The Great Causes Discourse in the Madhyama Āgama

Original text:阿难。要如何观察我耶。阿难。对于受。或以受是我之我。或以受实非我之我。不得感受者。即是我之我。阿难。如是观察我。或以受实非我之我。又不得感受者。亦非我之我。我应依我之领纳。即受之法。始是我之我。阿难。如是观察我。 

Explanation: The Buddha said: Ānanda, how should one observe the self? Regarding the aggregate of feeling, either one observes with feeling as the self within the self, or one observes that feeling is truly not the self within the self, and that which has no feeling is the self within the self. Ānanda, observing the self in this way—either feeling is truly not the self within the self, and that which has no feeling is also not the self within the self—I should rely on my own experiencing, that is, on the dharma of feeling, and only then is it the self within the self. Ānanda, observe the self in this way. 

Original text:阿难。此中对于言受是我之我者。不得不如是言。友。此受有三。是乐受苦受。不苦不乐受。此等三受之中。汝见何为我耶。阿难。若于某时。领纳乐受。其同时不领纳苦受。又不领纳不苦不乐受。其时应唯领纳乐受。阿难。若又于某时。领纳苦受。其同时不领纳乐受。又不领纳不苦不乐受。其时应唯领纳苦受。阿难。若又于某时。领纳不苦不乐受。其同时不领纳乐受。又不领苦受。其时应唯领纳不苦不乐受。 

Explanation: Ānanda, here, regarding the statement that feeling is the self within the self, one cannot but speak as follows: Good friend, this feeling is of three kinds: pleasant feeling, painful feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Among these three kinds of feeling, what do you take to be the self? What dharma do you see as the self? Ānanda, if at a certain time one is experiencing pleasant feeling, then at the same time one is not experiencing painful feeling, nor is one experiencing neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling; at that time one can only experience pleasant feeling. Ānanda, if again at a certain time one is experiencing painful feeling, then at that time one cannot experience pleasant feeling, nor can one experience neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling; at that time one can only experience painful feeling. Ānanda, if again at a certain time one is experiencing neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, then at that time one cannot experience pleasant feeling, nor can one experience painful feeling; one can only experience neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. 

This passage makes it easier to observe the self. If feeling were taken as the self, and feeling is of three kinds, then the self would be of three kinds. But at any single moment, only one kind of feeling can exist, so only that one feeling would be the self, and the other two kinds would not be the self. Clearly this is wrong. A contradiction arises, which shows that feeling is not the self. If feeling were the self, all three kinds of feeling should simultaneously be the self, yet the three kinds of feeling cannot exist at the same time and are mutually exclusive—this shows that taking feeling as the self is mistaken. Some will say: feeling is of course not the eighth consciousness, but can this text and the content of this contemplation be connected with the eighth consciousness? Obviously not, because śrāvakas are entirely incapable of directly observing the eighth consciousness in the present moment. In particular, ordinary śrāvakas who have not yet eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) cannot attain enlightenment and realize the eighth consciousness; their sequence of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) would be inverted, and realization would be impossible. Nor could they imagine an eighth consciousness to observe—what is imagined is called conjecture and speculation, which serves no purpose at all.