The Five Skandhas

Buddhism's Map of Human Experience

Form

Rūpa Physical structure

Material body and external matter; what we can see, touch, sense

Sensation

Vedanā Feeling

Experience of pleasure, pain, or neutrality arising from contact

Perception

Saññā Recognition

Identification and labeling of sensory input

Mental Formations

Saṅkhāra Volition

Intentions, habits, thoughts, karmic tendencies

Consciousness

Viññāṇa Awareness

Basic awareness of experience, tied to the other aggregates

Interdependence of the Five Skandhas

These five aspects flow into and influence one another, creating our experience of self and reality.

"Understanding the Five Skandhas helps us recognize that what we consider our 'self' is actually a collection of ever-changing processes rather than a fixed entity."