Always Reflecting on the Five Aggregates

Constantly reflecting on the five aggregates

Question: If I want to learn Buddhism but cannot let go of my family, how can I release this thought about my family?

Why do you need to let go of your family to learn Buddhism? If you can’t let go, just carry that thought with you; carrying it is precisely part of your practice. The essence of practice is unrelated to external circumstances.
Learning Buddhism does not mean letting go of thoughts—thoughts do not require you to let them go; their nature is impermanent, they come and go on their own, so why bother trying to let them go? Just be natural, and everything will naturally fall into the right path.

In a certain sense, learning Buddhism or practicing is about observing the five aggregates well, constantly seeing the five aggregates and penetrating through them.
The wondrous mind of all Buddhas does not depart from the five aggregates, neither does it cling to them; it is neither inside nor outside the five aggregates. What is this mind ultimately? Realizing it is using it as a Buddha.

The five aggregates are precisely the lands of all Buddhas. If you seek Buddhas and their pure lands, focus your efforts within the five aggregates. The five aggregates are like ore, while the heart of all Buddhas is like pure gold; if you wish to obtain pure gold, you must refine it from the ore.
Gold does not separate from ore; gold does not cling to ore. You should refine it within the ore to obtain pure gold; ore does not cling to gold, nor is there no gold in ore. Only through human effort can pure gold emerge.

The relationship between the five aggregates and the wondrously clear mind of all Buddhas is just like this. If you wish to see the wondrously clear mind of all Buddhas, just refine the five aggregates and reveal Buddha-nature. The five aggregates are like a city with five towers where all Buddhas manifest themselves.
The five aggregates represent the Five Directions Buddhas; each one truly manifests as a Buddha. Each body contains all Five Buddhas and encompasses a city with five towers. Practitioners who look inward can verify this one by one.

If you want to find the pure lands or cities of all Buddhas, seek within your own nature; if you wish to directly see the transformation bodies of Buddha in reward form, seek within your own nature; if you wish to behold the Dharma body Buddha, also look for it within your own body and mind composed of five aggregates.
All Buddhas do not depart from the five aggregates; all practices do not depart from them either; all realms do not depart from them. Practitioners who wish for liberation or attain perfection should delve deep into the essence of these five aggregates.

The five aggregates exist in this world; they are marvelous resources that nourish sentient beings and nurture all Buddhas. The five aggregates are like a lotus flower with five petals on which true Buddha sits—do you see it?
When unclear, the five aggregates appear as layers of colorful clouds obscuring the clear bright sun; when understood clearly, they shine like stars in a pristine sky.

The five aggregates are places for practice; they form a city transformed by Buddhahood. All practitioners should focus their efforts on their present experience with these five aggregates without needing to abandon family or forsake careers or search in mountains and forests.

The five aggregates accompany us at all times. If one can sit down calmly at home, then one’s home becomes a place for Buddhist practice; if unable to calm oneself down even in mountains or forests, one will still be surrounded by clouds obscuring clarity due to attachment to these very same aggregates.

Those who can see through these five aggregates will perceive an entire universe filled with them—no perception of self or others exists here.
To see through these aggregations means transcending four attachments naturally. Sentient beings are bound by these aggregations while Buddhas achieve liberation through them as well. When unliberated, these aggregations represent a world filled with impurities;
when liberated, they become beautiful lotus flowers—their essence embodies both Five Directional Buddhas and cities formed by these very same aggregations.

If one wishes to learn Buddhism and earnestly engage in practice, delve deeply into one’s own experience with these aggregations without needing to abandon family or sever thoughts entirely. These aggregations continuously flow like stars above us;
they constantly accompany us like beings held by Earth itself. All Bodhisattvas engage in practice without departing from these aggregations; likewise for all liberated Buddhas—they too do not leave behind these very same forms. Everyone engaged in practice should delve deeply into their own experience with these aggregations while constantly reflecting upon them until they break through their illusions regarding them.

by – Taiwan Fearless Tathagata Ya Great Perfection Zen Center