The Five Aggregates (Skandhas) Flashcards

1️⃣ Familiarise yourself with the flashcards:

  • Look through all the flashcards to see what's on both sides.
  • Make sure you understand the information on each card. If something's unclear, click the link to the revision notes at the bottom of the page for more details.

2️⃣ Test yourself:

  • Look at the question or prompt on each card and try to remember the answer before flipping it over.
  • Check the answer and make a note of any cards you find challenging and need to go over more.

3️⃣ Consistently Review and Practice:

  • Use spaced repetition: spend more time on the cards you struggle with and go over them more often.
  • Regularly review all the flashcards to help you better understand and retain the information over time.

Note: We may include questions that have multiple correct answers. It's useful to remember specific examples to understand these concepts better.

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What are the Five Aggregates (khandhas) in Buddhism?

The five parts that make up a person: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

What does form (rupa) mean?

The body and physical matter.

What does feeling (vedana) mean?

Pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feelings from contact.

What does perception (sanna) do?

It recognises and labels what we experience.

What are mental formations (sankhara)?

Intentions, habits and thoughts that shape actions.

What is consciousness (vinnana)?

Awareness that arises with seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking.

How do the Five Aggregates relate to the idea of no fixed self (anatta)?

They show that ‘self’ is just changing parts, not a permanent soul.

Are the Five Aggregates permanent or changing?

Changing. Each one arises and passes away.

Why do Buddhists study the Five Aggregates?

To understand experience and reduce clinging to ‘me’ and ‘mine’.

Give a simple example of the Five Aggregates working together.

You see a cake (form and consciousness), feel pleasure (feeling), recognise it as cake (perception), and want to eat it (mental formations).