In Buddhism, the skandhas are any of five types of phenomena that serve as objects of clinging, grasping and craving. These lead to "attachments" which are the root of "suffering" in the buddhist philosophy. The skandhas are often referred to as the "five heaps" or the "five piles".
Depending on which Buddhist tradition one follows the path of enlightenment is either found by releasing all attachments to the skandhas or in the full and complete exploration of the nature of each of the five aggregates.
The five are:
1) form or matter; "rupa" or the external material world and the internal material body and sense organs;
2) sensation or feeling, including the labels pleasant, unpleasant or neutral;
3) perception or cognition; simply whether or not we recognize a sense object;
4) mental formations; thoughts, ideas, opinions that arise from interaction with objects;
5) consciousness; the condition of mind;
I have been scouring buddhist literature but have yet to find any references to devouring the skandhas.
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M&M Buddhist Art by me
