Explanation of the Diamond Sutra. The Manifestation of the Mark of Self Arising from the View of Self.

A person's sense of achievement, pride, arrogance, and inferiority—these feelings, sensations, and perceptions all belong to feeling and the aggregate of feeling (vedanā-skandha); they exist dependent on the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi). If the view of self is absent, these feelings vanish, and the self is emptied. These feelings also all belong to the mark of self, and they also involve the mark of person, the mark of sentient beings, and the mark of life span. Therefore, whether a person has eradicated the view of self can be judged entirely from these marks. To one who has eradicated the view of self, these phenomena are very obvious and easy to judge. Those who have not eradicated the view of self can also make a rough judgment by understanding the content and manifestations of the view of self and the mark of self.

The mark of self and the view of self 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 is impossible. Everyone who considers themselves already without self and already free of the view of self 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—body-awareness and mind-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 eradicating the view of self; a person with coarse, heavy marks of self will find it very difficult to eradicate the view of self. 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 eradicated the view of self that should be eradicated at the first fruit, with such severe marks of self, it is impossible for them to realize seeing the mind and seeing the nature in the Mahāyāna, let alone have the realization and fruit-virtue of the three stages of wise faith and the bhūmi bodhisattvas—these virtues will all be absent. Do not look at what a person says or teaches; look at their actual behavior in daily life, at how they specifically respond to people and events. A person's bodily, verbal, and mental actions are the most real and best reflect a person's virtue and character; even if what is said sounds perfectly reasonable, it can be faked and deceptive, and cannot be fully trusted.

For one who has eradicated the view of self, the mark of self will certainly correspondingly diminish and disappear; in dealing with people and affairs there is no self—low-key and sincere, treating people equally, never thinking oneself more noble and special than others, or others more base and lowly than oneself. This mind of equality is spoken of based on the emptiness of the mark of self and the mark of person, and is not yet ultimate. Bodhisattvas at the first bhūmi and above have transformed consciousness into wisdom in the manas, attaining the equality wisdom (samatā-jñāna); that mind of equality is purer and more surpassing than the equality of the Small Vehicle. One who has eradicated the view of self and is already without self has no mark of self, mark of person, or mark of sentient beings; their mind is empty, and in dealing with people and affairs they are reserved, low-key, and modest, not outwardly expansive, not fond of self-display, without pride or a sense of achievement, not needing others' flattery, praise, or worship; whether others regard them highly or lowly makes no difference, and 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 the view of self and the mark of self.

Many people have a very heavy view of self and fear the disappearance of the self, so they rack their brains to find a sense of existence and constantly establish the value of the self—all of these are very obvious marks of self. For such people, eradicating the view of self is very difficult, and the hope in this life is slim. Some people engaged in the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of no-self, upon observing the first signs of no-self, become afraid that the self will disappear, feeling inwardly that if there is no self, how terrible that would be! How can the self be allowed to vanish? How then could one continue to grasp at this world? So they dare not continue contemplating no-self.

At this time one needs patience, and must slowly, in a winding and roundabout way, immerse and persuade oneself (the manas). Since beginningless kalpas, relying on and clinging to this self has become an ingrained habit; if the manas suddenly feels it can no longer rely on and grasp the self, fear will arise. Contemplative practice must proceed slowly; eradicating the view of self requires the manas to have a process of acceptance, a buffer, before it can accept no-self. Cultivation has a transition period, and the length of the transition period depends on one's own power of immersion. To cross the transition period quickly, one should repent of the sins created through clinging to self since beginningless kalpas, recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra often, or perform prostration repentance to seek 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.