The cultivation and realization of all dharmas invariably begins with subduing and eradicating the view of self.

The cultivation and realization of all dharmas begins, at the very start, with subduing the view of the body and eradicating it. When sentient beings first encounter the Buddha's teachings over beginningless kalpas, they all begin by recognizing the physical body of the five aggregates. After cultivating for who knows how many kalpas, once their roots of goodness and merit have become deep and abundant, they come into contact with the Mahāyāna bodhisattva dharma and gradually recognize that within their own bodies there is a true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, which is their fundamental mind. Yet even at this point they still have not subdued the view of the body and the view of self, let alone eradicated them.

Eradicating the view of self belongs to the fruit of the sixth abode, which comes after the stages of faith of a bodhisattva. Only after the view of self—the false self—has fallen away can the true mind be discovered; at this point, seeing the mind is the fruit of the seventh abode. Therefore, eradicating the view of self necessarily comes first, and realizing the true mind comes after. Even when Mahāyāna bodhisattvas engage in Chan investigation, during the process of investigation they must all gradually subdue the view of the body and the view of self, and then eradicate them. There is no such situation where, after seeing the mind, the view of the body and the view of self still remain. If such a phenomenon exists, it shows that this person has not truly seen the mind, has not gone through a genuine stage of Chan investigation, and has not investigated deeply; the attainment of his stage of realization is somewhat suspicious, or one might say its origin is unknown.

For everyone cultivating the path, the pass of subduing the view of the body cannot be bypassed—whether in the Mahāyāna, the Hīnayāna, or among non-Buddhists. The view of the body means taking the physical body as real, as being "me," believing that the body can serve my purposes and that by means of the body I can recognize all dharmas, can feel, perceive, and think; therefore one greedily clings to the physical body.

The outward manifestation of the view of the body is this: for the sake of the physical body, one eats, dresses, dwells, uses, and travels; greedily eating, drinking, and sleeping; letting the body enjoy fine food, clothing, bedding, and so on; spending enormous amounts of time, energy, and wealth on the body every day; being extremely fastidious about hygiene, changing and washing clothes daily, bathing once or twice a day, meticulously attending to all kinds of maintenance daily, sparing no expense.

Obsessive cleanliness belongs to the view of the body. Why does one love cleanliness so much, washing and wiping every little while, being so fastidious about hygiene? It is because one is fiercely protecting the physical body as "self," taking the physical body as a very real self. Why is one so particular about food—requiring perfect color, aroma, and taste, plus nutrition—and dumping all leftovers, no matter how much, refusing to eat leftovers? It is because one regards the physical body as self, as real, and cannot let it suffer the slightest grievance or have the slightest impurity.

Another manifestation of the view of the body is sensual desire, which is the most serious form of the view of the body and view of self. Although eradicating sensual desire occurs at the stage of the third fruit after attaining the first dhyāna, as long as one cultivates diligently, the mental activity of sensual desire will gradually lessen and grow faint—even when the view of the body and view of self have not yet been subdued or eradicated, this is still so.

In ordinary times, the mind is full of the physical body as "self," occupying much of one's thoughts and time, and thus the Buddha's dharma cannot easily enter the mind. When the mind is filled with worldly dharmas, the Buddha's dharma cannot fit in; the worldly dharmas must be moved out before the Buddha's dharma can be moved in. Because the mind's capacity is limited, having this means not having that. If it is stuffed with a pile of garbage, how can treasures be placed inside?

In the process of cultivating the path, we must first examine whether our view of the body is very heavy, whether the phenomenon of cherishing the physical body is very serious. If we can detect it, we must find ways to overcome and remedy it, because this is the most serious obstacle to cultivating the path.

In the process of contemplating the Buddha's dharma, one will gradually discover that this physical body is not quite real and is somewhat beyond one's grasp. When the mind set on cultivating the path arises, one no longer has time to spare for maintaining the body. In this way, the habitual tendencies of the view of the body will be subdued bit by bit. Only at the end of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), when one finally acknowledges that the physical body is indeed subject to arising and ceasing, impermanent, and unreal, is the view of the body eradicated.

After eradicating the view of the body, the phenomena of greed and craving for the physical body are greatly reduced, and one can apply one's mind to the enterprise of the Path. In the process of cultivating the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, the view of the body gradually grows faint, the behavior of clinging to the body also diminishes, and one can devote more energy to the enterprise of the Path. For those who have not cultivated the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, these phenomena will not change.

The view of the body belongs to the coarsest and heaviest afflictions. If it is not subdued and eradicated, no other cultivation and realization can even be discussed. If the first pass cannot be crossed, none of the subsequent passes can be crossed either—then there is no point in speaking of seeing the mind and enlightenment.

How many people have not even cultivated this foundation, yet all believe they have become enlightened. You should carefully examine your own mental activity: why do you care so much about your stage of realization, and not care about liberation? This caring mind is a serious "self"; this mind too must be eradicated before the view of self can be eradicated. For a person who has truly eradicated the view of self, it is impossible for there to be, every day in the mind, a "self" that has attained realization, a "self" that is a noble one. After truly eradicating the view of self, having such a self is impossible.