Only by Completely Severing Ego-Clinging Can One Attain Buddhahood

After attaining the initial fruit (Sotāpanna) by severing the view of self, one then deepens contemplation and practice to perceive the illusory nature of the five aggregates and eighteen elements. Gradually, one begins to sever self-attachment, which is far more difficult to eradicate. Consequently, a Sotāpanna must undergo seven cycles of rebirth in the heavens and seven cycles in the human realm, practicing back and forth, before finally becoming a fourth-fruit Arhat. Calculate it: seven times in the heavens plus seven times in the human realm—add them together to see how long that is. After calculating, we will understand how immensely difficult it is to sever self-attachment, countless times harder than severing the view of self.

What is meant by self-attachment? It is the mental faculty's (manas) persistent clinging to the self of the five aggregates. Why does it still cling? Because the view of self regarding the five aggregates has not been thoroughly eradicated; in certain aspects and to some degree, it still regards some functions or roles of the five aggregates as the self and clings to them unrelentingly. Since beginningless time, the habit-energy of clinging to self has been too deep, ignorance too heavy, and attachment to the three realms too difficult to uproot. This is why it takes such a long time to sever the affliction of self-attachment. If the mental faculty were to thoroughly eradicate the view of self regarding the five aggregates all at once, its self-attachment would be simultaneously exhausted, making one a fourth-fruit Mahā-Arhat. However, one who completely severs the attachment to the self of the mental faculty directly attains Buddhahood—not merely becoming a fourth-fruit Mahā-Arhat with complete liberation. Therefore, Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas have not utterly and exhaustively severed self-attachment, which is why they cannot yet become Buddhas.

Why does the eighth consciousness not need to sever the view of self? It has no view of self, so there is no need to sever it. Only those who possess a view of self need to sever it.