The cultivation and realization of all dharmas begins from the very start with subduing and eliminating the self-view (satkāya-dṛṣṭi)

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

Eliminating the view of self belongs to the fruit of the sixth abode, which comes after the stages of faith. Only after the view of self is eliminated and the false self has fallen away can the true mind be discovered; at this point, seeing one's true mind is the fruit of the seventh abode. Therefore, the elimination of the view of self necessarily comes first, and the realization of the true mind comes after. Even when Mahāyāna bodhisattvas engage in Chan investigation, during the process of investigation they must likewise gradually subdue the view of the body and the view of self, and then eliminate them. There is no such thing as the view of the body and the view of self still remaining after seeing the true mind. If such a phenomenon exists, it shows that this person has not truly seen the true mind, has not gone through a genuine stage of Chan investigation, and has not investigated deeply; the attainment of his fruit is somewhat suspicious, or one might say its origin is unclear.

For everyone who cultivates, the pass of subduing the view of the body is unavoidable, whether in the Mahāyāna, the Small Vehicle, 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 discern all dharmas, can feel, perceive, and deliberate; 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 engages in eating, clothing, dwelling, using, and traveling; greedily eating, drinking, and sleeping; letting the body enjoy fine food, clothing, bedding, and so on; spending an enormous amount 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, diligently attending to all kinds of grooming and maintenance every day, sparing no expense.

An obsession with cleanliness belongs to the view of the body. Why is one so fond of cleanliness, washing every little while, wiping every little while, 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 such particularity about food and drink—perfect in color, aroma, and flavor, and nutritious besides? Leftover food, no matter how much, is all thrown away; one refuses to eat leftovers. This is taking the physical body as self, as real, unable to let it suffer the slightest grievance or have the slightest impurity.

Another manifestation of the view of the body is sensual desire; this is the most serious form of the view of the body and the view of self. Although the elimination of 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 the view of self have not yet been subdued or eliminated.

When the mind is constantly occupied with the physical body as self, it takes up a great deal of thought and time, and the Buddha's teachings cannot easily enter the mind. When the mind is filled with worldly dharmas, the Buddha's teachings cannot fit in; the worldly dharmas must be moved out before the Buddha's teachings can be moved in. Because the mind's capacity is limited—having this, one cannot have that. If the mind is stuffed with a heap of garbage, how can a treasure 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 this, we must find ways to overcome and counteract it, because this is the most serious obstacle to cultivating the Path.

In the process of contemplating the Buddha's teachings, one will gradually discover that this physical body is not very real and is somewhat beyond one's grasp. When the mind set on cultivating the Path arises, one can no longer afford to spend time maintaining the body. In this way, the habitual tendencies of the view of the body are gradually subdued. Only at the end of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) does one acknowledge that the physical body is indeed subject to arising and ceasing, impermanent, and unreal, and only then is the view of the body eliminated.

After the view of the body is eliminated, the phenomenon of greedily craving the physical body is greatly reduced, and one can apply one's mind to the enterprise of the Path. During the cultivation of the thirty-seven aids to 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 aids to enlightenment, these phenomena will not change.

The view of the body belongs to the coarsest and heaviest afflictions. If it is not subdued and eliminated, no other 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 true 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 fruit of attainment and not about liberation? This caring mind is a serious "self"; this mind too must be eliminated before the view of self can be eliminated. For a person who has truly eliminated the view of self, it is impossible to have, every day in the mind, a "self" that has attained the fruit, a "self" that is a noble one. After truly eliminating the view of self, having such a self is impossible.