Letting Go of Attachments and Face Means Letting Go of the Self

Buddhist teachings speak of a kind of "forbidden precept" (禁取戒) — that is, precepts established by non-Buddhist paths that are unreasonable and cannot lead to liberation, which demonstrates the foolish ignorance of those non-Buddhist paths who do not understand liberation. Therefore, in the cultivation and realization of the Buddhadharma, to eliminate the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), one must abandon the forbidden precepts of the non-Buddhist paths and no longer keep those precepts; only then can one correctly and in accordance with the Dharma hold the Buddha's precepts, and only then can one eliminate the self-view. So there is no need for us to keep clinging to former vows and oaths that are meaningless, wasting energy and mental effort. Wherever there is grasping, there is birth and death, and there is no liberation. A bodhisattva must have great wisdom. The bodhisattva's great wisdom far surpasses that of worldly merchants, speculators of all kinds, and politicians of every sort. Bodhisattvas will not waste time and energy on things that bring no benefit; they will do things that are beneficial, or things of great benefit — they will do what is most important.

Letting go of the unnecessary and unimportant face one keeps before others is also letting go of a kind of "self." Be indifferent to others' meaningless evaluations and opinions of you, for since there is no self, why would you care about those unreasonable evaluations? As long as you do what is correct, as long as you do things that benefit people, as long as you are not wasting time, as long as you are worthy of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and of sentient beings, anything goes. Clinging to an unreasonable obsession, being unable to be flexible and accommodating, is foolishness. As long as you have an obsessive attachment, Māra Pāpīyas will exploit this mentality and make you do foolish things. But with no-mind, you cannot be exploited by others; no one can take advantage of you or use you, and thus there will be no evil consequences. The Buddha always taught bodhisattvas not to care about false fame and reputation — whether slandered or praised, the mind should not waver; hold only to the truth.

Adjust your own cultivation goals well and head straight toward them; do not concern yourself with unnecessary matters — the loss outweighs the gain. Use wisdom, not emotion. Do not fear becoming a failure in the eyes of others; in reality, only you yourself know how things truly are. Do not consider your unnecessary image in the minds of others — that is a "self." Only by extinguishing all kinds of "self" is one a true eliminator of the self-view. Originally there is no self, so what is there to care about?