In Buddhism and Hindu philosophy, the material form or physical body, as opposed to the non-material mind or spirit.
Sanskrit word meaning 'form' or 'shape,' derived from Proto-Indo-European roots relating to appearance and visibility. In Buddhist texts, rupa refers to one of the five aggregates (skandhas) that make up a living being.
The concept of rupa reveals how ancient philosophers separated the physical from the mental—thousands of years before neuroscience would debate whether mind and body are truly separate, Buddhists were already mapping the territory.
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