Contemplative Practice on the Five Aggregates

When contemplating the five aggregates and the eighteen realms as empty and selfless, one must not only contemplate the five faculties and the five sense-objects corresponding to them, but also contemplate the six consciousnesses and the manas, including the mental sense-objects corresponding to the sixth and seventh consciousnesses. In fact, the manas also corresponds to the five sense-objects: if the five sense-objects appear but the manas is not interested in them, it will not give rise to the five consciousnesses to cognize the five sense-objects, and the six consciousnesses will not know of the realms of the five sense-objects or the mental sense-objects. The arising of the six consciousnesses is all decided by the manas; the purpose of giving rise to the six consciousnesses is to cognize and process the five sense-objects and the mental sense-objects. Therefore, the manas corresponds not only to the mental sense-objects but also to the five sense-objects. When the six consciousnesses are absent, or when the six consciousnesses are unable to cognize, it is the manas alone that observes and attends to these dharmas. For example, in the case of the body faculty, the manas, following after the tathāgatagarbha at all times and in all places, knows all the conditions of the body; sometimes it lets the mind consciousness and the five consciousnesses know, and sometimes it does not let the six consciousnesses know. Even when it lets the mind consciousness know, the mind consciousness finds it inexplicable.

In contemplating the five aggregates, the main focus should still be on contemplating the mind-consciousness as selfless. The main body of the five aggregates is the mind-consciousness, which is the easiest to mistake for the self, while the five faculties and six sense-objects are mistaken for what belongs to the self (mine). The selflessness of "what belongs to me" is relatively easy to recognize clearly, whereas the self of the mind-consciousness is the hardest to see through.

The mind-consciousness is also a kind of dharma, arising and ceasing moment by moment within the tathāgatagarbha, arising and perishing in each instant. From the perspective of the tathāgatagarbha, there is no arising or ceasing—all is the nature of the tathāgatagarbha. From the perspective of worldly dharmas, apart from the tathāgatagarbha, all dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing; phenomena constantly transform, with existence and non-existence standing in opposition to each other. What changes is not only the momentary arising and ceasing of the mind-consciousness—the seeds of consciousness being output and returning to extinction, fluctuating thought after thought—but the sense-object realms are also changing from instant to instant: the seeds of the four great elements are output and return to extinction, and material form arises, ceases, and mutates.

When there is meditative concentration (samādhi), the dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen realms will gradually become independent, and their mutual adhesion becomes less tight. When they are independent, it is easy to break through them one by one; when they are stuck together, things are more complicated and appear more real, making it difficult to see clearly their illusory and selfless nature. In a state of meditative concentration, the activity of the mind-consciousness is slower and more subtle, its attachment to dharmas is slight, and the obstructions are small, so the true face of things will be exposed before the mind-consciousness. Therefore, the benefits of meditative concentration are extremely many: it can clarify the truth of things, and the cognitive and discriminating nature of the mind-consciousness becomes relatively objective, fair, and wise, making it easy to develop wisdom. It would be a great pity not to cultivate meditative concentration. Having faith in the Buddha's words, and being replete with precepts, concentration, and wisdom—only this makes a good Buddhist disciple.