For the fifth stage, one must just concentrate one’s attention the upon the Heart Base, but this has a different meaning from that previously considered.
Whatever comes within the field of the Mind Door will be a Pleasing Object and one should not become attached to either of these types of objects, for then one’s Reviewing Knowledge will get worse. This means that mindfulness cannot be maintained because of attachment to those objects.
When we are attached to something, our Cittas seize hold of it ; and the one thing which we seize and hold on to more tenaciously than anything else our selves. There is nothing that we love more than our selves, and there is nothing that we hate more than death. There is no suffering greater than the Five Aggregates and there is no bliss greater than Nibbana.
In this existence, we have the five aggregates which make up our body and mind and these are more precious to us than anything else. Because of this, we do dishonest things in society which are contrary to our moral precepts, and we try to gain personal advantages at the expense of others; all because of the love of self.
But, if one love one’s self, thts is the wrong way to go about things, and is. the equivalent of hating oneself. If one loves oneself, then one should do what is good for oneself.
Our good and bad actions give rise to consequent results, like a shadow which follows us.1 The self, is the five aggaegates, with which we become fascinated, and which we grasp at blindly and seize hold of. They are not truly one’s self, but are only so insofar as conventional usage is concerned. Thus, one says, “he”, “she”, or “we”, and one talks of a “woman” or a “man”, in order that one may know couventionally who is who. They are called by these names up to the time of their death, but when they die, those that we call beings and men have no body. In other words, the five aggregates deceive us and fascinate us like a conjurer who deceives us by his tricks. Seizing hold of the five aggregates as one’s self is thus grasping at something which is unreal and impermanent. Then we are sure to experience suffering because we deludedly take hold of what is not real.
The Method of Letting Go of the Five Aggregates
There is no suffering equal to the five aggregates. Thus why is it that we and everybody else love the five aggregates more than any other thing? It is beeause all of us are under the sway of ignorance. We do not understand the truth, that all things are Compounded of Formations(Sankhara) ; therefore, being dull aad fascinated, we seize hold of what is un real and impermanent. Because of this we experience suffering; in fact we run after and look for suffering. If one thinks of it, this is very queer! Let go of suffering, and in this way you will become free of suffering.