The skandhas illustrate how the illusion of a permanent self arises from transient components. In poetry, they appear as shifting clouds, mirages, or woven tapestries—never solid, always changing. Poets use the skandhas to deconstruct identity and invite insight into the empty, luminous nature of experience.

Skandha (Pali: Khandha) translates to "heap" or "aggregate." The Five Skandhas are the components that constitute a sentient being in Buddhism: Form (physical body), Feeling (sensation), Perception (recognition), Mental Formations (volitional thoughts/karma), and Consciousness. Crucially, the Buddha taught that there is no permanent, independent "self" to be found within these aggregates. For poets, this doctrine provides a deconstructed view of personhood, challenging the very notion of "I" and exploring identity as a transient, flowing process.