I came across what was talked about in a Sayagi U Ba khin 10 day course as opposed to a Goenka 10 course and I was surprised to read in that course the teacher talked about the stages of insight which I have never heard Goenka talk about and was my main beef with his courses . So I thought I'd post it here and the link for anyone coming from the Goenka tradition. God, I wish he had included this in his 10 day discourses. 9 years of dark night, thank you very much!!!
You can find where I found this at this link:

http://vipassana.awardspace.info/forum/index.php?topic=25.0

The Seven Stages of Purification

(this discussion of the Seven Stages of Purification is a talk given by Sayagyi U Tint Yee, Saddhamma Jotika Dhaja, at the International Meditation Centre, Yangon.)

There is another list of seven things that are necessary on the path: the Seven Stages of Purification (satta-visuddhi). These are

(1) purity of your moral conduct (sila-visuddhi),
(2) purity of your mind (citta-visuddhi),
(3) purity of (right) view or belief (ditthi-visuddhi),
(4) purity of overcoming doubts (about the method and about the Dhamma) (kankha-vitarana-visuddhi),
(5) purity of the knowledge of what is the path and what is not the path (maggamagga-nanadassana-visuddhi),
(6) purity by knowledge and vision of progress on the path (patipada-nanadassana-visuddhi) - this stage corresponds to the ten stages of Vipassana knowledge, and finally,
(7) purity of knowledge and vision (nanadassana-visuddhi) - that is, the stage of Awakening or Enlightenment.

The first two stages of purity of moral conduct and of the mind are achieved in Anapana meditation. So we can begin directly with the third stage. Now, what do we mean by purity of belief? Purity of belief is the same thing as Discriminating Knowledge of Mind and Body (nama-rupa-pariccheda-nana). This is the ability to understand and appreciate what mind (nama) is and what the body (rupa) is. It is knowing that there is nothing in a sentient being aside from nama and rupa. The ability to realize that and appreciate it is called ditthi-visuddhi. The purpose in knowing this is the removal of the concept of self, the mistaken idea that there is a separate self. There is no separate self; there are only the aggregates that make up nama and rupa.

Purity of belief is the first stage in insight meditation, Vipassana. That is why it's necessary to know about nama and rupa before starting the practice of insight meditation. You should be able to differentiate between conventional truth and absolute truth. At first, you understand this in theory, but when you actually meditate, then you find that the physical properties arise, the mind and the mental factors arise, but you cannot find anything else. Only when you reach this stage through your own experience do you truly appreciate this knowledge of nama and rupa. You must develop this appreciation of the knowledge of mind and body in order to remove the wrong view that there is something permanent in them, that there is such a thing as an ego or self. This wrong belief in a permanent self is known in Pali as sakkaya-ditthi.

The next stage is the removal of doubts. It is commonly believed that there is no previous cause to our existence. This wrong view that there is no cause (ahetuka-ditthi) is the belief that this is our first existence and that we come into being because of our parents and for no other reason. This view, of course, must be removed.

What is the cause of our being here? There are two causes:

(1) the remote cause and
(2) the immediate cause.

The remote cause is ignorance of the Four Noble Truths and of craving (tanha). Ignorance of these is the cause of the arising of sankharas - the conditioned states that we are a part of. The immediate cause is the food we take in to sustain ourselves as far as the physical properties are concerned. The immediate cause for the mind and mental properties is contact (phassa). There is always contact between the senses and the objects associated with them. Because of that contact, consciousness arises. These, then, are the causes of our present existence. It is only after actually understanding these that we come to Vipassana knowledge.

In Vipassana meditation, the object of our meditation is either rupa or nama - we meditate on either the physical properties or on the mind and mental properties. There are four ways of establishing mindfulness:
(1) mindfulness of the physical properties (kayanupassana-satipatthana),
(2) mindfulness of sensations (vedananupassana-satipatthana),
(3) contemplation of the mind (cittanupassana-satipatthana), and
(4) mindfulness of mental objects (dhammanupassana-satipatthana).

We practice mindfulness of the physical properties through Anapana meditation. The air that we are breathing in and out is a physical property. It arises because of our mental actions, because we want to breathe in, because we want to breathe out.

Then, when we do Vipassana meditation, we become aware of the sensations, and that is the second type of mindfulness. We observe the sensations. We watch them. What we are doing in reality is to observe the characteristic (lakkhana) of each sensation. The object of our mindfulness is the characteristic of the sensations - their behavior. We observe whether they are permanent or whether they are not permanent, whether they are controllable or whether they are not controllable. If they aren't permanent, then we know that they're anicca. If they aren't controllable, then we know they're anatta. And if they are painful, unpleasant, we know they're dukkha. Watching the characteristics of these sensations is the purpose of Vipassana. These are the last two factors in the Eightfold Noble Path: Right Contemplation and Right Knowledge.

Before you come to the first stage of Vipassana knowledge, the udayabbaya stage of observing arising and vanishing, the knowledge comes to you that for a new sensation to arise, the old sensation has to go. No two sensations can arise together at the same place. You realize in a general way that nothing seems to be permanent. Everything seems to be changing. And sometimes, when you have too much pain, you realize that these sensations don't come according to your desire. They come of their own accord. In that way, you know that they aren't controllable. They come and go of their own accord. In a general way, you start realizing the meaning of impermanence, anicca. Then, as you go on observing sensations, and when you feel the sensations properly throughout your body, then as you watch them, you find them arising and vanishing, and you realize this process of becoming and dissolution. That is what is known as the udayabbaya stage.

Udaya means "becoming," whereas -bbaya (or vyaya) means "cessation" or "dissolution." This is the first stage in the realization of Vipassana knowledge. This knowledge is useful in attaining right belief.

Two beliefs are prevalent. One is that there is no life after this one. After this life, it is finished. But when you know that these physical properties and mental properties, which constitute all the conditioned states throughout the universe, are dying every moment and that there is always a renewal process going on, when you have seen for yourself these two properties combined, then you can, to a certain extent, come to the conclusion that just as this is happening now, it will also happen in the future. These are momentary births and momentary deaths. Each becoming process is a process of birth, and as soon as there is birth, then there is death. Every moment these properties come into being and go away, and yet, they never cease. Why is that? It is because of kamma (volitional actions) and because of the nutrient value which sustains the physical properties.

In this way, we can know to a certain extent that there will be some kind of life after death. The same phenomena will continue. Thus, we can begin to eliminate the wrong view that life ceases with death.

The other view is that there is something permanent. Even though we die, according to this wrong view, something permanent goes on. Here again we can observe that what has gone has gone. There is no such thing as a permanent element. The old physical properties have nothing to do with the new properties. They are different things. Now, what is it that causes the new physical properties to arise? They arise because of kamma. Observing this, we can conclude that there is nothing permanent transferred after death. We can make some progress in knowing this to be true. What is actually left after death is this force of kamma that gives rise to rebirth. It is not we who are reborn. But how are we connected with that other one? We are connected by the means of kamma. As soon as the mind moment ceases at the time of death, the law governing conditioned states is such that there is no gap in between death and rebirth. The next consciousness after death is the new consciousness, the rebirth consciousness. This is the way in which you might say it is not we who are reborn, but rather, it's just a reflection of our past deeds that gives rise to a new existence.

A long time ago, during Sayagyi's time, someone asked, "If that other person isn't my self, then why should I worry about that person?" All we need to do to find the answer is to look back in the past, and we will find that it's because of the deeds of that so-called "other person" in previous lives that we are here now, and because of those deeds we are suffering. In this way we can come out of our wrong views to some extent.

Most of us are struggling at this stage of observing the becoming and dissolution aspect of our existence, the udaya-bbaya stage. This stage is a sort of base on which further progress can be founded. First, there is the preliminary understanding - that is to say, theoretical knowledge. And then, the higher understanding within the same field. It is during this process of understanding rise and fall that the ten hindrances may come. These hindrances are called upakkilesas, and they are a very mild form of defilement. They aren't gross or intense types of defilements. Lights may come, for example, or joy comes, or pleasurable feelings. Sometimes knowledge comes. Your intelligence seems to be very sharp. As a result, effort increases. You just want to go on sitting and sitting. Sometimes equanimity comes also. It seems there are no more attachments. Sometimes, there are people who get so equanimous they think they have reached the goal.

This is when you need a teacher who understands and who can tell you that this is just a hindrance to further progress, that you should disregard these things and go on observing anicca and contemplating all these hindrances also, to see whether they are permanent or not. It is very simple - when you come to that stage, you just try to think of anicca. If you can think of anicca, then it isn't the final stage yet! When you eventually come to the final stage, then the object of contemplation will no longer be on the conditioned; it will be on the unconditioned state, where you can never think of anicca or dukkha. That type of consciousness won't arise. So you can make the test very easily.

When this udayabbaya stage grows, you come to a higher understanding of arising and vanishing than usual. You come to the understanding of the underlying physical properties of sensations-hardness and softness, for example. The physical properties of hardness and softness aren't known to the particles that are combining momentarily and manifesting these properties. It is consciousness that knows them as sensations. Touch-consciousness arises as resultant kamma. It is a consciousness without any roots. When you concentrate on a certain spot, your mind door goes there by means of concentration. Because of that concentration, touch-consciousness arises as the resultant. You must contemplate that, observe the behavior of that sensation. When your udayabbaya knowledge has developed to a high degree, then you find these sensations smoothly and evenly. There seem to be no obstructions, and you lose the concept of the conventional aspect of the sensations. You see only in terms of absolutes: not in terms of hands and feet, but in terms of hardness or movement.

At first, the sensations are very slow, but at this stage they become very quick, because you are seeing them in a more concentrated way. This becoming-and-dissolution process quickens. You can go through the body quite easily. As you go on with this, you see more clearly the dissolution aspect. But even if you don't see that aspect, you shouldn't worry. Go on seeing the becoming aspect, for the dissolution aspect is inherent in the becoming aspect. Death is inherent in birth. Eventually, the time will come when your concentration will be good and you still see more of the dissolution process; wherever you probe, sensations seem to disappear.

At times this is the way you observe your sensations: you look at a sensation, you think in terms of anicca, it has gone. You look again, it has gone. In that way, you observe and know your sensations repeatedly. These tingling sensations, for example, you may think of as very tiny little particles fluctuating. There may come a time when you actually experience them as they disappear; they are breaking off, breaking away, just like sand falling down from a cliff. Everything seems to be dissolving. If you see in this way, then you know that you have come to the stage of bhanga-nana.

The stage of knowledge of dissolution (bhanga-nana) is simply the emphasis on the fact that nothing is permanent. It proves how wrong this view is that there is something permanent. When this state is seen clearly, and when you see that all things are dissolving, then it doesn't take you long to see that these things are a sort of danger and that these aggregates aren't nice-there is danger inherent in them because you cannot depend on them.

At this stage also, fear sometimes arises. Not the fear of death, but the fear that the aggregates aren't dependable. This knowledge removes the idea of non-danger, that there can be any safety in the aggregates. We don't think that there is any danger because we feel that our body is quite strong. We are very attached to our body. We don't realize that at every moment dying takes place. Normally we don't see that, but at this stage we see that everything is constantly falling apart.

Once we realize the danger inherent in these phenomena, these five aggregates, then the attachment to them-thinking of them as something desirable - goes away. There is a change of attitude. Now, the attitude is that these phenomena aren't desirable. At this stage we have developed the attitude that these phenomena which we call ourselves are in reality undesirable. They cannot be depended on. They are always subject to change. And that is why they aren't desirable.

Slowly, you're cutting off the attachment to self and trying to see the suffering (dukkha) inherent in the aggregates - the subtle dukkha, not the painful aspects of dukkha (dukkha-dukkhata, known in Myanmar as "double dukkha"). Everyone knows that painful feelings are undesirable. But the dukkha we are trying to understand is called viparinama-dukkhata, which means dukkha because of constant change.

Then you continue to contemplate these things from the point of view of change (anicca), suffering (dukkha), or no- self (anatta). You use whichever of these three is the most perceptible to you. Usually, it's anicca that is most perceptible to us. At this stage, it's like someone who can't swim whose boat capsizes near the shore and who sees a dead body floating there in the ocean. He will hold on to that dead body even though it's undesirable. He knows it's a dead body, but he can't let go or he'll sink and drown.

This is that stage. You know it's undesirable, but you can't let go either. You can't stop. If you stop, you sink. So you must go on contemplating the changing nature of the aggregates, again and again. Try your best to reach the shore. Once you're there, you will be able to disregard that body and let go of it. Even though you see the undesirable aspect, you must keep on contemplating with the aid of anicca.

Then comes a state of boredom, being sort of fed up. Usually, there isn't much physical dukkha at this stage, so boredom sets in. The students must make more effort, develop more concentration at this stage. In that way, it will be possible to overcome this boredom. The desire to escape from the undesirable will come. You want to escape from all this. When that urge arises, you have to continue contemplating the five aggregates-actually, one aggregate will do. Any one of the five. You can concentrate on the physical aspect, or you can concentrate on the aspect of sensations or on perceptions. For the most part, we concentrate on the sensations. So keep knowing anicca.

Then comes the stage where you make an additional effort. The desire to escape has arisen. Not to escape from the pain, but from these phenomena you are experiencing. So you put in further effort. Then the anicca aspect becomes clearer.

Next comes the ability to view all conditioned states (sankharas) with an equanimous attitude, with neither attachment nor with displeasure. At this stage (sankharupekkha-nana) you don't have to make any special effort in order to experience these sankharas. It is almost automatic, and you can view them, observe and contemplate them, for quite a long time without any change in your mental attitude. This stage is free from all obstacles to attaining the stage of entering the Path (magga). Once you have come to this stage of Equanimity-Knowledge Regarding Conditioned States, if you haven't aspired in the past for some special attainment, there is no barrier to going on to the higher states, because the stage of Adaptation-Knowledge (anuloma-nana) will follow. This is the stage supporting the attainment of the Path stage.

Sayagyi U Ba Khin used to give the example of a person hanging on a rope attached to the branch of a tree [1]. He is swinging and trying to get across a stream. So he is swinging and trying to gain enough momentum to be able to let go of the rope and reach the other side. When he has gained enough momentum and he feels sure that he can reach the other side, then he lets go of the rope. This is when one comes to the gotrabhu stage, where the object of contemplation changes. Up to this point, the object of contemplation is conditioned states (sankharas). At the gotrabhu stage, the object of contemplation is directed towards the unconditioned state, the stage of the Path (magga).

This, then, is how we can understand theoretically the way in which Vipassana enables us to realize this Truth of Suffering.