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

Section Two   The View of Self in Consciousness and the View of Self in Manas

I. The View of Self in Manas

It is due to manas that the view of self arises. Because manas holds the view of self, sentient beings composed of the five aggregates have, since beginningless kalpas, continuously mistaken a thief for their father, falsely undergoing the suffering of birth, death, and transmigration. Mistaking a thief for the father—this is done by manas. Who is the thief? The functional activities of the six consciousnesses are the thief. Who is the father? The self and what belongs to the self are the father. Manas fails to comprehend the impermanent, arising-and-ceasing, and mutable nature of the six consciousnesses. Instead, it takes the functions of the six consciousnesses as its own functional activities, clinging to them relentlessly and greedily. What is to be done? First, acknowledge that within the body there exists a true mind that neither arises nor ceases. Then, observe the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, non-self nature, arising-and-ceasing mutability, and unobtainability of the six consciousnesses and five aggregates. Next, observe the arising-and-ceasing, impermanent, non-self nature of the six sense bases and six sense objects. Only then can the thief be eliminated. Once the thief is absent from the mind, then sever the clinging and craving for the thief, and liberation is attained.

The view of self in manas is extremely extensive, subtle, and deeply ingrained, characterized by strong clinging. At all times, it constantly clings to all dharmas as being the self or belonging to the self. Manas clings to the function of eye-consciousness seeing forms as belonging to the self, thinking "I see forms, I can see forms." It clings to the function of ear-consciousness hearing sounds as belonging to the self, thinking "I hear sounds, I can hear sounds." It clings to the function of nose-consciousness smelling scents as belonging to the self, thinking "I smell scents, I can smell scents." It clings to the function of tongue-consciousness tasting flavors as belonging to the self, thinking "I taste flavors, I can taste flavors." It clings to the function of body-consciousness sensing touch as belonging to the self, thinking "I feel comfort and pain, I can feel comfort and pain." It clings to the function of mind-consciousness knowing as belonging to the self, thinking "I know many dharmas, I can think, I can perceive many dharmas."

On one hand, it clings to the functional activities of the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) as the self. On the other hand, it clings to the functional activities of the six consciousnesses as the self, thinking "I know all dharmas, I can discern all dharmas, all dharmas are mine." For example, "I have supernatural powers," "I can manifest multiple bodies," "I can create everything," and so on—these numerous notions of "I" are all the view of self in manas. It universally reckons, discriminates, and clings to all dharmas as being the self or belonging to the self. Since beginningless kalpas, manas has mistakenly taken the five aggregates and eighteen elements (dhātus) as the self, and also taken the masterful, decision-making manas itself as real, as the self, giving rise to clinging. The view of self in manas is extremely difficult to sever. It requires repeated, profound, and meticulous contemplation on the true characteristics of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, contemplating the true nature of the conscious mind, until manas perceives the true reality (dharmatā), recognizes the truth, and genuinely realizes deep within that the five aggregates and eighteen elements are not the real self, thereby severing the view of self. Although the view of self is severed, manas's clinging to the self still persists. This is gradually severed after attaining the third fruition (anāgāmi) and is fully extinguished upon attaining the fourth fruition (arhat).

The notion that the five aggregates constitute the self is primarily the wrong view of manas. Manas considers the physical body to be the self, belonging to it (manas). It considers the functional activities of the six consciousnesses to be the self, belonging to it. It considers the six sense objects to be the self, belonging to it. It considers the five sense faculties to be the self, belonging to it. It considers the functional activities of manas itself to be the self. Only manas is most qualified to say that all dharmas are "mine," because indeed, all dharmas serve manas, including the six consciousnesses and the Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature). Therefore, this "I" of manas is so self-assured, so stubborn, so obstinate, so blind, so irreversible—this is why the initial severance of the view of self is so difficult.

II. The View of Self in Consciousness

The mind capable of self-awareness is the mind-consciousness (mano-vijñāna). Consciousness has a seeing aspect (dṛṣṭi) and a self-witnessing aspect (svasaṃvedanā), enabling it to know all dharmas. Consciousness also has a self-witnessing aspect of witnessing (svasaṃvitti), enabling it to know and reflect upon itself. Therefore, consciousness possesses self-awareness, which also includes awareness of the mental activities of the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses. Consciousness considers that which can perceive all dharmas to be the self, and that all dharmas belong to the self. It considers this self to be permanent and indestructible. This is the view of self in consciousness.

Whether it is the view of self in consciousness or the view of self in manas, before the view of self is severed, all knowledge and views are erroneous, all are wrong views. The dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, including the physical body and its sensations, the conscious mind and its sensations—all these dharmas are dependently arisen. Therefore, they are all illusory dharmas. Following these causes and conditions to reason, one direction leads to the conclusion that all dharmas are empty, non-self. Another direction leads to the conclusion that all dharmas are born from the Tathāgatagarbha. Both constitute severing the view of self; the latter is also the realization of the mind (明心, ming xin) in the Mahāyāna.

Manas clings to its own constant masterful nature and decision-making ability as the self, unaware that this too is arising-and-ceasing, illusory, and unreal. Does consciousness cling to manas's constant masterful nature, decision-making ability, and continuous deliberative pondering (恒审思量) as being the self, as being real? If consciousness does not know that these functional activities belong to manas, but takes them as its own functional activities, this is mistaken clinging, indicating that consciousness also lacks wisdom. Consciousness considers its own ability to discern the six dusts (objects), to differentiate the functions of the six dusts, as real and as the self—this is consciousness's self-witnessing aspect of witnessing (证自证分). This is also a mistaken identification. This mistaken identification causes manas to subsequently make the same mistake. To correct manas's mistaken identification, first make consciousness reflect that the functions of consciousness are not real, not the self, in order to influence manas. Once manas is influenced and no longer considers the functions of consciousness as real or as the self, the view of self is severed.

III. Discriminative View of Self is the View of Self in Consciousness

The discriminative view of self (分别我见) is also called the intermittent view of self (断续我见). This is the view of self in consciousness. It is acquired after birth, but is also influenced by the innate manas. The innate view of self (俱生我见) is the view of self in manas. Because manas has existed since beginningless kalpas, never ceasing, and has always taken the five aggregates as itself since beginningless kalpas, it is quite stubborn, and its views are difficult to sever. The view of self in consciousness is when consciousness considers the five aggregates and eighteen elements to be the self, to be real; it considers consciousness itself to be real, eternal, and capable of continuing into future lives. Holding this view is the view of self in consciousness. To sever this, it is necessary to contemplate the illusory nature of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, especially contemplating the illusory nature of consciousness itself.

IV. The Innate View of Self is the View of Self of the Seventh Consciousness

The seventh consciousness (manas) itself has a discriminative nature; its view is also a discriminative view. "Innate" (俱生) means that the seventh consciousness has existed without ceasing since beginningless kalpas. Therefore, the discriminative view of self of the seventh consciousness is innate, congenital, hence called the innate view of self. The seventh consciousness, manas, is one of the six sense bases (indriyas) and one of the eighteen elements (dhātus). When severing the view of self, since the "I" of the five aggregates and eighteen elements is to be severed, naturally the view of self of the seventh consciousness manas must also be severed, realizing that the seventh consciousness manas is also not the self. Only then is the view of self truly and completely severed. Otherwise, it is not fully severed; it is only a partial severance, meaning one is not a Stream-enterer (初果人). As for the self-clinging (我执) of the seventh consciousness manas—the clinging to the five aggregates and eighteen elements as the self—this is only severed and fully extinguished upon attaining the fourth fruition (arhat). In other words, when manas severs all clinging to the five aggregates and eighteen elements as the self, one becomes a Wisdom-Liberated Arhat (慧解脱的阿罗汉) of the fourth fruition, capable of transcending the three realms and liberating oneself from the bonds of birth and death.

V. Self-Clingsing is Inherent in the View of Self

Within all views of self, there is self-clinging. Anything the mind is entangled with, unable to let go of, unable to part with, unable to see through—all these are self-clinging. The view of self is when the sixth and seventh consciousnesses believe there is an "I" that can see forms, hear sounds, smell scents, taste flavors; or believe that the functional activities of seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling scents, tasting flavors belong to the self; believe there is an "I" that can think, analyze, judge; an "I" that can feel; an "I" that can walk, stand, sit, lie down; or believe that all these functional activities belong to the self. At the same time, it also takes the physical body as the self, or takes the functions of the physical body as belonging to the self. All these wrong views are the root of birth and death and should all be severed. Among them, the most fundamental view of self is that of the seventh consciousness manas. Consciousness, relying on it, also generates a view of self. The "I" that can see forms, hear sounds, smell scents, taste flavors, think, analyze, and judge is the six consciousnesses. Manas takes the functional activities of the six consciousnesses as the self and what belongs to the self. This view of self must be severed.