Page 17 - Because I know, I can let go

have a ‘self,’ that there’s something making life operate in this, that, and other ways. But,
in truth, there’s no need for such a thing, there’s just the body with the mind, just the five

aggregates, and those five can do everything, they can think, feel, perceive, be aware, etc.
all without the need for anything called a ‘self.’

The aggregates arise when they do their respective duties.

We need to also understand that the five aggregates arise and cease, arise and quench,
they come and they go. They’re said to ‘arise’ when they perform their respective duties,
for instance: when the rūpakhandha does its duty, as when the eye sees a form or the

ear hears a sound, or whatever, this is known as the ‘arising’ of the rūpakhandha. If not
engaged in performing its duty it’s said to have ‘quenched,’ or ‘ceased,’ at which time,
incidentally, it will be referred to as the ‘rūpadhātu,’ the element of form, that which will
become the aggregate of form. Vedanā is the same, when not doing its duty, that is,
when nothing is being felt, it’s yet to become the feeling aggregate, hence, when doing

the duty of feeling it’s the vedanākhandha, when not doing its duty it’s the vedanādhātu,
having reverted to being just a natural element. Some people won’t understand these
kinds of elements because they won’t have heard this sort of an explanation before,

only having heard about the elements of earth, water, fire, and air - which, by the way,
taken together are what constitute the rūpakhandha, it’s only when those four elements
aren’t performing their duties as the rūpakhandha that they’re referred to as elements.
It’s the same with vedanā, if it’s yet to do the duty of feeling it’s called the vedanādhātu,
the element of feeling. Saññā, sankhāra, and viññāna are all elements, dhātus, until they

do their duties as aggregates. The more popular earth, water, fire and air elements are
elements only when not performing as the aggregate of form, the rūpakhandha. Further,
be aware that these aggregates don’t die, they just dwell in the natural elementary state

until called upon to do their duties as the aggregates of form, feeling, perception, and
awareness.

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