The Eradication of Self-View and the Sequential Stages of Chan Meditation

Whether one should first eradicate self-view before engaging in Chan meditation or directly pursue realization through Chan meditation is not definitively settled; it depends on individual capacity. The Dharma has no fixed method—it varies according to the person. For most people, it is advisable to first seek the eradication of self-view. Once the false self is clearly recognized, one will not confuse the false with the true during subsequent Chan practice, mistaking illusion for reality. For those with superior capacity, whose self-view and afflictions are relatively mild and whose meditative concentration is exceptionally stable—free from falling into the thinking of consciousness—they may directly engage in Chan meditation. During this process, they can first eradicate self-view and then realize truth. This is because Chan meditation involves investigating and verifying within the five aggregates; it cannot be separated from the five aggregates and eighteen dhatus. Through the process of inquiry, one can distinctly discern the impermanent and unreal nature of the five aggregates, thereby eradicating self-view.

Ancient Chan masters attained enlightenment in this manner, but this does not guarantee that there were no cases of mere intellectual understanding. Among the 1,700 Chan gong’an (koans), not all represent genuine realization. If meditative stability is slightly deficient, the functional power of consciousness will dominate over manas (the root mind), leading only to intellectual understanding. The perception of the true mind remains vague—merely a rough shadow—while the wisdom of contemplative insight fails to arise, afflictions cannot be alleviated, and self-view remains uneradicated. In such cases, a premature claim of sudden enlightenment in the path arises, where haste makes waste, achieving the opposite of what was intended.

Modern people generally possess much weaker meditative concentration than those in ancient times. The thinking of the conscious mind cannot easily be subdued, causing the function of manas to become feeble. Genuine realization thus becomes exceedingly difficult, and eradicating self-view is equally challenging. While theoretical understanding may be abundant, intellectual understanding comes easily instead. Therefore, it is safer for us to first contemplate the selflessness of the five aggregates through observation and practice, and only then engage in Chan meditation.