Jujutsu Kaisen: What Are the Skandha? Buddhist Reference Explained!

Gege Akutami, the author of Jujutsu Kaisen, is known for putting in a lot of pop-culture references in his most popular work. We’ve already talked about the OPP and Digimon references here on Fiction Horizon, but – as you might expect – there are more such references. In this article, we are going to discuss the most recent one. Namely, the anime has recently revealed that Dagon’s Domain is called Horizon of the Captivating Skandha. And while we have already discussed what the Domain does and how powerful it is, what does the name mean? What are the Skandha from the name? Keep reading to find out.

Dagon’s Domain is a powerful and mysterious Domain

We already know a lot about Dagon and his Domain in Jujutsu Kaisen, as we have already written about it in the series so far. His Domain is called Horizon of the Captivating Skandha. Horizon of the Captivating Skandha is an Innate Domain built from the molding of cursed energy. As with any Domain Expansion, Horizon of the Captivating Skandha allows all of its users’ attacks to hit their opponent with greater power. Any shikigami summoned by the user will make a successful attack against the opponent, which is in line with the sure-hit rule that governs all Domains.

After activating it, Dagon creates a tropical island that is surrounded by a vast, seemingly endless ocean, whose waters are seemingly always calm and tranquil. The island has a palm tree forest in its center, surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches. The weather is also beautiful and always sunny, with the ocean always calm. It looks like a beautiful place, a paradise, so to say, which is why Dagon and his friends liked to spend so much time there.

But, as you can imagine, it is also dangerous for Dagon’s opponents, as the series has shown us since Nanami, Naobito, and Maki almost lost their lives inside Dagon’s powerful Domain. But that’s enough about that. What we need to explain here is the name of the Domain so, after this short introduction, we can continue.

The Skandha are a Buddhist concept

The official English name of Dagon’s Domain is Horizon of the Captivating Skandha, although not all translations are the same, as some other languages (French, for example, whose version translates it as simply Horizon de l’Immensité, which means “Horizon of Immensity” or “Immense Horizon”; on the other hand, the Spanish translation is a direct translation of the English title, Horizonte del Skandha Cautivador). As for the Japanese original, the Domain is called Tau’un Heisen (蕩蘊平線), and the analysis reveals this:

• The first kanji in the group, tō (蕩), can be translated as “melting; charming/captivating”. Seeing that it has a somewhat different reading, it is probably derived from the verb tayutau (揺蕩う), which actually means “to sway to and fro; to drift about.” This could be an obvious reference to how Dagon moves in water.
• The second kanji in the group, un (蘊), is the most important one. It can actually be translated as “pile; heap; aggregate; abundance”, but it is also a reference to the skandha(s), which is the Buddhist concept that we are going to explain below.
• Finally, the last part of the phrase, heisen (平線), means “horizon”. This actually makes a lot of sense, seeing what Dagon’s Domain actually looks like.

So, as you can see, the second part of the name is the most important one, and we are now going to explain what the Skandha from the title actually are.

Skandha is a key term in Buddhist teachings. The teaching of the five Skandha(s) complements the teaching of the three characteristics of existence and serves to understand the path to enlightenment. Human existence can, therefore, be described using five factors. These are the sensations of the material body with its sense organs, the feelings, the perception, the mental formations, and finally the consciousness. In short, they are:

1. form (or the material image, an impression) (rupa)
2. sensations (or feelings received from the form) (vedana)
3. perceptions (samjna)
4. mental activity or formations or influences from a person’s previous life (sanskara)
5. consciousness (vijnana)

“Attachment to the five aggregates” is seen in Buddhism as the cause of dukkha (suffering). There is also a connection with the teaching of Anatta (Non-Self). This says that beyond the five Skandha(s), which are subject to constant change, there is no permanent and unchanging self. In one of his first discourses, in the “Discourse on the Characteristics of the No-Soul” (SN 22.59), the Buddha explained that no part of a person has the characteristics of a solid soul. The Buddhist view of humanity differs in this respect from the body-soul dualism according to the Western understanding.

And that is the whole story. We have explained the Domain in short, and finally, the name of the Domain, as well as its meaning in the original Japanese and in English, which should be enough for you to understand this reference, which is one of many in Jujutsu Kaisen, and probably not the last one we are going to write about here.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!