I am the root of all our troubles
Selflessness is the complete breaking of self-grasping
Cut off the source of suffering
When reading and reciting the Diamond Sutra, you will often see "the phase of me, the phase of people, the phase of sentient beings, and the phase of the living beings", referred to as the four phases. But in fact, the four phases are all different manifestations of the self phase. I am also called self-grasping, and I am the object of Prajnaparamita's sweep with the Same Dharma.D., I am the object of Prajnaparamita's sweep.
I phase, is the general term for the four phases. Beings cling to the ever-changing self in the five aggregates and the combined life form, produce a strong self from this cause, and dominate thinking and action. We always cherish our own life forms, and we are busy eating and drinking men and women and starting a family all our lives, which is nothing more than the continuation of our own life forms.
All beings are delusional by me, not by me, but by me, by my seeing, by loving, and by my slowness. I see that I am self-righteous, that only my own opinion is the most correct; that I love is to care for myself more than anything else; that I am slow, that is, I think very highly of myself, even if I am inferior to others.
Human appearance, that is, our living body appears in the form of a human body. Human beings are distinguished by race, such as black, yellow, and caucasian; from the ethnic point of view, there are Han, Manchu, Dai, etc.; from the national point of view, there are Chinese, Japanese, Americans, etc.
It is precisely because of the self-image that there is a rejection between people, and the boundaries between race and race have emerged. This not only makes it impossible for human beings to live in harmony, but also makes it difficult for the world to be stable.
Man, who also considers himself to be the spirit of all things, thinks that he is superior to all other animals, so he cannot treat them equally, slaughters sentient beings at will, creates many killing karmas, and destroys the ecological balance of nature.
The phases of sentient beings, living beings formed by the false combination of the five aggregates, are called sentient beings. Because of the difference in karma, sentient beings can be described as very different.
From different forms of birth, it can be divided into fetal birth, egg birth, wet birth, and metaplasia; from different life forms, it can be divided into heavenly path, humanity, ghost path, hell road, and animal life path. As far as humanity is concerned, there are also differences between rich and poor, health and sickness, solemnity and ugliness, good and evil. It is precisely because of the E-Phase that the phenomenon of antagonism and contradiction between sentient beings has emerged.
The phase of the life-dweller, which is inspired by the sentient beings and karmic forces, is called the life-dweller in the first phase of life from birth to death. Life is only a few short decades, but people hope for eternity, especially those who have achieved fame, money and status, and are not willing to leave this world, so ancient emperors are often keen to seek the art of immortality.
Confucianism has the concept of "no filial piety has three, no posterity is greater", this hope to pass on the way of succession through childbearing is also a manifestation of the life of the people. In addition, there are also some people who hope to continue their lives through the inheritance of their careers, which is still the performance of the life of the people.
The four sameness is the one-self phase, and the I-phase is the root of all defilements. Buddhism emphasizes selflessness, which is to completely break the self-grasping and cut off the root cause of suffering. Therefore, the Diamond Sutra says, "If there is a self-image, a human aspect, a sentient beings, and a life-dwelling phase, it is not a bodhisattva." ”
—— Excerpt from The Modern Meaning of the Diamond Sutra ——