The Truth of the Five Aggregates (pañca-skandha)

Answer: For example, a child uses building blocks to assemble a house and then takes it apart, and afterwards assembles it again and dismantles it again, repeatedly and ceaselessly assembling and dismantling. The house goes from nonexistence to existence, and from existence back to nonexistence—arising and ceasing, ceasing and arising. Therefore we say the house is illusory, a false appearance, an empty appearance. Yet the building blocks always exist and are never destroyed. As long as the blocks exist and the child does not tire of assembling them, the house will continually appear and exist. Therefore we say the house is precisely the ever-present empty appearance, neither arising nor ceasing.

Likewise, the five aggregates are constructed from the seven intrinsically existing great seeds (earth, water, fire, wind, space, seeing, consciousness). When the causes and conditions are complete, the seven great seeds assemble the five aggregates; when the causes and conditions disperse, the five aggregates disperse and return to the original state of the seven great seeds. When the causes and conditions are again complete, the seven great seeds once more assemble the five aggregates. In this way, the five aggregates continually arise and cease in accordance with causes, conditions, and karmic force. Whether it is the noble five aggregates built by the seven great seeds in accordance with meritorious karmic seeds and conditions, or the lowly five aggregates built in accordance with unmeritorious karmic seeds and conditions, all are false appearances and illusory forms, all are empty appearances. 

When the five aggregates cease, the seven great seeds still remain, and then, when the causes and conditions are once again complete, these seven great seeds assemble the five aggregates again, repeatedly and ceaselessly giving birth to the five aggregates. In this way, relying on the seven great seeds, the five aggregates can be born forever and exist forever without interruption. From this angle and in this sense, the five aggregates, which are empty in appearance, are also neither arising nor ceasing, and sentient beings will transmigrate forever. With the seven great seeds, with karmic seeds, with causes and conditions—what can be done about the five aggregates?