Unveiling the Operational Mechanism of the Five Skandhas in Conjoined Beings

There is a pair of conjoined twin sisters who share a significant portion of their bodies. The parts above the heart are independent, with each having her own single arm and leg. They share portions of the middle and lower jiao, with roughly half to two-thirds of their total body being independently distinct for each sister. Their spines are fused at the pelvis, sharing part of the nervous system, and they share a single set of reproductive organs. They can ride bicycles, play ball games, swim, and drive cars together.

  Both sisters entered and resided in the womb together. Within the mother's womb, their tathagatagarbhas jointly transformed, based on shared karmic seeds, the common parts of the body and their respective distinct parts. Naturally, they share common karmic seeds, having performed shared karmic actions in past lives. Their relationship was so exceptionally close, sharing so many things, that in this life they must share a single body and live together in tight coordination; otherwise, neither can survive. This is karmic hindrance—a hindrance that is profoundly unfree and lacking independence. Therefore, relationships between people should maintain an appropriate distance; do not become overly intimate, nor swear vows about what will happen in future lives. When the time comes in a future life and those vows are indeed fulfilled, it may not necessarily be joyful; it could even be extremely painful.

  Based on identical karmic seeds, the tathagatagarbhas of both sisters output the four great elements (earth, water, fire, wind) to become shared four great elements. Their harmonious operation creates the common parts of the body. As for the independently distinct parts, each tathagatagarbha separately outputs the four great elements to transform and create them. When the material body (rūpa-kāya) was slightly more developed, each tathagatagarbha gave rise to its own consciousness, resulting in two distinct perceptions. When the gestation period was complete, they were born together as conjoined twins. Fortunately, they are of the same gender; if they were different genders, living together would be very awkward.

  Their hands, legs, and feet require coordinated cooperation. Activities involving the five aggregates (skandhas), such as eating, dressing, walking, etc., also necessitate joint effort and consistent coordination from both sisters. Their minds think independently, their habits and preferences differ, and their personalities, temperaments, and dispositions are not the same. Being joined together requires mutual accommodation and coordination; otherwise, life becomes very unpleasant. Each has her own breathing and heartbeat. Food and drink enter their respective stomachs—each eats her own food and feels her own satiety. However, the digestive system below the stomach must have shared parts to jointly digest this food and drink, then expel it through a shared excretory system. Although each eats her own food, there is still mutual influence; if one is sick, the other can take medicine on her behalf.

Because they share part of their nervous system, their stress responses and reactions to the external world are largely consistent. Although their manas (seventh consciousness) have different temperaments, and their ways of responding show slight differences, because of their wholesome karmic connection, when dealing with shared people or things, they cooperate and accommodate each other. From this, we can see that the division of labor and cooperation between the two tathagatagarbhas is exquisitely subtle and profound. The tathagatagarbha is omniscient; therefore, as long as the karmic seeds permit, the tathagatagarbhas will definitely cooperate closely, accomplishing the coordination without words or mental deliberation. This is truly inconceivable.

  Among the six consciousnesses, the physical consciousness (kāya-vijñāna) of the two sisters requires the most mutual cooperation, almost constantly, otherwise they cannot accomplish anything, because their nervous systems are interconnected and can also sense each other. Their eye faculties are on their respective heads; each uses her own eye consciousness. However, because they are on one body, the objects they face cannot be too far apart, limiting their field of vision. The ear faculties are on their two heads; each has her own ear consciousness, hearing her own sounds. The nose faculties are on their respective heads; each has her own nose consciousness, smelling her own scents. The tongue faculties are on their respective heads; each has her own tongue consciousness, tasting her own flavors. The manas (mind faculty) are separate for each; thus, the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna) resides in each one's own subtle physical basis (indriya), thinking and cognizing different dharmas.

When the five-aggregate bodies of the two sisters need to act, their two sets of eight consciousnesses must cooperate closely with each other, each having its own division of labor. This is equivalent to sixteen consciousnesses dividing labor and cooperating, which is far more complex than just eight consciousnesses. The lower jiao in the abdomen is largely shared, almost entirely so. Therefore, during digestion and excretion, their minds must focus together, share intentions, share sensations, and cannot separate. When sick, it's as if both are ill; when there is pain, both feel it simultaneously, yet each experiences the illness and pain through her own physical consciousness and mental consciousness, so the sensations may have some differences.

  Among the seven consciousnesses, the most closely connected is the cooperation of the two physical consciousnesses. Sharing one body allows for extremely rapid cooperation, almost seamless, without the slightest sense of disharmony or awkwardness. The most crucial aspect is the operation and direction of the two manas. If both sisters have strong ego-attachment (ātma-grāha) and their habits are diametrically opposed, they will frequently argue. If they have a wholesome karmic connection, even though their personalities, temperaments, habits, and preferences differ, they can still coordinate very well, focus their minds together, care for each other, and only then can each attain the greatest benefit.

  When lying down to sleep, the two manas jointly decide to lie still; they cannot move the body casually for fear of disturbing the other. If one falls asleep, her six consciousnesses cease, and the physical consciousness also ceases. If the other has not yet fallen asleep and moves the body, it will prompt the other's mental consciousness and physical consciousness to arise, causing her to wake up. If one thinks too much, it can also affect the other's sleep, because of the shared nervous system. Even without that, the power of mental thoughts and magnetic fields can influence the other person. This involves many secrets.

  If one sister's body gradually becomes unusable, or if she dies, the bodily functions belonging to that person cease to operate. The head no longer functions, the subtle physical basis is destroyed, one arm and leg become useless, the heart stops beating, and the internal organs cease to function. The other sister, still alive, would then have to struggle using the now-incomplete body, and her functionality would be greatly affected and restricted. After all, the deceased part of the body cannot be completely removed, potentially transmitting some diseases. Even if disease transmission can be prevented, the loss of certain functions would still greatly hinder the surviving sister's five-aggregate functions, making life quite inconvenient, drastically reducing her quality of life, and her lifespan would likely not be long.

  Where there is life, there is suffering. How much more so for a life that is not normal—a life where two bodies are joined together is even more suffering. However, because sentient beings cling to life, they might not feel the suffering and may instead constantly pursue enjoyment, even mistaking suffering for pleasure. Sentient beings are so ignorant and foolish; those with heavy greed, no matter how much they suffer, will not have any thought or pursuit of liberation from suffering. With wisdom and without foolishness, there would be no craving; one would then know suffering and seek to end it and be free from it. Therefore, the fundamental cause of liberation lies in wisdom.