17. Five Grasping Groups
Dated: 1994
Venerable Bhikkhus, brothers and sisters, the subject to the discourse today – the 5 aggregates. In another word – the 5 grasping groups. This is a difficult subject for one to understand. No clear definition of the 5 grasping groups have been given anywhere to cover the entire subject, but there are certain references. And one such reference appears in the Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta, The Big Footprint of the Elephant, in the main discourses.
We have to have proper understanding how a thought is created, if one is going to have a clear understanding of the 5 grasping groups. Because these 5 groups are closely associated with the thought created. Thoughts are created at 6 places or connected with 6 things sure to say. They are, the visual object that attract the eyes; then of course experience noises of sound through the ear; smells through the nose; taste through the tongue; contact through the body and mental objects through the mind. These are the 6 places connected which the thoughts are created. The creation of a thought and the various factors that contribute to create the thought has a part to play in the 5 grasping groups. Therefore one has to have a very clear notion how a thought is created. These 6 sense bases are connect to the creation of 6 varieties of thoughts, arrive at their means it differs in one thought from the other is object of the thought. Not the creation as such of the thought. If I give you an example, I see, when I create a thought I see through my eyes or I observe a visual object. Then again, I can create a thought and I can hear something through my ears. Whether the act of creation of the thought is remain the same. Only thing is they perform two different tasks. They all depend upon the sense base connected with the thought is created and the visual object to whatever the object maybe that attracts that sense base. Now what happens? When an object that attracts the sense base occurs or takes place, the sense base has a right contrivance which can attract an object. Depending on the object, the contrivance has been adapted. The eyes has a retina, it can have a reflection of the visual object. The ear has a very soft eardrum, which can vibrate when connected with sound it attracts. The nose has contrivance in the middle of the nose, the shape of a hoof of goat, which can attract smell. Then we have the tongue, the middle of the tongue there is sensitive spot and all tastes, prone to understand clearly what a taste is, and what variety of taste is and what different taste are. It is at that spot that those particulars are provided through a thought. And of course we have the contact, entire body is subject to contact except the fingernails and hair. Thinking of course a mental object is entertained by the mind. Now, first instance is the object attracting the sense base, for example, a visual object, a form is attracted to the eyes. The reflection of that eye, visual object is cast in the retina. When that physical contact take place, in respect not only the eyes, in respect to the ears; in respect to the nose; in respect of your tongue; in respect of your body; and in respect even of your mind. When the consciousness participate in the activity, consciousness is a mental force. And it is given the term “consciousness” when it participate in the activities of the sense bases. Prior to that it’s just energy, nothing else. It has no color or form, but there is a force, mental force. Now these 3 getting together is done by one of the 5 mental factors which are created by the consciousness. The 5 mental factors created by the consciousness are contact, feeling, perception, volition and attention. The word contract, it has a very deep meaning and also it plays a vital role in the creation of thoughts. After all, as I mentioned earlier only at 6 places thoughts are created. And this contact must be there, contact with the eyes, with the visual object. The ears with the sound or noise. The nose with the smell. The tongue with the food, or whatever it may be taste of the food. Then of course, you have the body contact, something outside. And mind contacting a mental object. When the contact takes place, there is something specific happens there. After all, we observe that the ear is a physical object, and the visual object to a physical thing. So 2 physical things contact each other to the contrivance specially prepared for receiving such an object by the ears, or by the eyes, or whatever it may be. These are 2 physical things getting together.
And then when the consciousness participated in such activity, then the 5 mental factors are put into operation, the first factor is contact as I told you which brings about getting these 3 things together. What are 3 things? For instance, if you take the eyes as a mental base, the eyes plus the visual object, plus the consciousness are put together. When consciousness and the physical object are joined together or put together, is a mental creation more than anything else, that’s clear to you. It’s a mental creation; you all observed the physical object through your mind. Therefore what contact exist through contact, the physical object and the function of the eye. They all become a mental performance from there onwards. Now contact is one of the common mental factor, there are 5 common mental factors, common to all the sense bases, that’s why they are called common mental factors. Contact is the first mental factor, putting the three together as the mental creation, and then you have the next mental factor, feeling. Feeling gives you an idea about the object, in the nature whether you like the object or you do not like the object. These are the 2 things that happen, one of 2 things. If it is a noise, you like the noise or you do not like the noise. If it is a smell, you like the smell or you do not like the smell. If it is a taste, you know you like the taste or you do not like the taste. Physical contact, do you like the contact or you do not like the contact. Mentally of course, when you receive this, either you, to your liking or not to your like is clear. Now this is what the feeling does. Bear in mind, when you use the feeling, do not come to the wrong conclusion that there is an opportunity for one to feel. No! For one to feel, there must be another thought. Now here we are creating the thought to the performance of an activity by a sense base. In the midst of that creation, you must have feeling coming to play, and then creating a fresh thought. No! Feeling only gives you the impression whether the object that has contact to the sense bases, something to your liking or not to your liking. That’s all. There’s no opportunity for one to feel or one to create a thought and feel about it. That’s the performance that is done subsequently after the thought has been created to perform the act of the sense bases. Then after that you get the perception which indicates you what the object is that you’re confronted with. That is whether it’s a house or boy whatever it may be. The visual object in this case is identified. Object that attracts a nose is identified by this feeling. Similarly, other instances also by the mental factor feeling you identify the object, mental factor of perception you identify the object, mental factor feeling gives you only the impression whether it is good or bad. Now after the perception, then you have to perform the task of either seeing or hearing or smelling or tasting or contacting or thinking. That’s called the sankhara. A formation is created. And there in the creation of that form, volition plays a vital role – “Cetanā”. And Buddha clearly indicated that all your karmic acts are identified as good or bad upon the “cetanā”, that is the volition, created this through committing that act. Also volition gives you a force to the act. With a clear volition like let us say, free from attachment, free from aversion and the full awareness of the act is there, then that volition act is a very very clear forceful act. If there are lapses on the other hand it becomes a weak act, therefore volition plays a vital role and in that what you do is you see with your eyes, you hear with your ears, you smell with your nose, you contact with your tongue, understand the taste and then you know you contact with the body and thinking, this goes on. Now we have performed the act, now in all these activities, that is in the creation of contact and feeling and perception, and volition, attention plays a vital role. Attention is a quality of the mind that promptly enables one to pick up the item in the regular manner, in another words, it promotes your thinking. Help you in every respect to create a thought, attention, Manasikara. That is how a thought is created. When these 5 mental factors are activated by a sudden flash so to say, there’s no time for you to waste, this is the mental factor of feeling, now thinking, whether it is good or bad, that sort of thing. In a flash, in a split second, all these 5 mental factors complete their tasks in performing the activities due to it. Buddha compares this to something inflammable catching fire, like petroleum. If you keep a fire close to a vessel containing petroleum, you see you’ll find that there will be a sudden flash to catch fire in a split second. Likewise these 5 mental factors, they perform their tasks very quickly. And one cannot separate one from the other, that is you can’t say when feelings started, you can’t say when feeling ended, you can’t say when the perception starts, when perception ends. All in one bunch perform their tasks because the spontaneous activity of the mind creating a thought to enable you to experience something through a sense base, it’s a very very quick act. You open your eyes you see. And if voice or noise contact the ears, you hear, in the same way, performing the other sense base activities are very quickly done. Therefore, there is no delaying for the mental factor to participate and then perform their tasks clearly. Now we all create a thought. It is this thought, brothers and sisters, that help you to see through your eyes, that helps you to hear through your ears, that helps you to smell something through the nose, that help you to taste something through your tongue, that helps you to contact something through the body and that helps you to think. It is this thought.
Now the question that has been asked is, in the creation of this thought, what part the 5 aggregates play? 5 grasping groups play? What is their place? How do they occur? What is the object of such occurring along with this thought? That I have to emphasize, it is in this spontaneous activity of the mind, in the creation of a thought, brothers and sisters, that this 5 grasping groups are also mentally created. That’s a mental creation and the very mental factors that help you to create the thought contributes in creation this delusion in your mind. I call it a delusion because there is no substance in that creation. This 5 grasping groups get in together creates so-called a being in you as the author of all your activities. This is a mental impression, and the mental impression has been created as a result of these 5 things getting together. First is, grasping groups of form, I told you that contact, that is mental factor contact, creates that physical contact. And also in that vital aspect is through the form that it is created. The body you wear is through that body that contact takes place. Something connected with the body. That is, what mental factor contact does. Grasping group of contact. The grasping group of feeling, it performs the same act like that of the activity it created in building a thought or creating a thought. You identify the object as something to your liking or not to your liking. Grasping groups perception, that took place the same role as adopted. In the creation of a thought, they’re enabling you to identify the object according to your knowledge. In the grasping group of volition, it goes further not only in creating the volition as a mental state but pursuing that volition to activity in the way of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, contacting and thinking. The 5 sense bases perform their tasks in committing the act of volitional activity. And for all these, consciousness plays a vital role. After all, I have emphasized that in the creation of mental factors, it is the consciousness that creates these mental factors. And, consciousness plays a vital role. Now, when this 5 grasping groups are created, what is the impression you receive as a worldling? I wish to emphasize this fact that in creating a thought to perform the activity of a sense base, this 5 born mental factors occur. And the raising factor at the same time when it is creating the thought creates this delusion in you. It is not a separate act performed by the mental factors. In activating a thought in your mind, creation of thought in your mind by the performance of the consciousness and the mental factors, this aspect of creating the 5 grasping groups also occur. That is something which you must bear in mind. Then what happens? As you are seen something through your eyes, but you get the feeling that is somebody within in you who has seen it. That is the delusion that is created. The author of all your sense base activities is yourself and that impression that you are the author, is created by this 5 grasping groups. If you analyze the very term used to describe this 5 common factors, in creating this delusion you find, grasping is one quality test. The 5 things like the contact, feeling, perception, volitional activity and the viññana, that is consciousness. They are all grasping together, put together. To create something imaginary. That is why they are called grasping group. This group of 5 things clinging together promoted by desire that creates the so-called being in you. It’s purely an imagination. And this is a delusion. The common mental factors were meant to create a thought. Why that act has been committed by the 5 mental factors, you have also created the delusion in you. The author of that act is the being, and you identify that being to yourself. That you are the being because your body has become the center, the core of all these creation. Therefore, the person who participated the body, is the being they have created. You must clearly bear that in mind, your personality, your physical form plays a vital role. You remember that contact is a thing that put together the eye, and its object, the visual object and the consciousness. And when these 3 are put together by contact. Likewise the case of the other sense bases, you will find this delusion is created that they is so-called a being, and that being is no other person other than yourself possessing this form. That is the aspect that you have to keep in mind. Now this occurs in all the activity of the sense bases. You see something as a result of cause-and-effect, but the impression you get is as a result of this situation in creating of the 5 grasping groups, that there is yourself committing that act, with your body as the owner, as the owner’s body who perform the act. Centering round your body this activity takes place, same with your nose, same with your tongue, same with your ears, same with your body and mind. You see something with your eyes, in the act of seeing, you also create the delusion that there is us here. Person who sees, and person who see is no other person other than the person who has this body as the physical appearance of this so-called being.
Now may come to the conclusion that this is a delusion. How do we come to the conclusion that this is the delusion? But just a false view that we have created. Buddha in describing the activities of the 5 mental factors also indicated that along with this mental factors there is a false impression created in your mind that there is a being build around your body, your personality. And for the creation of that being, there are 5 things that is, contact, feeling, perception, volitional activity and the consciousness. Buddha in order to show you clearly that a mental creation of the nature of a thought is also a fabrication, its there’s no substance as one thinks it has, it’s purely a creation of the mind. In order to impress you, that it’s purely a creation and nothing else, he compares the activity of the 5 mental factors to physical objects. In comparing them so that when you know the object, you have an idea that mental factor is of this nature. Now, Buddha compared the mental factor “contact” to us. A collection of forms. What is form? When there is an obstruction to flowing water, naturally due to the contact of the water with that object, there arises bubbles, air bubbles. They don’t last long, they arise and pass away. But large number of those beings created at the same time, there is some showing for displaying that there is an object there, but in fact, there is no object at all, its a collection of form and nothing else. What is valuable in form? It’s just a creation and nothing else, it arise and pass away. A bubble of water, that is compared to mental factor contact. Mental factor feeling is compared to a bubble of water that arises when the drop of rain falls on water. A bubble is created. You see it clearly but it arises and pass away. It has no life. The impression is created that there is some creation by (mental …..water bubble), when the drop of water contacts the surface of the water. But beyond that, it just disappears and does not last in a fraction of a second. That is compared to your feeling. There is some indication to your mind that your feeling is there, but it is just a bubble of water, nothing else, doesn’t last long. Then, perception is compared to mirage. During the time when the sun is has reached highest point, in the way of, let’s say, time being about 12 o’clock. When you walk along a road, you find ahead of you there is a stretch of water. It can be clearly seen with your eyes. You go to that spot and find that it is no longer there, it is somewhere else. This is completely a delusion created by the mind. And that is compared to the perception. Perception, object that you have identified, that indicates that there is something like an object existing. But in fact, there is nothing there. Isn’t that a display of the correct meaning of anicca, nothing. There is something to be seen but there is nothing in there. And then volitional activity, we commit a lot of activities. And the immediate cause for such activity being committed is the creation of a volition in you. Mind is the fore-runner of all activities. So you create a thought, and you put in the fruition that thought in the way of committing an act. Now this volition, volitional activity, a compare to a wrappings one over the other that you discovered when you open up a trunk of a tender planted tree. There’s no pitting there’s no hard wood in there, it’s just one over the other. The stem of the leaves, so to say, has fallen itself one over the other and created this stem which indicates to all which shown from outside as something which has some substance but it has no substance at all. Those are your activities. What are your activities? The formations you create, formation of seeing, nothing. Formation of smelling, nothing. Formation of hearing, there too, nothing in there. Formation of volitional activity, you see. The activities of the 6 sense bases are the formations you have created. And what are these formations? If you carefully analyze the comparison given by Buddha, that is formation are like a trunk of a tender planted tree. Because there is no hard wood in there, it’s just several leaves holding one over the other and creates in this thickness of the trunk of the planted tree. When you analyze it, when you carefully looking in it, there’s nothing substantial in there. So are all your activities – formations. All your formations are that – anicca, impermanent, unsatisfactory, soulless. If there is a substance in these, no substance. That’s compared to a tender planted tree which has nothing substantial in it.
Then we come to the consciousness, which plays a vital role in producing the mental factors and performing their tasks, thereby creating of false impression in you. Buddha compares this consciousness to a conjuror, who creates things for you, who creates deception for you and mislead you. That is the path this consciousness does create situation when you are completely misled. But you live in them as if they are existing. Now isn’t this doing all your activities of the sense bases like seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, contacting and thinking. All those are formation which you commit through your sense base activities. Now, what is the value you would attach to these things? The value is given, when you analyze the comparison Buddha has given to each of those 5 mental factors which are actually the substance of the thought created because it’s after they perform their task, the thought is created. Consciousness by itself is not a thought. And you find that there is nothing in this. Nothing substantial in this. An empty thing, but a creation by the mind. That is the thing that you have to bear in mind. Not only the creation created by the mind, brothers and sisters, there is in that creation by the mind, a creator is created. A creator is also there, and that’s also a complete delusion created by the mind. You see that in the act of experiencing object through the 6 sense bases, such activities performed by the mind by the creation of a thought. In that creation of that thought, there are the 5 mental factors which are compared to 5 distinct objects which clearly indicate you live in no doubt at all that there is no substance in that activity. That thought that is created for you to see. You have seen something before you. But according to the analysis if we have made just now, that act of seeing has been committed by the 5 mental factors which are of no value at all, no substance at all but a mere creation, a fabrication. That what you see is also absolutely a false picture, and nothing like that. This consciousness has created all this for you. Take a case of the ear; you hear something and that too as a result of a thought. That thought has been created by the 5 mental factors, the comparison of which indicates that there is no substance in that activity. What have you heard, you have heard nothing. It’s just a fabrication by the mind, by the consciousness. In the same way, when you consider the activities of the 6 sense bases, without probing deep into their performance, on the face value it, like ordinary worldling assess experiences which he gain through the 6 sense bases, you are completely misled that there is substance in this activity whereas there is no substance. Clear indication of this situation is the comparison given to each of this activity by Buddha to clearly indicate that it is complete fabrication by the mind. Therefore, what you see is a creation by the mind. What you hear is a creation by the mind. What you smell is a creation by the mind. What you taste is a creation by the mind. What you contact is a creation by the mind. What you think is also a creation by the mind. And it is with these experiences, brothers and sisters, that you have created a world around you. And you live in that world.
Ask the question, if this thoughts created in connection with my eyes, with my nose, with my tongue, with my ears, with my body and with my thinking process, created a world around me. Said to contain substances, said to contain something substantial in this creation, but having analyze this creation carefully and that that creation is a creation of thought by the various sense bases performing their tasks. There is nothing absolutely in this world that has been created around you. You have been completely misled by the mind. That is the wonderful thing. And it is in this analysis of the 5 grasping groups and also the components that creates the thought that you clearly come to this conclusion, reasonable conclusion that the world has been created by the 5 mental factors, 6 mental bases, experiences gone through them, where we have created formations, all these formations have contributed to the creation of the world. And this creation is completely a fabrication, delusion. And we imagine what this consciousness has done. And you begin to understand now when Buddha calls this consciousness a conjuror who had the capacity to create things for you which are not true. Now you realistically understand the meaning given by Buddha to this consciousness upon whom we depend so much. In fact you depend on the consciousness about to seeing things. You depend on the consciousness in hearing things. You depend on the consciousness in smelling things. You depend on the consciousness in tasting things. Again, depend on the consciousness in contacting things and also imagining things. Now this consciousness, it has the capacity to create false pictures, false situation and misled you completely. And when we analyze the functioning of the mind. The content in the creation of this thought by the mind, also the values attached to all these different different details, which perform their tasks to create the mind, we have a clear picture before us. That all the thoughts that are created by the consciousness are nothing but fabrication and delusions. And you as a worldling, saw something and believe it. You as a worldling heard something and believe it. You as a worldling smell something and believe it. You as a worldling contacted something and experience the thing call a taste. You as a worldling had bodily contact and depended on them. You as a worldling thought, created thought and depended on those creation. Can you imagine the struggle we are going through with these 6 sense bases? After all your entire battle in trying to gain your liberation, depends entirely on how you have analyzed the function of the 6 sense bases which perform the tasks of your existence on this earth. You have a body and the mind on activated by the sense bases in the way of creating formation. And Buddha clearly indicated to you that all the formations that are created by this mind are all absolute fabrications, delusions. Now think about yourself, what is the world you live in? Is it a world of true incidents happening right around you or is it a world that has been created for you to mislead you. You can really imagine the statement made by the evil one, Mara. When Buddha was addressing an assembly of Bhikkhus about Nibbana, I refer to this incident earlier too. Mara appeared there and questioned Buddha, “What are you doing? You are leading these Bhikkhus to attain their liberation. But do you forget the fact that they are using my equipment? The eyes is my equipment. The nose is my equipment. The ear is my equipment. The tongue is my equipment. The body is my equipment and the various thinking is done by the consciousness which is also my equipment. And they made use of these equipment for their worldly lives. For their existence, so to say, and now you are showing a path to these persons who are making use of my equipment which is meant only for the worldly way of life, to gain their liberation. Could this be done?” Buddha very frankly admitted, “Yes, Mara. What you say is true. The eyes is your equipment, the nose is your equipment, the ear is your equipment, the tongue is your equipment, the body is your equipment and the very consciousness is also your equipment. But I am showing them the truth about the use of these equipment so that they will not be deceived by these equipment. And they will gain their liberation, no, even if they pass that barrier, still there is I, mine, and soul which I have planted in them. That Nibbana is something beyond that.” Mara went away.
Now you can imagine you have been leading a worldly life. You have made use of these equipment to lead that life. And then in the past you have truthfully believed the result you have achieved as a result of making use of these equipment. Can you justify yourself that you have truthfully done an honest job of working your existence in the past? Of course, you cannot be detected easily because everyone of you, brothers and sisters living in this world are also using the same equipment. And this world is also equipped with objects, which can be subject to these equipment provided by Mara. And when you see you see they also see. When you say that there is smell, they also smell. Likewise performances are all commonly done. But, to summarize that performance, it is completely a delusion that all of us are living in. So much so that delusion is so impressed you, is so forcefully before you that you can’t create a doubt, brothers and sisters, that it is a delusion. Except in the way of analyzing carefully, the path played by the 5 mental factors which create the thought in you, and the performances of these bases that are provided by Mara, so to say, as his equipment for our existence in this world. Then you begin to clearly see through things that all of us are deceived. All of us are deceived. If, brothers and sisters, if you say that attachment or desire created by these 6 sense bases enables you to continue your existence from birth to birth, birth to birth, birth to birth. Isn’t that too a deception created by the mind. This is the situation we are in. And how does this so-called false view created in your mind by the 5 grasping groups perform these fictitious activities in yourself? This fabricated activity in yourself. They appear the 5 are grasped together. After all they have contributed much of create desire and you are desirous person and desire has put them together, the 5 things together, as a result of grasping. Grasping is the result of your attachment, desire. Desire keeps you grasping together. It always sees things together, not singly. So you make a subsequent analysis of the whole thing. One bunch is 5, and what is the impression you get when this one bunch consisting of this 5 grasping groups function together that there is a being in you. There is a somebody in you who is responsible for my seeing, for my hearing, for my tasting, for my contacting, for my thinking. There is somebody and who creates that somebody? The 5 grasping groups has created that somebody of false impression. And that’s why it’s called a delusion. And you’ve been misled completely. You see and you think, I see which is false. You hear and you think that I hear. Again you perform the other activities to the sense bases and you assess them as your experiences. That is what the grasping groups has done to you. Not only live, it holds on you in this birth, even at the time of your death, brothers and sisters, when you experience the last thought created as a result of a karmic force which you have committed. For the result of the karmic force which you have committed, you will see the last thought you create also accompanies the 5 grasping groups. That’s the karma viññāṇa, you call it. Viññāṇa created by the karma. That thought performing the wrong or the correct, or the right thing, the act of or the result of brought about by the karmic force which you committed. One of these 2 things bring back the object of the thought you have created. And in the thought you have created, there is this 5 grasping groups accompanying you. Buddha says there is no occasion that a thought can be created apart from the 5 grasping groups. If you say you’re born at the place, the 5 grasping groups accompany that thought, that settles in that new birth. If you say that you have passing away, you have passed away, the 5 grasping groups has passed away with your last thought. There is no arrival or departure of thinking without this 5 grasping groups accompanying this process. You have created such a powerful impression in the mind. And that powerful impression has created in you a being who is responsible for all your activities. When you, all your activities are perform as a result of cause-and-effect. The body by itself cannot perform any act. It is just one mass of element. It is the mind that directs the performance of activities by the body. But in this instance, this 5 grasping groups has completely disillusioned you. Or brought about an illusion in you, in making you to believe the things that is not existing. And that is when cause-and-effect has created a certain activity, you are under the impression or you create a false impression in you that it is committed by the person who is within you as the author of all your activities.
Now how to get over this 5 grasping groups? You must have the capacity to analyze every thought in this manner, as we did before. And understand each function, each of this group like contact, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness. This must be carefully analyzed, the path deeply in this creation. Also you have that illustration given by Buddha. Giving a proper assessment of each of this quality. That also must be borne in mind. That those examples given by Buddha, quoted by Buddha giving us an idea of the values of each of these components. You find that the comparisons clearly indicate that there is nothing substantial in there, it’s purely imagination and nothing else. Of course there is the vision outside that there is a being. When I speak like this, when I act like this, of course you feel that there is a so-and-so in me. Then you may this, give the justification which I am known but actually it is somebody in this person who is doing this act, that’s the conclusion you arrived at when you observe my activities. So is this result, any other person would also arrive at if he or she observes somebody performing these acts which are common to all human beings. Now when you think of it, brothers and sisters, as I explain to you, this 5 grasping groups continue this activity from birth to birth. They gathers, they have displayed in you about the realistic aspect of the grasping groups and their performing act which are completely delusions. Indicate that unless you have a proper knowledge of Dharma, and you conduct a proper analysis of this 5 grasping groups. And realistically understand them as delusion. Brothers and sisters, you have no escape from this life. You’ll continue to live, you’ll continue to live as a being. In the same manner you have lived in the past up to this date, millions and millions of years as beings. And this is just one occasion after birth of this Buddha, who has clearly indicated this delusion that has been created in our mind. In fact, brothers and sisters, we have to challenge every activity of the sense base as a performance of something which is a delusion. That is the category you have to put all your experiences through the 6 sense bases. Complete deception and nothing else. And that is the world you have been living in. And that is the very world you are expect to break through your meditation. In the proper analysis you have to bring about with Dharma preached by Buddha to what he has revealed to us. And when you go on analyzing and developing your knowledge to that height of, seeing the truth. You ultimately see that there is nothing called a body in you, which is also creation by the formation. There is nothing called a thinking process in you. Which is also creation by the formation, and there is nothing in you. Absolutely nothing. And that is the final conclusion you arrived at after analyzing all this thing carefully in a Dharma way. And if you see that, that as a truth you finally observed, my dear brothers and sisters, I tell you clearly that you have attained your liberation. And nothing further to see, nothing further to experience, you have seen the truth. And the truth is that there is nothing called a body and a mind. It’s all a mental creation and you have at last identify this creation, and the final attainment or the final effort made by the consciousness to escape your scrutiny, is to continue to think, making you to think. Giving an impression it is this consciousness that is creating the thought. But after you have created that state of equanimity in the mind in the path which you follow to your development, then you find that the mind is also subject to the same condition as any other. And you begin to analyze the mind with the reality; whether it is permanent or impermanent; whether it is satisfactory or not satisfactory; whether it has continuity or no continuity; and as you go on analyzing, analyzing this tranquil mind, you will see the mind quietly. Maybe having understood that you have seen the truth, stop the delusion it has created, disappears from your very vision. Creating a void in you and ultimately the maturity of that void leads you to final liberation.
Brothers and sisters, these are the 5 aggregates. These are the grasping groups which you must carefully understand. And I’ve been very clearly explaining these things to you so that you clearly know what they are and what they have done to you. And if you realistically understand them, identify them in the true sense, you will gain your liberation.
May you all attain your Nibanna.
Thank you.
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