Contemplating the Five Aggregates and Eliminating the View of Self (Part I) (Second Edition)
Section 3: The Comprehensive Contemplation Method of the Five Aggregates (1)
I. The Importance of Severing the View of Self
Severing the view of self includes severing the view of self regarding the physical body and severing the view of self regarding the conscious mind. To sever the view of self regarding the physical body, one must contemplate the changes of birth and death in the physical body from childhood to adulthood, thereby confirming that the physical body is subject to birth, death, and change—impermanent, suffering, and empty. One must establish in the mind the concept: "What suffers is not me; I am without suffering." This is an eternal truth. Once this concept is firmly established in the mind, one can contemplate the impermanence and suffering of the physical body. The physical body is produced by causes and conditions; with causes and conditions, the physical body arises; with causes and conditions, the physical body ceases. It arises, ceases, changes, is impermanent, and suffering—thus it is not the self. In this way, the view of self regarding the physical body can be severed.
To sever the view of self regarding the conscious mind, one must contemplate the impermanent nature of the birth and death of the conscious mind. Consciousness seeds arise and cease moment by moment, forming consciousness, just as water droplets form a flowing stream. Water droplets flow continuously, forming an unbroken stream. If the mind believes there exists a real stream, this is an illusion, deceived by the false appearance of the stream. Consciousness seeds flow out rapidly one after another, forming consciousness. In reality, believing there is a continuous stream of conscious discrimination is also an illusion. By deeply contemplating this principle, one can sever the wrong view that the conscious mind is the self. The outflow of consciousness seeds has causes and conditions; when causes and conditions converge, consciousness arises; when causes and conditions disperse, consciousness seeds cease to arise, and the conscious mind ceases. By deeply affirming this principle in samadhi, one can sever the wrong view that the conscious mind is the self.
If one can diligently practice the Four Agamas of the Hinayana tradition, first severing the view of self before realizing the mind, the view of self will be easy to sever completely, and afflictions and karmic obstructions can be quickly subdued. If one directly engages in Chan meditation to realize the mind without the foundation of selflessness practice and insufficient meditative stability, the understanding will mostly be intellectual, making it difficult to thoroughly sever the view of self; perhaps it cannot be severed at all. Then this so-called self will always emerge to stir up trouble, create unwholesome karma, and hinder one's path. People with a strong sense of self are like this, causing trouble everywhere. Therefore, subduing the sense of self is extremely important for practice and for the benefit of oneself and others. Once the self is subdued, one benefits endlessly life after life, and the mind no longer gives rise to suffering.
II. Contemplating the Unreality of the Five Aggregates with Subject and Object
To contemplate the selflessness of the five aggregates, one can divide the five aggregates into two parts for contemplation: one part is the physical body, the other part is the conscious mind. The conscious mind applied to the physical body forms the five aggregates. After calming the body and mind, enter deep contemplation and perception in samadhi, apprehending the impermanence and the nature of birth and death of the physical body. Contemplate the birth of the physical body, its abiding, its change, and its cessation. Having truly understood the impermanence and emptiness of the physical body, one then experiences the suffering of the physical body. After the samadhi of equal abiding in concentration and wisdom appears, one can realize the selflessness of the physical body. Then contemplate the physical body of past lives and the physical body of future lives; regardless of the type, all physical bodies are subject to birth, death, change, suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and selflessness. Then contemplate the changing nature of the birth and death of the conscious mind; regardless of which consciousness, any conscious mind capable of perceiving the functions of all dharmas is subject to birth and death, empty, suffering, and unreal.
One can also divide the five aggregates into two parts, subject and object, for contemplation, which is slightly simpler. The subject is the perceiving nature of the six consciousnesses, and the object is the six dusts perceived by the six consciousnesses. When the eye sees form, separate a perceiving eye consciousness and a perceived form dust, and deeply and subtly contemplate the changing nature of their birth and death. When the ear hears sound, also divide it into two parts: the heard sound and the hearing ear consciousness, observing the changing nature of their birth and death respectively. When the nose smells fragrance, separately observe and contemplate the smelled fragrance dust and the consciousness mind that smells the fragrance dust, contemplating the impermanent changing nature of these two. When the tongue tastes flavor, when the body feels touch, and when the mental consciousness contemplates dharmas, divide them all into subject and object to observe and contemplate.
After contemplation and observation, if one truly penetrates deeply within, there should be an inner shock, and one's view of self will be overturned. At all times, no matter what the six sense faculties contact or what the six consciousnesses discriminate, the entire five aggregates—from mind to physical body—feel like an empty shell. One can genuinely feel that oneself is empty, impermanent, unreal, and without self. When contemplation is accomplished, the inner awareness should undergo a radical transformation; there is an empty feeling within, and in all activities—walking, standing, sitting, lying down—one can deeply perceive the illusory and unreal nature of one's own body and mind.
This kind of severing the view of self is genuine and thorough severing of the view of self—not merely verbal nor merely theoretical. In subsequent practice, whether Mahayana or Hinayana, one can progress steadily and rapidly. Afflictions will melt like snow under the sun, body and mind become light and at ease, and one greatly benefits in this life and future lives. Therefore, I advise everyone: no matter how difficult this method is, it must be practiced; one must sever the view of self concerning life and death.
III. The Combined Form of the Five Aggregates is Not a Real Form
The self of the five aggregates and eighteen elements is formed by the combination of the seven consciousnesses and the physical body, composed of the five aggregates of clinging, combined from the six sense faculties, six dusts, and six consciousnesses. What is combined is a false, illusory dharma, not real. A single aggregate of clinging is not the self; what is combined is even less the self. A single element is not the self; what is combined is even less the self. The true self is not produced by combination; it originally exists, possessing independent autonomy, not determined by external conditions.
It is evident that the five aggregates of sentient beings cannot exist independently; they are formed by the aggregation of various causes and conditions. The five aggregates of clinging are combined; the eighteen elements are combined; none possess independent autonomy or substantiality; thus, they are without self-nature, empty, merely a nominal designation. When causes and conditions cease, the combined parts disperse, and the false entity vanishes. Like a group composed of many people: a single person is not called a group; what is combined is also not a real group—it lacks autonomy. When causes and conditions disappear, the group of people scatters, and the group ceases to exist. Even if it seems to exist, it is merely a nominal designation; therefore, a group is not a group.
Like a family composed of parents and children: a single person is not a family; what is combined is also not a real family. Phenomenally, it may seem to exist, but in essence, it does not. What is substantial is real, eternally unchanging, not determined by external conditions. The false appearance of a family is formed by many causal factors; when these causes and conditions disappear and the factors perish, the false appearance of the family also ceases. Therefore, a family is not a family. Like a house composed of bricks, tiles, wood, and cement: remove one material, and the house collapses; the false appearance of the house ceases to exist. Therefore, a house is not a house. Like tables, chairs, and benches composed of wood, nails, and other materials: remove one material, and the appearance of the table, chair, or bench is incomplete or falls apart; it should be called wood and nails; the false appearance of the table, chair, or bench vanishes. Therefore, tables, chairs, and benches are not tables, chairs, and benches. The five-aggregate self is not the self; the mental faculty self is not the self; the mental consciousness self is not the self.
All appearances in the world exist due to the combination of many elements, and each element lacks self-nature; what is combined lacks self-nature even more. When causes and conditions disperse, everything ceases. Therefore, the world is not the world. Dharmas formed by causes and conditions are dharmas that do not abide long, not dharmas that exist forever. Therefore, we should not cling to them greedily; greed is useless, clinging is useless. No matter how unwilling one is to let go, ultimately, they still depart and disperse. It is better not to cling, to abandon greed early, sever afflictions, liberate oneself from bondage, return to one's original nature, and be free and at ease.
IV. Why is the Discrimination of the Six Consciousnesses an Illusion?
Dharmas include form dharmas and mind dharmas; the five aggregates are all dharmas; the six sense faculties, six dusts, and six consciousnesses are all dharmas. Contemplating dharmas as without self means contemplating that within all dharmas generated by the combination of the five aggregates, twelve sense bases, and eighteen elements, there is no self, none is the self. The six consciousnesses arise and cease moment by moment; all are produced by the eighth consciousness; all are false, changing, impermanent, suffering, and empty; none are the self. The seven consciousnesses arise, cease, and change moment by moment without stopping; in the snap of a finger, eighty-one thousand seeds are born and cease, cease and are born again—extremely rapid. We cannot perceive the phenomenon of consciousness seeds arising and ceasing; we only feel as if consciousness is continuous, that conscious discrimination is constantly ongoing. In reality, consciousness is not continuous but intermittent; it is merely that its birth and death are extremely rapid.
Because it is too fast, our perceiving mind cannot discern the momentary intermittent phenomenon; thus, there is an illusion that one's mind is running continuously. Like a torch: when we swing it very rapidly, it seems like a circle of fire, feeling quite real, but in fact, there is no circle of fire; the circle of fire is not a circle of fire—it is merely a single torch. Since beginningless time, our eye consciousness has been deceived by false appearances, unable to see the true phenomenon, resulting in hallucinations, mistaking the false for the real. Like the movement of characters in movies and television: all the moving scenes are connected frame by frame. Because the playback speed is too fast, it seems continuous; and because it feels continuous, it is mistaken for real.
If all so-called continuous things are divided into points, one no longer considers these things real; the mind will feel them as illusory. Cultivating concentration serves this purpose: it can stabilize the mind, clarify it, and gradually enable one to recognize the truth and see the true nature of all dharmas.
The six consciousnesses of sentient beings all have illusions; they do not know that all dharmas discriminated by the six consciousnesses are intermittent, not continuous. Because the six consciousnesses have the function of perceptual persistence: a phenomenon that has just vanished, the conscious mind still thinks it remains in place, unmoved, when in fact it is already gone, disappeared. For example, when the eye consciousness sees form, upon seeing the form dust, it immediately passes. But because vision has a persistence effect, one still feels one is continuously seeing form, and seeing the same form as before, when in fact the previous form has already ceased; one cannot see the form of the previous moment again. Forms pass moment by moment, each unconnected to the next, yet the mental consciousness believes the previous form has been continuously moving, continuously existing—this is illusion and delusion.
The illusory function of the eye consciousness makes us feel we see complete, continuous forms, but in reality, they are connected point by point; what comes before and after is not entirely the same. Forms change intermittently; they are not the same form. Eye consciousness arises and ceases moment by moment; mental consciousness arises and ceases moment by moment; form dust arises and ceases moment by moment; mental dust arises and ceases moment by moment. Not a single dharma can extend to the next moment. Sentient beings mistakenly believe all dharmas are continuous and real, all the original dharmas. Where is the original dharma? All are dharmas that have changed.
The World-Honored One said in the Diamond Sutra that the three minds are unobtainable: the past six consciousnesses have ceased, unobtainable; the present six consciousnesses are arising and ceasing moment by moment, equally unobtainable; the future six consciousnesses have not yet arisen, also unobtainable. The six dust realms are also unobtainable in the three times—past, present, and future. Since beginningless time, we have been deceived by our own conscious minds, thinking what we see is real, unaware that it is all extremely illusory and unreal. Therefore, all dharmas are subject to birth, death, and change; none are the real self. Form dharmas and mind dharmas are all impermanent dharmas, all empty, illusory dharmas produced moment by moment by the eighth consciousness.
V. How to Contemplate and Prove the Falsity of the Five Aggregates and Eighteen Elements
When contemplating the aggregate of form, aggregate of feeling, aggregate of perception, aggregate of mental formations, and aggregate of consciousness, one should contemplate as follows: Form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are not originally existing dharmas, not innate dharmas; therefore, the five aggregates are not the true self, not the original self. Our seeing, hearing, thinking, discriminating, mind that gains something, mind that seeks, mind that reflects, and mind that can know these dharmas—none are originally existent, not naturally existent, not the original self, not the true self. These dharmas are all impermanent dharmas subject to birth and death, not dharmas that are permanently unchanging; therefore, none are the self. After contemplating the impermanent, changing, non-self nature of the five aggregates' birth and death, one must also contemplate that all states of the conscious mind are subject to birth and death, impermanence, illusion, not the self, and not belonging to the self. Our present sense of self-existence is the false self of the five aggregates, the aggregate of consciousness—subject to birth and death, impermanent, suffering, and empty.
The World-Honored One has already explained very clearly in the Agama Sutras that everything perceived by ordinary people is false; there are no real dharmas. The true Tathagatagarbha cannot be perceived by us now. When it can be perceived, that is when one realizes the Tathagatagarbha. At that time, one can understand part of the Chan (Zen) gongans (koans) and part of the Mahayana sutras; one can discern the correctness or error of others' teachings, and wisdom will gradually increase.
Contemplating the five aggregates involves two aspects: contemplating phenomena and contemplating essence. Breaking through these two points, clarifying the relationship between phenomena and essence, and integrating phenomena and essence in contemplation make it easier to sever the view of self, realize the first fruit (Sotapanna), and also easier to realize the mind and attain enlightenment. The five aggregates are like the stars one sees when dizzy; contemplate whether the stars exist or not, are empty or not, or both. Emptiness and existence must be contemplated repeatedly to clarify their relationship; this is not a simple or easy matter. Therefore, among the many people who study Buddhism, very, very few attain the first fruit; almost none.
For each person, overturning the wrong views held since beginningless time is extremely difficult. It requires repeated study, repeated contemplation and reflection, constantly struggling against habitual cognition, and deep contemplation in samadhi before any realization is possible. Through continuous contemplation and reflection, when the samadhi of equal abiding in concentration and wisdom arises, one can truly realize each truth spoken by the Buddha. "The five aggregates are all empty" is the final conclusion the Buddha gave us; the intermediate process of cultivation and realization must be completed by each person individually; others cannot do it for them. Not to mention the falsity and selflessness of the five aggregates—even whether the stars seen when dizzy exist or not must be carefully contemplated to reach a correct conclusion. Though it may seem simple on the surface, proving it through actual practice is not a simple matter.
Merely understanding the conclusion is not enough; one must actually engage in contemplation, finding all the evidence until it is conclusive. Practice is like proving a geometry problem: the problem is the conclusion, and the step-by-step proof must be completed by oneself. The same is true for the Buddha Dharma: the Buddha gives a conclusion, called the truth, and practitioners must find a way to prove this conclusion themselves, affirm the truth, and have the mental faculty personally prove this conclusion. This is called personally realizing the Buddha Dharma.
VI. How to More Effectively Contemplate the Falsity of the Five Aggregates and Eighteen Elements
To contemplate the falsity and non-self of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, it is best to observe the five aggregates separately. While the five aggregates are currently active, clearly distinguish which is the aggregate of form, which is the aggregate of feeling, which is the aggregate of perception, which is the aggregate of mental formations, and which is the aggregate of consciousness. The five aggregates must be separated one by one. Only after separating them can one easily recognize the falsity of each aggregate and understand how each aggregate is false. The eighteen elements are the same: while engaging in all bodily, verbal, and mental actions and creations, observe the eighteen elements separately, element by element. After separating them, contemplate them; then it becomes easy to clearly see the falsity of each element.
Since beginningless time, sentient beings have regarded the world they live in as real for two reasons. One is that sentient beings have been tainted by ignorance since beginningless time; ignorance is so thick that they mistake the false for the real, not understanding the true appearance of the world. The other is that the world is too three-dimensional, too rich and colorful, making it feel very real and dependable. "Three-dimensional" means that the eye sees form, the ear hears sound, the nose smells fragrance—the entire five aggregates are combined; the functional roles of the eighteen elements are all combined. The process is both complex and systematic; everything displayed is so lifelike and real. Without great good roots and merit, one lacks the ability to introspect and clearly recognize what the essence of the five aggregates truly is.
Although the activities of the five aggregates are intricate and complex, they are very orderly and regular. Thus, sentient beings feel the five aggregates are very real, believing the existence of the five aggregates' activities is natural, innate, never considering whether it is natural or not, reasonable or unreasonable. They accept it all naturally, and this "naturally" is the ignorance since beginningless time. Within the activities of the five aggregates, true dharmas and false dharmas are combined, indistinguishable from each other. Sentient beings thus feel the five aggregates are so real. When they believe the five aggregates are real, it obscures the true Tathagatagarbha behind them.
We can take this combined, three-dimensional world of the five aggregates and separate it, gradually flattening it out, disassembling it into parts. For example, disassemble a car or a house into parts; then we see: "Oh! So illusory, not real at all!" If these parts are combined into a whole, we often naturally regard the five aggregates as real. After disassembling the five aggregates, it becomes easy to contemplate their falsity. For example, if a car is completely disassembled into individual parts, one might think: "There is no real car." Ordinary people do not regard these parts as a car.
The five aggregates and eighteen elements must also be separated, completely separated—the seven consciousnesses, eight consciousnesses, all separated. After separating them, one can observe how false each aggregate is, how false each element is, how false the contact of the six faculties with the six dusts is, how false the functional roles of the seven consciousnesses are. Disassemble the entire five aggregates into separate parts, the more fragmented the better. When it becomes extremely fragmented, you will know: "So the five aggregates are this false, this unreal." This is severing the view of self; gradually, liberation can be attained. After knowing all these dharmas are false, one dharma remains, and we will develop doubt: "Since it's all false, how do the functions of these five aggregates still exist?" Great doubt arises in the mind. Then, realizing the Tathagatagarbha becomes very easy.
VII. Contemplation Must Clarify the Meaning of the Five Aggregates
The Samatha (Calm Abiding) Verses of Yongjia Chan Master explain how to correctly practice meditation to attain wisdom and liberation. Among them, when contemplating in meditation, what is clearly and distinctly perceived is the aggregate of consciousness; what is apprehended in the mind is the aggregate of feeling; what the mind contemplates this principle with is the aggregate of perception; what applies this principle is the aggregate of mental formations; what obscures the true nature is the aggregate of form.
When contemplating and reflecting, the state of clear awareness is the realm of the aggregate of consciousness; apprehending the contemplated content and the sensations is the realm of the aggregate of feeling; mentally engaging with the contemplated content is the realm of the aggregate of perception; the mind's continuous flow of thoughts is the realm of the aggregate of mental formations. These four aggregates continuously arise, flow, change, and pass away—impermanent, empty, and unreal. Their constant change brings suffering; unwillingness to change, especially unwillingness for rapid transformation and passing, is suffering. What suffers is not me; what is empty is not me; what is impermanent is not me; what changes is not me. Why is it not me? This can only be comprehended intuitively, not conveyed in words; one must realize it oneself in meditation; thoughts cannot substitute for each other.
Impermanence, birth, death, and change are relatively easy to observe and experience; recognizing that such dharmas are not the self is difficult. Because this involves a shift in view, one can only change one's own view. Others can only prepare the food, bring it over, even feed it into your mouth, but chewing, swallowing, and digesting are your own affairs—they truly cannot be done for you.
