rūpa

(Sanskrit; Pāli, matter). Matter or form, that which has shape and manifests itself to the senses as substance. It is the first of the five aggregates (skandha) and in that context stands for the material component or body of the human individual. In the compound ‘name and form’ (nāma-rūpa), which designates the psycho-physical totality of the individual subject, rūpa again denotes the body while nāma signifies the four psychological or immaterial aggregates of feeling (vedanā), perceptions (saṃjñā), volitional impulses (saṃskāra), and consciousness (vijñāna).

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In theosophical teachings, rupa denotes form, appearance, or the physical body, the most gross of the seven principles of which personality consists. It is a term originating in Hindu philosophy denoting the subtle essence of form.

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