Forming the Cognition of Non-Self through Continuous Permeation

After a person is born, the process of gradually forming various commonsense cognitions through daily life is similar to the process of eradicating the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa). Since they are similar, when we eradicate the view of self, we can refer to the cumulative process by which we formed our commonsense knowledge, and in the same way engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the principle that the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) are without self, until finally the selflessness of the five aggregates becomes a commonsense cognition deep within the mind. In this way the view of self is eradicated, and one no longer regresses from the path of liberation.

When a person is born, going from a state in which the mind consciousness knows nothing to knowing all dharmas of the mundane world and all the rules of the game in the human realm is precisely a process of forming commonsense cognition. First, the mind consciousness, through contact with the people, affairs, things, and principles of daily life, comes to know these rules; then, through observation and practice, it confirms them, thereby forming commonsense knowledge in the manas. Without the mind consciousness needing to think, one habitually abides by these rules, forming unshakable ideas and concepts in the manas. Only when some new rule breaks the old one are the concepts updated, the commonsense knowledge changed, and the habits of the manas altered.

The initial state of knowing nothing is of course that of the mind consciousness. Gradually, the mind consciousness is nurtured by daily life, coming into contact with and learning some everyday knowledge. In the process of learning this knowledge, various items of commonsense are continually tested and verified; the manas comes to understand and personally realize them, and the knowledge becomes commonsense. Then a habitual cognition is formed, so that without the mind consciousness deliberating, one naturally conforms to that commonsense.

For example, a small child does not know the concept of fire or its functions. Through adults' repeated instruction—mostly by forced memorization—and then by observing adults using fire and learning to use it himself, the child comes to know fire's uses and dangers. Only in the process of using it can one personally realize and verify fire's characteristics. Without actual observation, it is only the mind consciousness that knows; the manas does not know fire's dangerous characteristics, and so sometimes the child will play with fire. When playing with fire leads to an accident, at that point the manas personally realizes and knows fire's characteristics; frightened and shaken, the child no longer dares to play with fire casually, and bodily and mental actions change.

Cooking is the same. At first one does not know what a knife is for or what its characteristics are, nor how to wash rice and put it in the pot. Through repeated observation and learning, followed by personal experimentation, one later knows how to cook and gains commonsense experience of cooking. Without the mind consciousness deliberating on how to do it, the manas can operate skillfully. The earlier stage is learning and cultivation by the mind consciousness; the later stage is the manas being nurtured and personally realizing. After personal realization, habit and commonsense are formed, and without deliberate deliberation one can cook with practiced ease.

From walking and speaking to cognizing all dharmas, a child goes through this learning process, then forms commonsense and habits, changing his former ignorance, with bodily, verbal, and mental actions changed. Throughout all these learning processes and the process of forming commonsense, both the mind consciousness and the manas must undergo them and both must change from a state of ignorance. If the commonsense knowledge has been known by the manas all along since past lives, then the mind consciousness need not learn it again—it comes naturally. For example, a newborn knows how to suckle, knows how to cry, knows pain, knows warmth and fullness, and so on.

From these processes of cultivation through mundane dharmas, we can draw lessons for cultivating the principle that the five aggregates are without self, forming the cognition of selflessness and making selflessness into commonsense. Then the habitual tendencies of grasping at self will gradually be exhausted, and liberation can be attained.