A couple of points to emphasize:
1. When we attach to a sensory input (ārammaṇa), it is pañca upādānakkhandha (or pañcupādānakkhandha) that arises, and NOT pañcakkhandha. This is a subtle point that I also did not pay attention to in the past.
- Therefore, in many instances, I may have written pañcakkhandha in some places where it really should be pañcupādānakkhandha. This is a common mistake that many people make. The tendency is to think that we attach to pañcakkhandha and then it becomes pañcupādānakkhandha. Even my teacher, Waharaka Thero, has made it sometimes.
- Keeping that in mind, you may want to read the posts in the section”The Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandha).”
2. Both pañcakkhandha and pañcupādānakkhandha are “mental”: see “Pancupādānakkhandha – It is All Mental.”
- Also see “Manomaya Kaya (Gandhabba) and the Physical Body.”
3. The above can become clear easily with the comprehension of a series of posts I posted recently: “Recovering the Suffering-Free Pure Mind.”
- When a citta vithi ( series of thoughts) starts based on a sensory input (arammana), the mind starts with a distorted/defiled sanna (perception) and also wrong views (miccha ditthi). Even for a Sotapanna who has removed miccha ditthi, distorted/defiled sanna (perception) arises automatically.
- Thus, a “pure mind” (pabhassara citta) with pañcakkhandha arises only in an Arahant!
- I have discussed that in “Sensory Experience – A Deeper Analysis.”
- You can get to the posts in #3 later on. But I wanted to emphasize it to those who have read the website for a while.