Map of Calm-Abiding in the SigmaTropic System
3CC – Three Category Concentration
In early practice, the mind is in either of three different types or levels of general mindfulness and continuity of attention. At each category, different practices are employed, in order to maximize the transfer of energy from the hindrances and the ambient energy of restlessness and other stress to the energy of calm-abiding and alert presence.
Category I Concentration –This mind state is characterized by interrupted attention, frequent dullness and distraction, and gross manifestations of the 5 hindrances. The meditator attempts to engage with a meditation object, but soon finds they cannot stabilize the mind or when they do so, they fall asleep. Each person tends to be different, but most people have either of two tendencies. In this category of consciousness, the meditator is stabilizing the mind and generating a positive foundation for the practice. The practice system capitalizes on repetition, devotion, and diligence. Practice themes include:
Category II Concentration – This intermediate category has more subtle manifestations of the grosser hindrances defeated in the previous category. There is relatively continuous attention, with a tendency toward either subtle dullness and/or subtle distraction. Continued diligent application of the meditation technique is essential in this stage of practice. Practice themes include:
Category III Concentration – In this category of concentration, there is continuous attention, vivid mindfulness and clarity with infrequent subtle dullness and distraction, but effort is continually needed to keep the mind on track with the chosen meditation object. The meditator has yet to reach meditation without effort and, they have a highly subject-object based relationship to the object.
SSS - Three Stage Samatha
Without the hindrances, the mind has a naturally radiant and blissful nature. When the meditator begins to experience deeper and deeper states of calm and focus, a series of energetic and physiological blossoming processes start to occur. They happen as the different parts of the mind unify into a collective, self-realized, effortless flow machine. During the process, the personal identity is seen to be a set of sensations that were somehow emphasized or exaggerated to create a sense of "me" from stuff in the senses and mind. This disappears and the meditator no longer feels like a separate entity from the world of sensations. When the mind has the qualities of samatha (calm-abiding), insight experiences occur. These can be thought of as events that challenge and contradict some assumption held in the mind, and that event can lead to realization, which is the integration of the new information into the mind system as a whole. Insight, as described in this system is knowledge gained by insight experiences that lead to a cessation of dukkha.
Stage I Samatha – Effortless sustained attention with vivid mindfulness. The mind is sharp and focused and has a high level of baseline mindfulness, with freedom from gross manifestations of the 5 hindrances as a baseline state. At this level of samatha, a state free of the hindrances is easily reached via intention, and the seven factors of awakening are all present to a moderate degree. With the slightest intention the mind is vividly present with everything and there are no hindrances. There is a distinct, skilled clarity that can be easily reached at the slightest intention. However, in daily activities this state of mindfulness is often lost and contractions and suffering can occur. At this level of samatha, the main themes are:
Stage II Samatha – Effortless mindfulness with autovipassana. The mind vipassanizes itself automatically, spontaneous jhanas and insight experiences occur. Jhana and cessation ability are developed off cushion and in daily life, and synchronous events and intuition/empathic phenomena tend to become more obvious, common, and compelling. This is quite a pleasant state of mind. The jhanas are readily accessible at a light intention, the mind is quite unified and intentions therefore carry a powerful charge on the mind. This is assumed to be the end state, as the jhanic baseline and sense of flow and satisfaction is quite enjoyable and profound, but it naturally develops into stage III samatha.
Stage III Samatha – Synchonization - Flow and perfection. "Rigpa" All events, sensations, phenomena are seen as synchronous, perfect, comprehended in context, and this perception comes along with a removal of the personal self-other distinction, the self-other duality collapses and there no longer is a sense of a personal distinction in basic perception between oneself and the world. Things are seen as they are, an energetic process of interaction. The sense of jhanic bliss may fade away once we've reached this stage of development, but even for this person just inclining toward noticing the seven factors (that continue to be in the background) put them into a blissfully pleasant Stage II Samatha state, which is a baseline state similar to 3rd jhana.
From this supramundane perspective, the personal dukkha has ended, and now there is an energetic process of energy exchange in the "person" and their effect on and benefit for the collective. It is no longer about the personal identity, and they experience themselves as an energetic process and part of the totality, there are no borders and thus transpersonal thinking becomes a baseline way of seeing.
**The above descriptions are the major perceptual milestones of the development of calm-abiding in the system. The map of insight that I am formulating is accessible through category III concentration and higher and the equivalent of stream entry (level 1 non-self insight as will be desribed in the next post) unlocks the three stages of samatha. Thus, the three samatha stages are arrived at through insight alone, a practitioner who is before "stream entry" will not be accessing any samatha, they top out at category II and most work within category III to unlock effortless flow. This is only truly possible with direct non-self insight. Stay tuned.**
**The following map is not a technique map it a map of the knowledges/understandings gained during the systematic training**
