Five Aggregates: Understanding Theravada Psychology and Soteriology

If Buddhism denies a permanent self, how does it perceive identity? According to Buddhist texts, the entire universe, including the individual, is made up of different phenomena, which Buddhism classifies into different categories: what we conventionally call a "person" can be understood in terms of five aggregates, the sum of which must not be taken for a permanent entity, since beings are nothing but an amalgam of ever- changing phenomena. Although the aggregates are only a "convenient fiction," the Buddha nevertheless made frequent use of the aggregate scheme when asked to explain the elements at work in the individual.Boisvert, Mathieu is the author of 'Five Aggregates: Understanding Theravada Psychology and Soteriology' with ISBN 9780889202573 and ISBN 0889202575.