What Are the Mental Factors Not Concomitant with Mind? (Part II)

Before realizing the Tathagatagarbha, the stages of heat, summit, patience, and the supreme worldly dharma first manifest. The stages of heat, summit, patience, and supreme worldly dharma refer to the process through which, by investigating the Tathagatagarbha or studying the principle of the selflessness of the five aggregates in the Agama Sutras, one gradually negates the notion that the five aggregates constitute the self. As wisdom gradually clarifies and brightens, one ultimately fully acknowledges that the five aggregates are neither the self nor different from the self, severs the view of self, transcends worldly ordinary beings, and becomes the foremost person in the world.

Only after completely negating the five aggregates, negating the seven consciousnesses as the self, and negating the six sense bases, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses, can one realize the true self and thereby awaken to the mind. As the Chan patriarchs of the past said, "Kill the five aggregates, and your Dharma body will come to life." This means that only by first negating the reality of the five aggregates and severing the view of self that takes the five aggregates as the self can the pure and true Dharma body vividly manifest within the mind, instantly confirming that this is the self-nature, this is the Tathagatagarbha, this is the Dharma body. After this death and life, the foundation for Buddhahood is established.

Although between these stages, one might find the Tathagatagarbha in an extremely short time, even in the instant of negating the five aggregates, this still occurs after severing the view of self. Generally, it is said that the view of self is severed at the time of awakening to the mind or afterward. However, in reality, without negating the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses, one cannot realize the Tathagatagarbha, because the fog of the five aggregates and seven consciousnesses obscures the manifestation of the Tathagatagarbha, with false pearls mixed with genuine, making it temporarily impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Once the view of self is severed and the false is negated, the true leaps forth, and one realizes the Tathagatagarbha. Without negating the false five aggregates, the eye of wisdom cannot arise, making it impossible to recognize the Tathagatagarbha. One must continue to investigate until the view of self is eradicated, after which one can find the Tathagatagarbha, which does not belong to the five aggregates or the eighteen realms—perhaps in an instant.