Here are a few key points to think about.
1. Sakkaya ditthi is one of three samyojana that need to broken to attain the Sotapanna stage of Nibbana.
2. Samyojana are “bonds” that binds one to the rebirth process (also called sansara or samsara).
When all ten samyojana are broken, one will be free of all attachments (bonds) to the rebirth process, and will never be born anywhere in the 31 realms of this world, none of which is suffering-free.
– There is absolutely no suffering in Parinibbana (after the death of an Arahant).
3. Sakkaya ditthi is really about the first comprehension of the sufferings and the dangers in the rebirth process. We tend to think in terms of human births, and tend to disregard other realms.
– But most humans are reborn in the four lower realms including the animal realm. That is the danger to be understood in order to break sakkaya ditthi, a bond to the rebirth process.
4. Sakkaya comes from “sath” + “kaya”, where “sath” means “good.” Now, “kaya” can mean two things: one’s physical body or one’s actions.
Sakkāya ditthi encompasses mainly two views: (i) “I am my body,” and I need to keep it beautiful above all. (ii) I can achieve happiness by diligently pursuing (good) things in this world.
– More details at, “Sakkāya Ditthi is Personality (Me) View?”
So, these are the key points that one needs to contemplate on, if one wants to overcome sakkaya ditthi and to attain the Sotapanna stage.
October 6, 2019: Ihave replaced original #4 and #5 with just #4 above.