Contemplating the Five Aggregates and Eliminating the View of Self (Part I) (Second Edition)
Section Five: The Five Aggregates Are All Empty — All Are the Nature of the Tathāgatagarbha
1. Why Is It Said That Great Wisdom Can Break Through the Toils and Afflictions of the Five Aggregates
When we realize the great wisdom originally possessed by the prajñā of true suchness (tathatā), the conscious mind simultaneously gives rise to prajñā wisdom, clearly understanding that the true mind is originally unborn and undying, that the true mind is originally endowed with all dharmas, that the true mind can give birth to all dharmas, that the true mind can give rise to the body of the five aggregates, that the true mind can manifest all bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and that where there is the true mind, there is the existence of all dharmas. At the same time, one knows that the five aggregates are produced by the true mind; they are dharmas subject to arising and ceasing, and their functions are all produced by the true mind through conditions. They are not truly existent; they are illusory dharmas of constant arising and ceasing.
In this way, one knows the principle that the five aggregates are not the self, and thereby eradicates the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), breaking through the afflictive obstruction of delusion that takes the five aggregates to be the self. From then on, the deluded and inverted notions in one's views are gone, and the afflictions and karmic delusions within the three realms, the five desires, and the six sense objects, life after life, can gradually fade away. That is, through subsequent cultivation one further eradicates the afflictions of delusion in deliberation (manasikāra) — delusions of thought or psychological afflictions, such as greed, hatred, delusion, and arrogance, these afflictions of the five aggregates. Thereafter, all the toils and afflictions will vanish and be extinguished. The breaking and extinguishing of these toils and afflictions comes from realizing the great wisdom of prajñā. Therefore, only by being endowed with great wisdom can one break through the toils and afflictions of the five aggregates and attain liberation from birth and death.
2. How Can One Realize That the Five Aggregates Are All Empty
The mind that can engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and can know that the five aggregates are all empty is the deluded mind of the seven transforming consciousnesses. The seven transforming consciousnesses have the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and have ignorance. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses, through contemplating and deliberating within meditative concentration (samādhi) on the selfless nature of the five aggregates, realize that the five aggregates are all empty, thereby breaking through ignorance and eradicating the view of self. When investigating the eighth consciousness within meditative concentration, at the moment of breaking through the barrier of doubt, one realizes the original mind, the eighth consciousness, and simultaneously illuminates and sees that the five aggregates are all empty. If one further cultivates meditative concentration, the waters of concentration of the first dhyāna can moisten and thereby eradicate craving and aversion; when craving and aversion are eradicated, the mind attains liberation, no longer bound by craving, no longer bound by the five desires and six sense objects. If one cultivates to the fourth fruit, having completely eradicated craving and attachment to the world of the three realms, one can be liberated from the bondage of birth, aging, sickness, and death in the world of the three realms and transcend the three realms. After eradicating afflictions and attaining liberation of mind, one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions become pure, and one no longer creates defiled karmic actions of greed, hatred, and delusion; the mind becomes pure and at ease.
Where there is ignorance, there is craving and defilement, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions are impure. After creating karmic actions, when karmic conditions ripen, one must undergo karmic retribution, and at that time one will be in unbearable distress, with birth and death without end. By studying the Āgama sūtras and contemplating to eradicate the view of self, knowing that the five aggregates are illusory, subject to arising and ceasing, and not the self, one no longer creates unwholesome karma day after day revolving around the false self of the five aggregates. Knowing that the world of the three realms is all illusory, one no longer craves or defiles worldly dharmas, is no longer bound by worldly dharmas, and the mind can attain liberation. If one further cultivates the Mahāyāna dharma, seeing the mind and seeing the nature, realizing the tathāgatagarbha, and constantly observing the pure and selfless nature of the tathāgatagarbha, learning from Him and emulating Him, then in the future one will be able to have a mind without hindrance, without inverted dreams and illusions, without fear, with the mind attaining liberation.
3. Why Are the Five Aggregates Empty?
When the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara practiced deep prajñā-pāramitā, He illuminated and saw that the five aggregates are all empty, and crossed over all suffering and distress. Why are the five aggregates empty? Take as an analogy a puppet performing a puppet show: the puppet's limbs and head are all tied with strings, and only when someone behind pulls the strings can the puppet perform. When the puppet performs, one cannot say that this event does not exist, but the performance has no substance; it is not real, it lacks self-mastery (avaśatā), it cannot act autonomously — it is empty and illusory. The marks exist, yet they have no substance of their own; therefore, the marks are not real.
Our five aggregates are also like this. One cannot say the five aggregates do not exist, but this existence is illusory; there is no substantial five aggregates. The five aggregates lack self-mastery and autonomy, and therefore are unreal. Another example: when a person with low blood pressure feels dizzy, golden flowers flash before the eyes, and black dots appear everywhere before them. For that person, one cannot say these black dots do not exist, but this existence is illusory and unreal — entirely an illusion that others cannot see. We need not feel fear or aversion toward the black dots, nor need we summon the intention to drive them away; as long as the dizziness is cured, the black dots will disappear. Likewise, as long as we cure our illness of ignorance, the illusory false marks will vanish from the mind, and one will see all dharmas as the mind of ultimate reality (dharmatā-citta).
The five aggregates are as illusory and unreal as these black dots, as false as that puppet performing a play. To truly understand these principles, one must practice deep prajñā-pāramitā, engaging in deep and subtle contemplative practice, deliberation, and investigation; when one realizes pāramitā, one will know. All marks exist, but the existence is false existence — illusory, conjured, lacking self-mastery — and thus the five aggregates are not the self. Yet there is a self that is not conjured; although He is without marks, He is indeed the mark of ultimate reality, a truly existent mark.
The contemplative practice of prajñā wisdom only yields pre-enlightenment contemplative wisdom when one has cultivated the sixth of the bodhisattva's six pāramitās. Only with contemplative wisdom can one's contemplative practice accomplish prajñā wisdom. When contemplative practice is accomplished and one has realized the mind that is originally at ease, one can discover that this mind is a mind that attains nothing. Regarding all worldly dharmas, He attains nothing at all, because He needs nothing, is endowed with everything, and lacks nothing whatsoever. This mind — we may call Him Buddha, or call Him sentient being, or call Him anything, or not call Him anything; He is indifferent to it all. He is a mind of indifference: anything goes, with or without anything; however one treats Him is fine — whether one recognizes Him or not, He is indifferent, because He is at ease! We, on the other hand, are not at ease: we insist it must be this way and cannot be otherwise — how utterly lacking in ease!
When one contemplates deeply and conditions ripen, one can realize the illusoriness of the five aggregates, clearly understanding that the five aggregates are not the self, that the five aggregates are impermanent, that the five aggregates are empty. The five aggregates are originally empty; it is only because of ignorance that this principle is not known — through contemplative practice one can realize and know this principle. When we practice deep prajñā-pāramitā and realize the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, we know that all dharmas are the functioning of the tathāgatagarbha, that the five aggregates are also the functioning of the tathāgatagarbha, that suffering and distress are also the functioning of the tathāgatagarbha — the whole is the wondrous function of the tathāgatagarbha. Originally there are no five aggregates and no suffering or distress; these false marks are all manifested by the tathāgatagarbha, as if conjured forth.
Thus the five aggregates are empty, suffering and distress are empty, and all dharmas are false marks — all manifestations of the tathāgatagarbha. With the tathāgatagarbha's conjured manifestations, all other dharmas are but bubbles and shadows. The tathāgatagarbha has no suffering whatsoever; when He appears, all suffering and distress become the nature of the tathāgatagarbha, and suffering and distress are entirely eliminated. Therefore, when the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara practiced deep prajñā-pāramitā, He was able to illuminate and see that the five aggregates are all empty, and to cross over all suffering and distress. We can also engage in such contemplative practice, illuminating and seeing that the five aggregates are all empty and are all the tathāgatagarbha; from then on we can break through the toils and afflictions of the five aggregates.
4. All Dharmas Are Entirely Illusory and Unreal
All dharmas arise from within the tathāgatagarbha; then when all dharmas cease, where do they cease to? When material form arises, it is formed by the seeds of the four great elements; when it ceases, the seeds of the four great elements disperse. At arising it comes from the tathāgatagarbha; at ceasing it returns into the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, when we see all material forms disappear, in the end they leave without a trace — there is no place of cessation.
The six sense-object forms within the supreme faculty (indriya) at the back of the head are also like this: at arising they are formed by the seeds of the four great elements, coming from the tathāgatagarbha; at ceasing the seeds of the four great elements return into the tathāgatagarbha, vanishing without a trace. We cannot see or feel how the six sense-object material forms within the supreme faculty at the back of the head are actually born or how they perish, yet these things truly come without a trace and leave without a shadow — in fact, they are all arising and ceasing within the tathāgatagarbha. What arises and ceases are all images, replacing one another moment by moment — impossible to grasp, impossible to touch, yet feeling so real. It is truly a hallucination, nothing but self-deception and deception of others.
Even the things we see filling the room every day, appearing so crowded — the entire room and the things in it are all images, not real; even the feeling of crowding is conjured up, utterly unreal. When looking at a refrigerator, the image of the refrigerator is taken into the supreme faculty, arising and ceasing moment by moment, and then disappears. When looking at a television, the image of the television is generated in the supreme faculty and then perishes. Then it changes to a sofa, tables and chairs, and so on — one image after another is born, then one image after another perishes, coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow, arising, ceasing, and changing moment by moment — extremely illusory and unreal.
When hearing sounds, the images of all sounds are formed in the supreme faculty either simultaneously or in sequence; at ceasing, they either cease simultaneously or in sequence, coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow. In fact, they all come from the tathāgatagarbha and return into the tathāgatagarbha. In coming and going, it is not substantial material form that comes from the tathāgatagarbha and returns into the tathāgatagarbha, but the seeds of the four great elements that come from the tathāgatagarbha and return into the tathāgatagarbha — formless and markless, and in fact they never actually entered or exited the tathāgatagarbha at all. The birth and perishing of the physical body is also like this: illusory, unreal, arising in an instant, perishing in an instant, coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow — what substantial material form is there? It merely deceives people's eyes and ears.
The consciousness-seeds of the five sense consciousnesses are produced from within the tathāgatagarbha, and thus there seemingly arise seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching — in fact illusory and unreal. At ceasing, the consciousness-seeds return into the tathāgatagarbha, the five sense consciousnesses vanish without a trace, coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow — merely conjured illusions deceiving people. The consciousness-seeds of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses are born from the tathāgatagarbha, forming a seemingly continuous capacity for knowing and discriminating — arising in an instant, perishing in an instant; at arising there is no place they come from, at ceasing no place they go, formless and markless, coming without a trace and leaving without a shadow. Illusory like a mirage, they merely deceive the mind-consciousness; there is no real event, no real dharma — all are tricks of the tathāgatagarbha.
A monkey, facing the moon in a lake, indulges in all sorts of fancies and imaginings, vainly attempting to scoop it up. A foolish dog, facing the image in a mirror, bares its teeth and claws, vainly attempting to drive it away. Each sentient being's life after life, summed up in a rather apt phrase, is futile and profitless — even becoming a Buddha is a matter within a dream. Being a sentient being is a nightmare; becoming a Buddha is a sweet dream.
5. Both the Five Aggregates and All Things Are Sustained by the Tathāgatagarbha's Function of Upholding
The tathāgatagarbha does not mix together with the various states of the five sense objects, because the states of the five sense objects are material form, whereas the tathāgatagarbha is mind; the two cannot be confused with each other. The tathāgatagarbha cannot be behind the objects of scenery, nor can it be together with the scenery, although material forms cannot exist apart from the tathāgatagarbha. Realizing the tathāgatagarbha is not accomplished behind material forms; it is realized amid the activities of the five aggregates. When our contemplative practice on the illusoriness of the five aggregates and the eighteen realms shows obvious effect, the mind should be somewhat stirred, and only then do we perceive that the external states are all upheld by the tathāgatagarbhas of all sentient beings of commonality of sentient beings (sattva-sabhāga), and are not real. When one can contemplate to this degree, eradicating the view of what belongs to the self will be near; the mind no longer takes the material forms one possesses as real, and for the most part one can see through the emptiness of the material forms one possesses. When inner feelings become somewhat empty, the power of meditative concentration can rapidly increase.
The five aggregates and all things have an obvious difference: all things have no conscious mind, no spirituality, no feeling, perception, volitional formations, or consciousness — they are merely composed of the four great elements — but they all have the tathāgatagarbha's function of upholding. On the five aggregates, however, there is the activity of the eight consciousnesses; there is spirituality, there are feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness, and there are behavioral actions. Therefore, behind all dharmas there is the tathāgatagarbha sustaining and transforming them. Thus it is said that all dharmas are subject to arising and ceasing and illusory, and all are the meritorious function of the tathāgatagarbha.
6. The Difference Between the True Mind and the Deluded Mind
On all the illusory dharmas of the five aggregates, the true mind and the deluded mind operate together. Both minds are formless and markless, neither inside, outside, nor in between, but the natures of the two minds are utterly different. The deluded mind has arising and ceasing, movement and transformation, discrimination, defilement, and habitual tendencies, whereas the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, has none of these. When we come into contact with all worldly phenomena, we must carefully analyze and deliberate on the unreality, illusoriness, lack of autonomy, and mutability of these phenomena; gradually the mind will no longer cling or crave, afflictions will become slight, and contemplative practice to eradicate the view of self will proceed quickly.
If one further observes what lies behind all these phenomena, sustaining the existence and operation of the phenomenal world — why all phenomena are so illusory yet can still arise and exist — then after such questioning doubt arises, one can gradually find the master of all things and realize the tathāgatagarbha that gives rise to all dharmas. Frequently observing the selfless and personless nature of all dharmas, the emptiness (śūnyatā) of all dharmas, one can not only attain realization of the fruits but also see the mind and attain enlightenment, after which one can successively obtain the contemplation of illusoriness, the contemplation of mirage-like appearances, the contemplation of dream-likeness, and various other contemplative practices.
7. Illusory and False Marks All Have Their False Functions
True emptiness (samyag-śūnyatā) refers to the tathāgatagarbha — truly real yet empty in nature; within the mind-substance there is not a single dharma, yet it can manifest all dharmas. Wondrous existence means that although the dharma-marks of the five aggregates and the eighteen realms exist, in substance they do not — they are all illusory dharmas manifested by the wondrous tathāgatagarbha. As for illusory dharmas, one cannot say those false marks do not exist, because sentient beings use those false marks every instant and moment — using the five aggregates to eat, dress, and walk, using the five aggregates to live. Sentient beings live within the illusory eighteen realms: what they see is false form, what they hear is false sound, what they smell is false scent, what they taste is false flavor, what they feel is false touch, and what they cognize is false dharma.
Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and cognizing are all functions of the five aggregates; therefore, one cannot deny the surface existence of the phenomena of the five aggregates. Although the five aggregates are not truly existent, they still have this mode of illusory existence. Clearly we use the five aggregates every day, yet some say the five aggregates do not exist. If the mind can truly acknowledge that the five aggregates are indeed illusory, that is good — that is the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa); may all sentient beings be able to do so. But if one denies that even the illusory marks of the five aggregates exist, then one cannot engage in contemplative practice, nor can one eradicate the view of self.
