The Correspondence between the Five Aggregates and the Eighteen Elements

The concept, scope, function, and role of the aggregate of form; the concept, scope, function, and role of the aggregate of feeling; the concept, scope, function, and role of the aggregate of perception; the concept, scope, function, and role of the aggregate of volitional formations; the concept, scope, function, and role of the aggregate of consciousness; as well as the concept, scope, function, and role of the six faculties (the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, body faculty, and manas), the concept, scope, function, and role of the six sense objects, and the concept, scope, function, and role of the six consciousnesses — what are each of these? What are their corresponding relationships? To which of the five aggregates does each of the eighteen dhātus specifically correspond?

The five faculties, the five sense objects, and the mental sense object correspond to the aggregate of form. The six consciousnesses and the manas correspond to the aggregate of consciousness and to the aggregates of feeling, perception, and volitional formations. Feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are associated with the seven consciousnesses; form is also associated with consciousness — without consciousness, there would be no aggregate of form consisting of the five faculties. However, ordinary people cannot observe the aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness of the manas; even the functions of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness of the five consciousnesses cannot be clearly distinguished by most people. Therefore, the teachings of the Small Vehicle generally do not mention the functions of the feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness of the manas.

The aggregate of form is accumulated from the seeds of the four great elements, while the aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are accumulated from the seeds of consciousness. The seeds of consciousness alone cannot perform any function; they must operate in coordination with the mental factors (caittas). Therefore, the aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are precisely the functions and roles of the mental factors. The mental factors of the six consciousnesses cannot be separated from the mental factors of the manas; if the mental factors of the manas do not operate, there would be no six consciousnesses at all, nor the mental factors of the six consciousnesses.

Therefore, the five aggregates and the eighteen dhātus should be in a one-to-one correspondence: the first five faculties and five sense objects correspond to the aggregate of form, while the manas, the mind consciousness, and the five consciousnesses correspond to the aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. The general commander who sets all these dharmas in motion is the manas, and the commander-in-chief is the tathāgatagarbha.