Manual of Indian Buddhism c5.s2.4

c5.s2.4

It appears from this enumeration that Nāmarūpa and the 5 Skandhas are coextensive terms. The definition of the mental Skandhas is attended with considerable difficulties, owing to the ambiguousness of most terms, and the loose way in which they are used. Not to go farther than the Pāli texts, we see how *saññā*, notion or first perception, and *vedanā*, feeling, sensation, form each a separate Khandha and at the same time occur as two subdivisions of the Saṃkhāra-khandha. This, however unlogical, is not inexplicable, provided we do not assign to Saṃkhāra the meaning of "discrimination", as HARDY has done. The first of the 52 Saṃkhāras is *phassa*, touch, contact, whereas the sentiments as fear, joy, shame &c. are likewise Saṃkhāras; which would be impossible if the term had the meaning assigned to it by HARDY³. Saṃkhāras are, in our opinion, passing impressions, mental dispositions, comprising both intellectual affections and sentiments. Hence the first step in the line of Saṃkhāras is *phassa*, contact⁴; the second *vedanā*, feeling; the third *saññā*, notion (e. g. of different colours); *cetanā*, thought, intention; *manasikāra*, attention; *jīvitindriya*, vitality⁵; *cittekaggatā*, concentration of the mind; *vitakka*, consideration; *vicāra*, deliberation; and so on⁶.