A pañcupādānakkhandha process is triggered by viparīta (distorted) saññā. Once started, it goes through two steps of attachment in the ‘purāna kamma‘ (‘initial kamma‘ generation) before reaching the ‘nava kamma‘ (‘new, potent kamma‘) generation. A pañcupādānakkhandha (or an Idappaccayatā Paṭicca Samuppāda) process would not start in the ‘Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi‘ because viparīta (distorted) saññā does not arise there.
December 27, 2025
Pañcupādānakkhandha Is All Mental and Infinite
1. Pañcupādānakkhandha is an existing and evolving entity for each person below the Arahant stage. It has past, present moment (paccuppanna), and future components. All of its components are mental. A new phase arises with a sensory input (ārammaṇa) and dies off when related ‘thoughts’ cease. Some are terminated early in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage. Those that proceed to the ‘nava kamma‘ stage can last for minutes to hours, depending on how many related ‘thoughts, speech, and actions’ are pursued.
- The rūpa experienced at the present moment is the ‘mental image’ of the ‘external rupa‘ that the mind experiences (the ‘mental image’ is vastly different from the ‘external rupa’; see “The Illusion of Perception (Saññā) – It Is Scientific Consensus“). The ‘past component’ includes all such ‘mental images’ extending to our deep past. The ‘future component’ includes ‘mental versions of rūpa we expect to experience in the future.’
- Then, the vedanā component includes all vedanā associated with each ‘rūpa‘ experienced; the saññā component consists of all saññā associated with each ‘rūpa‘ experienced; the saṅkhāra component consists of all saṅkhāra generated in response to each ‘rūpa‘ experienced; the viññāna component includes all viññāna associated with each ‘rūpa‘ experienced.
2. With each new sensory experience, the pañcupādānakkhandha continues to grow.
- Thus, pañcupādānakkhandha is infinite!
- All records of pañcupādānakkhandha are preserved in the viññāna dhātu as ‘nāmagotta‘ and may be recalled.
- However, we can recall only a tiny fraction of the ‘past component’ that we experienced even in this life.
Nāmagotta Preserved!
3. The “Najīrati Sutta (SN 1.76)” states: “Rūpaṁ jīrati maccānaṁ,nāmagottaṁ na jīrati.”
- That means “Rūpa (external objects) are subject to decay and destruction, but nāmagotta (record of pañcupādānakkhandha) does not decay! Two things to note: (i) The translation in the link translates ‘nāmagotta‘ as ‘name and clan,’ and that does not make sense, (ii) Here is an exception to the rule that ‘rūpa‘ means ‘rūpa upādānakkhandha; in the context of the above sutta, ‘rūpa‘ refers to the physical objects in the external world.
- A Buddha can recall his own nāmagotta or anyone else’s as far back as he wants to. Some people who attain jhāna can recall their recent past lives.
- A few people without any jhāna or other exceptional capability can recall many years of their current life in great detail: “Recent Evidence for Unbroken Memory Records (HSAM)” and “Autobiographical Memory – Preserved in Nāma Loka.” This is evidence that nāmagotta are kept intact in viññāna dhātu; it would be impossible for such details to be ‘stored’ in the brain. It is advisable to read those posts.
Initiation and Build-Up of a New Addition to Pañcupādānakkhandha
4. Obviously, adding to the pañcupādānakkhandha cannot occur while we are asleep. During that time, the mind is in a ‘holding state,’ called ‘the bhavaṅga state that one was born with’ or ‘uppatti bhavaṅga.’
- The ‘bhavaṅga state’ can be compared to a car in neutral: the engine is running, but the vehicle is not moving. In the same way, the mind remains minimally active (maintaining breathing) in the ‘bhavaṅga state.’ But the mind becomes active only when it receives sensory input. For example, if one wakes up to an alarm, that sound is the first sensory experience of the day.
- That sound of alarm is a ‘sadda rūpa‘ that comes in via the ears. Then you look at the clock and see it reading 6 a.m.; that sight is a ‘rūpa rūpa‘ (sometimes called ‘vaṇṇa rūpa‘ or, more often, just ‘rūpa‘) coming through the eyes. You swing your feet off the bed and feel the floor; that is a ‘phottabba rūpa‘ coming through the body (nerves in the skin generating the tactile sensation). On the way to the bathroom, you smell the aroma of coffee someone is brewing in the kitchen; that is a ‘gandha rūpa‘ coming through the nose.
- All those sensory inputs trigger a new pañcupādānakkhandha process. Unless you are an Arahant or an Anāgāmi, all those will move your mind through the bahiddha and ajjhatta viññāna in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage, concomitantly generating the corresponding rūpa, vedanā, saññā, and saṅkhāra. That is the first, weak level of attachment to those sensory inputs with ‘kāma saṅkappa.’
- However, none of the above sensory inputs is likely to lead to the second stage of attachment with taṇhā, because they may not trigger enticing enough ‘kāma guṇa‘ in the mind. Therefore, all those stop in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage and do not even advance to the ‘nava kamma‘ stage. In the graphical representation I use, only the ‘first smaller cone’ would be present for such cases.
Example of an Event Leading to the ‘Nava Kamma‘ Stage
5. Let us discuss a hypothetical situation that illustrates a pañcupādānakkhandha process advancing to the ‘nava kamma‘ stage.
- Person X is in a doctor’s office waiting for his turn. No one else is there, and he notices a wallet lying underneath the chair next to him.
- As with any sensory input, X’s mind automatically proceeds through the first attachment step in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage, assuming he is a puthujjana with no unbroken saṁyojana.
- The sight immediately prompted saṅkappa in his mind that the wallet likely contained money. His mind would immediately advance to the second attachment step in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage, which is triggered by the ‘gati‘ at that moment. Suppose he is under financial stress and is desperately in need of money.
- His mind would begin generating ‘sara saṅkappa‘ (a term I have not used to date, referring to a stronger form of saṅkappa; I will discuss a sutta or two on that in the future) about how he could use that money. Thus, still unconsciously, his mind builds up a case of ‘kāma guṇa‘ to be attached to that wallet.
Entering the ‘Nava Kamma‘ Stage
6. This is when he will start consciously thinking about the situation at hand. His mind would attach to the wallet with samphassa (generating rāga and moha), leading to ‘samphassa-jā-vedanā.’
- He is now generating vaci saṅkhāra (vitakka, vicāra) and assessing the situation.
- There is no one else to be seen, and he decides to pick up the wallet and put it in his pocket before anyone else comes to the room.
Pariḷāha and Pariyesanā Leading to ‘New Potent Kamma‘
7. With those decisions, his mind has now gone through the subsequent steps in Paṭicca Samuppāda with kāmacchanda arising (see the chart below): ‘samphassa-jā-vedanā paccayā taṇhā’ and ‘taṇhā paccayā upādāna.’
- With that step, his mind enters the ‘nava kamma‘ stage.
- Once the decision is made to ‘steal the wallet,’ the mind becomes agitated and wants to ‘get it done’ as quickly as possible. This critical step is called ‘kāma pariḷāha.’ The mind is heated and wants to pick up the wallet as fast as possible without being noticed.
- The next step is ‘kāma pariyesanā.’ Here, ‘pariyesanā‘ means ‘investigations’; in this context, he would examine whether the conditions are suitable for his action. He looks around one more time to make sure no one else is watching, and quickly picks up the wallet and puts it in his pocket.
- Just like that, he had carried out mano, vaci, and kāya kamma within a split second. Note: ‘kāya kamma‘ are done with vaci saṅkhāra, and those should not be called ‘kāya saṅkhāra.’ That term is reserved for saṅkhāra (specifically saṅkappa) done in the first step in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage (or ‘kaye kāya‘; see #4 of “Taṇhā – Saññā Leading to Mind-Made Vedanā.”)
8. Thus, in this example, the pañcupādānakkhandha process evolved into the ‘nava kamma‘ stage, where person X accumulated ‘new potent kamma‘ via kāya, vaci, and mano kamma. Note: ‘kāya kamma‘ refers to kamma (actions with a defiled mind) performed with the physical body (e.g., bending down to pick up the wallet), but it involves ‘vaci saṅkhāra.’
- Thus, in this case, the chart includes the ‘expanded cone’ (see the chart below) corresponding to the ‘nava kamma‘ stage with ‘new strong kamma generation.’
- That ‘expanded cone’ can be further expanded depending on the situation. For example, while X is still there, the person who lost their wallet may return to look for it. He would look around where he was sitting and ask X whether he had seen a wallet in that area. Of course, X would lie, saying he has not. That lie gets added to the ‘nava kamma‘ stage.
Person X’s Situation With a Different Mindset
9. As emphasized in #5 above, the second attachment step in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage is triggered by the ‘moral/immoral gati‘ at that moment.
- Now, consider the same person X facing the same situation under different circumstances. Suppose he is not under financial stress; instead, he is financially well-off and readily willing to help others who are poor.
- Under that mindset, when he sees the wallet, he still perceives it as ‘having value.’ Thus, his mind still would go through the first step in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage. As we have discussed, a puthujjana‘s mind would go through the first step in response to any sensory input. This is a deep and hidden concept; see #4 of “Origin of Attachment – Rāga Triggered by Saññā.”
10. However, in the second step, under the current mindset, he feels bad for the person who dropped the wallet.
- Thus, now, unlike the ‘apuñña abhisaṅkhāra‘ that went through his mind under the previous case discussed in #5 above, his mind generates ‘puñña abhisaṅkhāra.‘ With the intention of returning the wallet, his mind has now entered the ‘nava kamma‘ stage.
- He picks up the wallet, takes it to the receptionist, and explains that he found it in the waiting room, asking the receptionist to hold it until the owner comes back. Thus, he has performed a ‘moral deed’ with ‘puñña abhisaṅkhāra.‘ He has committed kāya kamma (picking up the wallet and taking it to the receptionist) and vaci kamma (explaining the situation to the receptionist).
- I hope the above examples help explain the critical characteristic features of the ‘purāna kamma‘ and ‘nava kamma‘ stages. Let us move on to a different topic.
The Eleven Types Associated With the Pañcupādānakkhandha
11. In the suttās (and in Abhidhamma), each of the entities rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, and viññāna (components of the pañcakkhandha, or more correctly, pañca upādānakkhandha) are shown to have 11 components; see “Khandha Sutta (SN 22.48).”
- As stated, there are 11 types are included in rūpakkhandha. They are atīta, anāgata, paccuppanna, ajjhatta, bahiddha, oḷārika, sukhuma, hīna, paṇīta, dūre, and santike.
- As we have discussed (see #1 of “Attachment Is to Saññā, Not to Pañcakkhandha“), rūpakkhandha refers to rūpaupādānakkhandha and, in many suttās, is simply referred to as ‘rūpa.’
- We briefly discuss the 11 types.
Ajjhatta and Bahiddha Types – Correct Interpretation
12. Obviously, ‘atīta, anāgata, paccuppanna‘ refer to ‘past events that occurred, future events one is expecting, and those arising at the present moment.
- The English translation in the “Khandha Sutta (SN 22.48) renders ‘ajjhatta and bahiddha‘ as ‘internal and external,’ implying that ‘bahiddha rūpa‘ refers to ‘external objects.’
- That wrong translation is discussed in the post “Difference Between Physical Rūpa and Rūpakkhandha.”
- ‘Ajjhatta and bahiddha‘ types of all five components of the pañca upādānakkhandha refer to those associated with the ‘ajjhatta and bahiddha‘ stages at the beginning of the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage; see the chart below.
Download/Print: “Purāna and Nava Kamma -2-revision 3“
- The bahiddha and ajjhatta types of viññāna (or viññāna upādānakkhandha) are shown in the chart above, corresponding to bahiddha and ajjhatta types of rūpa, vedanā, saññā, and saṅkhāra that arise at those times.
- For example, when a sensory input comes in, bahiddha viññāṇa arises first, based on the bahiddha rupa with added colors, tastes, etc., due to the “distorted saññā.” Then a puthujjana, perceiving it as valuable (or really existing), would consider it ‘to be mine’ (or at least, ‘real’). Thus, that bahiddha viññāṇa automatically turns into an ajjhatta viññāṇa. “Ajjha” means “mine,” and “atta” means “beneficial, unbeneficial, or at least real” in this context.
Connection to ‘Kāye Kāyānupassanā‘ in Satipaṭṭhāna
13. In the “Mahā Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (DN 22),” the verse, ‘Iti ajjhattaṁ vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, bahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati, ajjhattabahiddhā vā kāye kāyānupassī viharati‘ is about contemplating the ajjhatta and bahiddha stages of the ‘pañcupādānakkhandha kāya.’
- This is why it is critically important to understand the ajjhatta and bahiddha stages of the ‘pañcupādānakkhandha kāya.’
- Further details in ‘Kāye Kāyānupassanā – Details in Satipaṭṭhāna.’ Please read this post to make this critical connection.
- This is also why it is absolutely necessary to understand the ‘purana kamma‘ stage of the ‘pañcupādānakkhandha kāya.’ See ‘Purāna and Nava Kamma – Sequence of Kamma Generation.’
- One becomes a ‘Sandiṭṭhiko‘ by realizing the ‘genesis’ or ‘yoni‘ (‘birth place’) of kamma generation: ‘Sandiṭṭhiko – What Does It Mean?‘ ‘Yoniso manasikara‘ is one of the four conditions for attaining the Sotapanna stage; one aspect of this is understanding that the genesis of kamma generation is the ‘purana kamma‘ stage.
Bahiddha Rupa Is Distorted Due to Saññā
14. As we have discussed (The Illusion of Perception (Saññā) – It Is Scientific Consensus), the image that the mind sees (or tastes,..) does not reflect the properties of the external rūpa (whether it is a sight, taste, smell, ..). For example, external objects do not have colors, flavors, odors, etc. That distortion happens in the mind itself.
- Without that ’embellishment/beautification’ (i.e., the addition of colors, tastes, smells, etc.), our minds would not automatically attach to sensory inputs. It is with the ‘bahiddha rūpa‘ that the initial attachment occurs with saṅkappa: ‘Saṅkappa rāgo purisassa kāmo‘ OR ‘kāma (liking) arises with rāga saṅkappa.’
- That is where ‘rūpa samudaya‘ occurs. One definition of avijjā is not knowing what ‘rūpa‘ is (i.e., that the rupa seen by the mind is vastly different from the ‘external rupa‘) and how that ‘rūpa samudaya‘ happens automatically based on unbroken saṁyojana (‘assutavā puthujjano rūpaṁ nappajānāti, rūpasamudayaṁ nappajānāti,’ meaning ‘a puthujjana doesn’t understand rūpa, or its origin): “Avijjā Sutta (SN 22.113).”
- That affects not only sensory inputs that provide ‘attractive inputs’ but also ‘neutral inputs’ such as seeing a stone. There, the ignorance is to perceive that the stone is ‘solid.’ In reality, that stone is mostly ‘space.’ See #1 of “Saññā Vipallāsa – Distorted Perception.” That is why the mind of a puthujjana becomes defiled even with a ‘neutral sensory input.’
Other Six Types and Overlaps
15. Let us briefly go through the other six types to get the basic idea.
- ‘Olarika‘ means ‘coarse’ and ‘sukhuma‘ means ‘subtle or weak.’ For example, those five entities associated with the ‘nava kamma‘ stage are ‘oḷārika‘ while the entities associated with the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage are ‘sukhuma.’
- Then, ‘hīna‘ (‘lowly’ or ‘inferior’) refers to entities associated with the ‘kāma loka‘ and ‘paṇīta‘ (‘superior’) refers to entities related to the ‘rūpa and arupa loka.’ Notably, none of the potent kamma done with speech and physical actions occur in ‘rūpa and arupa loka.’
- Santike (‘close’) refers to those entities close to Nibbāna, and dūre (‘far’) refers to those entities far away from Nibbāna. For example, even though a Sotapanna and a puthujjana are both in ‘kāma loka,’ rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, and viññāna of a Sotapanna belong to the ‘santike‘ category and those of a puthujjana belong to the ‘dūre‘ category. The reason: A Sotapanna enters the ‘kāma loka‘ without the first three saṁyojana. Their minds are closer to Nibbāna.
- There could be an overlap among them. For example, ajjhatta rūpa includes atīta, anāgata, and paccuppanna types of rūpa.
Summary
16. Pañcupādānakkhandha is an existing and evolving entity. All its components arise in the mind.
- Pañcupādānakkhandha arises due to avijjā triggered by ‘viparīta saññā‘ built into our bodies and the environment.
- Until one grasps how that automatic triggering of avijjā happens (i.e., until one becomes a ‘Sandiṭṭhiko‘), it is unlikely that one can reach the Sotapanna stage.
- The eleven types associated with the five components of pañcupādānakkhandha include the critically important bahiddha and ajjhatta stages in the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage or the ‘initial kamma formation’ stage. One must realize that to reach the Sotapanna stage by becoming a ‘sandiṭṭhiko.’
- To cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna, one must have a good idea of the ajjhatta and bahiddha stages of the ‘pañcupādānakkhandha kāya.’
- Every pañcupādānakkhandha process (equivalent to Paṭicca Samuppāda process) is triggered by ‘viparīta saññā.‘ Until one comprehends that, one remains ignorant of the fundamentals of the Buddha’s teachings.
- A related observation is that the pañcupādānakkhandha process (or Paṭicca Samuppāda) would not be initiated while the mind is in the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi. That is because the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi is free of the ‘viparīta saññā.’
- If there are questions, please ask in the forum. No question is a ‘bad question.’
All related posts on the pañcupādānakkhandha process in the “Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandha)– New Series” section.