Theos-Talk Archives (January 2002 Message tt00233)

The following short article on the skandhas, as taught in Tibetan Buddhism,
is offered in the spirit of trying to get at what Blavatsky really taught,
and how some of her teachings are, perhaps, not what many Theosophists
think.

Every human being minus the physical body is a compound of feelings,
perceptions, emotions, and thoughts. These are the five skandhas, “the
attributes of every personality, which after death form the basis, so to
say, for a new Karmic reincarnation.” (Blavatsky, Glossary).

The skandhas are:

1. Form (rupa). This skandha includes our fundamental sense of being a
subjective self opposing an objective not-self, our basic sense of I and
Not-I. It includes our self-centered sense of reality.

2. Feeling (vadana). This skandha includes our basic human instincts.
Blavatsky spells this vedana and translates it as sensations.

3. Perception/Identification (samjna). This skandha includes cognition and
recognition. It also includes memory. Blavatsky spells this sanna and
translates it as abstract ideas.

4. Conditioning/Mental Formation (samskara). Blavatsky translates this as
tendencies of mind. This skandha includes the following mental factors:

a. Five Omnipresent Mental Factors: feeling (vadana),
discernment/perception (samjna), intention (chetana), contact (sparsha),
intention/mental engagements (manaskara). spiration (chhanda), belief
(adhimokshha), recollection (smriti), stabilization (samadhi), superior
knowledge (prajna).

b. Five Determining Mental Factors: aspiration (chhanda), belief
(adhimokshha), recollection (smriti), stabilization (samadhi), superior
knowledge (prajna).

c. Eleven Virtuous Mental Factors: faith (shraddha), shame (hri),
embarrassment (apatrapya), detachment (alobha), non-hatred (adveshha),
non-bewilderment (amoha), joyous effort (virya), suppleness (prasrabdhi),
conscientiousness (apramada), equanimity (upekshha), non-harmfulness
(avihimsa).

d. Six Root Afflictions: desire (raga), anger (pratigha), pride (mana),
ignorance (avidya), doubt (vichikitsa), afflicted view (drishti).

e. Twenty Secondary Afflictions: wrath, resentment, concealment, spite,
jealousy, avarice, deceit, dishonesty, self-importance, harmfulness,
non-shame, non-embarrassment, lethargy, agitation, non-faith, laziness,
non-consciousness, forgetfulness, distraction, non-introspection.

f. Four Changeable Mental Factors: contrition, sleep, examination,
analysis.

5. Consciousness (vijnana). This skandha includes the eight
consciousnesses: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mental consciousness
(manovijnana), afflicted consciousness (kleshavijnana), and storehouse
consciousness (alyavijnana). The Sanskrit vijnana relates to our gross
human consciousness. Higher spiritual consciousness is janana, without the
vi which means to divide or separate. The afflicted consciousness equates to
Jung’s personal unconscious, and the storehouse consciousness equates to
Jung’s collective unconscious. Blavatsky spells this vinnana and translates
it as mental powers (an incorrect translation).

Blavatsky incorrectly attributes the skandhas only to the personality or ego
(see Key, p 77 where she is discussing the Buddhist view). As I have shown
above, using actual Buddhist sources, the skandha of consciousness (vijnana)
includes all eight human consciousnesses, all the way up to the
alayavijnana. Also, the skandha of mental factors includes both prajna and
samahdi. Thus the skandhas, as taught in Tibetan Buddhism, actually include
Blavatsky’s “Individuality” or “Higher Self.” And this yet another reason
why we have to conclude that atma-buddhi is mayavic.

Comments are welcome.

Jerry S.