Observing Practice of the Five Aggregates to Eradicate Self-View

External forms are jointly manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha of numerous Buddhas, internal forms are manifested by one's own Tathāgatagarbha, the eye faculty is manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha, the eye consciousness is manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha, and the function of eye-consciousness perceiving forms is the joint function of the Tathāgatagarbha, the seventh consciousness, the sixth consciousness, and the eye consciousness, manifesting the internal forms within eye consciousness and mental consciousness. Among these, each of the four consciousnesses has its own function, and there is also a combined function. The three—faculty, object, and consciousness—are all manifested, sustained, and guided by the Tathāgatagarbha. Apart from these three, there are no sentient beings and no five aggregates. So what are the five aggregates and sentient beings? Where is there a self or the five aggregates? Which one is me?

Seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling scents, tasting flavors, feeling touches, and cognizing dharmas—all seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing, all functions of sensation, all thoughts and emotions—what are they? Find out the dharmas upon which the five aggregates depend, observe what these dharmas are, and what do these dharmas themselves depend upon? Having dependency means they are unreal, not free, not autonomous, characterized by suffering, emptiness, impermanence, arising and ceasing, illusory, false, and without a self.

Following this line of thought, enter samādhi and observe, straighten out the train of thought, let the manas perceive, awaken, and directly realize. Finally, a voice will arise within your mind: "All these dharmas truly lack reality; it is all a farce. Where is there a self? Which one is me? None of them are." Then you will have a great cry, body and mind shed away, completely free from obstruction.

There is a process involved. When the manas gradually begins to recognize this fact, the mind will experience great pain and sorrow. The self clung to for so long is about to vanish before one's eyes; naturally, the mind feels empty and fearful, as if standing on the edge of a cliff, deeply worried about falling off, hesitant, anxious, afraid, knowing there is nothing to grasp, yet fearing nothing can be held onto. That mental state is extremely agitated and turbulent. After some time, one can accept it, become peaceful, and return to normal. This is the process experienced by those encountering the severing of the view of self for the first time in this life. Those who have severed the view of self over many lives in the past will find it very easy, joyful, and delightful.

What each individual can perceive is uniquely their own. This uniqueness represents a second layer of illusion, illusory upon illusory. Whether external and shared or internal and private, all are illusory and false, without reality; all are like images reflected in a mirror. Truly realizing the mirror-image contemplation occurs at the fulfillment of the first bhūmi (ground), where all the dharmas to be cultivated at the first bhūmi have been completed.