The Meaning of the Aggregate of Volitional Formations Being Not Self, Not Different from Self, and Not Present in Each Other, in the Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna Contexts

Original text: 云何见行是我？谓六思身——眼触生思，耳、鼻、舌、身意触生思。于此六思身一一见是我，是名行即是我。云何见行异我？谓色是我，行是我所。受、想、识是我，行是我所，是名行异我。

云何见我中行？谓色是我，行在中住。受、想、行、识是我，行在中住，是谓我中行。云何见行中我？谓色是我，于行中住，周遍其四体，谓受、想、识是我，于行中住，周遍其四体，是名行中我。

Explanation: What does it mean to see the aggregate of formations as the self? The aggregate of formations is the six bodies of volition: when the eye faculty contacts material sense-objects, eye consciousness arises, and eye consciousness has volition; when the ear faculty contacts sounds, ear consciousness arises, and ear consciousness has volition; when the nose faculty contacts scents, nose consciousness arises, and nose consciousness has volition; when the tongue faculty contacts flavors, tongue consciousness arises, and tongue consciousness has volition; when the body faculty contacts tangibles, body consciousness arises, and body consciousness has volition; when the manas contacts mental sense-objects, mind consciousness arises, and mind consciousness has volition. The manas takes these six bodies of volition all as the self, believing that the self (the manas) is precisely these six bodies of volition—this is called "the aggregate of formations is the self (the manas)."

In reality, the formations are not the self, and the six bodies of volition are not the self. When one realizes that the six bodies of volition are not the self, one eliminates the self-view that the six bodies of volition are the self. Thereafter, the manas no longer takes the six bodies of volition as the self: it no longer regards the aggregate of formations of eye consciousness seeing forms, which arises from the eye faculty contacting material sense-objects, as the self (the manas); it no longer regards the aggregate of formations of ear consciousness hearing sounds, which arises from the ear faculty contacting sounds, as the self (the manas); it no longer regards the aggregate of formations arising from the nose faculty contacting scents as the self (the manas); it no longer regards the aggregate of formations of tongue consciousness tasting flavors, which arises from the tongue faculty contacting flavors, as the self (the manas); it no longer regards the aggregate of formations of body consciousness feeling tangibles, which arises from the body faculty contacting tangibles, as the self (the manas); it no longer regards the aggregate of formations of mind consciousness discerning dharmas, which arises from the manas contacting mental sense-objects, as the self (the manas). When the manas no longer takes these functions and operations as the self, there is no self in the five aggregates. When the mind consciousness engages in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) upon the six faculties, the mind consciousness and the manas will realize that the manas is also not the self, that it too is subject to arising, ceasing, change, and impermanence—empty and suffering. Only in this way does the manas truly eliminate the self-view, eliminating the self of the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses, so that there is no self in the teachings of the Small Vehicle.

However, in the Mahāyāna teachings there is still one true self—the eighth consciousness—which cannot be eliminated and exists forever without perishing; that is the true self. But when it comes to concrete contemplative practice, this still occurs at the time of studying the Mahāyāna Dharma and investigating Chan to realize the eighth consciousness. For example, the Heart Sutra specifically speaks of the time of realizing the eighth consciousness, when one illuminates and sees that the five aggregates are all empty (the eighth consciousness), that form is not different from emptiness (the eighth consciousness), that emptiness (the eighth consciousness) is not different from form, and so on. This is the profound realm of wisdom after breaking through the mystery from the Mahāyāna perspective; if one's awakening is shallow, one cannot yet observe this.

What does it mean to see the aggregate of formations as different from the self? It means that the manas regards the aggregate of form as the self (the manas), and then the aggregate of formations is what the self (the manas) possesses; if the manas takes the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness as the self, it will regard the aggregate of formations as what the self possesses. This is called "the aggregate of formations is different from the self (the manas)."

In reality, the formations are not different from the self (the manas)—no, the aggregate of formations is not possessed by the self (the manas); the functions and operations of the aggregate of formations are not mine; they are subject to arising, ceasing, change, and impermanence; they are suffering and empty, and cannot be grasped or held. Thus the manas eliminates the self-view that the aggregate of formations is the self or different from the self.

This is spoken from the perspective of contemplative practice in the Small Vehicle's teachings. From the perspective of the Mahāyāna teachings, after a bodhisattva investigates Chan and realizes the eighth consciousness, he will observe that the five aggregates are not different from the eighth consciousness; the five aggregates as a whole are all produced by the eighth consciousness, belong to the eighth consciousness, are its functions and operations, and stand in a relationship of neither one nor different with the eighth consciousness. At the stage of cultivating the Small Vehicle, this cannot be realized.

What does it mean to see formations existing within the self (the manas)? It means that the manas regards the aggregate of form as the self, and the aggregate of formations dwells within the aggregate of form; the manas regards the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness as the self, and the aggregate of formations dwells within the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness. This refers to the self being within the aggregate of formations.

In reality, the self is not within the aggregate of formations, because the selves of the aggregates of form, feeling, perception, and consciousness are all subject to arising and ceasing and are not the self; the aggregate of formations is also subject to arising and ceasing and is not possessed by the self. There is no self, and no possession of self. This is spoken from the perspective and result of Small Vehicle contemplative practice. If spoken from the perspective and result of Mahāyāna prajñā contemplative practice, the aggregate of formations does not dwell within the eighth consciousness, because the eighth consciousness is without form and without appearance, and the aggregate of formations is empty; the two cannot exist within each other.

What does it mean to see the self within the formations? It means that the manas regards the aggregate of form as the self, and the aggregate of form dwells within the aggregate of formations—the self dwells within the aggregate of formations, and the aggregate of formations pervades the four limbs and the whole body. The manas regards the aggregates of feeling, perception, and consciousness as the self, and these aggregates dwell within the aggregate of formations—the self dwells within the aggregate of formations, and the self pervades the entire body. This is called "the self within the formations."

In reality, there is no self within the aggregate of formations, because the aggregate of formations is empty and subject to arising and ceasing, and the aggregates of form, feeling, perception, and consciousness are also empty and subject to arising and ceasing; what is empty is nothing, and within nothing there is no dharma. Therefore, the self and the aggregate of formations cannot exist within each other.

This is spoken purely from the perspective of Small Vehicle contemplative practice. From the perspective and result of Mahāyāna contemplative practice, the eighth consciousness and the aggregate of formations also cannot exist within each other, because the eighth consciousness is without form and without appearance, and the aggregate of formations is empty; the two cannot exist within each other.