Liberation Is Attained Only by Eradicating the Ignorance and Fetters of the Mental Faculty

The cycle of birth and death and the cycle within the three evil realms arise due to the ignorance of the manas. As long as the ignorance of the manas remains unbroken, the chain of twelve links of dependent origination persists, binding sentient beings within the six realms of rebirth, preventing their liberation, and confining them within the three evil realms, from which they also cannot escape. Since beginningless kalpas ago, the manas, due to ignorance, has failed to recognize the true self and the fundamental self, has been unaware of the true reality of the Dharma realm, and has neglected to abide in the fundamental true mind. Instead, it gives rise to thoughts seeking external attachments, thereby causing the five aggregates to vainly undergo the suffering of the cycle of birth and death. Due to ignorance, the manas experiences internal deluded stirring, and thus the Tathāgatagarbha, complying with the manas, gives rise to the universe and the world of vessels, brings forth the five aggregates of sentient beings, and causes the phenomena of the three realms to manifest. Sentient beings have cycled through birth and death within the three realms for immeasurable kalpas, and this cycle continues to this day solely because of the ignorance of the manas and because of the fetters binding the manas. The practice of cultivation aims to eradicate the various fetters and kinds of ignorance within the manas, so that one may no longer be bound by ignorance, break free from the various bonds of birth and death, and attain liberation.

Therefore, to eradicate the self-view, one must first eliminate the self-view within the manas. Only after that can one weaken the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion inherent to the manas. Following that, one can eradicate the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion within the manas, and finally, one can eradicate the self-attachment of the manas. If a Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna) has not eradicated the self-view within the manas, there will be no weakening of greed, hatred, and delusion characteristic of the Once-returner (Sakadāgāmin), nor the eradication of sensual desire and ill-will characteristic of the Non-returner (Anāgāmin), let alone the complete exhaustion of the afflictions of greed, hatred, delusion, and conceit characteristic of the Arhat, and thus no talk of the complete eradication of self-attachment. It is evident from this that the self-view of the manas is eradicated at the stage of Stream-enterer, while self-attachment is eradicated only at the stage of Arhat. This approach to practice should be clearly understood by all of us.