Teacher Intensive
Aug.24-26, 2007: Friday night

This handout was given to all participants before the weekend.

Aaron: If I gave you a map and asked you to choose a road to follow you would ask me, where are we going? Similarly, with the dharma path, we must know where we are going, in general and specific. We are going to liberation in both the large and simple sense, liberation from daily suffering though understanding the nature of that suffering and what perpetuates it, and liberation as release from the cycle of birth and death.

Let us begin the Path of Insight Knowledges with Purification of view: ditthi-visuddhi (ditthi=hard t ):

Vissudhi Magga lists 16 stages, opened in sequence:

The list starts with knowledge of Delimitation of Mind and Matter. This is not one of the insight knowledges but a preliminary knowledge. Purification by discerning Cause and Conditions is part of Delimitation of Mind and Matter.

1.Knowledge of Delimitation of Mind and Body (nama-rupa):

2. Knowledge by Discerning Conditionality: (Discernment of Cause and Conditions)

This is part of the above. Here we see how each object arises out of conditions. The breath arises because of material conditions. The awareness of the breath arises in the mind.

These are the primary area of insight which dispel doubt. That is, doubt about the nature of self and the whole conditioned realm. One begins to see clearly into the nature of arising and cessation in the mundane realm. Whatever has the nature to arise has the nature to cease and is not "self." One sees the dependently arisen nature of the 5 aggregates. One ceases to take any of the aggregates as self. There is no longer doubt about their nature. Also doubt about the Path. As one finds one can observe the arising and passing away of objects and not become caught in them, one gains certainty about the Path.

We will then ask, what practices and insights help us most to reach this stage? What is to be emphasized for the beginner. Let us regard the following, which interweave.

a. Sila: in Asian countries, practice usually begins here. The small child learns the interrelatedness of all things through this practice. When I harm another, I harm myself. When I steal from another, I steal from all beings.

b. Access concentration: Insight into mind and matter needs access concentration. during which the hindrances are quiet or under control. (not suppressed) What is access concentration? (discussion)

c. Three characteristics: Right view does not take the aggregates as self , but sees the three characteristics of conditioned experience, anatta, anicca, dukkha, in all of the aggregates.

d. abandoning by substitution of opposites: like abandoning darkness at night by means of a light; abandoning anger by means of metta, etc. This is one tool with which we work with this succession of knowledges.

When these come to completion , we have e and f below.

e. Mature Purification Of View: with the completion of the first two purifications (of virtue and mind) and the entering into view, the first knowledge arises (Delimitation of Mind and Matter). When this knowledge is mature, purification of view is completed.

f. mature Knowledge of Delimitation of Mind and Matter: At first this knowledge is limited to the med. subject. We see as above, a sting to the skin is matter (rupa); That which perceives the sting and knows it as unpleasant is mind (nama). Whatever the meditation object, we see clearly how it arises out of conditions and passes away. But we still don't know this as universal truth. Delimitation of Mind and Matter is considered mature when it touches everything, and leads to:

The 10 insight knowledges: (#s 3 through 12 above) Knowledge of Comprehension through Conformity Knowledge. These ten have their foundation in Purification of View and Purification of Doubt, which in turn are founded on the first two purifications (the roots).

Visuddhi Magga puts the next three knowledges under a further purification. Mahasi Sayadaw puts them under "doubt". Thus, not all systems/ texts list them in the same relationship. The precise way/ place of listing isn't too important here. Remember, they're circular and all interrelate.

Purification by Knowledge and Vision of what is Path and what is not Path,

Purification of Doubt.

Aaron: This is the end of phase one. Here we enter directly into the Vipassana Insights. It is through this beginning aspect of the Path that we first focus attention, both a practitioners and as those who would show the Way to others. There must be clarity about these steps before we proceed.

The move to the next insight may still use a mundane primary object, or a supramundane one. Part way through, there is a value to shift to a supramundane object if the practitioner is not already doing so.

The Path of Insight Knowledges:

3. Knowledge by Comprehension:

a deeper understanding of the three characteristics in all conditioned experience.

a. This knowledge follows Purification by Overcoming doubt (is a fruit of...) and serves as ground for Knowledge of Arising and Passing Away, which Knowledge occurs in 2 phases, undeveloped and mature.

b. The undeveloped phase or arising and passing away: In this phase, phenomena called ten imperfections of insight may arise. These are experiences and mind states which may lead us to stray from a mindful path, lost in bliss, or light.

illumination (obhasa) / knowledge (nana) / rapturous delight (pitti) / calmness (passaddhi) / bliss (sukha) / faith (adhimokkha) / energy (paggaha) / assurance (upatthana) / equanimity (upekkha) / attachment (nikanti)

Some of these are wonderful experiences in themselves; the point is to not become lost in them, attach to them, nor take them as signs that we're enlightened. That which is aware of these objects is not lost in them. Here is where the practice of resting in awareness, taking awareness (or Nada or light) as primary, becomes especially valuable. The practitioner can then begin to know that the above objects, beautiful though they may be, are still of the conditioned realm. They are not the Unconditioned itself, through they may be expressions of the Unconditioned.

This purification regards these "imperfections" and sees they are not Path. Attachment to them is not Path. Continued mental noting IS Path. Don't get lost!

Here is a strong detour from jhana. In jhana practice, we're told to take pitti or light as an object and to stay with it, with concentration. This practice can then create a difficulty for the vipassana practitioner who now needs to learn to rest in awareness that observes pitti or light and doesn't get caught in it.

4. Immature Knowledge of Arising and Passing Away -

The immature phase of this knowledge ends when one has moved through the imperfections of insight by mental noting. As the mature phase opens, we move into the next purification.

As the imperfections of insight arise and we merely note their arising and passing, not caught in them as "good" nor in any way (but knowing them as pleasant if this is the case), we open into the mature phase. The knowledge becomes matured by our work with the imperfections of insight.

Purification by Knowledge and Vision of the Way: as we know what is not path, we develop certainty about what is Path. These knowledges may be passed through slowly, or in a flash, just a few moments. there is no "right" way. It's important though to persevere at this stage, to give a lot of time to sitting with the whole process.

4. mature Knowledge of Arising and Passing Away

We begin to see how everything in the conditioned realm arises and passes. Not only do sensations and thoughts pass, but the consciousness which notes these arising ad passing also passes.

5. Knowledge of Contemplation of Dissolution

Attention moves from arising to dissolution. Everything dissolves

6. Knowledge of Contemplation of Appearance as terror

Terror about this dissolution. Nothing to hold on to.

7. Knowledge of Contemplation of Danger

We begin to see the danger, how easily we could get caught back into taking anything as solid, see into the danger of formations and our attachments to them.

8. Knowledge of Contemplation of Disenchantment

Disenchantment with everything, the conditioned realm, practice, - everything is seen as part of the process of becoming, and an obstacle to freedom.

9. Knowledge of Desire for Deliverance

Deep aspiration arises to continue the path and find freedom.

10. Knowledge of Contemplation of Reflection

Reflection on:

the 18 principal insights:

The forty modes of Reflection:

10 about impermanence: impermanent/ disintegrating/ fickle/ perishable/ unenduring/ subject to change/ having no core/ to be annihilated/ formed/ subject to death

25 about suffering

painful/ a disease/ a boil/ a dart/ a calamity/ an affliction/ a plague/ a disaster / a terror/ a menace/ no protection/ no shelter/ no refuge/ a danger/ the root of calamity/ murderous/ subject to cankers/ Mara's bait/ subject to birth/ subject to aging/ to illness/ to sorrow/ to lamentation/ to despair/ to defilement.

5 about not-self:

alien/ empty/ vain/ void/ not-self

Within Knowledge of Reflection we contemplate some of these. Some meditators will follow more the path of impermanence, some the path of suffering, some of not self.

The reflection opens out to equanimity.

11. Knowledge of Equanimity about Formations

At this stage we must have a supramundane primary object.

There is no longer terror about formations or about seeming groundlessness since we have seen into the voidness of everything on the conditioned realm.

a. insight leading into emergence:

1. Visuddhi Magga, XXI, 65, Simile of the Crow: "When sailors board a ship, it seems, they take with them what is known a land-finding crow. When the ship gets blown off its course by gales and goes adrift with no land in sight, then they release the land-finding crow. It takes off from the mast head and, after exploring all quarters, if it sees land, it flies straight in the direction of it; if not it returns and alights on the mast head. So too, if knowledge of equanimity about formations sees nibbana, the state of peace, as peaceful, it rejects all formations and enters only into nibbana. If it does not see it, it (equanimity with formations) occurs again and again with formations as its object."
   

12. Knowledge in Conformity with Truth

This is a coming together of all that preceded it.

a. One keeps coming back again and again to this equanimity. At this point, one of the gates becomes predominant, anatta, anicca or dukha.

b. There is a shift in view. One has investigated all compounded things and found them all to be impediments to freedom.

1. everything compounded rests on suffering; nibbana is free from suffering, etc. Seeing that freedom is not here, it must be there. Like looking for something inside a room until one is absolutely certain it doesn't exist in the room; only then will one look elsewhere. When we see "it's not here", we go elsewhere.
   
2. Up until now one has investigated all 3 characteristics of conditioned experience. Now one becomes predominant and we stay with it. The predominant characteristic depends on our spiritual inclination and which characteristic predominates - faith, concentration or wisdom.
   
3. Value of pure awareness practice here. Easier to "find" if we have some clue what we're looking for, or opening to.
   
   

Purification by Knowledge and Vision: consists of the knowledge of the four supramundane paths. These knowledges follow each immersion into the Unconditioned

13. Change of Lineage Knowledge

With Change of Lineage Knowledge, the mind lets go of formations as object and takes nibbana as object. At this stage there may have arisen a "sign", (nimatta). Consciousness abandons that sign and turns to the signless. (Mindfulness does this; noting must continue). This is the, " "it's not here"; go elsewhere."

In VM, XXII, 6, there is a simile of a man swinging across a stream on a rope. You let go of one shore and incline toward the other. Here one inclines toward nibbana.

14. Path Knowledge:

a. four functions:

1. penetrates the truth of suffering by full understanding
2. penetrates the truth of the origin of suffering by abandoning it.
   
3. penetrates the truth of Path by developing it.
   
4. penetrates the truth of cessation of suffering by realizing it.
   

b. four supramundane paths, traversed one at a time: Each arises only once. Each defeats certain defilements. They are moved through in sequence.

1. stream entry (sotapanna) - Breaks down the defilements of personality view, doubt and clinging to ritual.
   
2. Once returner (sakadagami) - does not eradicate any defilements but reduces the roots of greed, hatred and delusion.
   
3. Non-returner (anagami) - eradicates sensual desire and aversion.
   
4. Arahant , free from all defilements.
   

15. Fruition Knowledge:

a. understand the freedom that has been opened to. Path knowledge opens only at the moment of experience, but fruition knowledge may be re-entered.

16. Reviewing Knowledge:

a. reviews the path, its fruition, defilements abandoned and those remaining, and Nibbana. When it happened, cognizing mind was absent. Now that mind comes back in and reviews the process.

Excerpt from Swallowing the River Ganges

Matthew Flickstein

(Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2001), pp143-151}

The Mature Phase of the of Arising and Passing Away

The current stage of purification begins to unfold as the insight knowledge of arising and passing away comes to maturity. This occurs after we have worked through the corruptions of insight, and our observation of the conditioned and dependently arisen nature of the aggregates continues unimpeded by perceptual distortions.

Normally, the characteristic of impermanence is concealed by the illusion of continuity. With our increased capacity to remain mindful, we come to realize that each and every object rises and falls, changes from moment to moment, and at no time exists as anything other than a process of becoming. Each object is seen to rise and fall in stages. Mindfulness becomes precise, and the impermanent nature of all phenomena is observed with great clarity

The characteristic of pain, or the unsatisfactory nature of experience, is concealed by the change of postures and the perpetual movement of the mind. Bodily pain is especially hard to bear since the desire for sensual pleasure is so great. When we focus our attention on the body while maintaining our commitment not to move, however, we directly experience that the body is perpetually on fire with discomfort. As we continue to remain choicelessly aware of what is occurring within the mind, we are able to recognize the intense desire to suppress or avoid all painful feelings. We begin to clearly discern the aggregates as being unsatisfactory due to their impermanent nature.

The characteristic of selflessness is concealed by the concept of compactness. What was previously believed to be a substantial entity is now seen as a dependently arisen succession of momentary occurrences of mind and matter. In the past, we had superimposed a mental construct of a self over these selfless processes. At this stage of practice, we penetrate this form of illusion and clearly recognize the vibratory and selfless nature of the body and mind.

The mature phase of the knowledge of arising and passing away represents an important stage in our practice. It is the base from which we can reach the remaining insight knowledges leading to spiritual liberation.

The Knowledge of Dissolution

When the knowledge of arising and passing away comes to maturity, the incessant ceasing of each bodily and mental process will be clear to us. When this occurs, it is referred to as the knowledge of dissolution.

Phenomena now pass through the mind with the speed of a whirlwind. Each experience is seen to be dissolving moment by moment. As a consequence, the concept of a person or being also begins to dissolve. All that we have considered ourselves to be appears to be dying each moment.

We realize with crystal clarity that both consciousness and the object of consciousness disappear simultaneously. After each object of consciousness disappears, we are able to take as the next object of consciousness the thought that reflected upon the dissolution of the prior object of consciousness. The insight may arise that if a sense object is not presently the object of our consciousness, it cannot be said to exist. At some point, it may appear that mindfulness has been lost since the mind is only seeing phenomena disappearing, but this is certainly not the case.

The Knowledge of the Fearful

When everything we notice is immediately seen to dissolve, our sense of security begins to disappear as well. An overwhelming fear or a great sense of terror may arise at this point. This experience is referred to as the knowledge of the fearful.

A thought may occur that "If this continues, I will completely disappear," or we may experience this knowledge as a generalized feeling of anxiety. On one retreat, an individual who experienced this intense fear grabbed a lamp and started shouting into it, "I am still here. I have not disappeared." One meditator described her experience of seeing everything dissolve as: "I am scared here. I am seeing things I have never seen before." Another individual related that, "At the point of going still deeper, fear suddenly came up and pulled me back from that experience."

Without the guidance of a teacher or a deep understanding of this phase of practice, we may think about stopping our meditation. At this point, however, we must remain present and "sit through the fear" with courageous energy. The fear is nothing more than another mental construct associated with feelings and bodily sensations. Some meditators approach this type of fear several times before they are able to stay present with the experience. Eventually, if we continue to make the effort to remain fully mindful of the fear, it will dissolve in the same way as everything else we have been noticing.

As the fear begins to diminish, it may be replaced by a deep sense of grief. The grief arises as a consequence of having seen the selfless nature of all that we have considered our self to be. When this occurs, we must remain courageously present with the grief, as we did with the fear.

The Knowledge of contemplation of Danger

As we come to recognize that fear, grief, and all forms of suffering arise as a result of our clinging to the five aggregates, the danger in doing so becomes apparent. This understanding is the knowledge of contemplation of danger.

Whereas we previously feared losing our sense of self and of helplessly falling into some void, we now fear falling into the trap of once again identifying with any of the five aggregates. Wherever we turn, there appears to be no escape from this danger. Even the thought of being born in a heavenly realm of existence begins to lose its appeal. To pass though this stage, we must maintain the momentum of our practice and continue meditating until we reach the further insights that are part of this stage of purification.

The Knowledge of Disenchantment

As a consequence of seeing the danger in grasping at any of the aggregates, we naturally become disenchanted with all material or mental formations. This is called the knowledge of disenchantment. This disenchantment arises from wisdom and is accompanied by equanimity, as opposed to aversion.

The experience of disenchantment may extend to all areas of our life and we may discover that we cannot find comfort anywhere. At this point in our practice we may feel quite alone in the world. When the sense of disenchantment becomes intense, we may once again consider giving up our practice, believing that our meditation has led us to a dead end.

One meditator describes her experience as follows:

... being scared to look at what's been coming up, been coming for weeks now. I bravely sat tonight and looked at this "dread" straight in the face, and it's the face of death. Futility, ending, death-over and over again. The mind is too aware of the constant ending to find comfort in anything. I've been reverting to old ways of seeking pleasure, wanting something, anything, to make this feeling of futility go away. It's not working. Reverting does nothing but pour salt on the wound. The mind is feeling a lot of pain, sometimes feelings of hopelessness at ever finding relief. It occurred to me to give up meditating altogether.

Another meditator reports:

Try as I might, I have had difficulties with "special" feelings toward people. It is not that I don't care as much about them, it is just harder to feel the emotional love I used to feel. Emotions in general have suddenly lost a lot of their energy. I am quite happy, but I find it very hard to really feel emotional about anything right now.

At this stage we must not lose hope and stop our meditation. This is a crucial stage of practice, which must be worked through. Along with everything else we are experiencing, this stage is also impermanent.

The Desire for Deliverance

The positive side of the mind becoming disenchanted and wanting to sever its ties with the mundane is the desire for deliverance by experiencing the spiritual freedom that comes from the supramundane. The Visuddhimagga gives the following analogy, which illustrates the meditator's intense desire to escape the bonds of spiritual ignorance:

Just as a fish caught in a net, a frog in a snake's jaws, a jungle fowl shut into a cage, a deer fallen into the clutches of a strong snare, a snake in the hands of a snake charmer, an elephant stuck fast in a great bog ... just as these are desirous of being delivered, of finding an escape from these things, so too this meditator's mind is desirous of being delivered from the whole field of formations and escaping from it.

Difficulties encountered at this point may include becoming very restless and experiencing intense mental and physical discomfort. We may also mistake our desire to escape the mundane for wanting more comfort in a general sense. At this time, we may thing about moving to another meditation center where we would feel more comfortable. The wish to end practice may arise once again. It requires an earnest commitment, and working with a skillful teacher at times, to enable us to move through this advanced and key stage of practice.

It is important to note that we may not be able to distinguish which particular insight knowledge we are actually experiencing, and that making such a distinction is not a requisite part of our practice. The insight knowledges of dissolution, of the fearful, of danger, of disenchantment, and of desire for deliverance are all related. Each knowledge leads directly to the next, and it is possible that we work through the entire sequence of these latter knowledges in one meditation session. When the knowledge of dissolution arises, therefore, we should let nothing dissuade us from continuing to meditate.

The Knowledge of Re-observation (contemplation of reflection)

As a result of experiencing the insight knowledges that are part of this stage of purification, and because of our deep desire for spiritual deliverance, we recommit to the practice of observing the impermanent, unsatisfactory, and selfless nature of each sensory experience that arises. This recommitment to our basic insight meditation practice is referred to as "re-observation." Becoming aware that this is what we must do is the knowledge of re-observation.

Insight is now very keen, and mindfulness easily alights on the objects being notices. Intense pain or discomfort may arise at this point, but we are able to remain present with each unpleasant experience until it dissolves. We may discover that some of our chronic physical difficulties are disappearing for good. We clearly recognize that we are making progress, and our commitment to achieving final liberation is very strong.

The Knowledge of Equanimity Toward Formations

At this point, a clear, deep, and penetrating insight into the selfless nature of all phenomena arises. We recognize that all the aggregates are void of self. We realize, for example, that when visual consciousness takes the body as an object, only visual form and the consciousness of that visual form exists. At that moment, the touch of the body, the sound of the body, and even the concept of "body" does not exist. We know that it is merely light, color, and form arising and passing away along with the consciousness of those qualities.

We have been superimposing our view of substantial self over the rising and falling of impermanent and empty phenomena. We now realize that no man, woman, husband, wife, dog, building or self actually exists. What we had previously considered to be substantial forms of existence were merely reflections of our own conceptual overlays.

When the understanding of the selfless nature of all phenomena becomes clear to us, the grasping and resisting of formations that arise to consciousness ceases. The mind becomes equanimous and we notice the characteristics of experience effortlessly. The formations are seen to dissolve even before they fully take root in the mind.

Even if a painful feeling arises in the body, it will no longer disturb us. The experience of fear, ill will, joy, happiness, and so forth will no longer disturb the mind's impartial stance toward all formations. The mind strongly desires to reach the unconditioned. It is no longer concerned with mundane dramas and the illusory appearance of things. This is the knowledge of equanimity toward formations.