Khandha

Morphological structure

Pāli noun meaning heap, bundle, aggregate, or mass (Sanskrit: skandha).

Canonical usage

The five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness) that compose individual experience.

Common misunderstanding

The aggregates are not parts of a hidden soul; they demonstrate that experience is composite, fluid, and impersonal.

Practical significance

Deconstructs fixed selfhood into manageable, observable conditioned processes.

Source anchor

SN 22.59; SN 22.85