The Fundamental Way to Eradicate the View of Self Lies in Eliminating the View of Self in the Manas

Sentient beings regard the five aggregates as the self. So who are these sentient beings? Sentient beings primarily refer to the manas (mental faculty). The five aggregates are centered around the manas, which governs the six consciousnesses and together with the physical body, constitutes the five-aggregate body. The Vimalakirti Sutra states: "Perceives the mental activities of sentient beings." Who perceives the mental activities of sentient beings? It is the Tathagatagarbha that perceives the mental activities of sentient beings, and these "sentient beings" refer to the manas. Because the Tathagatagarbha primarily perceives the mental activities of the manas, assisting in realizing the wishes and thoughts of the manas, only then can the physical, verbal, and mental actions of the five aggregates and six consciousnesses arise, and the phenomena of the Three Realms manifest.

This manas represents sentient beings. The manas regards the five aggregates as the self: it regards the form aggregate as the self, the feeling aggregate as the self, the perception aggregate as the self, the volitional formations aggregate as the self, and the consciousness aggregate (the six consciousnesses) as the self; it also regards the various functions and activities of the Tathagatagarbha as belonging to the self (the manas). All these dharmas are produced by me and belong to me. Therefore, this "I" primarily refers to the manas.

So, whose view of self is severed by severing the view of self? It is now quite clear that severing the view of self primarily means severing the manas's view of self. The manas regards all these dharmas as the self. Severing the view of self means making the manas cease regarding the five aggregates as the self (the manas). Eliminating this perception of the manas is what constitutes severing the view of self. Therefore, severing the view of self must necessarily reach the manas; it must make the manas acknowledge that the five aggregates are not the self before it can be considered true severing of the view of self.

This "I" refers to the manas, not the sixth consciousness, the mind-consciousness. It is because the manas regards the consciousness aggregate (the six consciousnesses), the feeling aggregate, the perception aggregate, the volitional formations aggregate, and the form aggregate as the self that severing the view of self means making the manas cease recognizing these dharmas as the self. If the manas does not sever the view of self, and only the mind-consciousness severs the view of self—meaning the mind-consciousness believes the five aggregates are not the self—does this constitute severing the view of self? It now appears that the mind-consciousness believing "it is not me" is useless; this is not severing the view of self. Only by making the manas acknowledge that the five aggregates are not the manas itself can the view of self be severed most fundamentally and completely.