Unveiling the Operational Mechanism of the Five Aggregates in Conjoined Individuals

There is a pair of conjoined twin sisters sharing a significant portion of their body. The parts above the heart are separate, with each having one arm and one leg. The middle burner and lower burner are partially shared, meaning that overall, one-half to two-thirds of the body is independent for each sister. Their spines are fused at the pelvis, and they share part of the nervous system, as well as a single set of reproductive organs. They can ride bicycles, play ball games, swim, and drive a car together.

Both entered and resided in the womb together. In the womb, their tathagatagarbhas jointly transformed, based on shared karmic seeds, to create both the common parts and the distinct parts of their bodies. Naturally, they possess shared karmic seeds, having performed common karmic actions in the past. Their relationship in previous lives was so close, sharing so many things, that in this life they must share one body and live together in tight coordination. Without cooperation, neither could survive. This is karmic obstruction—a very unfree and dependent karmic obstruction. Therefore, people should maintain appropriate distance in relationships, avoiding excessive intimacy. One should also avoid making vows about what will happen in future lives, as when such future circumstances actually arise, it may not bring happiness but could instead be very painful.

Based on identical karmic seeds, the tathagatagarbhas of the two sisters output the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind) as shared elements, which combine and function to create the common parts of the body. The independent parts, however, are formed by each tathagatagarbha separately outputting the four elements. When the material body is somewhat developed, each tathagatagarbha gives rise to its own consciousness, resulting in two distinct awarenesses. When the gestation period is complete, they are born together as conjoined twins. Fortunately, they are of the same sex; if they were different sexes, living together would be very awkward.

Their hands and legs/feet need to cooperate closely. Activities involving the five aggregates—such as eating, dressing, walking—require joint coordination and synchronization. Their minds think independently, their habits and preferences differ, and their personalities and temperaments are distinct. Being joined necessitates mutual accommodation and compromise; otherwise, life would be very unpleasant. Each has her own respiration and heartbeat. Food and drink enter their respective stomachs—each eats her own meal and feels her own satiety. However, below the stomach, parts of the digestive system are shared, so they digest the food together and then excrete it through a shared excretory system. Although each eats separately, there is still mutual influence. If one is ill, the other can take medicine on her behalf.

They share part of the nervous system, so their stress responses to the external environment are relatively consistent, and their coping methods are similar. Although their manas (seventh consciousness) have different temperaments, due to wholesome karmic affinity, they cooperate and accommodate each other when dealing with shared people and situations. From this, it's evident that the division of labor and cooperation between the two tathagatagarbhas are incredibly subtle and intricate. The tathagatagarbha is omniscient, so as long as the karmic seeds permit, it will definitely cooperate closely, accomplishing coordination without words or thoughts—truly inconceivable.

Among the six consciousnesses, the bodily consciousnesses (kaya-vijnana) of the two sisters require the most mutual cooperation, almost constantly, otherwise they cannot accomplish anything, as their nervous systems are interconnected and can perceive each other. Their eye faculties are on their respective heads; each uses her own eye consciousness. However, being on one body, the objects they face cannot be too far apart, limiting their visual field. Their ear faculties are on their respective heads, each with its own ear consciousness, hearing its own sounds. Their nose faculties are on their respective heads, each with its own nose consciousness, able to smell its own scents. Their tongue faculties are on their respective heads, each with its own tongue consciousness, able to taste its own flavors. Their manas are separate, so their mental consciousnesses (mano-vijnana) reside in their respective subtle sense faculties, cognizing and discerning different dharmas.

When the five aggregates of the two individuals need to act, the two sets of eight consciousnesses must cooperate closely, each with its own division of labor. This is equivalent to sixteen consciousnesses dividing labor and cooperating, which is far more complex than just eight. The abdominal/lower burner region has many shared parts, almost entirely so. Therefore, during digestion and excretion, their minds must focus together, share the same intention, share the same sensations, and cannot be separate. When ill, it's as if both are sick; when in pain, both feel pain simultaneously. However, each still feels the illness and pain through her own bodily consciousness and mental consciousness, so the sensations have some differences.

Among the seven consciousnesses, the most closely linked is the cooperation of the two bodily consciousnesses. Sharing one body allows for very swift cooperation, almost seamless, without any sense of discord or strain. The most crucial aspect is the operation and direction of the two manas. If both have strong ego-attachment (atma-graha) and their habits are completely opposite, they would argue frequently. Since the two sisters have wholesome karmic affinity, although their personalities, moods, habits, and preferences differ, they can still coordinate very well, focus their minds together, care for each other, and thus each gains the greatest benefit.

When lying down to sleep, both manas jointly decide to lie still, not moving the body casually for fear of disturbing the other. If one falls asleep, her six consciousnesses cease, and her bodily consciousness also ceases. If the other is not yet asleep and moves her body, it can prompt the consciousness and bodily consciousness of the first to arise, waking her up. If one thinks too much mentally, it can also disturb the other's sleep, due to the shared nervous system. Even without that, the power of mental force and magnetic fields can affect the other—this involves many secrets.

If one sister's body gradually becomes unusable or she dies, the functions of that person's material body cease. The head becomes non-functional, the subtle sense faculties are destroyed, one arm and leg become useless, the heart stops beating, and the internal organs cease to function. The other sister, still alive, would then have to manage with an incomplete body, her functions greatly affected and restricted. After all, the deceased part of the body cannot be completely removed, potentially transmitting diseases. Even if disease transmission is prevented, the loss of certain functions severely hinders the five-aggregate functions of the surviving sister, making life quite inconvenient, drastically reducing her quality of life, and her lifespan would not be very long.

Where there is life, there is suffering. How much more so for a life that is not normal—a life of two bodies conjoined together is even more suffering. However, because sentient beings cling to life, they might not perceive the suffering and instead constantly pursue enjoyment, even finding pleasure in suffering. Sentient beings are thus ignorant and foolish, with extremely heavy greed. No matter how great the suffering, they have no thought or pursuit of liberation from it. With wisdom and no ignorance, there would be no craving. One would then know suffering and seek to end and abandon it. Therefore, the root of liberation lies in wisdom.