Overview
When Theravāda Buddhism strips away the conventional illusion of a “self,” a “soul,” or a “person,” what remains is the ultimate reality of Nāmarūpa. This binary framework is the starting point for insight meditation (Vipassanā), where the meditator dissects their entire existence into these two interwoven, conditioned components.
The List
- Nāma - Mentality / Name: The mental factors of existence. In the context of Dependent Origination, this refers specifically to feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), volition (cetanā), contact (phassa), and attention (manasikāra), which lean towards objects.
- Rūpa - Materiality / Form: The physical factors of existence. This comprises the Four Great Elements (earth, water, fire, wind) and the material forms derived from them, such as the physical sense organs.
Textual References
- Canonical: Mahānidāna Sutta (DN 15) – The Buddha deeply analyzes the mutual dependency between consciousness and nāmarūpa.
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (Chapter XVIII) – Details the “Purification of View,” which is achieved precisely by resolving the illusion of a being into just nāma and rūpa.