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

Chapter Three: The First Part of the Contemplation of the Five Aggregates

To contemplate the illusory nature of the Five Aggregates and the Eighteen Realms, one must first clearly understand the concepts and connotations of the Five Aggregates and the Eighteen Realms before contemplation. Cultivate meditative concentration, and then contemplate each aggregate individually, reflecting on their nature of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, arising and ceasing, mutability, and non-self. Ensure the scope of the Five Aggregates is fully covered, striving to contemplate all aspects comprehensively. In the very moment of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, separate the various functional roles of the Five Aggregates and observe their nature of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. The same applies to the Eighteen Realms: discern the connotation of each realm and contemplate each one individually, reflecting on their nature of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, arising and ceasing, mutability, and non-self. Finally, arrive at the conclusion: the Five Aggregates and the Eighteen Realms are neither the self, nor different from the self, nor existing within the self. This enables the severance of the view of self. If meditative concentration is insufficient or wisdom is not strong enough, one may practice according to the Buddha's method of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Both concentration and wisdom can be enhanced simultaneously, yielding significant results.

The Five Aggregates are form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, divided into two parts: the physical body and the conscious mind. The function of the physical body is the aggregate of form, while the function of the conscious mind comprises the four aggregates of feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Severing the view of self includes both severing the view of self regarding the physical body and severing the view of self regarding the conscious mind.