Only Totally Eradicating the Five Aggregates Denotes the Remainderless Nirvana

"The Buddha said to the bhikshus: 'When teaching about the bodily form, if one is able to speak of it as dharma for which one must feel dislike, for which one must cut off one's desires, and for which one must extinguish, so as to subsequently attain tranquility and quiescence, then he is reckoned as a Dharma master. When teaching about the sensation, perception, formation, and vijnana, if one is able to speak of them as dharma for which one must feel dislike, for which one must cut off one's desire, and for which one must extinguish, so as to subsequently attain tranquility and quiescence, then he is reckoned as a Dharma master. Such is the definition of a Dharma master set forth by the Tathagata.' Upon hearing these explanations, the bhikshus become delighted, they prostrated to the Buddha respectfully, then left." 

Samyukta Agama, Vol. 1

 佛告比丘：「若於色說是生厭、離欲、滅盡、寂靜法者，是名法師；若於受、想、行、識，說是生厭、離欲、滅盡、寂靜法者，是名法師，是名如來所說法師。」時，彼比丘聞佛所說，踊躍歡喜，作禮而去。」

《雜阿含經》卷1

Remarks:

 Let us first discuss the notion of the five aggregates before explaining why totally eradicating the five aggregates denotes the remainderless nirvana. The five aggregates are form, consciousness, sensation, perception, and formation, which are the five types of aggregated dharma that hinder sentient beings from realizing the Three-Vehicle Bodhi. As a result, sentient beings continue to transmigrate in the stream of the three realms, and cannot transcend birth and death.

 In the Agama Sutras, the Buddha expounds on the sufferings of the five flourishing aggregates. The five aggregates are divided into the notions of name and form, which are the mental and material dharmas, respectively. In brief, the notion of name is further subdivided into the four dharmas of sensations, perceptions, formations, and consciousnesses. The notion of form, on the other hand, is further subdivided into the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. A Two-Vehicle practitioner needs to employ the skill of meditative concentration, especially the meditative absorption of cessation (C:滅盡定), to be able to distinguish between the form dharmas and the mental dharmas to the utmost limited existence (the subtlest mentation existence).

 Two-Vehicle practitioners need to be taught the meaning of “everlasting dharma”; otherwise, they might misconstrue the state that exists after all the dharmas are extinguished as nihilism. The Buddha explained that there exists an absolute origin (C:本際)  that is real and can be realized and is an “everlasting dharma.” That is, regardless of whether a Buddha manifests to teach this Dharma in the current world or does not, this dharma remains. Only then will Two-Vehicle practitioners obtain the correct view; otherwise, they will be extremely fearful that the total eradication of all the dharmas to attain nirvana will result in nihilism. Knowing this everlasting dharma first will enable them to cultivate the path to liberation in peace.

 Practicing with peace of mind comes about when practitioners no longer have any doubt about the Tathagata’s teachings. Many practitioners are doubtful about who (what) will transmigrate through the stream of birth and death after the conscious mind is eliminated. They cannot witness or verify the ongoing process of birth and death, permanence and impermanence, the nature of the mental consciousness, and the everlasting dharma. Thus, they need to understand that if they follow the sacred teachings of the Buddha, they will not end up in a state of nihilistic nirvana. This has been proven by the fact that many arhats have already attained nirvana; how could they have done so if nirvana were to become nihilistic?

 Given the aforementioned knowledge, through continuous and diligent practice, practitioners will develop a deep faith in the Tathagata’s teachings. Only then can they eradicate their self-view and self-attachment to attain nirvana.

 In Buddhism, the notion of true liberation denotes the state of utter extinction upon entering the remainderless nirvana. Having eliminated all the conditioned-arising dharmas of the five aggregates and eighteen elements, an individual becomes an arhat and will no longer reappear or exist as a being in the world. Only the fundamental embryo-entering vijnana, the tathagatagarbha, exists alone in a stateless state of nirvana, devoid of any function of knowing or perceiving. It denotes the self-abiding state of the absolute origin of the inherently pure nirvana. Only this kind of practice and realization can lead to the true eradication of self-view and self-attachment to attain the fruition of liberation.

 Hence, the Buddha’s teachings of the Two-Vehicle Bodhi are always predicated on the everlasting dharma of the tathagatagarbha.

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