What happens in the mind upon Enlightenment?
The Sevenfold Insight: Part I
Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.
घटोदके विम्बितमर्कविम्बमालोक्य मूढो रविमेव मन्यते।तथा चिदाभासमुपाधिसंस्थं भ्रान्त्याहमित्येव जडोऽभिमन्यते॥Ghatodake vimbitamarkaVimbamAalokya moodho ravimEva manyateTathaa chidAabhaasamUpaadhiSamstha bhraantiAhamItiEva jadoAbhimanyateThe fool sees the reflection of the Sun in the water of a pot, and thinks that it is the Sun itself.
Similarly, the dull person, through delusion, identifies themselves with the reflection of Consciousness in the buddhi, which is [nothing but] a limiting adjunct.
- Vivekachudamani, 218
All suffering in life - sadness, grief, fear, incompleteness, lack of fulfilment - stems not from the world, but from your confusion about who you are. We think “I am suffering”, and then try to solve the “suffering” part of the sentence. Instead, Yoga suggests focusing on the “I” part of the equation. After all, this “I” is just a thought, like any other. We give it special status among the other thoughts and then suffer as a result.
We do this because we are confused. We think we are this thought called “I.”
The good news, however, is that if we look closely enough, we see the Truth of the matter. “I” is a thought, and that thought itself is a pattern of whirling matter. The Real “I” - the Purusha - is the witness to the “I” thought, and is unaffected by the meanings that the mind superimposes upon its own patterns.
A child imagines their toys to be a part of a grand story, while the parent watches them play with love, knowing full well that the story is a creation of the child’s mind. Similarly, the Purusha watches the mind create its own narratives, and then jump into those narratives, taking them seriously, and suffering as a result.
मय्यनन्तमहाम्भोधावाश्चर्यं जीववीचयः।उद्यन्ति घ्नन्ति खेलन्ति प्रविशन्ति स्वभावतः॥MayiAnantaMahaamBhodhauAashcharyam jeevaVeechayahUdyanti ghnanti khelanti pravishanti svabhaavatahHow wonderful! In this limitless ocean of Me, the little waves of sentient beings rise, collide, play around, and disappear, as per their own natures.
- Ashtavakra Gita, 2.25
The suffering is called dukkha - the bumpy ride that life is. Sickness and health, wealth and poverty, life and death, happiness, sadness, and everything in between. It is always changing, imperfect, and never permanently fulfilling. This is the diagnosis.
The cause of the disease is avidya - this is the confusion of non-self and self, of impermanent and permanent, of happiness and suffering. We think that things are permanent when they are not. We think that objects in the world and the attempt to satisfies desires cause happiness when they ultimately lead us to suffering.
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दु:खयोनय एव ते।आद्यन्तवन्त: कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुध:॥Ye hi samsparshajaa bhogaa dukkhaYonaya eva teAadiAntavantah Kaunteya na teshu ramate budhahAlthough the pleasures arising from contact with the sense objects appear enjoyable [to the worldly-minded], they are, in fact, a source of dukkha. All such [apparent] pleasures have a beginning and an end, O Arjuna, and so the Wise can take no delight in them.1
- Bhagavad Gita, 5.22
These confusions stem from the fact that we mistake the reflection in the water to be the Sun - we mistake the reflected Consciousness in the mind (ie. the chidaabhaasa in the buddhi) to be the Self, the Purusha.
The prognosis, however, is good. There is a way out of suffering, and, in Yoga, the state of being free from suffering is called Kaivalyam. It goes by various names - Enlightenment, Moksha, Nirvana, Salvation, etc.
Most often, It is shrouded in a mist of mythology, mysticism, religion, and superstition. However, as I hope you have seen from this series, It is not something to be simply believed in, or a nice idea to discuss over dinner, but rather a Reality to be Realized through systematic practice and study.
Last week, we began a discussion on Kaivalyam, and went through its mechanics - how does It actually happen in the mind, and what are the mental conditions necessary for It to arise.
This week, we will start to go over the seven aspects of this Great Insight.
The Sevenfold Insight
तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा।Tasya saptadhaa praantaBoomi pragyaa[The Yogi’s] final/ultimate Insight is sevenfold.
- Yoga Sutra, 2.27
As we practice Yoga, we find that many insights arise.
At each stage, these insights feel like they are highly significant, however, as we progress, we look back and see that while they may have been important for us at that time, they seem somewhat mundane or obvious at a later stage.
For, a Yogi may notice that their breath changes in a certain way when they feel hunger, and in a different way when they feel upset. They may then learn to recognize these feelings before they turn into action and hurt others. This is a sort of breakthrough and can feel extremely significant. However, it is not directly related to the Ultimate Nature of Reality or the Self.
As another example, a Yogi may suddenly notice one day during meditation that their anger stems from a deep-set fear. This is an important insight into the nature of the mind and is likely to provide a way to weaken their anger in the future. However, while it is important at that stage, and while it is helpful, it is not directly related to the Ultimate Nature of Reality or the Self.
Although these insights may not be about the Ultimate Reality, they are not to be looked down upon.
When we have these “aha moments”, although we may have read about them or heard them in the form of advice from others, the direct experience of the insight gives it a greater weight. As a result, these propel us to practice further, and lead us to the Ultimate Insight - Kaivalyam.
The Ultimate Insight has seven aspects to it. These are not seven separate insights that arise, but rather seven separate angles of the same single insight, appearing sequentially. They are:
The first four have to do with the personal effort of the Yogi. That is, they arise due to consistent, careful, and honest practice. The last three arise spontaneously. That is, once the first four have arisen, even without any further practice the last three will come with time. This is what happens in the mind upon Enlightenment.
The dissolution of questions about dukkha
When we begin our search for Truth, it initially manifests as a thirst for knowledge.
We have questions, and we want them answered. Who am I? What is this place? Why are we here? Who created all this? Why do I suffer? Is there a way out?
Those who are determined will spend significant mental energy on this journey, and some of them will ultimately end up at Yoga (that is, any soteriological path from the world’s traditions).
Through the practice of Yoga, we start to find that all the answers were available to us through close and careful reflection of ourselves and the world around us. Tuning our attention through the methods of Yoga, we start to find the answers we sought through significant effort, and eventually end up here, at the stage of Kaivalyam.
At this point, we no longer feel a need to search - the thirst is quenched. We have Seen for ourselves the nature of Reality - face to face - and any questions we may have had are now dissolved.
P: Wait, why “dissolved” and not “answered” or “solved”?
Jogi: Many questions can be answered or solved. However, all answers and solutions are within the realm of language, which is in itself within avidya. As a result, looking for answers to the Ultimate question of “Who am I” is like trying to remove darkness with darkness.
P: But you can remove darkness with light, right?
Jogi: Exactly so! However, as soon as light appears, darkness dissolves. It is not of the same nature, and so they cannot coexist like an answer and a question. In the same way, the answer to the question “Who am I” cannot be captured in words, because the Self is beyond language.2
Removal of the kleshas
We have previously discussed the kleshas - the five mental colourings, or afflictions, which are what we experience as dukkha. Briefly, they are avidya (The Primal Ignorance), asmitaa (”I am”-ness), raag (attraction), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear). All unpleasant states of mind are some combination of these.
Of these five, avidya is compared to a field from which the other four grow. Once avidya is removed, and Kaivalyam - the Final Insight - arises, the other four kleshas simply disappear, just as all seeds are washed away when a gushing river removes the soil.
As a result, all movements of mind - the vrittis - are aklishta or free of afflictions, and the Yogi now sees all things as simply waves in the same underlying ocean of Reality.
ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रिय:।युक्त इत्युच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चन:॥सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु।साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते॥JnaanaVijnaanaTriptaAtmaa kootastho vijitaIndriyah Yukta itiUchyate Yogi samaLoshtaAshmaKaanchanahSuhrinMitraAriUdaaseenaMadhyasthaDveshyaBandhushu SaadhushuApi cha paapeshu samabuddhirVishishyateThe Yogi, completely satisfied with Realization and Knowledge, having conquered their senses, remains undisturbed in all circumstances. They see everything - dirt, stones, and gold - as the same.
[This Yogi] sees everyone - well-wishers, friends, enemies, neutral people, mediators, jealous people, family members, the pious, and the sinful - with an equal buddhi, and is considered distinguished [amongst people].
- Bhagavad Gita, 6.8-9
Recognition of the removal of avidya
As we move about the world, whether or not we express it in word or thought, we recognise difference between objects, and take these differences as real. We see that there is a body, a mind, a ground upon which to walk, trees and plants, other people and animals, and so on.
Even in meditation, we notice the rising and falling of the breath, thoughts coming and going in the mind, and the aalambanaa (ie. support for meditation) itself, however subtle it may be.
All of these distinctions are due to avidya. More on avidya here:
P: Kaivalyam is the removal of avidya, right?
Jogi: That’s right.
P: Then when Kaivalyam happens, do all the distinctions disappear, and everything just appears like a big boring lump?
Jogi: Not at all! The distinctions remain, but the Yogi Knows to no longer take them as real. They are simply appearances, like a movie on a screen. When you watch a fictional movie, do you think that it is real, even for a moment?
P: No.
Jogi: Even when you feel sad, angry, or happy when the characters are experiencing these emotions, do you doubt that it is a fiction?
P: Not at all, the question doesn’t even arise. I know that it is a movie.
Jogi: In exactly the same way, the Realized Yogi sees the distinctions, and even feel the same feelings, but the question doesn’t even arise - they Know that it is just an appearance - a wonderful magic show.
Previously, we spent some time discussing the seven stages of Samaadhi.
As a brief recap, the stages of Samaadhi are distinguished primarily by the level of subtlety of the aalambanaa. That is, it may begin with the breath, and then move further in to the sensations of the breath, then further on to the tanmaatras (e.g. texture and sound themselves), and eventually to the ahamkaar, and finally the buddhi.3
The final stage of Samaadhi is known as asamprajnaata samaadhi, or nirbeeja samaadhi - Samaadhi without support, or without seed. Here, there is no support for Awareness whatsoever.
When this happens, the Yogi clearly sees, for themselves, that avidya is a sort of lens through which they see the world, and that the Self is utterly separate from even the most subtle aspects of the mind. However, even after attaining this Samaadhi, the Yogi returns back to the world of appearances once the vyutthaana (outward) samskaaras overpower their nirodha (inward) samskaaras.
When Kaivalyam arises, however, this Nirbeeja Samaadhi becomes a venue for the Yogi to see for themselves that avidya has been removed.
As a result, the Yogi recognizes, directly, that they (ie. the Self) are Ultimately Free.
Recognition of Discriminative Discernment (aka vivek-khyaati)
The whole goal of the eight-limbed path of Yoga is to sharpen the tool of vivek, or discernment.
As a brief recap, vivek is the ability to distinguish between one thing and another. It is compared to the power of an ant to separate sugar from sand.
We already have vivek. In fact, it is the way in which we learn anything.
For example, when learning a language, what we are actually learning is the ability to distinguish between certain characters, sounds, and different uses of those combinations of words. When we learn about wine, we are learning to distinguish between different tastes, smells, and so on. All knowledge is simply vivek applied to a particular segment of the Universe.
In this context, vivek refers to the ability to distinguish between Self and non-Self.
That is, normally we think that we are the body, then we think we are the mind, and through Yoga we start to identify with subtler and subtler parts of the mind until we reach the reflection of the Purusha in the buddhi (aka the chidaabhaasa or Phantom Consciousness). Finally, at Nirbeeja Samaadhi, we are able to distinguish between this reflection and the Purusha, as discussed above, we fall back into the world as soon as the bell rings and we open our eyes.
At Kaivalyam, however, there is an additional factor.
Not only is the Yogi able to distinguish between the Purusha and the chidaabhaasa, they are also able to recognize or notice that this distinction has been made. This recognition is a sign of Kaivalyam, and not simply Samaadhi.
TL;DR
Kaivalyam is also known as Enlightenment, Moksha, Nirvana, and many other names across various traditions. It is not some mystical or magical state to be attained, but rather a Reality to be Realized through practice and will. This is the Prognosis - there is a way out of suffering.
Kaivalyam arises in the form of a sevenfold insight. These are not stages, but aspects of the same single insight of the Freedom of the Self. The first four, which we discussed today, arise as a direct result of practice. They are:
The dissolution of questions about dukkha.
Removal of the kleshas.
Recognition of the removal of avidya.
Recognition of discriminative discernment (aka vivek-khyaati).
The next three, which we will discuss next time, are spontaneously arising phenomena with regard to the mind of the Realized Yogi.
Until then, you can ask questions here:
Next week: The Sevenfold Insight: Part II
This does not mean that one should not take delight in them. One may do as they please, but know that these pleasures will ultimately result in dukkha, since they are, by nature, impermanent.
A further question can be asked here - “why is the Self beyond language”. There is a logical explanation for this. However, this is a lengthier discussion and we will go over it in a future article. If you want to know sooner, you can always reach out by responding directly to this email or by submitting a question here.
This recap is, admittedly, highly insufficient - please refer to the articles beginning here for more information on Samaadhi in Yoga: