The Root of All Suffering Lies in the View of Self

The Tenth Vow: The Vow of Not Arising Attachment and Calculation Regarding the View of Self.

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings in my land should give rise to thoughts of longing or attachment and calculation regarding their own body, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the celestial beings reborn in my realm should still entertain thoughts of longing, attachment, and calculation regarding their own physical body, and if this vow cannot be fulfilled, then may I not attain perfect enlightenment. This is an extremely important vow. It is also known as the Penetration of the Extinction of Outflows, one of the six spiritual penetrations. Among these six penetrations, ordinary beings, non-Buddhist adepts, and even ghosts and spirits may possess the first five. However, the non-arising of attachment and calculation regarding the body—the Penetration of the Extinction of Outflows—is possessed only by sages.

The extinction of outflows means the utter exhaustion of afflictions. From the standpoint of the Arhat's attainment, his afflictions of views and deluded thoughts are completely severed, and he has realized the emptiness of person. If he has not realized this emptiness of person, the first five penetrations are easily lost. It is like an unfired clay vessel that cannot withstand the test of a violent storm. We can see examples of this in the scriptures.

For instance, there was once a sage who had attained the five penetrations. The king held him in great reverence and invited him to receive offerings. Every fortnight, he would fly to the palace to receive offerings. Whenever he arrived by flight, the common people would all look up and watch him flying in like a bird. See how reverent the people of the kingdom were toward him. On one occasion, however, the king happened to be away on an inspection tour of outlying regions, so he entrusted his queen to receive the sage in his place.

When the sage of five penetrations arrived, the queen, who possessed celestial beauty, was dressed in splendid attire. She prostrated before the sage, and as she did so, her hands touched the soles of his feet. At that moment, a single impure thought arose in the mind of the sage—a thought of sexual desire. The instant this thought arose, his spiritual penetrations vanished, and he could no longer fly back. Unable to fly, he said to himself: "The common folk of this city have always longed to see me. Very well, this time I shall fulfill everyone's wish—I shall walk out the gate on foot." He then walked out of the city gate on foot, using this as a way to cover up what had happened. You see how perilous this is.

In the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Śāstra, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva also gives a similar example. He says there was once a group of sages possessing the five penetrations who were flying through the air. It so happened that a group of palace ladies were bathing in a pool. As they bathed, they were singing, and the songs that came from the ladies' lips were exceedingly alluring. The flying sages, upon hearing the songs, could not restrain themselves and one after another fell from the sky. Therefore, as long as afflictions have not been severed, the first five penetrations cannot be relied upon. The penetrations of a sage, by contrast, encompass all six and are accompanied by the utter exhaustion of afflictions.

Here the text specifically points to the view of self—namely, the perception of self and the attachment to self. All ordinary sentient beings possess an innate attachment to self, clinging to this body. We cannot separate ourselves from it. We believe there exists a solid, enduring "I," and with this notion of "I" comes the notion of "mine"—that which I possess. My honor, my power, my wife, my wealth, my car, my villa, my company—they are all mine. Throughout our entire lives, we cannot escape from "I" and "mine." Within this framework, greed, hatred, and delusion blaze with extraordinary intensity. It is a perverted state of affairs: the root of all our suffering lies in the view of self.

And why did the Buddha, out of his great compassion, preach the Prajñā corpus of sutras for twenty-two years? It was to help us understand the empty nature of all dharmas, to know that this "I" is not real. This body is a temporary composite of the five aggregates. Its physical structure is composed of the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind. Its mental aspect comprises the eight consciousnesses. If you search for their ultimate source, you will find no substantial entity. They are all products of our deeply rooted delusive imagination. They arise and cease right where they appear. Therefore, we must not become slaves to this illusory body. A lifetime of busyness, all of it spent in service of this phantom body—how we have wronged our true master! It is like recognizing a thief as one's own son. From the perspective of a practitioner, the view of self must absolutely be broken through.

We must observe the illusory nature of our bodies and the manifold impurities of our minds. Even Laozi said that the body is the root of suffering: where there is a body, there is suffering; where there is a mind, there is affliction. We are ordinary beings steeped in suffering and affliction. Therefore, the patriarchs and great virtuous masters throughout the ages, through the Buddha's words and the teachings of the ancestors, have pointed out at every turn that we must break through the view of self.