Human life
The Five Khandas
Meaning ‘teachings of the elders'. It is primarily focused on the Arhat path to enlightenment. This branch of Buddhism can be found in Sri Lanka and South East Asia. are taught that the human personality is made up of five parts, called the Five Khandas or the Five Aggregates. This idea appears in the The Five Aggregates: form, feeling, perception, fabrications and consciousness. , a Buddhist scripture, in which the Buddha teaches monks about the Five Khandas.
The Five Khandas are the different parts that come together to make a human. The The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one. taught that all people are made up of these five elements.
| The Five Khandas | Buddhist word | What does this mean? | An example |
| 1. Form (the body) | Rupa | This is matter that is tangible (ie can be touched). This Khanda is linked to our five senses (smell, touch, taste, sight and hearing). | Seeing a physical object, such as a chair. |
| 2. Sensation (feelings) | Vedana | These are feelings experienced from using the five senses. They can be physical or emotional. | Seeing a comfortable chair after a long, tiring day may lead to a sense of happiness. |
| 3. Perception (the process of recognising what things are) | Samjna | This allows people to recognise things in the world because they have seen or experienced those things before. | Recognising the chair through experience of using them before. |
| 4. Mental formations (thoughts) | Samskara | This is about the different opinions and feelings that people may have. | Creating an opinion about the chair in relation to other chairs experienced previously. |
| 5. Consciousness (an awareness of things) | Vijnana | This is the awareness a person has of the things around them in the world. | Being aware of things in the world. |
| The Five Khandas | 1. Form (the body) |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Rupa |
| What does this mean? | This is matter that is tangible (ie can be touched). This Khanda is linked to our five senses (smell, touch, taste, sight and hearing). |
| An example | Seeing a physical object, such as a chair. |
| The Five Khandas | 2. Sensation (feelings) |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Vedana |
| What does this mean? | These are feelings experienced from using the five senses. They can be physical or emotional. |
| An example | Seeing a comfortable chair after a long, tiring day may lead to a sense of happiness. |
| The Five Khandas | 3. Perception (the process of recognising what things are) |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Samjna |
| What does this mean? | This allows people to recognise things in the world because they have seen or experienced those things before. |
| An example | Recognising the chair through experience of using them before. |
| The Five Khandas | 4. Mental formations (thoughts) |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Samskara |
| What does this mean? | This is about the different opinions and feelings that people may have. |
| An example | Creating an opinion about the chair in relation to other chairs experienced previously. |
| The Five Khandas | 5. Consciousness (an awareness of things) |
|---|---|
| Buddhist word | Vijnana |
| What does this mean? | This is the awareness a person has of the things around them in the world. |
| An example | Being aware of things in the world. |
The Buddha believed that these different parts are fluid, which means they are changing all the time. Therefore, the ‘self’ is also changing all the time. The belief that everything is in a state of change and there is no permanent self is called anatta
Theravada Buddhists believe that these different parts relate to each other and that they make a person who they are. The Khandas give people their personalities.