The five aggregates is a Buddhist teaching on the nature of mind which points out that there is nothing substantial to consciousness or our self-view. Understanding this is key to freedom. In this talk, I’m going to talk about the five aggregates: body, mind, feeling, perception, and mental formations. When you realize that you are not your body, things start to get simple. As far as worrying about your appearance, old age, sickness, and death, these things don’t matter because you know you are not this body. You’re just a mind. The six senses are beauty and ugliness, pleasure and pain, praise and blame, nice sounds and rotten sounds, and mind happiness and mind suffering. These are all inseparable, and you cannot have just one without the other.

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This dhamma talk was originally recorded on cassette tape on 27th April 2001. It has now been remastered and will be of interest to his many fans.

These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.