Dear Suan Lu Zaw, John and Dimitry,
I am a bit late with my translation, having hurt my right hand while moving
a stone. But there it is finally, albeit partial at this stage.
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 categorisation
view, when adapting this categorisation to modern knowledge and when using
it with flexibility.
The following is an extract of some notes that I had used in Dhamma
retreats in relation to the first sîla. The question was: from a practical
point of view, how does one integrate this sîla in everyday life. To answer
this question, it seemed necessary to think about the phenomenon of life
from a psychological and ethical perspective founded on reality. As an
evolutionary scientist with a peculiar interest for psychological aspects
of it, I have adopted and shared the following interpretation - mind you,
it's nothing more (or less) than that: a personal interpretation.
I have translated from the French the critical biological and ethical
aspects of my notes, leaving aside the psychological and philosophical
aspects.
Considering that these were notes, meant to be used verbally, you would
pardon the poor litterary quality and somewhat naked aspect of what follows.
The pañca-khandhâ, the 5 types of aggregates (in the evolutionary
progression, each one of the first four is source and direct support of the
next one).
1. : The rûpa-khandhâ, the aggregates of form, include the basic elements
constituting matter.
In the archaic belief: the cattâri mahâ-bhûtâni (the "four great forms") -
pa.thavî-dhâtu, earth element; âpo-dhâtu, water element; tejo-dhâtu, fire
element; vâyo-dhâtu, air element -, but also sometimes âkâsa-dhâtu, space
element.
In the language of modern science, this can be translated as: space-time,
sub-atomic wave-particles, fundamental forces.
In addition to the the cattâri mahâ-bhûtâni, the rûpa-khandhâ also include
the upâdâya-rûpâ, the secundary forms, derived properties of which some
belong to living beings. In the archaic belief: the 5 senses, feminity,
masculinity, vitality, etc. In the language of modern science: DNA,
enzymes, metabolism, etc..
The rûpa-khandhâ should not be considered as some sorts of ontologically
constitutive objects, but as a more or less complex events, in the same
manner that modern science considers matter (e.g., even a most basic
constituent of matter such as an electron is better to be considered as an
event rather than as some sort of elemental object). The rûpa-khandhâ are
more or less complex san'khârâ (structural fluxes / processes) that
constitute the non-living matter (including the viruses) but also the
physical basic (molecular) mechanisms of the more complex life phenomena.
2. to 5. : The cattâri nâma-rûpa khandhâ, the 4 types of
psycho-physiological aggregates.
2. The vedanâ-khandhâ, the aggregates of sensations, are formed within the
simplest living beings. In modern biology, it is possible to discern three
evolutionary levels of vedanâ-khandhâ formation :
the mono-cellular beings (the bacteria and archea, the unicellular fungi,
the unicellular algae, the protozoans);
the simplest fungi and plants (e.g. the multicellulars), and the simplest
animals (e.g. the multicellulars), not showing a nervous system (e.g.
sponges);
the complex, pluricellular fungi, the more complex pluricellular plants,
and the pluricellular animals, not showing a central nervous nodule (e.g.
medusas, urchins, starfishes).
3. The saññâ-khandhâ, the aggregates of perceptions, are formed in more
complex living beings. In modern biology, it is possible to discern three
evolutionary levels of saññâ-khandhâ formation :
the higher plants, and the animals with a simple nervous nodule, capable of
reflex organisation (e.g. taenias, rotifers, leeches, earthworms, mussels,
aplysias, snails);
the complex invertebrates (e.g. ticks, spiders, scorpions, lobsters,
crawfishes, crabs, millipedes, crickets, flies, ants);
the poikilothermic ("cold-blooded") vertebrates, i.e. fishes, amphibians
and reptiles.
The higher plants and the complex invertebrates have approximately the same
complexity of coding genome (...)
All beings capable of saññâ are also capable of uneasiness and of pain,
thus the ethical duty for those organisms capable of vi'ññâ.na is to avoid
whenever possible to harm them.
4. The (citta-)san'khârâ-khandhâ, the aggregates of (psychic) structural
processes which emerge from a complex (quasi-)nervous nodule. Which means,
either from a complex nervous nodule (homeothermic vertebrates, i.e.
mammals and birds, plus some bony fishes such as tunas), or from a complex
set of nodules (i.e. a large ants' nest).
(...)
Any evolutive complexification implies a process of
differentiation-dissociation; this is valid as well for biological life as
for psychic life. Any psychic differentiation-dissociation implies in a
first stage the constitution of some sort of ego. This constitution is
necessary for the psychological coherence of the organism during its son
développement multi-factorial development towards some sort of puggala, the
person-personality from which a discerning consciousness (vi'ññâ.na) will
eventually be able to develop.
(...)
What is perceived as an "ego"-puggala is not a cause of existence (the
archaic attâ-"anima" concept) but the dynamic outcome of a multi-factorial
psycho-physiological process, unfolding and evolving in a complex world of
inter-dependent processes (cf. fire, which is not, as the archaic view had
it, an inalterable element, but a physical un phenomenon, the result of a
chemical process - combustion - and not the cause of this process).
(...)
The organisms producing san'khârâ-khandhâ are capable of cetâna (volition)
and of kamma (act, action, deed), thus fully capable of suffering.
Accordingly, the ethical duty for those organisms capable of vi'ññâ.na is
to rigorously avoid harming them.
5. The 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 sa.m'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
email:
buddhayatana@...
4/5 Warawee road / 34 Falie court
PO box 281, American River, Kangaroo Island
South Australia 5221
GMT +9h30 (allow for +1h when "summer time" in SA)
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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