“Bhikkhus, the five aggregates are the basic elements of a person. Form does not contain a self, because form cannot exist independently. Within form exist feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. It is the same for feelings. Feelings do not possess a self because feelings cannot exist independently. Within feelings are form,

devote your efforts to breaking through birth and death. Learn to look at birth and death as mere illusions, like the stars one sees in one’s eyes after rubbing them.”

“As living beings, people have to suffer, more or less. However, those who devote themselves to the study and practice of the Dharma suffer much less than others, because they possess understanding, the fruit of their practice.”

“Meghiya, practice the contemplations on death, compassion, impermanence, and the full awareness of breathing: “To overcome desire, practice the contemplation on a corpse, looking deeply at the nine stages of the body’s decay from the time the breathing ceases to the time the bones turn to dust. “To overcome anger and hatred, practice the

“Lord, what is meant by ‘the world’ and ‘the dharmas’?” The Buddha said, “Ananda, the world (loka) is the collective whole of all things subject to change and dissolution. All dharmas are contained in the eighteen realms: the six sense organs, the six sense objects, and the six sense consciousnesses. The six sense organs, as you know, are

Illuminating the rivers of his body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness, Siddhartha now understood that impermanence and emptiness of self are the very conditions necessary for life.

the worries, frustrations, and irritations of daily

I teach that all things are impermanent and without a separate self. This I have learned from my own direct experience.

“True happiness can be realized in this very life, especially when you observe the following: “1. Foster relations with people of virtue and avoid the path of degradation. “2. Live in an environment that is conducive to spiritual practice and builds good character. “3. Foster opportunities to learn more about the Dharma, the precepts, and your own