body' sometimes ie sn12.61 but mostly pins form as four properties and form derived from those.

My question is what is the action each of the 5 aggregates perform.

Source: (Dve) Khandhā Sutta

"And why do you call it 'form'? Because it is afflicted, thus it is called 'form.' Afflicted with what? With cold & heat & hunger & thirst, with the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, & reptiles. Because it is afflicted, it is called form.

"And why do you call it 'feeling'? Because it feels, thus it is called 'feeling.' What does it feel? It feels pleasure, it feels pain, it feels neither-pleasure-nor-pain. Because it feels, it is called feeling.

"And why do you call it 'perception'? Because it perceives, thus it is called 'perception.' What does it perceive? It perceives blue, it perceives yellow, it perceives red, it perceives white. Because it perceives, it is called perception.

"And why do you call them 'fabrications'? Because they fabricate fabricated things, thus they are called 'fabrications.' What do they fabricate as a fabricated thing? For the sake of form-ness, they fabricate form as a fabricated thing. For the sake of feeling-ness, they fabricate feeling as a fabricated thing. For the sake of perception-hood... For the sake of fabrication-hood... For the sake of consciousness-hood, they fabricate consciousness as a fabricated thing. Because they fabricate fabricated things, they are called fabrications.

"And why do you call it 'consciousness'? Because it cognizes, thus it is called consciousness. What does it cognize? It cognizes what is sour, bitter, pungent, sweet, alkaline, non-alkaline, salty, & unsalty. Because it cognizes, it is called consciousness.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.079.than.html

My comments:

• I think the description of 'perception' above is to highlight the perception of 'difference', 'contrast', etc. Thus, it could include shapes, length, sound frequencies, texture, sensations, etc.

• The meaning of 'sankhara' above is question in itself. However, the key term is 'abhisaṅkharonti' ('fabricate'; a verb), which generally refers to 'attachment' in the suttas (eg. SN 12.51) and is also used in suttas about 'kamma' (eg. SN 12.25). Therefore, the description of 'sankhara' above appears to refer to 'mentally constructing' ('abhisaṅkharonti') each of the aggregates as 'self' and 'pertaining or belonging to self'. It appears to mean 'mental constructing' ('abhisaṅkharonti') each of the aggregates into something much more than they actually are. For example, SN 12.2 refers to 'producing' (abhinibbatti) views of 'beings' (sattānaṃ) in respect to the 'appearance or manifestation of the aggregates' (khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo).

• The description of 'consciousness' above & below, in terms of both 'tastes' (above) and 'feelings' (below) appears to highlight consciousness as a 'sensory impact'.

'It cognizes, it cognizes': Thus, friend, it is said to be 'consciousness.' And what does it cognize? It cognizes 'pleasant.' It cognizes 'painful.' It cognizes 'neither painful nor pleasant.' 'It cognizes, it cognizes': Thus it is said to be 'consciousness.'

Discernment (wisdom) & consciousness are conjoined, friend, not disjoined. It's not possible, having separated them one from the other, to delineate the difference between them. For what one discerns, that one cognizes. What one cognizes, that one discerns.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.043.than.html

'The six classes of contact should be known.' Thus was it said. In reference to what was it said? Dependent on the eye & forms there arises consciousness at the eye. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the ear & sounds there arises consciousness at the ear. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the nose & aromas there arises consciousness at the nose. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the tongue & flavors there arises consciousness at the tongue. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the body & tactile sensations there arises consciousness at the body. The meeting of the three is contact. Dependent on the intellect & ideas there arises consciousness at the intellect. The meeting of the three is contact. 'The six classes of contact should be known.'

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.148.than.html

At Savatthi... There are these four nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those in search of a place to be born. Which four? Physical food, gross or refined; contact as the second, intellectual intention the third, and consciousness the fourth. These are the four nutriments for the maintenance of beings who have come into being or for the support of those in search of a place to be born.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.063.than.html