No Inner Core: An Introduction to the Doctrine of Anatta - BuddhaNet

Furthermore, we must remember that nàma-råpa
or khandhas are merely abstract classifications made by
the Buddha, and, as such, they have no real existence
as groups. That is, there is never the functioning of an
entire entity or group known as corporeality or feeling
or perception or mental formations or consciousness,
but only the functioning of individual representatives
of these groups. For example, with one unit
of consciousness, only one single kind of feeling can
be associated. Two different units of perception cannot
arise at the same moment, and only one kind of
consciousness, for example seeing consciousness, can
arise at one time. A smaller or larger number of mental
formations can arise with every state of consciousness.
The groups never arise as a totality; only constituents
or bits from a certain group can arise depending on
conditions. There are no integrally functioning groups
which can be called a self or a mind.
Moreover, the single constituents of these apparent
groups are all equally subject to the laws of impermanence,
suffering, and no-soul.
Another way to study the question of why nàma is
not atta is simply to go back to the definition of khandhas
given by the Buddha in Saÿyutta Nikàya, XX, 56.
Here we will see that the four khandhas, which can be
classified simply as nàma (mind) are in no way to be
understood as an abiding mind substance or as anything
that can be called atta. Rather, the khandhas are
completely interdependent, and the constituents of
each group condition the arising of the others. There
is no self-existing, abiding entity in any part of the
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