The Buddha governs all Buddhist dharma in the three worlds with five dharmas, three self-natures, eight consciousnesses, and two no-selfs. If you have a clear understanding of this, learning Buddhism will have an outlining effect, which can save a lot of time and energy, and help you quickly understand the true meaning of Buddhism and embark on the track of practical practice. Based on the scriptures, here is a brief introduction to the core meaning of the two no-selfs.
What is "I"?
I am self-nature, which refers to the existence that has the nature of being constant, one, and unchanging, that is, an existence that is dominant, independent of causal conditions, and has an independent self. It includes both the “human self” with subjective initiative and the “dharma self” of the perceived object. People and Dharma summarize all the contents of spiritual, material, and spiritual-material interactions in the realm of ordinary people in the world.
Human self, such as the soul that produces life phenomena, God who created everything, Brahman self, etc.
Dharma, for example, constitutes the indivisible basic units of spiritual and material phenomena, such as concepts, extremely small particles (elementary particles), the four major types of earth, water, fire and wind, and the time unit of an instant.
The knowledge that Buddhism and worldly law are not mutually exclusive is to clearly state that "people have no self, and the law has no self." There are many synonyms for it, such as: two no-self, human dharma is empty, all dharma has no self-nature, all dharma is empty, the five aggregates are empty, all dharma has nothing, is ultimately empty, and cannot be obtained, all conditioned dharma is like a dream, all dharma Like an illusion, like a flame, like the moon in the water...
Brief explanation: The Buddha said, Mahamati, a Bodhisattva who practices Buddhism should be good at observing the two meanings of the Dharma: the selflessness of people and the selflessness of the Dharma. First, let’s talk about the dharma meaning that man has no self.
Brief explanation: The world of aggregates is far away from me and my place, that is, whether it is from the perspective of the five aggregates, the category of the eighteen realms, or the realm of the ordinary person, there is no existence of me in it. . Since there is no self, of course the aggregate realm does not belong to the non-existent self. What I refer to does not refer to all the dharma that I am concerned with, because here it is assumed that the existence of the aggregate world exists, and there is no person in it that ordinary people think of me. Since there is no self, then of course the aggregate realm does not belong to that self, that is, there is no self. From another perspective, that is to say, no self has produced all the dharmas in the aggregate realm, but the twelve causes and conditions that appear through false attachments such as ignorance-conditioned actions, action-conditioned consciousness, and consciousness-conditioned name and form are constantly continuing. Therefore, all the phenomena of the physical and mental world in the five aggregates, twelve places, and eighteen realms are revealed, and there is not a single person among them to reincarnate. Here, the Buddha uses the principle of twelve causes and conditions to explain the meaning of the Dharma meaning that there is no self within or outside the five aggregates.
Brief explanation: This paragraph is based on the situation that the Buddha saw from the Mahayana saints to explain that all states are just illusions manifested by the false habits of the Alaya consciousness in the mind, just like dreams. Although the realms of the six realms of reincarnation are constantly appearing, there is no constant person who comes in and out of them, and there is no individual self who dominates these realms. If you can understand these situations well, it is the wisdom of knowing that people have no self. The content here actually also implies the meaning of the selflessness of Dharma - all realms are just the appearance of the seeds of Alaya consciousness and habits, and there is no external Dharma that ordinary people think is real.
A brief explanation: What is the meaning of "the law has no self"? "Knowing the aggregate world is full of delusional planning." The nature of delusional planning in the Lankavatara Sutra is the same as the nature of perseverance in planning as translated by Master Xuanzang. "The aggregate realm is characterized by delusion." This means that the five aggregates, the twelve realms, and the eighteen realms are all realms manifested by false consciousness, separation, and attachment. They did not exist in the first place. This is the meaning of "Dharma has no self." The "incompetent author" in the article means that there is no first cause that creates and dominates the world of aggregates, that is, there is no self. This part of the sutra explains the situation of all dharmas in the aggregate realm. It is the same expression as the previous statement on the selflessness of human beings, "It is said that the aggregate realm is separated from me, and I...cannot author it." That is, the aggregate realm itself It does not exist at all. It is only the seeds of mental karma that appear and manifest themselves. The current karma is also cultivated into the seeds of mental karma. This mutually dependent mental image is appearing, and there is no external dharma to be obtained. Although there is actually nothing in the aggregate world, ordinary people feel that it exists due to confusion and delusion. This feeling is the illusory state of ordinary people's delusions and attachments, and is not the original and true state witnessed by all saints.
Brief explanation: As mentioned before, if we observe all dharmas in the physical and mental world rationally, we can break away from the cycle of reincarnation of the seeds of alaya consciousness, the seeds of current smog, and the establishment of the world with ordinary people's famous sayings. The five dharmas, self-nature, and all other Buddhist concepts, this is the selfless wisdom of the dharma realized by the saint Bodhisattva.
Brief explanation: To realize the wisdom of Dharma without self is to personally realize that there is no all dharma in the realm of the five aggregates of ordinary people, to understand the true realm of the holy throne, to break the ignorance and reach the first place, to develop the light of true wisdom and to have greatness in the heart. Rejoice, practice gradually, and then pass through the ninth realm of extraordinary wisdom, to the tenth realm where the Dharma is as vast as clouds, covering the sky and covering the earth, and everything you do will come true.
Brief explanation: The state after ascending to the earth cannot be compared to ordinary people. In order to benefit all living beings, the Buddha can only use the worldly sayings about the state of the five aggregates and the rituals and customs of the Indian emperors when they ascended the throne to make a convenient analogy. The saintly Bodhisattvas experienced various incredible and special realms before and after they became Buddhas.
The core meaning of the entire passage is that if you want to realize the great freedom of becoming a Buddha, you must first truly understand the meaning of the Dharma without self!
Note: People have no self and dharma has no self, which is the key core meaning of Buddhism. In the Sravakayana path of liberation, as long as one realizes selflessness, one can achieve the goal of resting in reincarnation. The Mahayana Bodhi Path requires masters, Dharma and selflessness, that is, all five aggregates are empty. Only by practicing in this way can one achieve perfect Buddhahood. If you misunderstand the Dharma and practice without a self, it will undoubtedly be a blind practice with no aim. Even if you practice diligently for many eons, you will never be able to achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha. Can those who are aspiring to enlightenment not be cautious about such important matters concerning the Dharma body, wisdom and life?
"The Lankavatara Sutra" is the true meaning teaching method taught by the Buddha. It is based on the saint's personal experience of the true state of mindlessness. It explains why all the five aggregates ordinary people in the Prajna teachings are originally empty. The principle is clearly explained based on the system of dependent origination of Alaya consciousness! As for the authenticity that has never been expressed positively in the Prajna teachings, the Lankavatara Sutra also expresses it accurately. It can be seen that the inner dharma and meaning of Prajna Madhyamaka and Consciousness Only taught by the Buddha are completely consistent with each other, without any contradiction! It's just that the expression is complete or incomplete due to the teaching of the machine.
? Lankavatara means? Zhiqu Bodhi