The True Meaning of the Selflessness of Dharmas

The dharma of no-self in dharmas is a profound Yogācāra wisdom realm realized by bodhisattvas on the bhūmis. Regarding all the dharmas surrounding the five aggregates, they gradually realize that a portion of dharmas is not the self and lacks the nature of self; that most dharmas are not the self and lack the nature of self; and ultimately they realize that all dharmas are not the self and lack the nature of self, thereby attaining complete buddhahood. Sentient beings believe that all dharmas possess certain real attributes, and thus their minds give rise to grasping, which constitutes grasping at dharmas (dharmātma-grāha). Post-bhūmi bodhisattvas possess profound seed-wisdom (sarvākārajñatā) of Yogācāra and can directly observe how a portion of dharmas, and most dharmas, are born from and upheld by the eighth consciousness. Therefore, they no longer regard some portion of the dharmas of the three realms' world, or most of them, as truly possessing self-nature; in this way they realize no-self in a portion of dharmas and no-self in most dharmas.

Pre-bhūmi bodhisattvas and ordinary sentient beings, lacking the ability to directly observe the origin and substance of a portion of dharmas and most dharmas in the three realms' world, believe in their minds that these dharmas have a certain reality and possess the nature of self. They take the material universe (the inanimate world) to be the material universe, unable to observe in the slightest that the inanimate world is entirely an attribute of the eighth consciousness, a function of the eighth consciousness, constituted by the seeds of the eighth consciousness. Therefore, they believe dharmas have a self, and thus there arises grasping at dharmas as self. Sentient beings take all the principles and dharmas they cognize as truly existent—all principles and dharmas are just principles and dharmas—unable to observe in the slightest what the substance of these principles and dharmas actually is, not knowing that they are all attributes of the eighth consciousness and lack any so-called self-nature of their own. Therefore, they believe these principles and dharmas possess the nature of self and belong to the self, and thus there is grasping at dharmas as self.

If sentient beings could directly observe that the material universe is constituted by the seeds of the eighth consciousness, is an attribute of the eighth consciousness, and is in essence the eighth consciousness itself, then they would no longer regard the material universe as the material universe; they would see the shadow of the eighth consciousness in the material universe and see its functions, and there would be no view of self in dharmas and no grasping at dharmas as self. If sentient beings could directly observe that the six sense faculties and six sense objects are composed of the seeds of the eighth consciousness, are attributes of the eighth consciousness, and are in essence the eighth consciousness itself, then they would no longer regard the six faculties and six objects as the six faculties and six objects; they would see the shadow of the eighth consciousness in the six faculties and six objects and see its functions, and thus there would be no view of self in dharmas and no grasping at dharmas as self. (The six faculties and six objects are a portion of all dharmas; they too are dharmas.)

If sentient beings could directly observe that all rules, principles, conventional truths, and ultimate truths are formed from the seeds of the eighth consciousness, are attributes of the eighth consciousness, and are in essence the eighth consciousness itself, then they would no longer regard all these rules, principles, conventional truths, and ultimate truths as rules, principles, conventional truths, and ultimate truths; they would observe the shadow of the eighth consciousness and see its functions in these principles and truths, and thus there would be no view of self in dharmas and no grasping at dharmas as self. Therefore, the no-self in all dharmas realized by bodhisattvas on the bhūmis does not mean that all dharmas are not the eighth consciousness; on the contrary, it means precisely that all dharmas are the eighth consciousness, that all dharmas lack any self-nature of their own, that all dharmas are empty, illusory, unreal, and perishable. "All dharmas are not the self, not different from the self, and not dwelling in mutual relation with the self" does not mean that all dharmas are not the eighth consciousness, are not different from the eighth consciousness, and are not mingled with the eighth consciousness; quite the opposite—the essence of all dharmas is the eighth consciousness; they are dharmas within the one true dharmadhātu, and all of them are true.