How to Determine Whether One Has Truly Eradicated the View of Self?

Question: After sequentially contemplating the five aggregates as impermanent, suffering, and not-self, so that no view of self or view of self's possessions arises toward feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness anymore, can one still advance further? What is the subsequent direction? Or is it that after maintaining this state of non-fabrication and tranquility for a period of time, one will automatically realize for oneself that birth has been ended, the task has been done, and there will be no more rebirth? Because in actual practice, within a very short time after emerging from meditation (one or two hours), the monkey mind comes back again, wanting to grasp and fabricate once more. I am going around in this cycle, and I feel that perhaps somewhere I have not fully connected with the Buddha's teachings.

Answer: Realizing for oneself that birth has been ended, the task has been done, and there will be no more rebirth — this can only be attained when one has cultivated to the stage of the fourth fruit, the great arhat, so let us not even think about it. First, securely and genuinely obtain the first fruit, and then talk about what comes after. For those who have not eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) in past lives, attaining the first fruit is already extremely difficult.

When contemplating the five aggregates of grasping as suffering, empty, impermanent, and not-self, one must correctly judge whether one truly regards the five aggregates of grasping as indeed suffering, empty, impermanent, and not-self. This is very important and is a crucial point. You cannot simply assume that because you think it is not-self, it is therefore not-self.

During contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and deliberation, the mind seems very pure, but after emerging from meditation and ceasing contemplation, there is still a self in the mind, and the mind is no longer pure. This shows that the view of self has not been truly eradicated, and it is not genuine not-self. In that case, continue the contemplative practice and keep up the effort.