Eliminating the imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva) of the manas is the path to buddhahood

Birth and death arise because of the manas's imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva). Among these, the manas's grasping at a self of persons gives rise to segmented birth-and-death, causing life after life to transmigrate ceaselessly, accompanied by coarse and subtle sufferings of birth and death; the manas's grasping at a self of dharmas gives rise to transformational birth-and-death, causing the subtle and long-lasting phenomena of birth and death to be unable to end forever, still accompanied by subtle ignorance, afflictions, karma, and suffering. Since this is so, when the manas eliminates its grasping at a self of persons, it can bring an end to and eliminate segmented birth-and-death, which corresponds to an arhat (the fourth fruit) eliminating attachment to the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) and the eighteen realms; only when the manas eliminates its grasping at a self of dharmas can transformational birth-and-death be extinguished, culminating in the attainment of buddhahood.

Why is this said? Because all dharmas are grasped and clung to by the manas; clinging brings bondage, and grasping brings entanglement—thus, from ignorance there is birth and death. Because the manas grasps the functions of the five aggregates as a self, grasps the eighteen realms as self and what belongs to self, and grasps the world of the three realms with craving and attachment, refusing to let go, it is thereby bound by the five aggregates, bound by the eighteen realms, and bound by the world of the three realms, unable to escape the suffering of the three realms. Only by having the manas eliminate its self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) regarding the five aggregates and the eighteen realms can it eliminate its attachment to them, thereby eliminating its craving and attachment for the world of the three realms, releasing the bondage, and temporarily attaining liberation.

Because of the manas's ignorance, it does not know the true reality of the dharmadhātu, does not realize the tathāgatagarbha, and does not know the seed-functions of the tathāgatagarbha; it greedily clings to all the dharmas manifested and transformed by the tathāgatagarbha, taking them as self and what belongs to self, clinging without letting go. Thus there is the bondage of dharmas, transformational birth-and-death is not eliminated, and great liberation cannot be attained. Only by having the manas gradually recognize the true facts—realizing that all dharmas are the functions of the tathāgatagarbha and all belong to the tathāgatagarbha, with not the slightest bit belonging to itself—can the manas give up its resolve, exhaust its love of dharmas, extinguish all ignorance, release all entanglements, attain ultimate liberation, and restore its original countenance.

Therefore it is said that practicing Buddhism means exhausting the manas's ignorance, realizing that all dharmas are without self, releasing the manas's craving and attachment, transforming and exhausting the manas's imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva). Only then can the shackles of birth and death be entirely removed, attaining freedom in birth and death and freedom with regard to dharmas, becoming a great Dharma King and an honored one of the three realms.