What Are Self-View and Self-Grasping?

Within all views of self there is self-grasping (ātma-grāha). Whatever the mind entangles itself with and cannot let go of, cannot relinquish, or cannot see through—all of that is self-grasping. The view of self is the belief that there is an "I" that can see forms, hear sounds, smell scents, and taste flavors; or the belief that the functions of seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling scents, and tasting flavors belong to me. It is the belief that there is an "I" that can deliberate, analyze, and judge; that there is an "I" that can feel; that there is an "I" that can walk, sit, and lie down; or the belief that these functions all belong to me. At the same time, one also takes the physical body as the self, or takes the functions of the physical body as belonging to me. All of these are the roots of birth-and-death and should all be eliminated. Among them, the "I" that I believe in is the seventh consciousness, the manas; the "I" that sees forms, hears sounds, smells scents, tastes flavors, deliberates, analyzes, and judges is the six consciousnesses. When the manas takes the functions of the six consciousnesses as self and the self's possessions, this view of self must be eliminated.