13/07/2026
Vibhaṅga Method: The Separation of the Five Khandhas (Aggregates)
When the mind is established as the knower, the next step is to learn to separate the elements, the khandhas, body, and mind.
Just being established and aware is not enough.
Ācariya Mahā Bua taught, “Without separating the elements and the khandhas, do not claim that you are developing wisdom.”
You’re not truly developing wisdom.
So, we need to learn to separate the elements and the khandhas.
How do we separate? Once the mind is established as the knower, do not remain quietly at peace. Simply staying still wastes the opportunity — this is the time to develop wisdom.
Right now, we are sitting, aren’t we? Can you feel that the body sitting here is something being known, while the mind is the knower? It begins to separate. The mind becomes the knower, seeing the body sitting.
See the body nodding — the mind is the knower. See the body raising a hand — the mind is the knower. See the body standing, walking, sitting, lying down — the mind is the knower.
Practice in this way continuously; keep learning to separate. You will see the mind as the knower. Separation becomes clear — the body is one part, the mind is another.
You will see that body and mind are two separate things. Here, what we call “ourselves” begins to separate into two parts.
This practice of separating the elements and the khandhas is unique to Buddhism. In doctrinal terms, it is called “Vibhaṅga.”
The Vibhaṅga method is a training in separating what is called “self” into parts, and one comes to see that there is no self.
It is like having a car. We believe the car truly exists, so we take it apart piece by piece.
First, take off a wheel. A wheel is not the car, right? But the car cannot function without wheels, right?
So, we take the car apart piece by piece. The wheel is not the car. The bumper is not the car, right? The car body is not the car. The seats are not the car. The steering wheel is not the car. The engine is not the car. The fuel tank is not the car.
See? When we take the car apart into pieces, we find that there is no “car” anymore. A car is simply something assembled from many parts, and then we mentally label it: “This is the car.”
The Vibhaṅga method we learn and practice aims to dismantle the wrong view of “me” and “mine” by breaking what we call the self into parts — separating the elements and the khandhas.
In the beginning, simply practice separating the body and the mind first.
Sit and keep knowing. Don’t drift off. Be aware first; then observe the body. See that this body sitting here is something being known.
Sit and keep knowing. Don’t move or fidget yet. Sit and keep knowing for a while, and you will begin to see that the body stays in its own part and the mind stays in its own part. Body and mind are two separate things.
The mind is the knower; the body is what is known.
When we sit for a long time, pain and soreness arise — see that as well. At first there was no pain or soreness; the body was sitting at ease. Pain and soreness arise afterward, like something foreign to the body. Therefore, pain and soreness are not the body; they are separate phenomena, distinct from the body.
In Dhamma language, pain and soreness are called vedanā—feelings that may be pleasant or unpleasant, arising in the body or in the mind.
Pleasant and unpleasant feelings arise in the body; pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings arise in the mind—the mind has neutrality as well. These are neither the body nor the mind.
For example, when you sit for a long time and pain arises, gently observe it with a relaxed mind. Pain is simply something known by the mind—it is neither the body nor the mind, but merely something the mind knows. Gradually train in this way.
As the pain grows stronger, don’t move or fidget yet—endure it for a while. When the pain becomes intense, the mind begins to struggle.
For example, the mind begins to worry: “If I sit this long and the pain gets worse, I might become paralyzed. What if I can’t walk—who will take care of me?”
The mind begins to wander and proliferate, worrying about many things. Pain appears in the body, while agitation arises in the mind. So, physical pain and mental suffering are different phenomena—different khandhas.
In Dhamma language, mental suffering belongs to the saṅkhāra-khandha—a different aggregate.
Here we practice learning to see what is called “the self.” We begin to see that agitation is simply something known by the mind—it is not the mind, not the body, and not the vedanā of pain and soreness. They are all different phenomena. Gradually train in this way.
Practice every day, gradually learning to separate. Whether working, sweeping, mopping, doing laundry, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down — keep knowing the body as it moves and functions. When pain arises, know it; when comfort arises, know it. When joy or sadness, greed, anger, or delusion arise — simply know them.
Keep knowing. Eventually, the elements and the khandhas will be seen as separate. We will clearly see that the body is not us; it is something known by the mind.
Like a robot walking back and forth—there is no “self” in this body. The happiness and suffering that arise are simply phenomena, not us.
We cannot order happiness to come, nor can we stop suffering from coming. When happiness arises, we cannot hold on to it. When suffering arises, we cannot push it away. None of this is under our control.
Know what is actually there — keep knowing.
You will see clearly that the body is not us. The body is impermanent: breathing out, breathing in; standing, walking; sitting, lying down — constantly changing.
The body is full of suffering: sitting, walking, and lying down are all suffering. Each night we turn from side to side about 40 times. There is pain, soreness, and discomfort, yet we never noticed. We thought the body wasn’t suffering — in truth, it suffers all the time.
The body is like a robot — a material thing, a mass of elements, not us. Just earth, water, fire, and air. It is anattā (not-self).
Feelings of pleasant and unpleasant are also impermanent — they arise and then pass away. Happiness arises and disappears; suffering also fades — it is not that it never ends. Whatever arises naturally ceases.
Keep knowing. You will see: breathing out arises and ceases; breathing in arises and ceases; standing arises and ceases; sitting arises and ceases.
Sitting does not last forever — the body keeps changing postures. Happiness is temporary; suffering is temporary. Wholesome and unwholesome states that arise, such as greed, anger, and delusion, are temporary as well.
Is anyone angry all the time? Is anyone greedy all the time? No — there is only arising and ceasing again and again. Keep knowing what is actually there.
How do we know the mind? Gradually train to observe it. At times it goes to the eye to see; at times to the ear to hear. Seeing alone is not enough.
Observe carefully while listening to Luang Por. Sometimes you look at my face; sometimes you listen; sometimes the mind runs off to think. It keeps alternating — can you notice it?
You are not only listening; you listen and then you think. At times you look at my face, then you listen; when you truly listen, you are not looking. You listen for a moment, then the mind slips away to think.
The mind keeps changing — seeing, hearing, thinking. It arises and ceases through the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Uncontrollable — it arises on its own.
Sometimes it runs out to see, to listen, to think. Right now, know it directly — is this true? You listen and then you think, isn’t that so? Learn to know it here. You will see: sometimes listening, sometimes thinking. The mind does not listen — not because you intend not to. The mind goes off to think — not because you intend to. It simply happens on its own.
Seeing it arise and cease at the sense bases is anicca—impermanence. Seeing that it cannot remain in any one state—for example, it cannot stay at the eye forever—this is dukkha. Seeing that we cannot control it—this is anattā.
Let’s look at what we call “ourselves.” The five khandhas are rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, and viññāṇa (consciousness). When you observe, you see only arising and ceasing — arising and ceasing continuously.
Keep knowing again and again, and you will see clearly: the breathing body is not us. Happiness and suffering are not us. All wholesome and unwholesome states are not us. Even the mind itself is not us.
Keep practicing in this way, and you will see that there is no self in this body and no self in this mind.
The sense of self arises from thought. Delusion comes first — then the mind begins to think. Whenever the mind is deluded, it goes off to think; and when thinking arises, a sense of self appears.
If the mind is mindful and not lost in thought, there is no self. The self exists only in thinking.
Just like the word “car.” We think there is a car—but in truth it is only many parts assembled together.
This body is the same — we think it is “us,” but once we separate the elements and the khandhas, we see that it is not us.
Keep practicing in this way.
This is called developing wisdom. It may sound difficult, but it isn’t.
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Luangpu Pramote Pamojjo
Wat Suan Santidham, Chonburi province, Thailand , January 23 ,2011
📍Recommended Dhamma teachings via the youtube for the newcomers ; full clip
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlZ74g7BC6Q9N6dIWVTV36zOgmAXKGTf&si=foa1e5XJtRhVjZDa
A Collection of Dhamma Principles for Beginners ; Short clip
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlZ74g7BC6RSu6pI0eAWiDCadU_T1MRV&si=8edVRbmdySub9kQM
📍Compilation of Dhamma talks from Luangpu Pramote Pamojjo for newcomers, available in both dubbed and English subtitled versions via the youtube. You can listen in sequence ,at the following link:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSlZ74g7BC6RcMKtSSKqy-zoUzLUwSx18
📍Dhamma talks with English-dubbed teaching at the following link:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLth1DquOKn1Licm--Pmhx-JPJ23bQS8So
📍You can read the English version of the Dhamma teachings at
https://www.dhamma.com/download/luangpor-dhamma-books/
📍A page in English dedicated to the teachings of Luangpor Pramote Pamojjo:
https://www.facebook.com/luangporpramotepamojjo?mibextid=LQQJ4d
📍You can listen to the English version of the Dhamma teachings via the podcast at https://www.dhamma.com/enaudio/
Recommended podcast file for the newcomers ;https://podcasts.apple.com/th/podcast/mindfulness-dhamma-teaching-in-english/id833567488?i=1000364273094
(For newcomers, it's recommended to start listening from the last clip at the bottom of the playlist and proceed upwards in order.)
🙏Thank you for the Dhamma teachings from the Luangpor Pramote Pamojjo Media Foundation.
