The Five-Aggregate Model of the Mind

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore a model of the mind generally known as “the five aggregates” described in Buddhist teachings that relates to understanding subjective conscious experience from a first-person perspective. This model is explored as a potential theoretical resource that could guide meditation/mindfulness interventions. According to the five-aggregate model of the mind, all our experience involves material form, feelings, perception, volition, and sensory consciousness. The mind stream that is constantly changing from moment to moment is extensively analyzed in this tradition. This article explains that methodologies in neuroscience increase our understanding of neurophysiological underpinnings of mental phenomena and also provide important evidence on the practical utility of meditation. When considering moment-by-moment changes that happen in the mind, however, these investigations represent sensory consciousness followed by perception that happens within the mind stream itself. Practical applications of the model are also presented.