The real self does not exist, the false self does not exist, and the "no self of all dharmas", known as the "Seal of Seals", is the core of the three seals of Buddhism and the lifeblood of implementing the various religious principles of Buddhism. , to identify whether it is the correct balance of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism has two levels of meaning: all dharmas are selfless, humans are selfless, and dharma is selfless. The "person" who has no self is originally "Putgala" (Putgala) in Sanskrit, which is a free translation of "Suchququ". It refers to the subject of reincarnation - self, who has been born and died many times and traveled between various paths. There is such a thing as attachment, which is the root cause of many troubles and the consequences of life and death. It is also the source of all ugly social phenomena and the dark side of human nature. All the Buddhist scriptures of the vehicle all work together to say that Putegara has no self, and denounces Putegara's self-view, aiming to guide all living beings to know themselves truthfully, to kill their own minds, to purify their minds, to sublimate their lives, and to make society peaceful. .

To complement the meaning of the selfless nature of Tegara, Volume 46 of "Yogi Earth Treatise" explains: "To complement the selfless nature of Tegara among all dharmas, it is said that non-existent dharma is real. "Bu Te Jia Luo" means that the existence of living beings in the three realms (desire existence, form existence, and formless existence) is not the real self, nor is it separate from this existence. The true self, to put it simply, has neither the “self-contained self” nor the “self-contained self”. Volume 65 of this treatise also summarizes the views of ordinary people and non-Buddhists on all the karma of the Self into four types: "The first is that I am the aggregates; the second is that I am different from the aggregates and live in them; the third is that I am different from the aggregates and live in them; the third is that I am different from the aggregates and live in them; I am not the same as all the aggregates and different from all other aggregates. I do not live in the aggregates but live in the different aggregates and separate from the aggregates. The fourth reason is that I am not the same as all the aggregates and different from all the aggregates. I do not live in the aggregates, nor do I live in the different from all the aggregates. There is no aggregate in the aggregate, and all aggregates are inconsistent." This treatise and other sutras provide thorough analysis and refutation of these four views of the self.

The five aggregates are not the self

The first view of self mentioned in "Yoga Sutra": "The self is the aggregates", which means that the five aggregates of the individual - form ( Matter, body), feelings (feelings), thoughts (thoughts and concepts), action (will), and consciousness (the root of mind) - are the true self. This is a view that ordinary people are born with and everyone has it. Among the six heretical masters in India, the Submissive sect promotes this view. The view of self criticized in Buddhist scriptures, especially the Agama Sutra, mainly refers to this kind.

Everyone in the world confirms that he has a self, clings to me, loves me, and protects me. All thoughts, words, and deeds are centered on this recognized self. When he speaks, he always says "I (or Lao Tzu)" , my mother, etc.)", always take me as the starting point when doing things: What should I do? Will this benefit or harm me? The thoughts of thinking about this and that in my mind are ultimately based on the affirmation of "I". Even if we consider the past and future lives, or even believe in and study Buddhism, we still cannot do without "I". Thinking about "who I was in my previous life and where I will go after death" and planning "I want to transcend life and death and become a Buddha to save all sentient beings" ultimately revolve around the axis of "I". Therefore, the old saying goes: "If a person does not take care of himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth." It is human nature to recognize and care for me.

However, what exactly is this "I" that I hold tightly to? What is the entity? The answer is probably nothing more than: so-and-so, male or female, age, physique, appearance, personality, talent, occupation, title, etc. This extends to the things I possess: my money, house, property, wife, children, reputation, status, works, etc., which is called "my place" in Buddhism.

The self that ordinary people recognize on a daily basis, and even the self that is recognized by everyone in society and used to distinguish you, me and others, is roughly the same. Mach said in his book "Analysis of Sensation": "What appears to be relatively permanent is the complex of memories, moods and feelings connected with a special object (body); this complex is called the self." He said Memory belongs to the thoughts and consciousness in the five aggregates of Buddhism, mood and emotion belong to feelings, and the body belongs to form. Taking the complex of these things as the self is exactly what Buddhism calls the five aggregates as the self. Buddhism does not deny this kind of individual personality and self in the sense of distinguishing oneself from others, but calls it "the common self" (the self in the worldly sense) and the "false self" (the self in the worldly custom or by various kinds of self). I am a combination of conditions). The view of self denounced by Buddhism is the view that this common self and false self are the Atman, the unchanging ruler of the true and everlasting self, who enters and exits reincarnation without changing his old state.

There are roughly three reasons in Buddhist scriptures that refute this view of self as wrong and demonstrate the absence of self:

First, the five aggregates are not independent and therefore are not the true self. "Buddha Says the Five Aggregates Are All Empty Sutra" says:

"Form is not me. If it were me, color should not be sick or suffering. I want such a color, I don't want such a color, nor should I follow it." Feelings desire, so you should know that form is not me. Feelings, thoughts, actions, and consciousness are also like this. "

I (atman), the philosophical meaning mainly refers to "self-master", of course, self-mastery. You can do whatever you want, but the five aggregates are not like that. Take this flesh and blood body (body) as an example. If it were me and could make its own decisions, it should not suffer from diseases that I do not want to suffer subjectively, and should not suffer suffering that I do not want to suffer subjectively. In my mind, if I want it to be healthy, it will be healthy, if I want my face to be beautiful, it will be beautiful, and if I want my figure to be slim and graceful, it will be slim and graceful, but the reality is not like this. The four aggregates of feeling, thinking, action, and consciousness are nothing like this. Feelings often include pain, sorrow, worry, annoyance, anxiety, etc. that I don’t want to accept. Thinking about it, I often have evil thoughts and distracting thoughts that I hate, such as the face of an enemy I don’t want to think of, which appears from time to time. The scenes I need to imagine when I practice Qigong and meditate, but they are disturbed by distracting thoughts and rarely appear clearly. If you act autonomously, you should not be distracted or have a weak will. If consciousness is autonomous, there should be no conflict with body and mind. Examining the five aggregates, none of them are self-controlling.

Both the second and the five aggregates are all impermanent, so there is no self. Impermanence and change, the endless birth and death, are the inherent nature of all things in the world, and the five aggregates are nothing less than this. The twelfth sutra of "Za Agama" contains the Buddha's words:

" Form is impermanent. If various forms arise due to conditions, they are also impermanent. How can the forms arise due to impermanence and impermanent conditions? Permanent? Feelings, thoughts, actions, and consciousness are impermanent... What is impermanent is suffering, and what is suffering is not self. "

Impermanence has two meanings: impermanence in one period (impermanence in stages) and impermanence in one moment. The mortal body is subject to death. When it dies, it decays and deteriorates, and ceases to exist. Moreover, from birth to death, it is always in a state of change. According to the major changes, it is divided into stages such as infant, infant, child, teenager, youth, adult, and old age. The appearance of each stage is obviously different. The difference between a person's appearance as a child, a young person, and an old person is no smaller than the difference between two people with similar looks. Liang Qichao once said: Why do you believe that the Liang Qichao sitting on the podium today is the same Liang Qichao who sat in his mother's arms and sucked milk decades ago? The "Middle Theory" discusses: If the body is an unchanging self and has its own nature, then the baby should always be as big as when he was born, and there should be no crawling, growing up, or even aging. No stage of physical appearance can remain unchanged for a long time. This is called impermanence. If you dig deeper, form is formed by the collection of causes and conditions. The body is a combination of the head, brain, limbs and trunk, muscles, bones, blood, etc. Each component is composed of earth (flesh and bones, etc.), water (blood, etc.), fire (heat), wind (qi) , motion) the "four major" elements are integrated, and the "four major" are integrated by "extremely small" (microscopic particles). From the head, brain and other parts of the body to every cell, to the earth, water, fire and wind, to the smallest, everything is arising and passing away day by day, every hour, every thought, and even every moment. As the Lankavatara Sutra says: "Destruction is as fast as lightning." . This is called momentary impermanence.

As for the impermanence of feelings, thoughts, actions, and consciousness, it is even more obvious. The thoughts in my mind come and go, like an ape jumping from one branch to another, restless and never stopping for a moment. If the feeling of happiness is said to be me, then one should always be happy without suffering or worry; if the feeling of suffering is said to be me, then one should always be suffering but without happiness. If a certain thought (thinking) is me, there should be no other thoughts. If memory is me, as Russell Russell said: "Yesterday there was a person whose feelings I can still recall, and I regard that person as me yesterday." Then people cannot remember the time before the age of four and when they were asleep. , should we lose ourselves before the age of four and when we are asleep? Even as an adult, I cannot remember everything I experienced when I was awake. Memory is neither continuous nor permanent, it is not self. "Nirvana Sutra" once said: "If one takes single-mindedness (memory) as his own nature, the past things will be forgotten. Therefore, he will definitely know that there is no self."

The five things in life are Although the aggregate is impermanent, its appearance, personality, etc. change slowly after all and remain relatively stable for a long period of time. There is a chain of memories as the basis for self-awareness. Once the body dies and is reincarnated in the six realms without remembering the past life, it becomes even more impermanent and non-self.

Zhang San in this life will be transformed into Li Si in the next life; a dignified man in this world will be transformed into a young girl in the next life; a noble man will be transformed into a beggar; people will be transformed into cows, horses, pigs and sheep. Which of these things will remain unchanged? ? The Brahman scriptures describe reincarnation as a person moving from one house to another. Who is the self that remains unchanged when entering and leaving one house? Since beginningless time, the six paths of reincarnation, life and death, are innumerable. Which one of them, which life among them, counts for me? If Zhang San in the previous life was me, why should he be transformed into Li Si in this life; if the sweet lady in the previous life was me, how could he become the husband in this life? Among the five aggregates of impermanence, where is the true and eternal self or soul? Since impermanence is contrary to the ever-present desires in human nature, it will cause people to feel suffering. If they cannot reject this unwanted suffering, it is of course selfless. This suffering of impermanence has tortured generations of people since ancient times, including heroes, philosophers and people with lofty ideals. Faced with the persecution of impermanent suffering, they cannot help but sigh and lament. "Singing to wine, life is like a morning dew, and there are not many days to go!" "Life is not enough, but you always worry about a thousand years." "A hundred years of everything turns to nothing." Such expressions of the suffering of impermanence can be said to be an eternal theme in literature at home and abroad, both ancient and modern, and can be seen as the natural vibration that touches the heartstrings of the truth of impermanence and selflessness shown in Buddhism.

3. There is no self due to the collection of causes and conditions. "I am self-sufficient" ("Visuddhimagga"), self-sufficient, that is, the existence that does not depend on any conditions. Only such things can be autonomous and permanent. However, if we observe and analyze our life, it actually exists based on causes and conditions, and is a continuous process of birth and death of the five aggregates. "Just like the collection of branches is called a car, so there are names of living beings based on the aggregate." (The fourth first sutra of "Za Agama") Among the five aggregates, feelings, thoughts, and actions are collectively called "name", and name and form aggregates Together they are called "name and form". The twelfth sutra of "Za Agama" says that name and form and consciousness (aggregate) are interdependent, just like three bundles of reeds supporting each other to stand upright. When one of them is removed, the remaining two will fall. Mahayana scriptures often say that form and mind are one dependent origin, interdependent and inseparable. Since life is a combination of causes and conditions, and each cause and condition is interdependent, it is not free and not self. If it is me, then in the end is the form (body) me, or the feelings, thoughts, formations, and consciousness is me? If the physical body is me, it should survive without the mind. However, if it is separated from the mental consciousness, the physical body will die. What's more, the physical body is composed of head, hands, trunk, etc. Among them, the head is me, the hands are me, the feet are me, and the trunk is me? If the head is me, then cut off the head, the head should be able to live and think; if the hand is me, then cut off the hand, the hand should be able to move and hold. But that's not the case. Since each part of it is not me, how can it be me together? As for feelings, thoughts, formations, and consciousness, they all arise according to the conditions of the environment, and exist according to the body and the sense organs. If it is me, then I should be able to know the physical and environmental aspects without the roots, and the mind should exist independently from the body. This is not the case. The combination of the five aggregates itself excludes any room for the existence of the self-conscious and eternal one. "Yuanjue Sutra" puts it well:

"In this body of mine, the four elements are combined. The so-called hair, claws, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, marrow and brain dirt and color all return to the earth; saliva, pus and blood, body fluids and saliva all return to the earth." Foam, phlegm, tears, essence, and convenience all return to water; warmth returns to fire; movement returns to wind. Now, where should the body be? That is to say, this body has no body after all, and it is a combination. The four conditions are falsely combined, and the six roots and the four major elements are combined, and the conditioned energy is accumulated in it. It is falsely called the heart. If there are no six objects, this false mind cannot exist. In the great decomposition, no dust can be obtained, and in the middle, the conditioned dust returns and disappears. After all, there is no conditioned mind to be seen!"

It indicates that the body and mind are all caused by false connections, and are not the real self, which is quite essential. There is also an often-quoted story in the Buddhist scriptures that illustrates that the person is not oneself: It is said that a man traveled far away for business and stayed at an ancient temple at night. He saw a ghost carrying a dead body, followed by another ghost, and they were arguing with each other about who should belong to the body. , the dispute is unresolved, please ask this person to testify. The man promised that he should return to the ghost who came first. The ghost who came later was furious and pulled off his left arm. The ghost who came first immediately took off the left arm from the corpse and patched it up with him, including his head, feet, and body. They all changed, and the two ghosts were able to eat and drag the body away. This person thought: Who am I now? Body or not? Is this body really me and not me? Unable to find the solution, my mind became confused, so I went to ask the monks. The monks replied: You have never had an inherent and unchanging body from the beginning. You are just wrongly attached to having a body that is me. This person wakes up, becomes a monk, practices Taoism, and becomes an Arhat. ("Asoka Sutra", etc.) The ghoul in the story should be a metaphor for impermanence.

There is no self in and out of the aggregates

The second view of self mentioned in "Yoga Sutra", although the five aggregates are not recognized as the true self, that is, "the self is different from the self" "All aggregates live in all aggregates", which holds that there is a self that is different from the five aggregates and always resides in the body.

This is also a vague feeling that ordinary people often have. Brahmanism's Upanishad says that I live in the center of the body like a bright point. Jainism says that I carry around large and small rolls in the body. Greek philosophers say that I live in the center of the body. The rational soul in the brain, the three souls that Chinese Taoism says live in the brain or the heart, etc., all fall into this category. Volume 12 of "The Great Wisdom" says that Indian heretics call the self that lives in the body "God" (god self). "Some people say: God is in the heart, as fine as a mustard seed, pure, and is called the pure body; some people say Like wheat, some say it is like a bean, some say an inch and a half, some say an inch. When the body is first received, it is received most in front. It is like an image of a bone, and when it becomes a body, it is like an image that has been built. Some say that the size of the body depends on the person, and the body is dead and necrotic. There are many speculations about the divine self (soul), most of which are based on subjective experience in meditation. Deva's "Bailun·Poshenpin" states that the Brahman Sangha (Samkhya) sect establishes "god" as the master of life, saying that god "is always aware of his appearance, always abides in everything, is incorruptible, and accepts all dharmas." Contemporary Philosophy , the self-aware spiritual entity, conscious body, soul, etc. conceived by human body scientists, is close to the divine self.

There are refutations of various theories on the existence of self in the aggregates, such as the Agama Sutra, the Great Wisdom Sutra, the Hundred Treatises, and the Yogi Earth Theory. Volume 65 of "Yogi Earth Treatise" says: If there is a different aggregate of self that always resides in the aggregate, is this thing permanent or impermanent? "If it is impermanent, then the planned self will have different origins and annihilations from moment to moment, different death here, different births elsewhere, different actions and feelings, and such mistakes will happen. Moreover, all the different aggregates have a self, if it is inside or outside, If there is birth or destruction between the two, then this plan does not make sense. "How can I be called my true self if I am impermanent?" What's more, I can't find any trace of this kind of thing inside, outside, or between the inside and outside of the body. It's just a fiction. If this self is permanent, it should permeate everything, be always aware, forget nothing, and have no birth, no death, no suffering and no happiness under any conditions. In this way, there should be no reality of birth, old age, illness and death, reincarnation, six paths, and forgetfulness. Things like sleepiness and confusion. The Sengkai sect regards "awareness", that is, the ability to be aware, as the divine self. In fact, human awareness is born when encountering conditions. The three conditions of fibrous root, environment, and consciousness are combined. Colors are seen with the eyes, sounds are heard with the ears, and fragrances are known with the nose. Taste is known from the tongue, and touch is generated from the body. These perceptions are actually the four aggregates of feeling, thought, action, and consciousness among the five aggregates. They are caused by causes and conditions that arise and cease without thought. How can they be called self-existing and independent? He, the really unchanging me? Apart from the psychological activities of birth and death, there is really no self-controlling, eternal and free self or divine self in the body. The Western philosopher Russell also saw this and said: "Besides thoughts, feelings and actions, there is no pure entity such as the mind or soul that produces or feels what happens." ("The soul exists after death." ")

The third view of self mentioned in "Yoga Treatise": "The self is not the same as all the aggregates and different aggregates, and I do not live in the aggregates but in the different aggregates and separate the aggregates.", which means Although the five aggregates are not me, and there is no self in the aggregates, there is a self outside the five aggregates, which is called "the separate aggregate self". Those who hold this view of self are mostly outsiders who practice meditation, and establish a separate self based on certain experiences in their concentration. Volume 12 of "The Great Wisdom" says that there are people who meditate and enter into ten kinds of concentration "all over the place" such as earth, water, fire, wind, and space. In the concentration, no body and mind can be seen, but only endless land or water. Fire, wind, light, void, etc., then recognize the phenomena seen as the real self of the separate aggregates. Nowadays, those who practice qigong and reach the realm of void will easily recognize void or some kind of energy or field as their true self. Taoism also says that the three souls of human beings are in the palace of the gods outside the body.

Concerning the separation of the self from the aggregate, Volume 6 of "Yogi Earth Treatise" refutes: "If I do not belong to the aggregate, I should be free of defilements at all times, and it does not belong to my body, so this should not be ignored. "External things that do not belong to the five aggregates should be free from the pollution of worldly desires and always be liberated, but this is not the case. Moreover, since this kind of thing is outside the body and has nothing to do with oneself, how can it be the master of my life and the subject of reincarnation? If the nature and appearance of the established separate self cannot be described, then this kind of self is even more fictitious, just like someone who claims: "I know that on the top of the head of the child born by the stone girl, there are silk garlands that bind the illusion in the sky." He is just deceiving himself and others. What's more, if there is a self that is separated from the other aggregates, it has become two with the body and mind, falling into dualistic opposition, becoming a cause-and-conditional phenomenon, and cannot be called the real self that is always one and self-controlled.

The fourth view of self mentioned in "Yoga Treatise" is called "the self that is not and is separated from the self", which was established by the Duzi Department of Buddhism. It means that the five aggregates are not me, and there is no self in the aggregates and in the separation aggregates, but there is actually a Putegara that is neither conditioned nor inaction, and is neither equal nor separate from the five aggregates. When the Buddha said there is no self, he only denies the self-aggregate and the separate aggregate, such as the self held by heretics. It does not mean that there is absolutely no real self as the subject of reincarnation. “It is neither the self that is the self nor the self that is separated from the self. It cannot be described, nor can it be expressed in terms of shape, size, size, etc., even to the point of becoming a Buddha, this self is always there.

"("The Discourses of the Idibu Zonglun") The "Yogashidishastra" also does not recognize this indescribable real self that is neither the aggregate nor the separate aggregate. Volume 65 of the treatise criticizes this view of the self:

“If there is a self, all the aggregates and dharmas do not correspond. Therefore, there is no aggregate. If there is no aggregate, there is no form; it does not correspond to the body, nor does it correspond to the feelings of pain and joy. , it is not corresponding to many different differences, nor is it corresponding to good, bad, unrecorded thoughts, etc., nor is it corresponding to the different realms of perception, form, etc. In this way, I should have nothing to rely on, no feelings, no thoughts, no thoughts, etc., and no distinction. Then this self is not subject to function, is ultimately liberated, and has no defilements. ”

The mysterious self that is neither the aggregate nor the separation aggregate. Since it is neither form nor mind, has nothing to depend on, and has no connection with the present body and mind, it should be free from troubles and pollution, and is not subject to birth and death. How can it become The subject of reincarnation? If all living beings take this self as the center of their lives, they should be liberated naturally without practicing. But is this the case?

In short, when analyzing oneself rationally, no matter from within the five aggregates, Outside the five aggregates, there is no self or soul or god-self as the subject of reincarnation and self-mastery. The reality of the life phenomenon is just a continuous process of the birth and death of the five aggregates. Among them, "only Root, there is only the realm, only the feeling that arises from that person, only the mind that arises from that person, only the thinking about me and my thinking, only the thinking about me and my seeing, only the thinking about me and my speaking, except for these seven places, the rest is the real self. It's impossible to get along. "(Volume 55 of "Yogi Earth Treatise") The self-consciousness, self-feeling and various self-views of all living beings are just a kind of subjective delusion, that is, this delusion itself also has selflessness as its nature. "The Great Master" The Prajna Sutra: Nagashri Principle says: “The view that is judged as self is not my view, so the Tathagata says it is called self-view. "Why? Self-attachment and self-view also arise from conditions. They cannot arise or cease, have no entity, and cannot be their own masters. They originally have no self, are empty, and have no self-nature. They just follow the worldly pseudonym, self-view, and self-grasping.

False Self, True Self and Reincarnation and Nirvana

Although it is not difficult to rationally prove that all dharmas have no self, it will inevitably cause many doubts and questions: introspect your own mind and clearly understand You can feel the self-awareness of a permanent master; interpersonal communication is based on the affirmation of "I". Even in the Buddhist scriptures, you and I are also distinguished. “I am the only one in heaven and under heaven. "Isn't it self-contradiction with selflessness? Moreover, Buddhism talks about selflessness on the one hand, and reincarnation and karma on the other. Since there is no self, who is in reincarnation? Since there is no self, Buddhism teaches people to do good deeds and get good rewards. Who will receive the retribution? Since there is no self, Buddhism pursues Nirvana and Buddhahood. Just like the Pure Land Sect advises people to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land, since there is no self, who will be reborn? If the subjective self, the basis for all values, is gone, what is the point of doing good deeds, practicing cultivation, becoming a Buddha, and being reborn? Such questions will not only be raised by heretics and non-Buddhists, but also become a theoretical gap in attacking Buddhism, but also by Buddhists. You may have to go through areas of confusion during the course of your study.

In fact, as long as you adhere to the principle of the Middle Way and strictly observe the phenomena of life according to the law of dependent origination, you will have to deal with all kinds of questions about false self, real self, existence and non-self. Difficulties such as reincarnation and nirvana are not a problem. There is no need to establish a real self as the subject of reincarnation. The theory of selflessness in Buddhism is the dialectical unity of the non-existence of the real self and the non-existence of the false self. This is what we observe when observing life phenomena according to the law of dependent origination. The two sides of seeing have the same principle, just like the palm of the hand and the back of the hand, they are the same palm and cannot be separated. The existence of life phenomena based on conditions excludes the place of the eternal self of the reincarnation subject. Living beings mistakenly believe that there is a real self. In order to break this attachment, Buddha's Dharma says that since life phenomena exist according to causes and conditions, they must follow the law of dependent origination, the five aggregates are continuous, the karma and results are continuous, and there are similarities in the continuous process. Continuously, there must be a subject personality, a false self and a common self in the sense of distinguishing oneself from others. You and I are clearly distinct, and all sentient beings are very different from each other. From the perspective of following the conventional understanding of the world and affirming that the false self is non-existent, the Buddhist scriptures also agree. Talking about you, me, and others, the Buddha often talks about the six paths of reincarnation and the retribution of good and evil. If there is no self, no author, no recipient, then who is in reincarnation? Who receives the retribution? Who is born in the Pure Land? From the perspective of following the secular theory that there is a false self, it can be said that the false self recognized by the world is in reincarnation and receiving retribution. Although the five aggregates and thoughts arise and die, the body and mind of tomorrow are no longer the body and mind of today, but the body and mind of today are recognized by the world. The body and mind that arise continuously tomorrow are "I", telling where I will go tomorrow, what pain and joy I will suffer, what career I will do, etc. Buddhism also follows this example when talking about the six paths of reincarnation, deeds and rewards, Nirvana, and rebirth in the Pure Land. .

Although Zhang San in this life is not Li Si in the previous life and does not remember the previous life, but Li Si in the previous life was actually born continuously, so it can be said that Li Si was reincarnated as Zhang San; Li Si created karma and Zhang San received the retribution, which can be said to be It's your own fault. What's more, after death, most people directly fall into hell, hungry ghosts, and those who have done good deeds and are reborn in heaven. Those who practice Taoism, enter Nirvana, and are reborn in the Pure Land will not lose the memory of their lives. In terms of following secular conventions, it has nothing to do with people being here today or going there tomorrow. What a difference.

If we look at it from the essence, entering Nirvana and being reborn in the Pure Land is from delusion to enlightenment, which is qualitatively different from the way all living beings cling to false self and from delusion to delusion and cycle through the six paths. Nirvana is a spiritual state achieved by observing the truth of impermanence and selflessness as it really is, and quenching the troubles arising from the mind. Although the troubles are eliminated, the pure mind will always remain. This pure mind of Nirvana is not the same as the false self, which is impermanent, uneasy, unable to control itself, and suffers all kinds of suffering. Instead, it has wonderful virtues such as permanence, happiness, self, and purity. It can be said to be the true self that can truly deserve the meaning of "freedom." , "Nirvana" and other Mahayana sutras are therefore called the "Greater Self" and "True Self". "Nirvana Sutra" says: "All dharmas have no self, but this Nirvana really has a self." It also says: "There is a great self, so it is called the great Nirvana. Nirvana has no self, so it is great and free, so it is called the great self." Although the Nirvana Self is called me, it is actually just a state in which the main mind completely corresponds to the reality of selflessness. It is the unity of selflessness and selfhood, and ultimately takes selflessness as its essence. Volume 3 of "The Treatise on the Precious Nature of the Ultimate One Vehicle" makes it clear: "The selflessness is called self. That is, there is no self, and there is no false god-self of other pagans. The Tathagata, who is called self, has Peter's self-self." It is said that there is no self and self. Having me is not a contradiction, it is actually the same thing. The Nirvana Self is actually an expression of the Nirvana Silence Seal among the Three Dharma Seals. The purpose of Buddhism's theory of no-self is to strive to say no-self in order to break all living beings' attachment to false self and false self, so as to meditate and practice truthfully and achieve eternal happiness and absolute freedom in Nirvana. The Nirvana Sutra even denounces as unjust the statement that one only sees no self but does not recognize the Self.

After the Buddha attained the Great Nirvana, although he followed the conventions of the world and called himself "I" (this is called "I follow the world") and Tathagata, and even claimed that "I am the only one in heaven and on earth", he was not as persistent as all sentient beings. The false is true, and the true is nothing. "The Avatamsaka Sutra Suihao Guangpin" Buddha said: "Just as I say I am not attached to me or my place, the same is true for all Buddhas who say they are Buddhas and are not attached to me or my place." The so-called "heaven" The self of "I am the only one in the world" is not only the "I who follow the world" but is not attached to the secular sayings, it can also be understood as the nirvana self achieved by the Buddha. This self transcends the world and is indispensable, so it is called the only one.

In order to explain reincarnation and nirvana in more detail, the Mahayana Dharma-Physical Consciousness-only Theory further demonstrates in depth that all dharmas have no self from the perspective of mind analysis and epistemology. The knowledge-only theory of Dharma divides people's self-grasping into two levels: distinction and coexistence. The distinction between people and self-grasping only arises from the proportion of the sixth consciousness, resulting from incorrect thinking and accepting incorrect opinions. The co-born ego is innate and arises at the same time as the distinction between the six consciousnesses. It arises from the reality (intuition) of the sixth consciousness and the seventh consciousness. The seventh consciousness is "constantly thinking" under the level of consciousness. Thinking about an inner self is the source of self-view, self-love, self-grasping and self-arrogance. The inner self contemplated by manas consciousness is the view of its underlying alaya consciousness. Manas consciousness uses the alaya view as inner self-contemplation, and it is constantly reviewing, even when a person is asleep, in the womb, etc. and is unconscious, it does not stop. If it is necessary to establish a subject of reincarnation, then this Mana Consciousness constantly contemplates the inner self, which can be said to be a Putegara that has penetrated through three lives without changing its old state. In this way, wouldn't Mana and Alaya have souls and real egos, and be on the same level as the subjects of reincarnation established by Duzibu and others? The answer is no: Mana's introverted constant consideration is nothing but an unrealistic "non-quantity" (wrong consideration) and a false subjective idea. The alaya consciousness that it holds as the inner self is just the continuation of a kind of mental computer. It is also a process of origin, death and mutation of causes and conditions, "eternal rotation like a waterfall", and is not a self-killing self. As for the manas consciousness that can think, since it has an object to think about, it has placed itself in the interlocking relationship between the dualistic opposition of energy and things, and has become a cause-and-effect phenomenon, which cannot be called the real self of the eternal one. There is a big difference between mana and alaya and the blind aggregates and so on established by the gods and tribes. The Consciousness-only Theory of Dharma establishes Mana and Alaya to analyze samsara and nirvana precisely to demonstrate more effectively that all dharmas have no self. Volume 8 of "The Theory of Consciousness-Only" summarizes the three meanings of no-self: "One has no self, and there is no reason why I am; the second has no self, because it is different from the self that is grasped by the illusion; the three self-nature has no self, and there is no self. "For the sake of self." What is shown by the principle of no self is the inherent nature of all dharmas.

The Mahayana Sect focuses on the pure and wonderful fruits realized by the Buddha, and further unifies life and death and Nirvana, selflessness and self, alaya and Tathagatagarbha, and believes that the merits such as Nirvana realized by the Buddha are not artificial cultivation. It is caused (manufacturing and cultivating it is suspected of falling into the law of causal origin and dualism), but it is already ready-made and hidden in all living beings, which is called the "Tathagata Store". From the perspective of the basis and possibility for sentient beings to become Buddhas, it is called "Buddha nature"; from the perspective of the main body mind that can be realized, it is called "Tathagata Hidden Heart", "True Heart", "Reality of Heart", " "Nature of Mind", "True Mind", "True Nature", "Original Mind", "Buddha Mind", "Rigpa Awakening", "Pure Bodhicitta", "Amara Consciousness", etc. Although there are some differences between the three concepts of the mind of the Tiantai Sect, the Dependent Origination of the Dharma Realm of the Huayan Sect, the Heart is the Buddha of the Zen Sect, the Six Dependent Originations of the Tang Tantric Sect, and the Supreme Yoga of the Tibetan Tantric Sect, they are all based on one absolute true heart. (i.e., the nature of the mind of all sentient beings) governs everything and is the essence of all things. All phenomena of life, death, and nirvana are the manifestation of this true mind. All living beings are confused by this mind and suffer the cycle of birth and death. Only by awakening to this mind can all Buddhas be liberated and free. Although confusion and enlightenment are different, this true mind is originally peaceful and pure, and remains unchanged regardless of circumstances. Enlightenment does not increase and confusion does not decrease. This mind is also called the true self and the great self. "The Nirvana Sutra: The Nature of the Tathagata" says: "The true self of Buddha-nature is like a diamond, which cannot be destroyed." The sutra also says: "I am the Tathagata's hidden meaning. All living beings have Buddha-nature, which is my meaning." Although people in the world say that there is a self but no Buddha-nature, this is called the thought of self in the absence of self. This is called inversion. The Buddha-dharma has a self, which is the Buddha-nature. Master Huineng calls this true mind and self-mind Buddha-nature. "Self-nature". In this way, the "true and eternal idealism" that focuses on affirming the existence of Tathagatagarbha, Buddha nature, and true mind becomes the theory of self on the surface, which is close to the Brahman theory of the unity of God and Brahman. It has been judged as incorrect by some scholars. In fact, there are essential differences between the true heart and the divine self, "the reality of the heart is the truth" and "the Brahman and the self are the same", which can be identified by the selfless seal of all dharmas. "Mahayana Samatha and Insight" has analyzed this: Pagans believe that all things are real, and the God-self mentioned in it is a spiritual entity that pervades all things but not all things. It does not depart from the dualistic position; the true mind according to Buddhism is not within oneself. The truth is established outside the heart and all things, saying that everything in the universe is based on one true heart, which is the realization of one true heart and transcends dualism and monism. The theory of God and Self and the theory of Brahman and I are ultimately the theory of self, while the theory of Tathagatagarbha Dependent Origination and the theory of the emergence of true mind are ultimately the theory of no-self. The so-called Tathagatagarbha, true mind, etc., although they are called the true self and the great self, in terms of their fundamental connotation, are actually other names for the truth of the selflessness of all dharmas from the perspective of the one who realizes it. Tathagatagarbha and Buddha nature ultimately refer to the selfless nature of the human heart and the realization of this nature. Although the Lankavatara Sutra says that the Tathagatagarbha is pure and unchangeable, it also emphasizes that "one should rely on the Tathagatagarbha without self." "Treatise on Buddha Nature" makes it clear: "Buddha nature is the true form manifested by the two emptiness of human law." Buddha nature, original mind, etc., ultimately refer to the state of correspondence between the human heart and the original selfless reality. This state is "wisdom." "Equality and equality with the truth", there is no distinction between subject and object, no law is established, no law is abandoned, there is absolutely no false self or divine self that all living beings cling to, and there is no true self, great self or even no self. It can be said that The true selflessness - the truth of selflessness appears as it is in the pure mind ("present view", "present realization"), but it is just a false name for the true self and the greater self. Master Tsongkhapa emphasized the right view of selflessness as the first meaning of Buddhism. He said that Alaya and Tathagatagarbha are absolutely empty, which is quite meaningful.

With constant self-attachment, life and death are endless

(The principle is clear, this matter needs to be done, if you don’t do it with your heart, you won’t have enough to eat. Thanks to Brother Fengxing for compiling this article)

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