Reply To: Post on “Rupa and Rupakkhandha, Nāma and Nāmagotta”

#33974
Lal
Keymaster

TripleGemStudent asked: “Can anything related to the five aggregates be considered as the “worldly objects” you mentioned?”

Worldly things, such as the five aggregates, should be contemplated ONLY with respect to their anicca, dukkha, anatta nature, i.e., how valuing them leads one down the wrong path and to future suffering, and the unfruitfulness of them (and how eventually one becomes helpless if those are pursued).
– Again, we need to remember that the five aggregates are our memories, future expectations, and present actions. Furthermore, we need to realize that only pancupadanakkhandha are the problem, those that we attach to via greed, anger, and ignorance.
– There are other ACTIONS that we may pursue which do not belong to pancupadanakkhandha. Those do not involve attachment to this world. For example, pursuing Nibbana does not fall into that category.

In contrast, one focuses on a kasina object or on the breath in anariya meditations (expecting that such procedures will lead to lasting happiness).
– Those actions are done with ignorance. They are not beneficial in the long run, and only distract one from the correct path.