The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

elements or substrata of sensory existence, sensorial aggregates which condition the appearance of life in
any form. Their character according to quality and value of life and body is evanescent, fraught with ills &
leading to rebirth. Paraphrased by Bdhgh. as r!si, heap, e. g. Asl. 141; Vibh A 1 f.; cf. B. Psy. 42. 1.
Unspecified. They are usually enumerated in the foll. stereotyped set of 5: r(pa˚ (material qualities), vedan!
(feeling), saññ! (perception), sankh!r! (coefficients of consciousness), viññ!*a (consciousness). For further
ref. see r(pa; cp. also Mrs. Rh. D. Dhs trsl. pp. 40 -- 56. They are enumerated in a different order at S i.112,
viz. r(pa' vedayita' sañña' viññ!*a' yañ ca sankhata' n' eso 'ham asmi. Detailed discussions as to their
nature see e. g. S iii.101 (=Vbh 1 -- 61); S iii.47; iii.86. As being comprised in each of the dh!tus, viz.
kJma˚ r(pa˚ ar(pa -- dh!tu Vbh 404 sq. (a) As factors of existence (cp. bhava). Their rôle as such is
illustrated by the famous simile: "yath! hi angasambh!r! hoti saddo ratho iti eva' khandhesu santesu hoti
satto ti sammuti" "just as it is by the condition precedent of the co -- existence of its various parts, that the
word 2 chariot 3 is used, just so it is that when the skandhas are there, we talk of a 2 being 3" (Rh. D.) (cp.
Hardy, Man. Buddh. p. 425) S i.135=Miln 28. Their connotation "khandha" is discussed at S iii.101 =M
iii.16: "kitt!vat! nu kho khandh!na' khandhâdhivacana'? r(pa' (etc.) at"tân!gatapaccuppanna' ajjhatta'
v! bahiddh! v! o)!rika'," etc.: i.e. material qualities are equivalent terms for the kh. What causes the
manifestation of each kh.? catt!ro mah!bh(t! . . . paccayo r(pa -- khandhassa paññ!pan!ya; phasso . . .
vedana˚, saññ!˚, sankh!r!˚, etc.; n!mar(pa' . . . viññ!*a˚: the material elements are the cause of r(pa, touch
is that of vedan!, saññ!, sankh!r!, name and shape that of viññ!*a (S iii.101); cp. M i.138 sq., 234 sq. On
the same principle rests their division in: r(pa -- k!yo r(pakkhandho n!mak!yo catt!ro ar(pino khandh!
"the material body forms the material factor (of existence), the individualized body the 4 immaterial
factors" Nett 41; the r(pakkhandha only is k!madh!tu -- pariy!panno: Vbh 409; the 4 ar(pino kh˚ discussed
at Ps ii.74, also at Vbh 230, 407 sq. (grouped with what is apariy!panna) -- Being the "substantial" factors
of existence, birth & death depend on the khandhas. They appear in every new conjuncture of individuality
concerning their function in this pa&isandhi -- kkha*e; see Ps ii.72 -- 76. Thus the var. phases of life in
transmigration are defined as -- ( j!ti:) ya tesa' tesa' satt!na' tamhi tamhi satta -- nik!ye j!ti sañj!ti
okkanti abhinibbatti khandh!na' p!tubh!vo !yatan!na' pa&il!bho Nd2 on Sn 1052; cp. j!ti dv"hi khandhehi
sangahit! ti VvA 29; khandh!na' p!tubh!vo j!ti S ii.3; Nett 29; khandh!na' nibbatti j!ti Vism 199. --
(mara*a':) y! tesa' tesa' satt!na' . . . cuti cavanat! bhedo antaradh!na' maccu mara*a' k!lakiriy!
khandh!na' bhedo kalevarassa nikkhepo M i.49=Vbh 137=S ii.3, 42. -- viva&&a -- kkhandha (adj.) one
whose khandhas have revolved (passed away), i. e. dead S i.121=iii.123. -- kh˚ana' udaya -- vyaya (or
udayabbaya) the rising and passing of the kh., transmigration Dh 374=Th 1, 23, 379=It 120=KhA 82; Ps
i.54 sq. -- (b) Their relation to attachment and craving (k!ma): sattis(lûpam! k!m! khandh!na' adhiku&&an!
S i.128=Th 2, 58, 141 (ThA 65: natthi tesa' adhik˚?); craving is their cause & soil: hetupa&icca sambh(t!
kh. S i.134; the 4 ar(pino kh. are based on lobha, dosa, moha Vbh 208. -- (c) their annihilation: the kh.
remain as long as the knowledge of their true character is not attained, i. e. of their cause & removal: ya'
r(pa', etc. . . . n' eta' mama n' eso 'ha' asmi na m' eso att! ti; eva' eta' yath!bh(ta' sammappaññ!ya
passati; eva' kho j!nato passato . . . ahank!ramamank!ra -- m!nânusay! na hont" ti S iii.103; -- pañca --
kkhandhe pariññ!ya S iii.83; pañca -- kkhandh! pariññ!t! ti&&hanti chinnam(lak! Th 2, 106. See also S
i.134. -- (d) their relation to dh!tu (the physical elements) and !yatana (the elements of sense -- perception)
is close, since they are all dependent on sensory experience. The 5 khandhas are frequently mentioned with
the 18 dh!tuyo & the 12 !yatan!ni: khandh! ca dh˚ cha ca !yatan! ime hetu' pa&icca sambh(t! hetubhang!
nirujjhare S i.134; kh˚ -- dh˚ -- !yatana' sankhata' j!tim(la' Th 2, 472; dhamma' adesesi khandh'
!yatana -- dh!tuyo Th 2, 43 (cp. ThA 49). Enumerated under sabba -- dhamm! Ps i.101= ii.230; under
dhamm! (states) Dhs 121, as lokuttara -- kkhandh!, etc. Dhs 358, 528, 552. -- khandh!na' khandha&&ho
abhiññeyyo, dh!t(na' dh!tu&&ho, etc. Ps i.17; cp. i.132; ii.121, 157. In def. of k!mâvacar! bh(mi Ps i.83. In
def. of dukkha and its recognition Nett 57. In def. of arahanto kh"*!sav! Nd2 on sankh!ta -- dhamm! ("kh.
sankh!t!," etc.), on ti**a ("khandha -- (etc.) pariyante thit!"), & passim. -- (e) their valuation & their
bearing on the "soul" -- conception is described in the terms of na mama (na tumh!ka'), anatt!, anicca' and
dukkha' (cp. up!d!nakkh˚ infra and r(pa) r(pa'
-- 234 --
(etc.) . . . anicca', dukkha', n' eso 'ham asmi, n 'eso me att! "material qualities (etc. kh. 2 -- 5) are
evanescent, bad, I am not this body, this body is not my soul" Vin i.14=S iv.382. n' eso 'ham asmi na m' eso
att! S i.112; iii.103, 130 & passim; cp. k!yo na tumh!ka' (anatt! r(pa') S ii.65; Nd2 680; and r(pa' na