The Office of Siridantamahāpālaka

Sai Noom Khay: Venerable Ashin Dhammasami, I’ve been reading about the five aggregates in Buddhism, but I find it quite complex. Can you explain how these aggregates interact, starting with the eye door? Venerable Ashin Dhammasami: Of course, Sai Noom Khay. Let’s start with the basics. In Buddhism, the five aggregates (khandha) are the components that constitute an individual's experience. They include form (rupa), feeling (vedana), perception (sanna), mental formations (sankhara), and consciousness (vinnana). When we talk about the eye door, we are referring to the process of seeing. Sai Noom Khay: I see. So, how do these aggregates interact in the process of seeing? Venerable Ashin Dhammasami: Imagine you see a beautiful flower. The process begins with contact (phassa) between your eye (form) and the flower (form), which brings together consciousness (vinnana), specifically seeing-consciousness (cakkhu vinnana), and perception (sanna). This contact generates a feeling (vedana),...

Sai Noom Khay: Venerable Ashin Dhammasami, I’ve been thinking more about karma and its impact on rebirth. But I’m curious, how does karma affect our daily lives? Venerable Ashin Dhammasami: That’s an important question, Sai Noom Khay. Karma affects our daily lives in many ways, influencing our experiences, relationships, and overall well-being. Every intentional action we take—whether it’s physical, verbal, or mental—creates karma. Let me explain how this works. Sai Noom Khay: Please do. Venerable Ashin Dhammasami: First, it’s essential to understand that karma operates on the principle of cause and effect. When we perform actions with intention, those actions set into motion a series of consequences. Positive actions, driven by wholesome intentions like kindness, generosity, and compassion, lead to positive outcomes. Conversely, negative actions, driven by unwholesome intentions like anger, greed, and ignorance, lead to negative outcomes. Sai Noom Khay: How does this manifest in...

The delicate dance of contact, where the lines between ourselves and the world around us become unclear, and our experiences come alive. In the realm of dependent origination, contact (phassa) is the eighth link, a pivotal moment where our perception, shaped by past experiences and conditioning, meets the external world. It's the point where the subjective and objective realms collide, giving rise to the dualistic experience of self and other. Imagine a feather gently touching the surface of a still pond, creating ripples that spread far and wide. Similarly, contact is the initial spark that sets off a chain reaction of sensations, perceptions, and reactions, influencing the course of our lives. It's the moment when our senses, guided by our unique perspectives and biases, interpret the world around us, and we, in turn, respond to it. In this fleeting instant, the distinction between ourselves and the external world becomes hazy, and the boundaries of reality begin to blur. ...