The Buddha taught that what we conceive as something eternal
within us, is merely a combination of physical and mental aggregates
or forces (pancakkhandha), made up of body or matter (rupakkhandha),
sensation (vedanakkhandha), perception (sannakkhandha), mental
formations (samkharakkhandha) and consciousness (viññanakkhandha).
These forces are working together in a flux of momentary
change; they are never the same for two consecutive moments. They
are the component forces of the psycho-physical life. When the Buddha
analyzed the psycho-physical life, He found only these five aggregates
or forces. He did not find any eternal soul. However, many people
still have the misconception that the soul is the consciousness. The
Buddha declared in unequivocal terms that consciousness arises
dependent on matter, sensation, perception and mental formations
and that it cannot exist independently of them.