Introduction part 2

Question 1

Three marks of existance

Answer 1

1. Pain
2. Permanence
3. Egolessness

Question 2

The Five Skandhas

Answer 2

The Buddhist doctrine of ego is different from the west, it is made up of a collection of mental events called Skandhas.

Question 3

The first Skhandha (form)

Answer 3

In the beginning things were going quite well. At some point there was a loss of confidence in the way things were going. There was a primordial panic which produces confusion about what is happening. Rather than acknowledging this loss of confidence, there was an identification with the panic and confusion. Ego began to form>

Question 4

The second Skhandha (Impulse/perception)

Answer 4

After the identification of confusion, ego began to explore how it feels about its formation of this experience. If we like the experience, we try to draw it in. If we dislike it, we push it away or destroy it. Neutral we ignore it. The way we feel about experience is the Skhanda of form; what we do about it is the skhanda of impulse/perception

Question 5

The third Skhandha (concept)

Answer 5

The next stage is to try to identify and label the experience. If we can put it into a category we can manipulate it better. Then we could have a whole bag of tricks to use on it. This is the skhandha of concept.

Question 6

The final Skhanda Is…

Answer 6

called the Skhanda of consiousness. Ego begins to turn thoughts and emotions around and around. This makes the ego feel solid and real. The churning around and around is called samsara - literally, to whirl about. The way the ego feels in this situation (Skhanda of feeling) determines which of the six existences it makes for itself

Question 7

The Six Realms

Answer 7

Realms of existence created by the Ego