Jun Ruolan's Contemplative Approach and Experiential Realization of the Five Aggregates

A fly lands on the leg, causing an itch and annoyance. In reality, the leg is the skandha of form (rūpa), a temporary aggregation of the four great elements. The itch is the skandha of sensation (vedanā); all sensations are suffering, without origin or destination. Taking the appearance and reasoning about it is the skandha of perception (saṃjñā). The fly is also an illusion; the itch is merely a sensation, also an illusion. Applying names and meanings to the fly and the sensation constitutes the skandha of perception. The decision to shoo it away, the process of mental operation, and the temporal experience of the sensation constitute the skandha of mental formations (saṃskāra). The skandha of mental formations arises dependent on consciousness, comes with conditions, and ceases with conditions. What cognizes all this is the skandha of consciousness (vijñāna): consciousness arises from the seeds of the Tathāgatagarbha, also coming with conditions and ceasing with conditions.

The five skandhas arise dependent on conditions, are impermanent and constantly changing. This impermanence and lack of constancy is emptiness. Attachment brings suffering; the experience of suffering is also an illusion. All of this is impermanent and without a master—this is the characteristic of non-self (anātman).

Observing the fly crawling on the leg again: the itch on the leg remains, but the inner feeling of aversion vanishes. With a casual, gentle wave, the fly flies away. The event just occurred, yet it seems as if nothing happened at all. The five skandhas are fundamentally ungraspable; there is no "I" present, no place where "I" resides. I observe the fly crawling on the leg—emptiness facing emptiness—where is there anything to grasp? At this moment, the mind is without deliberate effort, perfectly still.

This is the disciple's approach to clarifying the theory through an example, hence it is very rudimentary. Once the theory is clear, the disciple will gradually deepen the contemplation without greed for more. As the master said: when facing phenomena, minimize the addition of conscious thought; observe directly. Grasp the essence and continue diligently.

Comment: The approach to contemplation is clear. During actual contemplation, one must, on the one hand, be fully endowed with meditative concentration (dhyāna), and on the other hand, focus the mind intensely on a single point. Only by breaking through one point can one use that point to realize the non-self nature of the entire five skandhas. To achieve the most authentic contemplation and the most genuine experience, one should strive to practice contemplation according to the methods taught in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta: observe whatever is present, be aware of whatever arises, without resorting to imagination or projection. How does the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta teach contemplation? It is the direct experience and observation of phenomena without stirring consciousness, based solely on facts, without mental fabrication. Everyone should carefully savor this state of contemplation. If one cannot achieve this, one must deepen meditative practice. If meditative power is insufficient, everything will fall into analysis, with little direct perception and minimal immediate experience (pratyakṣa).

In modern Buddhist practice, almost all group Dharma teachers instruct in conscious contemplation, conscious experience, conscious feeling, conscious realization, and conscious analysis, which fundamentally fails to touch upon the cultivation of the root mind (manas). Consequently, what is obtained is not genuine experience or objective contemplation, but analysis, understanding, and imagination overlaid with subjective consciousness, containing much that is illusory. Practitioners simply cannot distinguish whether this is true contemplation, true investigation, or true practice. They only find this kind of thinking easier, requiring less effort and readily yielding results. Hence, false attainments are widespread. In truth, how could spiritual practice be so simple and easy? How could so many beings of ordinary capacity transform into sages?