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The River of the Five Aggregates: Continuing in Beauty
When we look at a person, we discover that they are a process in motion, made up of the five aggregates:
- physical form
- feelings
- perceptions
- mental formations
-
consciousness
Everything changes at every moment: our body, our feelings, our perceptions, our thoughts, and our consciousness are impermanent. There is no permanent or separate entity; the person “inter-is” with their environment, just like a flower is born thanks to the sun, the clouds, the earth, and the gardener. This vision of interbeing, impermanence, and non-self lays the foundation for continuation: like a river whose water flows without ceasing, we continue to exist through a succession of causes and conditions, without a fixed “soul.”
This continuation is realized here and now through the production of thoughts, speech, and actions: this is karma. To direct this energy toward beauty and happiness, we must:
- establish right view (touching the nature of impermanence, non-self, and interbeing)
- cultivate mindfulness and concentration
- follow the Noble Eightfold Path, especially right thinking, right speech, and right action
Diligence (right effort) is expressed in four aspects:
- not allowing negative seeds to arise
- quickly bringing to peace those that have already manifested
- encouraging the emergence of wholesome seeds within oneself
- maintaining their presence as long as possible
By practicing in this way—whether in transforming the past, creating the future, or practicing walking meditation—each step, each breath becomes an opportunity to continue in beauty.
