The Difference Between Innate View of Self and Conceit

Some people cannot understand the difference between māna (conceit of self) and the innate view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), and thus take the conceit of self to be the innate view of self, claiming that the innate view of self is only eradicated at the fourth fruit. This misunderstanding is very serious, and it leads to the inability to truly eradicate the view of self. The innate view of self is the view of self of the manas; it is one of the two kinds of view of self, and it must be eradicated at the stage of the first fruit. If it is not eradicated, one is not a person of the first fruit, not one who has eradicated the view of self. The conceit of self is the deepest and heaviest affliction of the manas; it belongs to the innate grasping on self of the manas, not to the innate view of self. Innate grasping on self can only be eradicated at the fourth fruit, which is why only an arhat of the fourth fruit no longer has the manifest affliction of the conceit of self.

The conceit of self and innate grasping on self exist in dependence on the view of self. Only after the view of self has been eradicated can the conceit of self and innate grasping on self gradually become thin and weak, and finally be eradicated completely. When the view of self is eradicated completely, the conceit of self no longer exists. Therefore, the innate view of self and the conceit of self cannot be mentioned in the same breath; the concepts must not be confused.

Subconsciously there is already a "self," without needing to think, analyze, or compare—this is the conceit of self, the cognition of the manas, like something deep in the marrow. The manas's conceit of self is not easy to detect, and even harder to pull out, including inferior conceit, towering conceit, and excessive conceit. As long as there is a "self" in the mind, there is certainly the conceit of self. Everyone knows there is a "self"; whether one is arrogant or self-abasing, it is all based on the view of self, extremely hard to eradicate, deeply rooted. For example, when a baby sees someone wanting to hold him and, being displeased, turns his head away and ignores them—this is the innate conceit of self, present along with the manas, existing without any comparison by the mind consciousness. Whether or not there is mind consciousness, the manas has the innate view of self and conceit of self. Those who love to show off and like to stand out have heavy conceit of self; those who become displeased when their faults are pointed out all have the conceit of self; those who always think quite well of themselves all have the conceit of self; those who like to compare themselves with others are manifesting the conceit of self; all who have self-cognition have the conceit of self.

The innate view of self of the manas is a deeply rooted kind of view of self, the view that the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) are the self. This mental state is not easy to detect and is very hidden, so many people are unable to subdue and eradicate the innate view of self, and instead say that eradicating only the mind consciousness's view of self through discrimination constitutes eradicating the view of self and realizing the first fruit. But if the manas's innate view of self is not eradicated, then even if the mind consciousness's view of self through discrimination is truly eradicated, the view of self will still continuously arise in dependence on the manas, and will arise anytime and anywhere without one being aware of it—very troublesome. Because the innate view of self is not the view of self of the mind consciousness, it is not a kind of feeling. Feeling is relatively superficial; it is the awareness of the mind consciousness, the mind consciousness's view of self through discrimination, which exists only through discrimination and does not exist when there is no discrimination. It is easier to discover than the manas's view of self, and easier to subdue, but after being subdued it will still appear and cannot be eradicated completely, because the mind consciousness's sustaining basis, the manas, has not eradicated the view of self. How could the mind consciousness, which turns according to the manas, truly eradicate the view of self? This inevitably leads to the view of self appearing anytime and anywhere, and one has no choice but to constantly suppress it; often it simply cannot be suppressed. Then at the time of death, one certainly continues to transmigrate in the ocean of saṃsāra and karma of birth and death following the manas's innate view of self and afflictions, and cannot avoid the three evil destinies.

A first-fruit person who has severed the three fetters still has the conceit of self, including the second-fruit person whose greed, hatred, and delusion have already been weakened; the afflictive mental factor of the conceit of self still exists. Only at the third fruit is the conceit of self subdued, or a small portion of it eradicated, but it cannot yet be eradicated completely; when it is eradicated completely, one becomes a fourth-fruit person. The manas's innate grasping on self is even harder to eradicate than the innate view of self. In terms of sequence: first eradicate the innate view of self and the view of self through discrimination and realize the first fruit; then further deepen the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the two kinds of view of self, weaken greed, hatred, and delusion, and realize the second fruit; then further deepen the contemplative practice on the two kinds of view of self, cultivate the first dhyāna, eradicate the afflictions, and realize the third fruit. When the manas's innate view of self is eradicated completely, the innate grasping on self is also eradicated completely, the conceit of self disappears and is gone, and one realizes the fourth fruit of arhatship.