Philosophy Discussion Quesion
2003-10-14 @ 10:14 a.m.


In the Buddhist view, the five aggregates (matter, sensation, perception, mental formation, and consciousness) interact to form existence. This seems to be true. For example, I must be made up of matter, as my fingers do not pass through the keyboard as I type. As I type, I can feel sensations of the texture of the plastic keys and hear the clacking sound they make. I am perceiving these sensations so that I can use them in an example. This example is leading to a mental formation of amusement mixed with doubt over using such a metacognative device. While writing this I am conscious of the fact that I should not have left this for the last minute and that I am cold, yet I am not actively thinking about either of those things.

Of course, in a truly Buddhist view, there would be no �I� have sensations, perceptions, mental formations, etc. The I in this example is merely and illusion created by the tangle of aggregates that calls itself Sarah. I do not feel like that is correct. The five aggregate theory is certainly plausible; as in the above example, it seems that everything in any given circumstance can be described by the interaction of these five things. However, I cannot escape the conviction that there is something else, some �me-ness,� that exists beyond those five things. There is a consistent idea of �this is who I am,� that remains the same even when thoughts, desires, feelings, and beliefs change. Although thoughts do seem just to appear, I can think about what caused them to appear, which, to me, seems to imply that if there is thinking about thinking, there must be something that thinks those thoughts.

1:38 pm

Just because I have to share the good news with something: I got 17.5/20 on my Bhagavad-Gita paper! Woo-hoo! I also "seem philosophically astute." I'm going to bake Frank Perkins cookies for that compliment.

Thought of the Day:

Meta-cognition is fun, kids!

before ~ after

Failing Miserably - 2004-10-08
So Not Dead/Catching Up - 2004-09-20
Murphy's Law - 2,629,163,298, Sarah - 2 - 2004-08-23
Listmainia! continues - 2004-08-04
Continuing the list - 2004-08-02