Contemplating the Five Aggregates and Eliminating the View of Self (Part I) (Second Edition)

Section 2  The Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment

The contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) in the Small Vehicle involves contemplating the suffering nature, emptiness/voidness (śūnyatā), impermanence, and selflessness of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), contemplating the nature of arising, abiding, change, and cessation of all dharmas, contemplating the impermanence of the physical body, the impermanence of various feelings, the impermanence of thoughts and concepts, the impermanence of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and the impermanence of all mental activities. One contemplates the impermanence of the material universe (the inanimate world), the impermanence of one's living environment, and the impermanence of all the people, events, and things around us. After observing the impermanence of all these dharmas, one then contemplates their emptiness, suffering nature, and mutability. Dharmas that are impermanent, suffering, empty, and mutable are not-self and without self.

The prerequisites for successful contemplative practice are: one's mental disposition should be somewhat subdued, the mental disposition of an ordinary person should be reduced and diluted, corresponding to some degree with the mental disposition of sages; the merit one should cultivate must be complete, the precepts must be fulfilled, and the perfections of tolerance and diligence must be sufficient. Meditative concentration (samādhi) should reach preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi); in terms of wisdom, one should be able to understand and clearly comprehend the principles of the five aggregates and the eighteen realms. When these foundational conditions are all in place, one draws near to being a sage, and when the conditions ripen, one can become a person of the first fruit who has eradicated the view of self.

Contemplating the illusory, selfless nature of the five aggregates and eighteen realms is not very difficult; what is difficult is that our thirty-seven auxiliary factors of the path have not been cultivated, the foundation for realizing the Path has not been laid well, and thus all contemplative practice becomes laborious. If the foundation of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment is well established, then with just a little contemplative practice, one can confirm the illusory, unreal, and selfless nature of the five aggregates. Buddhist practitioners nowadays are rather restless and impatient; most only put effort into listening to the Dharma and neglect other foundational Buddhist practices. Therefore it is very difficult for them to realize the Dharma experientially, the time required for practice is prolonged, and progress on the path is very slow.

1. The Contents of the Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment: the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, the Four Bases of Supernatural Powers, the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Eightfold Noble Path.

The contemplation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: contemplating the body as impure, contemplating feeling as suffering, contemplating the mind as impermanent, and contemplating dharmas as not-self.

The Four Right Efforts: with single-minded diligence in cultivating the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, one can cut off all laxity, so that unwholesome states that have already arisen can be eliminated, and unwholesome states that have not yet arisen do not arise; wholesome states that have already arisen can grow, and wholesome states that have not yet arisen can be made to arise—actively cutting off evil and cultivating goodness.

The Five Faculties: "faculty" means the capacity to grow. There are the faculty of faith, the faculty of diligence, the faculty of mindfulness, the faculty of concentration, and the faculty of wisdom. These five faculties can grow into five powers, and only then can the darkness of ignorance be broken through.

The Five Powers: the power of faith breaks superstition, the power of diligence breaks laxity, the power of mindfulness breaks evil, the power of concentration breaks distraction, and the power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) breaks ignorance. Through the growth of the five faculties, one gains power, so that the mind is not destroyed or seized by anger, and the five obstacles can be remedied.

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment are: the factor of mindfulness, the factor of discrimination of dharmas, the factor of diligence, the factor of joy, the factor of tranquility, the factor of concentration, and the factor of equanimity.

The Eightfold Noble Path: right view, right mindfulness, right speech, right action, right livelihood (samyag-ājīva), right effort (samyag-vyāyāma), right concentration, and right thinking.

The Four Bases of Supernatural Powers: the base of aspiration, the base of diligence, the base of concentration (the mind base), and the base of wisdom (the contemplation base). Because the meditative concentration from practice is insufficient and the mind cannot fulfill one's wishes as desired, one needs to cultivate meditative concentration to achieve the aim of gathering the mind, so that the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā is achieved, one's energy is abundant, and all one's wishes are fulfilled. The four bases of supernatural powers are four kinds of wondrous supernatural functions that can fulfill the wishes of one's own mind. "Base" (足) means to depend upon and rely on; "as one wishes" (如意) means that everything follows one's wishes and aspirations are fulfilled.

The base of aspiration: "aspiration" means longing or hope. Because the mind has longing and wishes for practicing the Buddha's Dharma, one develops a resolute mind toward the Dharma, which gives rise to the power of concentration; concentration and wisdom grow, and wondrous supernatural functions arise. The base of diligence: "diligence" means to be diligent and strive. Because one diligently and earnestly practices the Buddha's Dharma, one develops a resolute mind toward the Dharma, concentration and wisdom grow, and wondrous supernatural functions arise. The base of mindfulness: when the mind, thought after thought, rests on the Dharma being cultivated, there arises the power of mental intention; because of this power of mental intention, one develops a resolute mind toward the Dharma, concentration and wisdom grow, and wondrous supernatural functions arise.

The base of contemplation: "contemplation" means contemplative practice and deliberation (manasikāra/manana); because of deliberation, a resolute mind toward the Dharma arises, concentration and wisdom grow, and wondrous supernatural functions arise. Through these four methods of diligent practice, sentient beings give rise to the power of concentration, so that all their wishes can be fulfilled and everything goes as they desire. From this we can see that in studying Buddhism and practicing, if one does not cultivate the power of concentration, the mind cannot attain ease and freedom, wisdom cannot arise, and one's aspirations for realization in the Buddha's Dharma cannot be fulfilled. Without concentration, the Buddha's Dharma cannot be accomplished.

After the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment have been fully cultivated, contemplating and deliberating on the dharmas of the five aggregates can eradicate the view of self. Once the view of self has been eradicated through contemplative practice, that is the first fruit of the Small Vehicle, and at the same time the three fetters are also immediately severed. In this way the bonds of birth and death in the three evil destinies are untied, the karma of the three evil destinies is extinguished, and in the future one will never again fall into the three evil destinies.

2. How to Eradicate the View of Self?

In the Saṃyuktāgama, the World-Honored One has us observe the illusory nature, impermanence, mutability, suffering nature, emptiness, and selflessness of the five aggregates, contemplating and deliberating on each aggregate one by one—this is called contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). Contemplative practice requires considerable power of concentration; only when the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment have been fully cultivated can contemplative practice become effective and fruitful. The eighteen realms must also be contemplated one realm at a time, observing their illusory, arising-and-ceasing, impermanent, and mutable nature, until one finally confirms that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are not the real self and do not belong to what the self possesses. When the mind genuinely confirms this point and both body and mind abide in meditative absorption (samādhi), the view of self is eradicated.

From then on, deep within the mind one no longer takes the five aggregates to be one's real self. In this way, the three fetters that bind oneself within the cycle of birth and death—the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), the view of attachment to precepts and observances, and the view of doubt—are also severed, and in the future one will no longer fall into the three evil destinies. To accomplish this, one needs to thoroughly master the theory of the Four Noble Truths taught by the World-Honored One in the Āgamas, and then, when the power of concentration is complete, engage in contemplative practice of each one. This is the general direction of effort for eradicating the view of self. The thirty-seven factors of enlightenment must be well cultivated, and the Eightfold Noble Path must also be well cultivated; all bodily, verbal, and mental actions must conform to the Eightfold Noble Path for contemplative practice to succeed, thereby becoming a person of the first fruit.