How to Eradicate the View of Self as Early as Possible?

If you wish to eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) as soon as possible, in daily life you should dilute your sense of "I" a little. Observe your own thoughts: are they all centered on a self? When you discover that your self-consciousness is rather strong, you must awaken, or even reprimand yourself, and not be too indulgent toward the self. When you encounter setbacks, that is also a good opportunity to observe the self and subdue the self. Because there is a self, you feel that "I" have suffered a setback; if you overcome the self a little, the sense of setback will fade or disappear. This is of great help in eradicating the view of self.

Among crowds and in solitude, weaken your sense of presence; do not pay too much attention to yourself, and do not take yourself too seriously. Do not strive to outdo others or compete to win; do not insist on being first in everything. You are not truly existent, the other person is not truly existent, the group is not truly existent; there is no first or second, no best or worst—it is all a virtual name and mark. If your mind constantly thinks, "I must defeat everyone, I must stand out, I must have all eyes fixed on me," such thinking carries a heavy self-nature, making it impossible to eradicate the view of self, let alone become a sage. The mind of a sage is empty and nonactive (asaṃskṛta); it is not of such a disposition. The more one tries to make oneself prominent, the further one's disposition falls behind others, and it does not correspond to nonaction—one cannot become a sage. The birth of a sage is precisely the opposite: without a sense of self-existence, one performs active deeds while the mind remains nonactive, single-mindedly serving the multitude—only then is one qualified to become a sage.