As beings ensnared in the cycle of rebirth, we are all subject to what is called the Eight Sufferings. The first seven—birth, aging, illness, death, separation from loved ones, association with those we dislike, and unfulfilled desires—are suffering as retribution. The last one, the suffering due to the five aggregates, is a general description.

Where does suffering come from? The Buddha said “the suffering due to the five aggregates.” The five aggregates are form, feeling, conception, impulse, and consciousness. Form refers to the physical body. Feeling, conception, impulse, and consciousness refer to the mental activities. All living beings are made up of these five aggregates. In other words, life is the combination of matter and mind. The body is matter and thus is subject to birth, aging, illness, and death. Mentally, we are subject to the experience of unfulfilled desires, separation from loved ones, and association with those we dislike.

~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra