Inner and Outer Mental Sense-Objects in the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths of the Small Vehicle

The Four Noble Truths—the truth of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path—are likewise divided into inner mental sense-objects and outer mental sense-objects. The Eightfold Noble Path cultivated within the truth of the path is also divided into the inner dharma and the outer dharma. Only when the Eightfold Noble Path has been cultivated to completion, and the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment of the Small Vehicle have been cultivated to completion, are the conditions for the elimination of self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) fulfilled; only then can one attain fruition. If one's mental conduct does not accord with the Eightfold Noble Path, then one's mental conduct is insufficient to make one a sage, and one cannot attain fruition. Among the Eightfold Noble Path there is right concentration (samyak-samādhi), which is divided into the outer dharma of concentration of the mind consciousness and the inner dharma of concentration of the manas. Therefore the manas must necessarily be in accord with concentration; only when the manas is accomplished in concentration can right wisdom arise, enabling one to eliminate self-view and attain the first fruit. Otherwise, everything is a false fruit, a plastic fruit—good only for looking at, useless for anything.