Five Aggregates

The Five Aggregates or groupings (called khandas in Pali) that make up all existence are  :

  1. Body or matter (rupa)
  2. Sensation and Feelings (vedena)
  3. Perceptions (samjna)
  4. Mental Formations (sankhara)
  5. Consciousness (vijnana)

In Buddhist philosophy, suffering occurs when we cling to one or more of the aggregates.