Dear Pali friends.

The categorisation of the world structures in five 5 types of aggregates
(pañca-khandhâ) is quite often repeated in the Suttas. I find it a quite
useful view of the world, when keeping in mind that it is a categoriasation
view, when used with flexibility and when adapted to modern knowledge. As
an evolutionary scientist with a peculiar interest for psychological
aspects of it, I have adopted the following interpretation - mind you, it's
nothing more (or less) than that: a personal interpretation.

1. : rûpa-khandhâ, the aggregates of form

include the basic elements constituting matter;
archaic belief: the cattâri mahâ-bhûtâni - pa.thavî-dhâtu, earth element;
âpo-dhâtu, water element; tejo-dhâtu, fire element; vâyo-dhâtu, air element
-, but also sometimes âkâsa-dhâtu, space element;
which can all be translated in modern science as: ondes-particules
sub-atomic and atomic wave-particles, fondamental forces;

the rûpa-khandhâ also include the upâdâya-rûpâ, the secundary forms,
derived properties of which some belong to living beings (archaic meaning:
les 5 senses, feminity, masculinity, vitality, etc.); modern
interpretation: ADN, enzymes, metabolism, etc.).

The rûpa-khandhâ are more or less complex san'khârâ (structural fluxes /
processes), they constitute the non-living matter (including the viruses)
but also the physical basic (molecular) mechanisms of the more complex life
phenomena.

If someone thinks this approach is useful and would like to know more, I'd
be happy to translate to English my French text on the matter for the
khandhâ 2. to 5., the cattâri nâma-rûpa khandhâ, the 4 types of
psycho-physiological aggregates :

2. vedanâ-khandhâ, the aggregates of sensations

3. saññâ-khandhâ, the aggregates of perceptions

4. (citta-)san'khârâ-khandhâ, the aggregates of (psychic) structural
processes which emerge from a complex (quasi-)nervous nodule

5. vi'ññâ.na-khandhâ, the aggregates of discerning consciousness
("consciousness-conscience"), which emerge from a coherent whole of
structural processes set up in a process of reflection ("know thyself");
privileged exit-point out of sam'sâra.



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Jacqueline "Gotamî Jîvarakkhî" Bittar
Dr Gabriel "Ananda Jîvasattha" Bittar,
PhD University of Geneva
phone +61 8 8553 7442 , fax +61 8 8553 7444
mob. ph. +61 4 2743 5148

Institut Suisse de Bioinformatique
Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
http://www.isb-sib.ch/DEA/plan_etudes.html
email: bittar@...

Université Bouddhique Européenne
http://www.bouddhisme-universite.org/universite/programme/cours-et-stages/inter
venants.html

À Bientôt Seayu Lodge, http://www.seayu.com
email: bittar@...

Buddhâyatana, http://www.buddhayatana.org
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a'niccâ vata san'khârâ
( a'niccaa vata san'khaaraa )
"impermanent are structural processes"
"instables sont les flux structurels"
Siddhârtha (Siddhaartha) Gautama Buddha
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