One such model, developed by Abraham Maslow, is the Four Stages of Competence, which is a description of the phases that one goes through when learning a skill. The stages are:

(1) Unconscious Incompetence - The individual neither understands nor knows how to do something, nor recognizes the deficit, nor has a desire to address it.

(2) Conscious Incompetence - Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, without yet addressing it.

(3) Conscious Competence - The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires a great deal of consciousness or concentration.

(4) Unconscious Competence - The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes “second nature” and can be performed easily (often without concentrating too deeply). He or she may or may not be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.

I think this can be applied quite nicely to the progress on makes on the meditative path. Most of us who have a practice are probably somewhere between stages (3) and (4), in that we are practicing to the best of our ability, but have not yet fully integrated the skill into what we might call “second nature.”

The way I see it, we refine our meditative skills until we happen to catch a glimpse of awakening/release/true nature/Buddha mind/etc. This initial realization is what lets us know that we are practicing correctly. From that point on, our competency in this skill matures as we continue to practice in a way that leads to recognition of this truth . When we are able to apply this skill in a completely natural, effortless way – much like speaking in one’s own native language – we could say that we have pretty well integrated our realization into our ordinary, everyday lives.

That’s not to say that further depth of insight cannot be reached, because I believe it can. The point here is that although we may have moments of profound insight and release, integrating these moments into our human expression should be the focus thereafter. That is why I believe that continued practice is always valuable, and why I think placing too great an emphasis on stages and attainments based on outdated and/or irrelevant criteria is not a good idea.

Instead, practice your way to release. And then do it again, and again, and again, and again, and again…

*Members of the Dharma Forum Refugee Camp community can discuss this article here*

Hey guys. I just finished up a sit and thought I’d share some of the things that I reflected upon afterward. It could make for an interesting discussion. If not, that’s OK.

In a message I sent you all not long ago, I wrote:

“This has all been a very long-winded way of saying that… [m]odels suck most of the time. It’s always better to approach this moment with openness and curiosity, and to ask, “Am I suffering? If so, how? What’s causing it?” When you notice the cause, and stick with it, the mind will eventually let it go. I think it’s much the same way as when your brain tells you to move your hand of the hot stove that is burning you. There’s isn’t much you need to actually do other than to let the wisdom of the dharma speak for itself.” (emphasis added)

There seem to be impersonal processes at work that lie beyond the reach of “doing.” “Doing” is what gets us into the mess we’re in (i.e. suffering). And yet, meditation is itself an activity of sorts; a “doing.” But it is a very special variety of activity. The only activity of its kind. It is the activity of engaging with phenomena in a way which reveals a deeper truth. And when that deeper truth is revealed and comprehended (which we can’t do by choice), the impersonal processes – the psychological ‘mechanisms’ of clinging and release – do something. Or rather, they stop doing something. They stop clinging. They release their grip.

This is fascinating to me. It’s such a paradox. There are intentional actions which will lead to a release that is totally beyond intention. Neither you nor I can simply decide to wake up, and then just do it. Nor can we simply decide to stop doing anything. For, it takes some degree of intention to set up the conditions that will eventually result in awakening/release.

In practice, this is exactly how it works. You practice noting, or choiceless awareness, or any other effective meditative technology. You recognize the deep features of present experiencing. You stop doing by allowing the context you’ve intended to create perpetuate itself with no further intention (which culminates in the Equanimity ñana, or “non-fashioning,” etc.). It hums along until awakening – be it cessation or realization of Emptiness – happens of its own accord.

I know this is just one way describe the process of what happens in meditation. But once again, I am struck by the notion that the Middle Path must include both doing and non-doing, effort and non-effort, intention and non-intention. It’s easy to see how classical Buddhist teachings like “non-attachment” can be so misunderstood in the present day, particularly in Western culture. On one level, non-attachment can be practiced on purpose. But at another, deeper level, non-attachment occurs through the result of practice, though of its own accord. To suggest that one should refrain from practice because they are “too attached,” is bad advice most of the time. If one does not utilize their free will as a human being to cultivate the appropriate setting, how and when will awakening occur?

I guess I’m saying that intention plays an important role on the path to awakening. But, awakening itself is not achieved through conscious intention alone. The mechanisms of awakening are impersonal, transcending the reach of human action. And yet, somehow what we choose to do right now can aid in cracking the code; or rather, the code cracking itself. Paradox at its best.

Ingram’s on-again/off-again dharma brother, Kenneth Folk, recently (within the last year or so) re-worked noting practice to fit within a different hypothesis. Borrowing from Ken Wilber’s writings, Folk began to describe the path to Arahantship (the culmination of some Theravada models of awakening) as a process of moving from being embedded in objects of awareness to being de-embedded from them. “If I’m noting it, I’m not embedded in it,” is a phrase Folk might use to describe the benefits of his noting practice. If one is aware of an experiential phenomenon, than it can’t be “I” or “me”. So then, Folk’s teaching implies that the point of noting practice is to recognize each momentary phenomenon by giving it a label, so as to practice and demonstrate de-embeddedness.

Something about the idea that, “If I’m noting it, I’m not embedded in it,” has never sat well with me. In my experience with meditation, and noting practice in particular, recognizing and labeling any particular phenomenon is not tantamount to being free from its grip. The process of recognition to release unfolds much differently for me, as I’m sure it does for many other vipassana practitioners out there. Also, as a psychotherapist in training, I’m becoming more interested in theories and practices based on an understanding of how real change can occur within one’s mind. A good example of one such process that I find helpful in this regard is the acronym RAIN, which is taught by the vipassana teachers at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. RAIN stands for: recognition, acceptance, investigation, and non-identification.

Recognition is always the first step of insight meditation, and this is where I believe Folk gets it right. Recognition is noticing. It is bringing one’s attention to the phenomenal occurrences of the present moment, acknowledging their presence – their coming together and disbanding. This is where “noting” is particularly useful. What is different about Folk’s system and RAIN is that for Folk, recognition (R) is equal to non-identification (N). But RAIN acknowledges further steps in the process that I think more accurately describe a process that leads to release.

Acceptance is next. Though recognition and acceptance seem to be interrelated, they are not the same thing. Recognition is often accompanied by grasping or aversion. It can bring feelings of “this shouldn’t be so.” Acceptance is saying, “Yes, this too. This too.” It is diving head first into the experience and allowing it to be, without resistance. As resistance to experience is removed from the equation, one is that much closer to experiencing genuine freedom.

Investigation is an activity where one consciously directs their intellect to look more closely at their experience. It is based on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which are (according the IMS teachers): body, feelings, mind, and dharma. We looking deeply into the experience of our body, paying attention to heat and cold, tightness and relaxation, strong sensations or numbness, etc.  Then we notice the primary feeling tones (pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral), as well as secondary feelings (sadness, anger, despair, elation, excitation, boredom, etc.) and become clear about them. Next, we look at the contents of our mind. What thoughts, images, and personal narratives arise in response to our experience, or even as a precursor to it? “What must I believe for this to trouble me so?” is the kind of question one may ask during this investigative process. And finally, we investigate dharma. Dharma can mean the teachings of the Buddha, or ‘the way things are’, or the Truth (among other things). In any case, we look into our experience to see just how all of what we’ve witnessed so far fits together. How has one thing led to another?  Is my suffering caused by greed, hatred, delusion, or some combination of these? Will grasping, pushing away, or ignoring my experience result in freedom? Are the phenomena of experience marked by the Three C’s? What stands out here for me are the first two noble truths: suffering and its causes. Becoming clear about this sets an appropriate foundation for the next stage of RAIN.

The last step of the process of non-identification. After investigating our experience ever so closely, we get to ask ourselves an important question: “Is this who I really am?” Are the stories in my head true? Are these thoughts “mine,” or are they the results of causes and conditions? The truth is these processes are not I, me, or mine. The stories are about a “me” that is constructed, and we see this first hand. Knowing this, seeing this deeply, allows our mind to let go at its deepest levels. And we see that with the end of clinging comes freedom. Of course, this starts the process all over again. But over time, we develop new healthy patterns for our minds – new karma – that will make it easier to do this in the future, both on and off the proverbial cushion.

In conclusion, I’d like to offer the following analogy. If someone has a back problem, having a good massage may bring temporary relief from the symptoms. But it is unlikely that the massage will correct the problem, which means that the pain will only return once the massage wears off. Having corrective surgery, on the other hand, may repair the parts of one’s back that are out of whack, resulting in more a lasting freedom from pain. I see continuous noting alone as being like a massage. Noting does seem to bring a sense of relief, if only to result in a distancing effect between objects and awareness. But when noting stops, the relief ends soon after. I believe there are better ways to train one’s mind than simply teaching it a repetitive activity like noting for the sake of momentary de-embeddedness. Like undergoing corrective surgery for one’s body, it makes more sense to me to investigate the issues more deeply, and to allow the root patterns within one’s mind that cause suffering to be replaced by patterns that lead to freedom. Practicing vipassana as described in RAIN is one way that I believe could work to fulfill this end, at least to a greater degree than noting alone can accomplish.

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