An introduction to an evil dude and his aggregates
It is nice to see journalists like Barbara O'Brien at About.com provide useful information about Buddhism to beginners, the curious, and to practitioners. Just recently, Barbara provided some good material about Five Aggregates entitled, The FiveSkandhas, An Introduction to theAggregates, http://buddhism.about.com/od/whatistheself/a/skandhasexplan.htm, which is better than the typical short shrift this subject generally receives at Dharma centers.
Despite the good work, Barbara has left out some very important information about the aggregates. These aggregates are not neutral. They belong to Mara the Evil One who is the Buddhist devil. Need proof? This is from the Samyutta-Nikaya (iii.189).
"When there is form, Radha, there might be Mara, or the killer, or the one who is killed. Therefore, Radha, see form as Mara, see it as the killer, see it as the one who is killed. See it as a disease, as a tumor, as a dart, as misery, as really misery. Those who see it thus see rightly. When there if feeling ... When there is perception ... When there are volitional formations ... When there is consciousness, Radha, there might be Mara, or the killer, or the one who is killed."
So what does this all mean? Well it means a lot. For one thing our precious, aggregated psychophysical body we covet so much is Mara who is the killer. This includes even our consciousness. More importantly, when we plop ourselves down on a zafu and do zazen, we are zazening with Mara the Evil One. Although we are fundamentally not this body, it sure seems like we are. Whatever we truly are, it doesnt seem to be able to unbind itself from the Five Aggregates and the powerful influence of Mara.
On the other hand, for one who has realized their true self or Buddha-nature, theyve conquered Mar! a just l ike the Buddha did when he was a Bodhisattva under the Bodhi-tree. But they also have transcended the Five Aggregates. They can distinguish (praj) the true nature of reality from its aggregated configurations which are illusory and empty. By the way, if you wish to do this, it isnt going to happen in a few years or twenty years.
