The Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna Implications of the Aggregate of Volitional Formations Being Not-Self, Not-Different-from-Self, and Not-Mutually-Present

Original text:云何见行是我？谓六思身——眼触生思，耳、鼻、舌、身意触生思。于此六思身一一见是我，是名行即是我。云何见行异我？谓色是我，行是我所。受、想、识是我，行是我所，是名行异我。

云何见我中行？谓色是我，行在中住。受、想、行、识是我，行在中住，是谓我中行。云何见行中我？谓色是我，于行中住，周遍其四体，谓受、想、识是我，于行中住，周遍其四体，是名行中我。

Explanation: What does it mean to see the aggregate of volitional formations as the self? The aggregate of volitional formations is the six bodies of volition (saṃjñā): when the eye faculty contacts form objects, eye consciousness arises, and eye consciousness has volition; when the ear faculty contacts sound objects, ear consciousness arises, and ear consciousness has volition; when the nose faculty contacts odor objects, nose consciousness arises, and nose consciousness has volition; when the tongue faculty contacts flavor objects, tongue consciousness arises, and tongue consciousness has volition; when the body faculty contacts tactile objects, body consciousness arises, and body consciousness has volition; when the manas contacts dharma objects, mind consciousness arises, and mind consciousness has volition. When the manas takes all six of these bodies of volition as the self, believing that the self (the manas) is precisely these six bodies of volition, this is called "volitional formations are the self (the manas)."

In fact, the volitional formations are not the self; the six bodies of volition are not the self. When one realizes that the six bodies of volition are not the self, one eradicates the view of self that takes the six bodies of volition as the self. Thereafter, the manas no longer takes the six bodies of volition as the self, no longer believes that the aggregate of volitional formations of the eye consciousness seeing forms, which arises when the eye faculty contacts form objects, is the self (the manas); no longer believes that the aggregate of volitional formations of the ear consciousness hearing sounds, which arises when the ear faculty contacts sound objects, is the self (the manas); no longer believes that the aggregate of volitional formations which arises when the nose faculty contacts odor objects is the self (the manas); no longer believes that the aggregate of volitional formations of the tongue consciousness tasting flavors, which arises when the tongue faculty contacts flavor objects, is the self (the manas); no longer believes that the aggregate of volitional formations of the body consciousness feeling touch, which arises when the body faculty contacts tactile objects, is the self (the manas); no longer believes that the aggregate of volitional formations of the mind consciousness deliberating on dharmas, which arises when the manas contacts dharma objects, is the self (the manas). When the manas no longer takes these functions and operations as the self, there is no self in the five aggregates. When the mind consciousness contemplates and practices contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the six faculties, the mind consciousness and the manas will realize that the manas is also not the self, that it too is subject to arising, ceasing, change, and impermanence, that it is empty and suffering. Only then does the manas truly eradicate the view of self, eradicating the self of the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses, and there is no self in the context of the Small Vehicle dharma.

However, in the context of the Great Vehicle dharma, there is still one true self, the eighth consciousness, which cannot be eradicated and exists forever without perishing — that is the true self. But when it comes to concrete contemplative practice, it still occurs at the time of studying the Great Vehicle dharma and investigating Chan to realize the eighth consciousness. For example, the Heart Sutra specifically speaks of the time of realizing the eighth consciousness, when one illuminates and sees that the five aggregates are all empty (the eighth consciousness), that form is not different from emptiness (the eighth consciousness), that emptiness (the eighth consciousness) is not different from form, and so on. This is the realm of profound wisdom after breaking through the barrier from the Great Vehicle perspective; if one's enlightenment is shallow, one cannot yet observe this.

What does it mean to see the volitional formations as different from the self? It means that the manas believes the aggregate of form is the self (the manas), and then the aggregate of volitional formations is what the self (the manas) possesses; if the manas takes the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, and the aggregate of consciousness as the self, it will take the aggregate of volitional formations as what the self possesses. This is called "volitional formations are different from the self (the manas)."

In fact, the volitional formations are not different from the self (the manas) — no, rather, the aggregate of volitional formations is not possessed by the self (the manas); the functions and operations of the aggregate of volitional formations are not mine; they are subject to arising, ceasing, change, and impermanence; they are suffering and empty, and cannot be grasped or held onto. Thus the manas eradicates the view of self that takes the aggregate of volitional formations as the self or as different from the self.

This is said from the perspective of contemplative practice in the Small Vehicle dharma. From the perspective of the Great Vehicle dharma, after a bodhisattva investigates Chan and realizes the eighth consciousness, he will observe that the five aggregates are not different from the eighth consciousness; the five aggregates as a whole are all produced by the eighth consciousness, belong to the eighth consciousness, are the functions and operations of the eighth consciousness, and stand in a relationship of neither one nor different with the eighth consciousness. At the stage of cultivating the Small Vehicle, this cannot be realized.

What is seeing volitional formations as dwelling within the self (the manas)? It means that the manas believes the aggregate of form is the self, and the aggregate of volitional formations dwells within the aggregate of form; the manas believes the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, and the aggregate of consciousness are the self, and the aggregate of volitional formations dwells within the aggregate of feeling, perception, and consciousness. This refers to the self being within the aggregate of volitional formations.

In fact, the self is not within the aggregate of volitional formations, because the selves of the aggregate of form, feeling, perception, and consciousness are all subject to arising and ceasing and are not the self; the aggregate of volitional formations is also subject to arising and ceasing and is not possessed by the self. There is no self, and there is no self's possession. This is said from the perspective and result of Small Vehicle contemplative practice. If we speak from the perspective and result of Great Vehicle prajñā contemplative practice, the aggregate of volitional formations does not dwell within the eighth consciousness, because the eighth consciousness is without form and without mark, and the aggregate of volitional formations is empty; the two cannot exist within each other.

What is seeing the self within the volitional formations? It means that the manas believes the aggregate of form is the self, and the aggregate of form dwells within the aggregate of volitional formations; the self dwells within the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of volitional formations pervades the four limbs and the whole body. The manas believes the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness are the self, and the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness dwell within the aggregate of volitional formations; the self dwells within the aggregate of volitional formations, and the self pervades the entire body. This is called "the self within the volitional formations."

In fact, there is no self within the aggregate of volitional formations, because the aggregate of volitional formations is empty and subject to arising and ceasing, and the aggregates of form, feeling, perception, and consciousness are also empty and subject to arising and ceasing. What is empty is nothingness, and within nothingness there are no dharmas. Therefore, the self and the aggregate of volitional formations do not exist within each other.

This is said purely from the perspective of Small Vehicle contemplative practice. From the perspective and result of Great Vehicle contemplative practice, the eighth consciousness and the aggregate of volitional formations likewise cannot exist within each other, because the eighth consciousness is without form and without mark, and the aggregate of volitional formations is empty; the two cannot exist within each other.