30  The Concept of Aggregates

We are moving on to chapter thirty—The Concept of Aggregates.

“Subhuti, if a good man or good woman shatters the three-thousand-great-thousand-world into dust particles, will there be innumerable dust particles?”

Everybody can easily understand this sentence. I have explained the three-thousand-great-thousand-world before. It consists of a great multitude of worlds; they are countless, in fact! In addition, shattering them into dust particles—particles so small, like PM 2.5, that they can’t be seen with the naked eye—would result in an infinite number of such particles, wouldn’t it? Subhuti replied that there would be countless dust particles.

Subhuti replied, “Innumerable, indeed, World-Honored One. However, were the innumerable dust particles real, the Buddha would not have said innumerable dust particles. And thus, the Buddha says, ‘Dust particles are not dust particles; they are merely called dust particles.’”

If dust particles were real, the Buddha would not have called them dust particles. They are called dust particles for the sake of illustration. Even though there are countless dust particles, in the eyes of the Buddha, they do not exist, and therefore, dust particles are not dust particles. Maybe you don’t quite understand just yet. Let’s continue.

“World-Honored One, the three-thousand-great-thousand-world spoken by the Tathagata is not a world; it is merely called a world. Why? Because even if the world is real, it is only an aggregate. The Tathagata has said, ‘The aggregate is not an aggregate; it is merely called an aggregate.’”

“Subhuti, the so-called aggregate is unspeakable. However, mundane beings grasp and cling onto it.”

The key point is in “aggregate.” Now, let me explain the meaning of aggregate (pindagraha). The term aggregate refers to a combination, composition, union, system, and/or its transformation.

How many people are there in the saha world? A great multitude of them! Among them, there are many races and ethnicities. In China alone, there are the Han Chinese, the Manchu in the Northeast, the Mongols from Mongolia, the Uyghur in Xinjiang, the Tibetans, and the Hmong in the Southeast. Are there many of them? Well, yes, each race includes many people. The city of Shanghai alone has a population of twenty-six million. The population of Metropolitan Chongqing is close to the entire population of Taiwan. The population of a city sometimes surpasses that of a country. There are so many people in the world!

China is densely populated, and so is India. Many countries have large populations and various skin colors: white, dark, fair, yellow, brown, red, and more. However, in the eyes of the buddhas, the so-called human beings do not exist. Why? Because they are merely aggregates. They are all composed of the elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and a life force. They are formed or transformed from these elements.

Viruses like COVID-19 are also transformations; viruses combine with other viruses and create new variants. Similarly in Tantric Buddhism, many buddhas and bodhisattvas manifest through transformations and combinations of various deities. For instance, Yamantaka is the resulting transformation of Manjusri Bodhisattva merging with the Yama King.

What about human beings? Are we not the result of combinations and transformations, too? Each one of us is an aggregate of our father and mother—a long worm (sperm) and a round worm (ovum) combined. Indeed, we are aggregates! Aggregates of what? Of earth, water, fire, and wind elements. The aggregates come into existence due to certain causes and conditions and will dissipate when these causes and conditions cease.

Not only are humans aggregates, but other sentient beings are as well. This includes those that fly in the air, crawl on the ground, and swim in water, as well as bacteria, viruses—all of them. They are combinations and transformations. These small examples also apply to bigger things, such as the Earth, which is an aggregate of earth, water, fire, and wind elements. All the planets and the entire small-thousand world, medium-thousand world, and great-thousand world are combinations, transformations, and aggregates. This is what aggregate means.

Not only are living beings aggregates, but all things—such as tables and chairs—are also aggregates. This table is [made of] wood, and it was transformed from trees. Some part of the tree is shaped and used for the top, some for the drawers, and so on. Add nails and iron parts, and a table is made. The table is an aggregate, and so is a chair. Everything is an aggregate. The incense burner is also an aggregate—a composition of various minerals from the earth.

This expensive item [referring to the necklace Grandmaster is wearing] is also an aggregate. It is made of gold, with a pink tourmaline rubellite as its crown jewel, surrounded by many tiny diamonds and all kinds of gemstones. It is designed like a mandala, where the rubellite is the main deity and the rest of the gemstones are the retinue. Together they represent a world or a realm. Yet it is merely an aggregate.

Everything is an aggregate, including this mirror. Glass is coated with mercury or silver paint to make it reflective since glass alone cannot reflect. The mirror, with a metal frame around it and a stand and screws so it can tilt, is also an aggregate. Everything, including the camera set—its stand, cables, lenses, plastics, steel, glass, and so forth—is all aggregates. There is nothing that is not an aggregate.

In the eyes of a buddha, an aggregate is empty. Hence, an aggregate is not an aggregate; it is merely called an aggregate. A human being is an aggregate, with many aggregates as its constituents. We have hair, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, and ears, all of which are aggregates. They form an aggregate when they are combined, but once separated, the aggregate is no longer there. If your head were separated from your body, you would be dead. The eyes in isolation cannot see, even when the eyes are still eyes. Similarly, by themselves, the ears cannot hear, and the nose cannot breathe. Can the teeth chew if they are separate from you? No. They only function when they form an aggregate! Taken further and further apart, there will be nothing left eventually.

In this chapter, The Concept of Aggregates, Sakyamuni Buddha states that everything is an aggregate. Once an aggregate disintegrates, it becomes nothing. Likewise, when a person dies, they disintegrate and disappear.

But let me tell you, even while you are alive, you don’t own “you.” Everyone thinks, “I am me!” But the Buddha says, “You are not you, I am not me, and they are not them.” Why? If you belong to you, then can you control yourself? No, you cannot. You want good eyesight, but as you age, everything looks blurry, your hair turns grey, and your teeth become loose. Is your body really yours? No. Even your teeth are not necessarily yours; bite something hard, and your teeth fall out; they are not yours anymore, and you will end up with dentures. The eyes are not yours either because you cannot control how far or how close you can see. Grandmaster Lu can still read small print; this is a clip from a newspaper. What about those of you who need glasses—can you read without them? So, are your eyes yours? They are not yours! Your ears, mouth, and teeth are not yours either. A few days ago, I had lower back pain and was wearing a support belt, but no more. Can you command your back to be pain-free? No way, your command is useless. So your back is not yours. As you age, degeneration typically starts from your knees, so the knees hurt. You command them to stop hurting, yet the pain persists, so you have no choice but to fix the broken parts. Don’t think that your body belongs to you! You are just an aggregate!

This is the concept Sakyamuni Buddha teaches in this chapter. Any aggregate will disappear once it falls apart. Such is the case with the Earth too; when it disintegrates, it will disappear. When the three-thousand-great-thousand-world dissolves, everything will vanish.

Thus, Sakyamuni Buddha said,

“Subhuti, the so-called aggregate is unspeakable. However, mundane beings grasp and cling onto it.”

Greed is human nature, but the Buddha reminds us not to grasp anything because even our body does not belong to us. What are you greedy for? Reading this passage reminded me of when I donated 750,000 US dollars to the Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation, and I felt a tinge of reluctance in my heart. Clinging was inappropriate since I don’t use much money anyway; all I buy is gas and water. The money is not mine unless I use it, so what is the problem with giving it away? With this mindset, one becomes more broad-minded. What is truly yours?

You might think since I’m wearing this necklace, it’s mine. Sure, it belongs to me—and not Shimu—as it is a precious offering for me from my disciple, but does it truly belong to me? It’s only for me to use temporarily—for a few decades at most. I am fully aware of this. I have not been wearing it and have just kept it in the safe deposit box. One day when my four elements disintegrate, will I still own it? No. It’ll be sitting there in the deposit box. Who will own it next? Whoever owns it next won’t own it either. Having this understanding, I decided just to enjoy it and be happy. Why not enjoy it for the moment while knowing that ultimately, it does not belong to me.

Do you think your wife is yours? Let me tell you, no! Everybody thinks, “This beautiful wife is mine.” No, she is not yours. One day when you die, your young wife will marry someone else. Nothing lasts forever in the world. Yet, as Sakyamuni Buddha says, “Mundane beings grasp and cling onto it.”

People who do not understand the concept of the Vajra Sutra believe that they own things. But I never think that this necklace is mine. Neither is this watch, which is engraved with my name. It has my name on it, so it must be mine, right? This is a Sheng-Yen brand Rolex. They covered “Rolex” with a gold leaf and replaced it with my signature. “Sheng-Yen” is also engraved onto this bracelet, so it must be mine. Remember to include them in my cremation. [laughs] But they can’t burn, even after I have become ashes. Even if your name is engraved on them, they aren’t yours. They’re just for you to wear and enjoy for a few years. Money, houses, cars: none of these things are yours. They are mere aggregates. You are an aggregate, too. The Earth and the three-thousand-great-thousand-world are all aggregates. But mundane beings don’t understand the concept of aggregate, so they still concern themselves with their belongings. They really should not!

Look at the Ukraine-Russia war. One might think that by occupying a city, one owns it. It’s foolish to have such a mindset and get attached to it. In our eyes, it’s all just a game. If mundane beings have the wisdom of the tathagatas, they will realize that everything is just an aggregate. Alas, they are ignorant, so they believe their belongings are theirs. So foolish!

Look at Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty or the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty! They really liked being emperors, so they wanted eternal life. Emperor Wu took an immortality elixir, while the First Emperor sent Xu Fu abroad with three thousand boys and three thousand girls to search for an elixir of life. After conquering so many territories and becoming the most powerful emperor of the Han dynasty, he wanted immortality. But he still died. He consumed so many immortality elixirs prepared by the Taoist priests in his quest to become immortal. However, there is no such thing!

Sakyamuni Buddha has stated it clearly that everything is an aggregate, yet everybody is still grasping onto it. Due to greed, mundane beings are desirous of all things that are mere aggregates.

The less a spiritual cultivator desires, the better. Be simple and humble, free from any aggression or hostility. Spiritual cultivators can always be at peace and at ease, quieting themselves with no thoughts whatsoever and taking everything lightly, because they have no desire. If you have no desire, you will have no thoughts. Conversely, if you still have thoughts of desire, how can you be in a state of no-thought?

The True Buddha Sutra states: 

…the state of no-thought is the key to attaining the right realization of the buddha jewel.¹The True Buddha Sutra states, “In cultivation, the key to realizing the Buddha Jewel Sambodhi is a quiescent mind; that of realizing the Dharma Jewel is purity of body, speech, and mind; that of realizing the Sangha Jewel is refuge in a True Buddha Guru.”

Your buddhanature will emerge in the state of no-thought—when all thoughts have been emptied, without any thoughts arising in the mind. This is true attainment.

The Buddha teaches us to cultivate spiritually this way. You need to first understand the concept and then apply it. Only without greed or desire will you be able to reach the state of no-thought. Do you still have desires upon realizing that the body does not even belong to you?

Listen attentively to what the Vajra Sutra is stating. Eliminate greed, desire, and grasping for aggregates. Mundane beings desire aggregates—houses, cars, gold, diamonds, jewels, looks, beauty, and more. They want to remain beautiful, but instead, they become older and older until everything eventually dissipates. Once you are cremated, there is nothing left but emptiness. At such a time, where will greed be? Having said that, greed and desire still exist for the deceased and bardo spirits.

Only by understanding this concept will they be free from any desire and grasping. In such a case, one will be able to manifest one’s own buddhanature, beaming the most brilliant clear-light radiance.

Om mani padme hum.