I happened across a Buddhist communicator who asked the very good question,
“If there is no self, then who becomes enlightened?”
Here is the answer:
“The ‘skandhas’ are the ones that become ‘enlightened’. And since humans are not the aggregates, but rather those skandhas are part of ‘the Universe’ that humans misidentify with, in actuality it’s a ‘wayward part of the Universe’ that ‘becomes enlightened’. Humans can watch the process as Awareness but in a sense, no human has ever become ‘enlightened’. Humans are enlightenment vehicles for what actually does ‘become enlightened’ (remembers itself). I should write an article on this; it’s the most common confusion about this sort of thing.
“Reference Material:
In Buddhism, the five skandhas are the five aggregates that make up a person’s physical and mental existence. They are:
- Rūpa: Form, or material image
- Vedanā: Sensations, or feelings
- Samjñā: Perception, or discrimination
- Samskāra: Mental formations, or influences of a previous life
- Vijñāna: Consciousness, or discernment
The five skandhas are also known as the five aggregates or heaps of clinging. They are the physical and mental components that make up a person’s existence.
- Rūpa: The manifest form of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water
- Vedanā: Sensations, or feelings, received from form
- Samjñā: The mental process of recognizing, identifying, and interpreting sensory information
- Samskāra: Mental formations, or influences of a previous life
- Vijñāna: Consciousness, or discernment”
Kevin Cann
Public Domain
1/22/2025