Section Two: The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment

The contemplative practice for eliminating the view of self in the Hinayana tradition involves contemplating the nature of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and selflessness in the five aggregates. It entails contemplating the nature of arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing in all dharmas, the impermanence of the physical body, the impermanence of all sensations, the impermanence of thoughts and concepts, the impermanence of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and the impermanence of all mental activities. It involves contemplating the impermanence of the universe as the container world, the impermanence of living environments, and the impermanence of all people, affairs, and material things surrounding us. After observing the impermanence of all these dharmas, one contemplates their emptiness, suffering, and mutable nature. Dharmas that are impermanent, suffering, empty, and mutable are not-self and without self.

The prerequisite for successful contemplative practice is that one's mental disposition should be somewhat subdued. The mental disposition of an ordinary person should be reduced and diminished, corresponding more or less with that of the sages and saints. The meritorious virtues to be cultivated should be complete, the precepts should be fully upheld, and patience and diligence should be sufficient. Samadhi should reach the level of access concentration. In terms of wisdom, the principles of the five aggregates and the eighteen elements should be clearly understood. When these foundational conditions are all present, one becomes close to the sages, and when the causes and conditions ripen, one can become a first fruit sage who has eliminated the view of self.

Contemplating the false and selfless nature of the five aggregates and eighteen elements is not very difficult. The difficulty lies in not having cultivated the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, not having laid a solid foundation for realizing the path. Without this, all contemplative practice seems arduous. If the foundation of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment is well established, with a little contemplation, one can confirm the false, unreal, and selfless nature of the five aggregates. Nowadays, Buddhists tend to be impatient; most exert effort only at the stage of hearing the Dharma, neglecting other foundational practices of the Dharma. Consequently, it is difficult to realize the Dharma authentically, the time required for practice becomes prolonged, and progress on the path advances very slowly.

I. The Content of the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts, the Four Bases of Spiritual Power, the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness: Contemplating the body as impure, contemplating sensation as suffering, contemplating the mind as impermanent, and contemplating dharmas as not-self.

The Four Right Efforts: Diligently and single-mindedly cultivating the Four Foundations of Mindfulness eliminates all laziness, enables the abandoning of arisen unwholesome states, prevents the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, enables the growth of arisen wholesome states, and causes the arising of unarisen wholesome states, thus actively abandoning the unwholesome and cultivating the wholesome.

The Five Faculties: Faculty means that which enables growth. They are the faith faculty, the diligence faculty, the mindfulness faculty, the concentration faculty, and the wisdom faculty. These five faculties can grow into five powers capable of destroying the darkness of ignorance.

The Five Powers: The power of faith destroys superstition, the power of diligence destroys laziness, the power of mindfulness destroys evil, the power of concentration destroys distraction, and the power of wisdom destroys ignorance. Through the growth of the five faculties, power is attained. The mind is not corrupted or held by anger and can overcome the five hindrances.

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment are: Mindfulness, investigation of dharmas, diligence, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.

The Noble Eightfold Path: Right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

The Four Bases of Spiritual Power (Four Rddhipāda): The base of spiritual power due to aspiration (chanda-rddhipāda), the base of spiritual power due to diligence (vīrya-rddhipāda), the base of spiritual power due to concentration (citta-rddhipāda), and the base of spiritual power due to investigation (mīmāṃsā-rddhipāda). Because the power of concentration cultivated is insufficient to make the mind function as desired, one needs to practice meditation to achieve the purpose of collecting the mind, enabling balanced concentration and wisdom, abundant energy, and the fulfillment of all wishes. The four rddhipāda are four kinds of miraculous powers and functions that can satisfy one's own mental wishes. "Base" (pāda) means that which is relied upon, depended on, or leaned on. "Spiritual power" (rddhi) refers to the ability to have everything as one wishes, the fulfillment of wishes.

The base of spiritual power due to aspiration (chanda-rddhipāda): "Aspiration" (chanda) means desire or hope. Because the mind has a desire or hope for Dharma practice, it gives rise to a decisive mind towards the Dharma, induces concentration power, increases concentration and wisdom, and manifests miraculous powers and functions. The base of spiritual power due to diligence (vīrya-rddhipāda): "Diligence" (vīrya) means energetic effort. Because of diligently and energetically practicing the Dharma, one gives rise to a decisive mind towards the Dharma, increases concentration and wisdom, and manifests miraculous powers and functions. The base of spiritual power due to mindfulness (citta-rddhipāda): When the mind continuously dwells on the Dharma being practiced, one attains the power of mindfulness. Due to the power of mindfulness, one gives rise to a decisive mind towards the Dharma, increases concentration and wisdom, and manifests miraculous powers and functions.

The base of spiritual power due to investigation (mīmāṃsā-rddhipāda): "Investigation" (mīmāṃsā) means contemplative thinking; due to contemplation, one gives rise to a decisive mind towards the Dharma, increases concentration and wisdom, and manifests miraculous powers and functions. Sentient beings, through these four methods of practice and exertion, give rise to concentration power, enabling all wishes to be satisfied and everything to be as desired. From this perspective, if one studies Buddhism and practices without cultivating concentration, the mind cannot attain freedom, wisdom cannot arise, and one's aspirations regarding the realization of the Dharma cannot be fulfilled. Without concentration, the Dharma cannot be accomplished.

After completing the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, contemplating the dharmas of the five aggregates can eliminate the view of self. After contemplation eliminates the view of self, one becomes a Hinayana first fruit sage. Simultaneously, the three fetters are immediately severed, thereby loosening the bonds of birth and death in the three evil destinies, destroying the karma for the three evil destinies, and ensuring one will never fall into the three evil destinies in the future.

II. How to Eliminate the View of Self?

The World-Honored One, in the Saṃyuktāgama, instructs us to observe the falsity, impermanence, mutability, suffering, emptiness, and selflessness of the five aggregates, contemplating and reflecting on each aggregate one by one. This is called contemplative practice (vipaśyanā). Contemplative practice requires considerable power of concentration. Only when the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment are completed can contemplative practice become effective and yield results. The eighteen elements (dhātus) must also be contemplated one by one for their falsity, arising and ceasing, impermanence, and mutability. Finally, one confirms that neither the five aggregates nor the eighteen elements are the real self, nor do they belong to a self. When one truly confirms this internally, and body and mind abide in samādhi, the view of self is eliminated.

From then on, deep within, one no longer regards the five aggregates as the true self. Thus, the three fetters that bind one to the cycle of birth and death – the view of self, adherence to rites and rituals (śīlavrata-parāmarśa), and doubt – are also severed, and one will not fall into the three evil destinies in the future. To achieve this, one needs to thoroughly understand the principles of the Four Noble Truths taught by the World-Honored One in the Āgamas. When the power of concentration is sufficient, one should then contemplate them one by one. This is the general direction of effort for eliminating the view of self. The thirty-seven aids to enlightenment must be well cultivated, and the Noble Eightfold Path must also be well cultivated. All bodily, verbal, and mental actions must accord with the Noble Eightfold Path. Only then can contemplative practice succeed, enabling one to become a first fruit sage.