How Do the Five Aggregates Operate?

Let us take drinking tea as an example to illustrate this. Drinking tea is a process of the integrated, harmonious functioning of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha); the five aggregates of form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, as well as the eighteen dhātus of the six faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses, all participate in it, with faculty, object, and consciousness coming into contact and operating together in harmony. The one who takes the lead is the manas, which is responsible for coordinating and regulating the activities of contact, feeling, perception, and deliberation (manasikāra) of the six consciousnesses with the five faculties and six sense objects. The most nimble and swift is the manas; very often the mind consciousness does not even notice anything before the matter is already done. The five consciousnesses cooperate as if they had no thoughts of their own, completely faithful to the directives of the manas, and at times the mind consciousness simply cannot fathom it.

The entire process of drinking tea is just like this: if the tea is too hot and spills on the hand, one will startle and fling it away at once, with no time for the mind consciousness to discern and analyze it through deliberation. When the manas wants to pick up the teacup and wants to drink the tea, faculty and object will come into contact, giving rise to the six consciousnesses to cooperate and function, carrying out the manas's instructions, and only then can the tea reach the mouth. As for the specific functioning of the six faculties and the functioning of the six consciousnesses, you must observe and match them up yourself; especially the details, which require you to settle your mind and observe them on your own. You need to gain a clear understanding of the concepts of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) and a clear understanding of the functions and roles of the eighteen dhātus.