Contemplating the Five Aggregates and Eliminating the View of Self (Part I) (Second Edition)

Section Two: The View of Self of the Mind Consciousness and the View of Self of the Manas

1. The View of Self of the Manas

The view of self arises because of the manas; because the manas possesses the view of self, sentient beings of the five aggregates have, since beginningless kalpas, been taking the thief as their father, falsely undergoing the suffering of birth-and-death transmigration. Taking the thief as the father—this is done by the manas. Which one is the thief? The functions and operations of the six consciousnesses are the thief. Which one is the father? The self and what belongs to the self are the father. The manas has not understood the arising-ceasing, impermanent, and mutable nature of the six consciousnesses, and thus takes the functions of the six consciousnesses as its own functions and operations, clinging to them without letting go, greedily grasping them without cease. What should be done? First, acknowledge that within the body there is a true mind that neither arises nor ceases; then contemplate the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and selflessness of the six consciousnesses and the five aggregates, their arising-ceasing mutability, and their unattainability; then contemplate the arising-ceasing, impermanent, and selfless nature of the six sense faculties and six sense objects. Only then can the thief be eliminated. When there is no thief in the mind, and one then severs the clinging and greedy attachment to the thief, liberation is attained.

The view of self of the manas is extremely broad and deep-subtle, carrying a very strong clinging nature; at all times it constantly grasps all dharmas as self and as belonging to the self. The manas grasps the function of the eye consciousness seeing forms as belonging to the self, believing that "I saw the form, I can see forms"; it grasps the function of the ear consciousness hearing sounds as belonging to the self, believing that "I heard the sound, I can hear sounds"; it grasps the function of the nose consciousness smelling odors as belonging to the self, believing that "I smelled the odor, I can smell odors"; it grasps the function of the tongue consciousness tasting flavors as belonging to the self, believing that "I tasted the flavor, I can taste flavors." It grasps the function of the body consciousness feeling contact as belonging to the self, believing that "I felt comfort and painful contact, I can feel comfort and painful contact"; it grasps the function of the mind consciousness knowing as belonging to the self, believing that "I know many dharmas, I can think and can perceive many dharmas."

On the one hand, it grasps the functions and operations of the eighth consciousness as self; on the other hand, it grasps the functions and operations of the six consciousnesses as self, believing that "I know all dharmas, I can discern all dharmas, all dharmas are mine." For example, "I have supernatural powers, I can manifest multiple bodies, I can create everything"—these and many other such selves are all the view of self of the manas; He universally deliberates and grasps all dharmas as self and as belonging to the self. Since beginningless kalpas, the manas has constantly mistaken the five aggregates and eighteen realms as self, and also takes the manas itself, which can act as the master, as real and as self, thereby generating clinging. The view of self of the manas is extremely difficult to sever; it requires repeated, deep, and meticulous contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the true characteristics of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, contemplating the true characteristics of the conscious mind, until the manas contemplates and realizes the actuality, recognizes the truth, and in the depths of the mind truly realizes that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are not the real self—then the view of self is severed. Although the view of self has been severed, the manas's clinging to self still exists; this can only be gradually eliminated after attaining the third fruit, and when fully severed, one becomes an arhat of the fourth fruit.

Taking the five aggregates as self is mainly the wrong view (mithyā-dṛṣṭi) of the manas. The manas believes the material body is self, belonging to me the manas; the functions and operations of the six consciousnesses are self, belonging to me the manas; the six sense objects are self, belonging to me the manas; the five sense faculties are self, belonging to me the manas; the functions and operations of the manas are self. Only the manas is most qualified to say that all dharmas are mine, because all dharmas indeed serve the manas, including the six consciousnesses and the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore the self of the manas is so self-confident, so obstinate, so stubborn, so blind, so irreversible—that is why severing the view of self for the first time is so difficult.

2. The View of Self of the Mind Consciousness

The mind that can feel itself is the mind consciousness. The mind consciousness has the perceiving-aspect (darśana-bhāga) and self-cognition (svasaṃvitti), and can validate and know all dharmas; the mind consciousness also has self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana), and can validate, know, and introspect upon itself. Therefore only the mind consciousness has a sense of self, which also includes feeling the mental activities of the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses. The mind consciousness believes that the one who can feel all dharmas is the self, that all dharmas are possessed by the self, and that the self is permanent and never ceases—this is the view of self of the mind consciousness.

Whether it is the view of self of the mind consciousness or the view of self of the manas, before the view of self is severed, all views are erroneous and are wrong views (mithyā-dṛṣṭi). The dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, including the material body and the feelings of the material body, the conscious mind and the feelings of the conscious mind—all these dharmas arise from causes and conditions, and therefore are all illusory dharmas. Following these causes and conditions in inference, one direction leads to the conclusion that all dharmas are empty, nonexistent, and not self; the other direction leads to the conclusion that all dharmas are born from the tathāgatagarbha. Both are severing the view of self; the latter is also the Mahāyāna seeing the mind.

The manas grasps its own ever-present, ever-acting masterhood and decision-making nature as self, not knowing that this too is arising-ceasing, illusory, and unreal. Does the mind consciousness grasp the manas's ever-present masterhood, decision-making nature, and constant deliberative examination (manasikāra) as self and as real? If the mind consciousness does not know that these functions and operations belong to the manas, and takes them as its own functions and operations, this is erroneous grasping, showing that the mind consciousness also lacks wisdom. The mind consciousness takes its own functions of discerning and discriminating the six sense objects as real and as self—this is the self-validating cognition (svasaṃvedana) of the mind consciousness, and this too is mistaken recognition. This mistaken recognition causes the manas to mistakenly recognize accordingly. In order to correct this mistaken recognition of the manas, first let the mind consciousness reflect that the functions and operations of the mind consciousness are not real and not self, so as to permeate the manas; once the manas is permeated and no longer takes the functions of the mind consciousness as real and as self, the view of self is severed. 

3. The Discriminated View of Self Is the View of Self of the Mind Consciousness

The discriminated view of self is also called the intermittent view of self; this is the view of self of the mind consciousness, which is acquired after birth, and is also influenced by the innate manas. The innate view of self is the view of self of the manas, because the manas has existed since beginningless kalpas and has never ceased; since beginningless kalpas it has constantly taken the five aggregates as itself, so it is rather stubborn and its views are difficult to sever. The view of self of the mind consciousness is the mind consciousness believing that the five aggregates and eighteen realms are the self and are real, believing that the mind consciousness itself is real, never perishing, and can go to future lives—holding this view is the view of self of the mind consciousness. This requires contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the illusoriness of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, especially contemplating the illusoriness of the mind consciousness, in order to sever the view of self of the mind consciousness.

4. The Innate View of Self Is the View of Self of the Seventh Consciousness

The seventh consciousness itself has a discriminating nature; its view is also a discriminating view. "Innate" means that the seventh consciousness has existed without cessation since beginningless kalpas; therefore the view of self and discriminating view of the seventh consciousness are views that are innate and inborn from birth, and thus are called the innate view of self. The seventh consciousness, the manas, belongs to one of the six faculties and one of the eighteen realms. When severing the view of self, since the self of the five aggregates and eighteen realms is severed, of course the view of self of the manas, the seventh consciousness, must also be severed, realizing that the manas, the seventh consciousness, is also not the self—only this is the true and complete severance of the view of self; otherwise it is not completely severed, but only a partial severing of the view of self, and then one is not a person of the first fruit (srotāpanna). As for the self-grasping (ātma-grāha) of the seventh consciousness, the manas—its clinging to the five aggregates and eighteen realms—can only be completely severed at the fourth fruit; that is, when the manas completely severs its clinging to the self of the five aggregates and eighteen realms, one is an arhat of the fourth fruit liberated by wisdom, with the ability to leave the three realms and be liberated from the bondage of birth and death.

5. Within the View of Self There Is Necessarily Self-Grasping

Within all views of self there is self-grasping. Whatever the mind entangles over and cannot let go of, cannot cut off, cannot see through—all of this is self-grasping. The view of self is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses believing there is a self that can see forms, hear sounds, smell odors, and taste flavors, or believing that the functions of seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling odors, and tasting flavors belong to the self; that there is a self that can think, analyze, and judge, a self that can feel, a self that can walk, sit, and lie down, or believing that these functions all belong to the self; at the same time, taking the material body as self, or taking the functions of the material body as belonging to the self. These wrong views are all the root of birth and death and should all be severed. Among them, the most fundamental view of self is the view of self of the seventh consciousness, the manas; the mind consciousness, relying on it, will also generate the view of self. The self that can see forms, hear sounds, smell odors, taste flavors, think, analyze, and judge is the six consciousnesses; the manas takes the functions of the six consciousnesses as self and as belonging to the self—this view of self must be severed.