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Skandha

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Also known as Skandhas, Aggregates (Buddhism), Khandha, Pancakkhandha, Five Aggregates

''''' (Sanskrit) or (Pāḷi) means "heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings, clusters". In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging' (), the five material and mental factors that take part in the perpetual process of craving, clinging and aversion due to Avijja.

~23 min read

Encyclopedic overview

27 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Description
  • Interpretation
  • Aggregates of personality
  • Aggregates of experience and grasping
  • Eighteen dhātus
  • In Theravada Abhidhamma
  • Six sense bases
  • The four paramatthas
  • Twelve Nidanas
  • Satipatthana
  • In the Mahayana tradition
  • India
  • China
  • Tibet
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Sources
  • Primary literature
  • Secondary literature
  • Web-sources
  • Further reading
  • External links
  • Theravada
  • Mahayana
  • Vajrayana

''''' (Sanskrit) or (Pāḷi) means "heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings, clusters". In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging' (), the five material and mental factors that take part in the perpetual process of craving, clinging and aversion due to Avijja.

They are also explained as the five factors that constitute and explain a sentient being's person and personality, but this is a later interpretation in response to Sarvāstivādin essentialism. The 14th Dalai Lama subscribes to this interpretation.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Skandha” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.