Why Vijnanas, Sense-roots or Five Aggregates are Crucial to Every Buddhist (1 of 2)

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© Anonymous, March 4, 2013 at 11:37 PM (http://tantrismuskritik.blogspot.tw/2013/02/all-formations-are-impermanent-and.html?showComment=1363187060317#c1445838125586337087)

Q: Nowadays, do you know how many Westerners (and Asian alike) truly believe that by descending bright drop (bindu, an imagined light spot in the body) and having sex can be a way to achieve enlightenment or attain Buddhahood?

A: I haven't the slightest idea. Why would anyone even care?

Q :...Actually, most people don't know or care what an "aggregate", a "sense-root" or a "vijnana" is. And they are probably no worse off for not knowing, either....

A: True enough! You have the right point.
As most people have heard of, we are staying in the sahā world, which means a world that must be endured. The whole population would not care for the vijnanas or five aggregates, apart from those who truly wish to know or curious about Buddhist teachings.

I will explain why vijnanas, sense-roots or five aggregates are crucial to every Buddhist.
(1)
It is because the code to attain liberation or enlightenment is hundred percent to do with the five aggregates. Once the Buddhist practitioners gain full comprehension of the five aggregates, they will be able to observe that the five aggregates can only arise depending on conditions. In other words, the five aggregates cannot exist independently; they are dharmas of arising and ceasing by nature, which is called the worldly phenomena.

In essence, to build up the knowledge of the interactions among the perceiving subjects (our sensual organs) and the perceived objects (sense-objects) took about 12 years of the Buddha’s time. These are the first round of dharma transmission, mainly focus on the detailed functions of the five aggregates, the twelve links of dependent arising, impermanent, etc. All worldly phenomena are based on an everlasting eternity – the Buddha nature.

As for those sharp capacity disciples, they will go further to uncover what is actually behind all these conditioned dharmas and set to experience the Buddha nature (attain enlightenment) in person. The Buddha nature does not subsumed under the five aggregates or worldly phenomena, thus It does not possess any of the characteristics of the worldly phenomena. (Part 1)