眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

20 Oct 2018    Saturday     2nd Teach Total 932

The Anātman of Manas

The non-self nature of the manas involves four aspects: first, not recognizing the manas as real; second, not recognizing the five skandhas as real or as the self; third, not recognizing the functions of the six consciousnesses as real or as the functions of the manas itself; fourth, not recognizing the functions of the eighth consciousness as the functions of the manas itself.

When severing the attachment to the self of persons, it must be realized that the five skandhas and the eighteen dhatus are not the self. Gradually, the attachment to the five skandhas and eighteen dhatus begins to diminish, and the observation arises that this function of the five skandhas is not the self, that function is not the self—none of the functions of the five skandhas are the self. In this way, bit by bit, the manas' attachment to the five skandhas is eliminated, and one becomes a fourth-stage arhat. After the manas severs attachment to the five skandhas, it achieves initial non-outflow, and a portion of its parikalpita-svabhāva (the nature of imputed existence) is eradicated. Before attaining the fourth fruit of arhatship, the attachment of the manas to the self is continuously subdued. This process begins gradually upon attaining the first fruit and becoming a stream-enterer, continuing step by step until the fourth-stage arhat completely severs self-attachment.

First-ground bodhisattvas begin to sever the attachment to the self of dharmas fraction by fraction. To sever this attachment, one must attain the wisdom of non-arising Dharma patience, realizing the non-self nature in all dharmas—that all dharmas lack autonomy and are merely manifested by the eighth consciousness. Observing that indeed no self exists in any dharma, that none are the self, the manas acknowledges that all dharmas are neither the self nor possessed by the self. Only through this gradual realization can it relinquish attachment to all dharmas. When the manas achieves complete non-self and ceases clinging to any dharma, with the mind empty and pure, only then can one attain Buddhahood.

——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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