The Manifestation of the Mark of Self Produced by Self-View (ātma-dṛṣṭi)

A person's sense of achievement, sense of pride, arrogance, and feelings of inferiority—these feelings, sensations, and perceptions all belong to feeling and perception (vedanā and saṃjñā), and arise dependent on self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi). If there is no self-view, these feelings will disappear, and the self will be emptied. These feelings also all belong to the mark of self, and they also involve the mark of a person, the mark of sentient beings, and the mark of a life span. Therefore, whether a person has eliminated self-view can be judged entirely from these marks. For one who has eliminated self-view, these phenomena are very obvious and easy to judge. For one who has not eliminated self-view, by understanding the meaning and manifestations of self-view and the mark of self, one can also roughly judge whether that person has eliminated self-view.

The mark of self and self-view are both manifested through a person's bodily, verbal, and mental actions; this cannot be hidden, and there is no way to hide it. How can the deeply rooted self be hidden? Unless there are no bodily, verbal, and mental actions—but that cannot be done. Everyone who considers themselves to have already realized no-self and eliminated self-view can examine their own mark of self accordingly: whether it exists or not, whether it is light or heavy. Even if very slight, it is still a mark of self. My feelings and perceptions are divided into those of the physical body and those of the mind—bodily awareness and mental awareness—and all are marks of self. Whether there is self or no-self can be judged from these marks. A person with subtle marks of self is not far from eliminating self-view; a person with coarse, heavy marks of self will find it very difficult to eliminate self-view. Everyone should frequently examine the self in their own mind: is it light or heavy, and has it changed through cultivation?

If a person has not even eliminated the self-view that a stream-enterer (Srotaāpanna) should eliminate, and their mark of self is so severe, then it is impossible for them to attain the fruit of seeing the true mind and one's nature in the Mahāyāna, let alone have the realization and virtuous fruits of the three stages of the wise and the bhūmi-level bodhisattvas—none of these virtues will be present. Do not look at what a person says or teaches; look at their actual behavior in daily life, at how they concretely respond to people and events. A person's bodily, verbal, and mental actions are the most truthful and best reflect a person's virtue and character. Even if what is said sounds perfectly reasonable, it can all be faked and deceptive, and cannot be fully trusted.

For one who has eliminated self-view, the mark of self will certainly diminish and disappear accordingly. In dealing with people and affairs, there is no self—such a person is low-key, sincere, and equal-minded, treating people equally, neither looking down on anyone nor looking up to anyone, never considering themselves more noble or special than others, never considering others inferior or lowly. This equal mind is based on the emptiness of the mark of self and the mark of a person, and is not yet ultimate. For bodhisattvas at and above the first bhūmi, the manas transforms consciousness into wisdom, attaining the equality wisdom (samatā-jñāna); that equal mind is purer and more surpassing than the equality of the Small Vehicle. One who has eliminated self-view and is already without self has no mark of self, mark of a person, or mark of sentient beings; their mind is empty. In dealing with people and affairs, they are reserved, low-key, and modest, not outwardly expansive, not fond of self-display, without a sense of pride or achievement, not needing others' flattery, praise, or worship. Whether others regard them highly or lowly makes no difference to them; they absolutely do not act in a high-profile manner. All who act in a high-profile manner and love to boast about themselves have self-view and the mark of self.

Many people have very heavy self-view and fear the absence of self, being very afraid that the self will disappear. Therefore they rack their brains to find a sense of existence, constantly establishing the value of the self. These are all very obvious marks of self. For such people, eliminating self-view is very difficult, and hope in this life is slim. Some who contemplate no-self, when they glimpse the first signs of no-self in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), become afraid that the self will disappear. Inwardly they feel: if there is no self, how terrible! If I disappear, how terrible! Then how could I grasp at this world? So they dare not continue contemplating no-self.

At this time one needs patience, and must slowly, in a roundabout way, immerse and persuade oneself (the manas). Since beginningless kalpas, relying on and clinging to this self has become an extremely ingrained habit. If the manas suddenly feels it can no longer rely on and grasp at anything, fear will arise. One must take it slowly; eliminating self-view requires the manas to have a process of acceptance, a buffer, before it can accept no-self. Cultivation has a transition period that may be long or short, and the length of the transition period depends on one's own power of immersion. To quickly pass through the transition period, one should repent of the sins created through grasping at self since beginningless kalpas, frequently recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra, or perform prostration repentance rituals, seeking the blessings and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Study the theory of emptiness more, contemplate the principle of emptiness more, and slowly immerse oneself in it.