Who Should Cut Off the View of Self

All sentient beings regard the five aggregates as the self. But who is it that regards the five aggregates as the self? Who are the sentient beings? Sentient beings primarily refer to the manas (mental faculty). The Vimalakīrti Sūtra states: "One perceives the mental activities of sentient beings." Who is it that perceives the mental activities of sentient beings? It is the tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) that perceives the mental activities of sentient beings. Who are these sentient beings? They refer to the manas. Because the tathāgatagarbha primarily perceives the mental activities of the manas, this manas represents sentient beings. The manas regards the five aggregates as the self: it regards the aggregate of feeling as the self, the aggregate of form as the self, the aggregate of perception as the self, the aggregate of mental formations as the self, and the aggregate of consciousness (the six consciousnesses) as the self. It also regards the various functions and attributes of the tathāgatagarbha as belonging to the self (the manas). All these dharmas are created by me and belong to me. Therefore, this "I" primarily refers to the manas.

Now it becomes clear: the eradication of self-view is the eradication of whose self-view? Eradicating self-view primarily means eradicating the self-view of the manas. The manas regards all these dharmas as the self. To eradicate self-view is to make the manas cease regarding the five aggregates as the self (the manas). Eliminating this view of the manas is what constitutes eradicating self-view.

Therefore, eradicating self-view must necessarily reach the manas. It is only when the manas acknowledges that the five aggregates are not the self that it can be called eradicating self-view. Because this "I" refers to the manas, not the six consciousnesses or the mind-consciousness. It primarily refers to the manas. The manas regards the aggregate of consciousness (the six consciousnesses), the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of mental formations, and the aggregate of form as the self. Hence, eradicating self-view means making the manas stop recognizing these dharmas as the self. If the manas does not eradicate the self-view, but the mind-consciousness eradicates the self-view—meaning the mind-consciousness considers the five aggregates not to be the self—is this eradicating self-view? It appears now that the mind-consciousness considering it not to be the self is useless; this is not eradicating self-view! The manas must acknowledge that the five aggregates are not the self for it to be considered eradicating self-view.

We have studied so much about the principle of non-self, and we all feel that the five aggregates are not the self, that they are empty, and that all dharmas are illusory. But feeling is one thing; after all, it is not realization. Therefore, the mind is not empty at all. This shows that the feeling belongs to the mind-consciousness. What the mind-consciousness feels is not practical; the mind-consciousness does not make decisions. The manas, which makes decisions, does not feel it and has no genuine realization. The "I" within the mind remains the same "I," still grasping at things as before. Not a single fetter binding one to birth and death can be severed. Because the dharmas learned by the mind-consciousness have not yet permeated the manas, the manas still does not understand these dharmas, does not acknowledge them, and does not know that they are all illusory. Thus, the three fetters remain unbroken.

Therefore, feeling that the five aggregates and the six dusts (objects of the senses) are illusory, feeling that all dharmas are illusory—these are views acquired by the mind-consciousness through study. They are merely views without genuine realization, equivalent to empty talk on paper. They cannot eradicate the fetters. Deep within, one still feels that everything encountered is real, and for the sake of these things, one continues to grasp and cling incessantly. The manas has not realized the non-self of the five aggregates, nor has it realized the illusory nature of all dharmas. Mere theoretical understanding by the mind-consciousness is ineffective. This cannot be called genuine realization.

Whether it is the Mahayana Dharma, the Hinayana Dharma, or various worldly principles, realizing these dharmas necessarily means the manas acknowledges and confirms the realization. If it is not confirmed by the manas, whatever is learned is merely perceived by the mind-consciousness; it is merely the experience and knowledge acquired by the mind-consciousness. Then there is no true benefit, because the six consciousnesses do not make decisions; the decision-maker is the manas. The manas is the "I," and the mind-consciousness is the function of the "I" grasped by the manas. Therefore, eradicating self-view means eradicating the self-view of the manas, and realization also requires the manas to realize the true self—the eighth consciousness, the tathāgatagarbha.