The Elimination of Self-View and Self-Grasping of the Manas

Since the manas has the nature of grasping—grasping at the self of persons and the self of dharmas—does the manas have a nature of self? The manas has possessed the nature of self since beginningless kalpas; this is called innate self-grasping (sahaja-ātma-grāha). It grasps at the self of persons, taking the five aggregates as the self, taking the six consciousnesses as the self, regarding the discernment of the six consciousnesses as its own discernment, and considering the functions and natures of the six consciousnesses as "self" and "belonging to self." It also grasps at the functions and natures of the eighth consciousness as "self" and "belonging to self." Its imputed nature (parikalpita-svabhāva) determines that it grasps at everything. Among these, the grasping at the self of persons is the manas's self-grasping—it is the manas's "self." After a bodhisattva cultivates to the stage of the first bhūmi, the manas extinguishes a portion of its ignorance, such as fundamental ignorance, and reaches the untainted state. Then He gradually contemplates the selflessness of all dharmas. For example, because the bodhisattva knows that all dharmas are manifested and transformed by the eighth consciousness, He begins to contemplate: this material sense-object and that material sense-object are all produced by the eighth consciousness transmitting the seeds of the four great elements, and the eighth consciousness is constantly transmitting the seeds of the four great elements moment by moment, continually changing and sustaining the existence of material form; therefore material form is not the self. At the same time, the manas can also know that the function and nature of its own discernment of material sense-objects arises from the eighth consciousness transmitting the seeds of consciousness; therefore it is also not the self—all are functions of the eighth consciousness. Material form is manifested by the eighth consciousness; my five sense faculties and six faculties are manifested by the eighth consciousness; the six sense-objects I correspond to are produced by the eighth consciousness; the six consciousnesses that I discern with, and even this very mind consciousness itself, are all manifested by the eighth consciousness. All the dharmas I can contact and know are manifested moment by moment by the eighth consciousness outputting seeds. Thus, among all dharmas there is fundamentally no self. The bodhisattva will gradually contemplate the selflessness of all dharmas, and in this way the wisdom of the patience with the non-arising of dharmas will grow ever more expansive, and the wisdom-nature of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses will become ever more vast. The manas's great wisdom will then know that all dharmas are indeed without self, and the mind becomes equanimous toward all dharmas. After the transformation of consciousness into wisdom, the manas will possess ever deeper wisdom of selflessness; when the mind is untainted, its wisdom-nature grows ever more vast. The bodhisattva will continue to deliberate: the dharma of my hearing sounds—both the hearing and the heard—are all transformed by the eighth consciousness; all these functions and natures belong to the eighth consciousness; all sounds are being manifested and upheld by the eighth consciousness—where is there a self? He contemplates in this way, and His grasping at the self of dharmas is severed bit by bit. When smelling scents, when eating, when the six faculties engage the six sense-objects, in daily life, on every single dharma, He will deliberate: these dharmas are all manifested by the eighth consciousness, and in this there is nothing in which the self has any part—even I myself am manifested by the eighth consciousness, and none of it is the self. Then the functions and natures by which I can contact the six sense-objects are also not the self; they are all manifested by the eighth consciousness, and not one of them is real. In this way, the grasping at the self of dharmas is severed bit by bit, and the wisdom grows ever more expansive. When the grasping at the self of dharmas is completely severed, one becomes a Buddha.