The Truth of the Five Aggregates

Question: Why are both the noble five aggregates and the humble five aggregates considered illusory appearances? And why does the Heart Sutra say that all dharmas are empty in nature, neither arising nor ceasing?

Answer: For example, consider a child building a house with building blocks, then dismantling it, and later rebuilding it only to dismantle it again, repeating this cycle of building and dismantling endlessly. The house comes into existence from nothingness and returns to nothingness from existence, arising and ceasing, ceasing and arising. Therefore, it is said that the house is illusory, an illusory appearance, an empty appearance. Yet, the building blocks always exist; they are not destroyed. As long as the blocks exist and the child tirelessly continues building, the house will repeatedly appear and exist. Hence, it is said that the house is the eternally existing empty appearance, neither arising nor ceasing.

Similarly, the five aggregates are composed of the seven fundamental elements. When causes, conditions, and karmic forces are sufficient, the seven fundamental elements assemble the five aggregates. When the causes and conditions disperse, the five aggregates disperse, returning to the original state of the seven fundamental elements. When causes and conditions become sufficient again, the seven fundamental elements once again assemble the five aggregates. Thus, the five aggregates continuously arise and cease according to causes, conditions, and karmic forces. Whether the seven fundamental elements, based on fortunate karmic seeds and causes/conditions, construct noble five aggregates, or based on unfortunate karmic seeds and causes/conditions, construct humble five aggregates, all are illusory appearances, phantom manifestations, and empty appearances.

When the five aggregates cease, the seven fundamental elements remain. Then, when causes and conditions become sufficient again, these seven fundamental elements once more assemble the five aggregates, repeatedly bringing forth the five aggregates without end. Relying on the seven fundamental elements in this way, the five aggregates can be born perpetually, existing forever without cessation. Therefore, from this perspective and in this sense, the five aggregates as empty appearances are also neither arising nor ceasing, and sentient beings will transmigrate forever. With the seven fundamental elements existing, with karmic seeds present, and with causes and conditions at play, what can be done to the five aggregates?