INSIGHT MEDITATION ONLINE

ii. Khanda Pabba (Section on Aggregates)

And again, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu dwells perceiving again and again the five aggregates of clinging (upadanakkhandha)_note78as just the five aggregates of clinging (not mine, not I, not self but just as phenomena).

And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu dwell perceiving again and again the five aggregates of clinging as just the five aggregates of clinging?

Here (in this teaching), bhikkhus, a bhikkhu perceives thus: “This is the corporeal body (rupa); this is the cause and the actual appearing of the corporeal body; this is the cause and the actual dissolution of the corporeal body. This is feeling (vedana) this is the cause and the actual appearing of feeling; this is the cause and the actual dissolution of feeling. This is perception (sanna); this is the cause and the actual appearing of perception; this is the cause and the actual dissolution of perception. These are mental formations (sankhara); this is the cause and the actual appearing of mental formations; this is the cause and the actual dissolution of mental formations. This is consciousness (vinnana); this is the cause and the actual appearing of consciousness; this is the cause and the actual dissolution of consciousness.”_note79

Thus he dwells perceiving again and again dhammas as just dhammas (not mine, not I, not self, but just as phenomena) in himself; or he dwells perceiving again and again dhammas as just dhammas in others; or he dwells perceiving again and again dhammas as just dhammas in both himself and others. He dwells perceiving again and again the cause and the actual appearing of dhammas; or he dwells perceiving again and again the cause and the actual dissolution of dhammas; or he dwells perceiving again and again both the actual appearing and dissolution of dhammas with their causes._note80

To summarize, he is firmly mindful of the fact that only dhammas exist (not a soul, a self or I). That mindfulness is just for gaining insight (vipassana) and mindfulness progressively. Being detached from craving and wrong views he dwells without clinging to anything in the world. Thus, bhikkhus, in this way a bhikkhu dwells perceiving again and again the five aggregates of clinging as just the five aggregates of clinging.