How Can the Manas Eliminate Self-Grasping?

The reason the manas has self-grasping (ātma-grāha) is that it has self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi); the reason it has self-view is that there is fundamental ignorance (avidyā). Because of fundamental ignorance, the manas takes all the dharmas manifested by the eighth consciousness as "I" and "mine," not knowing that they all belong to the eighth consciousness; thus there arise self-view and the view of what belongs to self. Because the manas has such evil wrong views (mithyā-dṛṣṭi) and its views are not upright, it grasps at the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) and eighteen realms (aṣṭādaśa-dhātu), which are produced and manifested by the eighth consciousness, as "I" and "mine," refusing to let go, with afflictions blazing and birth-and-death unceasing.

To eliminate the manas's self-grasping, one must first eliminate its self-view; only with self-view can there be self-grasping. Only after self-view is eliminated can self-grasping be gradually eliminated—only when one sees wrongly is there grasping. If the manas's views become correct, knowing that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are suffering, empty, impermanent, and not-self, and cannot be grasped hold of, it will no longer cling to the five aggregates and eighteen realms, and in the end it can attain liberation, with the mind purified.

When the manas eliminates self-view, its cognition of the non-self of the five aggregates is divided into different levels. Because ignorance differs, meditative concentration (samādhi) differs, and the wisdom of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) differs, the depth to which self-view is eliminated varies. There is the elimination of self-view of the fourth fruit, the elimination of self-view of the third fruit, the elimination of self-view of the second fruit, and also the elimination of self-view of the first fruit. At each fruit-stage, the depth of eliminating self-view also differs, and the wisdom attained also differs. It is just like the uneven levels of students in a school—even students in the same grade and same class vary in level.

After eliminating self-view at the first fruit, one continues contemplative practice and cultivation of the principle that the five aggregates are suffering, empty, impermanent, and not-self; wisdom and meditative concentration grow ever deeper, and self-view is eliminated ever more thoroughly. Therefore the grasping at the five aggregates becomes ever lighter, and when self-grasping is completely eliminated, one becomes an arhat of the fourth fruit, a great arhat. For one whose self-view is completely eliminated and whose self-grasping is completely eliminated, fundamental ignorance is also completely eliminated, and at the end of life one can enter nirvāṇa without remainder (anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa).

Therefore self-view is the root of self-grasping; before eliminating self-grasping, one must certainly eliminate self-view. The manas completely eliminates self-grasping at the fourth fruit—but when did it begin to eliminate self-view? It must be that at the first fruit the manas's self-view is already eliminated. Only after self-view is eliminated can the manas's grasping nature toward the five aggregates gradually loosen and lighten, and afflictions become ever lighter; at a certain point, the second fruit is realized. Because grasping is lightened and afflictions slight, the five hindrances are effectively subdued, and first dhyāna can arise. Then, through the benefit and enjoyment of the merit within first dhyāna, the afflictions of greed and hatred are eliminated, and one becomes a person of the third fruit. Afterwards, when the conceit of "I" and self-grasping are completely eliminated, one becomes a person of the fourth fruit, and when one's karmic connections with the world are exhausted, one will enter nirvāṇa without remainder.

If the manas does not eliminate self-view, one cannot become a stream-enterer (Srotaāpanna), nor have the liberating merit and enjoyment of the first fruit, and thus cannot, on that basis, proceed further in contemplative practice to become a once-returner (Sakṛdāgāmin) with slight afflictions; if one cannot become a once-returner, one cannot give rise to first dhyāna and become a non-returner (Anāgāmin); if one cannot become a non-returner, one cannot become an arhat of the fourth fruit who has completely eliminated afflictions.

Such is the sequence of practice of the Small Vehicle, and bodhisattvas of the Great Vehicle cannot skip over it without cultivating it; the practice of Great Vehicle bodhisattvas must also follow this principle, this sequence, this procedure.