Dear fellow practitioners, greetings to all!
The view of self is a net, trapping beings in a sea of suffering—do you wish to shatter delusion with right view and liberate yourself from this illusory “I”? Today, we explore one of the sixteen aspects of great compassion: breaking the view of self. All Buddhas, Tathagatas, take great compassion as their essence—arising from beings’ suffering, great compassion births the Bodhi mind, and from the Bodhi mind comes supreme enlightenment. Let us cultivate right view and right thought to dissect the view of self and enter the path of purity!
The Suffering of Self-View: A Habit of Clinging
The sutra states: “All beings cling to the view of self, and due to this view, various views multiply, binding them perpetually to birth and death.” This view is like bulimia nervosa—uncontrollable, rooted in ingrained habits. Like a drug addiction hard to abandon, it gradually drains wealth and harms life. With strong will, one can forcibly overcome greed and find liberation; indulgence and self-pampering only prolong the affliction, making freedom elusive. Recognizing its severity hardens resolve. Knowing that mistaking delusion for truth is a sickness stops us from fueling the conditions of greed.
Transforming Perception: Shattering Fatigue, Building Strength
The view of self stems from flawed perspectives. Clinging to the notion that “work and study are exhausting” fosters laziness and aversion to effort, leading to collapse and failure. But if we embrace the idea that “effort builds strength,” we gain absolute mental power, physical stamina, wealth, authority, intellect, and capability—then exhaustion vanishes, replaced by the precise sensation of growing strength, an efficient counter to entropy. The simplest, most direct method? Imagine someone chasing you with a torch, setting you ablaze. When your inner fire meets real flames, it collapses instantly, leaving only flight. In that moment, you awaken to the illusory, maddening nature of the mind’s fire—utterly devoid of reality!
Dissecting the View of Self: What Is “I”?
The core issue is “I”—what is this “I”? Let’s examine:
- Physical Form: At three, small; at thirty, robust; at eighty, frail—sizes differ, which is me?
- Body Mass: At three, light; at thirty, heavy; at eighty, thin—masses shift, which is me?
- Cellular Level: Cells arise and perish ceaselessly; the composition at three, thirty, and eighty is entirely distinct—which stage is me?
- Mental State: At three, innocent ignorance; at thirty, vast knowledge; at eighty, nearing dementia—which mind is me?
- Thoughts: Ideas change moment to moment—which thought is me?
- Perspectives and Experience: Views of the same person or event differ; approaches and lessons evolve—which view, action, or experience is me?
- Standards: Methods and criteria vary with different people and matters—which standard is me?
If you claim the entire process is you, then there’s no fixed you—are there countless yous?
Conclusion: The View of Self Is Illusory
This observation proves all is but a process of ceaseless transformation and evolution. These are not you, for you have not changed. The true self is not in form, mass, cells, mind, thoughts, perspectives, or standards. The view of self is delusion—clinging brings suffering, breaking it brings liberation.
Dear fellow practitioners, the sixteen aspects of great compassion require the cultivation of right view and right thought. Breaking the view of self ends attachment, freeing us from suffering’s sea. With a torch to the mind’s fire and observation to shatter the false “I,” we achieve pure liberation. May we study great compassion together and advance toward supreme enlightenment! Thank you all!
