Can you have the same insight more than once?

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Not two, not one, modified 6 Years ago at 12/12/17 2:13 PM
Created 6 Years ago at 12/12/17 2:13 PM

Can you have the same insight more than once?

Posts: 1038 Join Date: 7/13/17 Recent Posts
Can you have the same insight more than once, or are insight experiences always different?

I guess the differences might be subtle sometimes, particularly for second path (e.g. two insights into non-self might be superficially the same, but actually different in how they arise, the felt experience, and the consquences).

And if insight experiences are always different, is there a more fine-grained list of objectives than non-self, impermanence, stress and emptiness? For example, does dependent origination provide a map of fine grained insights to be sought in the pursuit of higher paths?

Peace and love to all.

Malcolm
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Chris M, modified 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 7:06 AM
Created 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 7:06 AM

RE: Can you have the same insight more than once?

Posts: 5117 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
... does dependent origination provide a map of fine grained insights to be sought in the pursuit of higher paths?

Yes. I'd argue that insights about how experience and perception actually work, gained along the path, are mappable to "locations" in the chain of dependent origination.
shargrol, modified 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 9:11 AM
Created 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 9:10 AM

RE: Can you have the same insight more than once?

Posts: 2344 Join Date: 2/8/16 Recent Posts
Insights tend to be the same general categories, but become much more subtle and significant. At first impermenance, suffering, and no-self are kind of these big things that are almost philosophical, later they are seen in the smallest thing, the slightest urge, the beginning of intention, the faintest hint of knowing.

What prompted the question? Any particular challege or confusion?
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Not two, not one, modified 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 11:51 AM
Created 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 11:51 AM

RE: Can you have the same insight more than once?

Posts: 1038 Join Date: 7/13/17 Recent Posts
Thank you both. Appreciate the guidance.

Shargol - it's mainly curiosity, rather than any issues.  I am enjoying stable equanimity and tranquility, but have otherwise stopped practice. However, I feel a slight intention to resume in a couple of months, so I am just trying to work out what to aim for.

I have had a few big insights, and more recently some mild non-dual insights and mindful bliss. But I have lost interest in non-dual bliss (and jhanas) as they just seem like uninteresting mental constucts. Also non-dual bliss tends to be followed by the opposite within a few days!  So I take that as a sign that I am ready to aim for more detailed insight practices.
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Noah D, modified 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 10:21 PM
Created 6 Years ago at 12/13/17 10:21 PM

RE: Can you have the same insight more than once?

Posts: 1211 Join Date: 9/1/16 Recent Posts
No, double jeopardy. 
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jhana sais quoi, modified 6 Years ago at 12/14/17 6:59 PM
Created 6 Years ago at 12/14/17 6:48 PM

RE: Can you have the same insight more than once?

Posts: 28 Join Date: 11/10/15 Recent Posts
curious:
Can you have the same insight more than once, or are insight experiences always different?

I guess the differences might be subtle sometimes, particularly for second path (e.g. two insights into non-self might be superficially the same, but actually different in how they arise, the felt experience, and the consquences).

And if insight experiences are always different, is there a more fine-grained list of objectives than non-self, impermanence, stress and emptiness? For example, does dependent origination provide a map of fine grained insights to be sought in the pursuit of higher paths?

Peace and love to all.

Malcolm
Hi Malcom,

Insights need to happen many times. Whether you mean insight knowledges (nana-s) or insights into the 3C's or even personal insights into your own psychology, they can happen many, many times in one path. Multiply that by the 4+ paths and yes, insights need to be repeated for deepening. Having an insight just once might not affect someone’s character or perspective much, but having the same insight again and again will help it work its way in to produce real change and less suffering. Personally I’ve had what seemed like transformative insights into not-self and compassion just to become a selfish and defensive self again the next day. I’m sure others can relate.
 
In terms of the progress of insight, the 10th nana was named patisankara-nana which has been translated as "knowledge of reflection on formations" or "reobservation of formations" because, with practice well established, one literally reobserves formations (i.e. the happenings of the 6 sense doors) through the lenses of anicha, dukkha, and anatta over and over again till practice matures somewhat, i.e. till the insights deepen enough to move on to the next stage. In his Manual of Insight, Mahasi Sayadaw gives a long list of specific forms in which each of the three characteristics can be experienced during this stage. (I can’t find my hard copy of the book right now, but If there’s any interest I can relay a few of those later.) From my personal experience (which is subject to all kinds of bias and misinterpretation) specific nana-s can come up in a fairly haphazard order, so it’s not like my practice on this path has moved from one nana to the next linearly.
 
From a much less technical, more holistic perspective, Rob Burbea has said that insights need to be deepened by repeated exposure. Only a fruition will really, really deepen the insight so it doesn’t fade away (not sure if he goes into fruitions in this context, but it makes sense). This talk on dharmaseed goes into this. http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/210/talk/6254/

I guess mundane insights into the three c’s are all also insights into dependent origination, or suffering and its cause. I think at a certain point, when the mind leaves mundane consciousness, insights are no longer about mundane dependent origination. I’m not sure about this, but I think at the moment of fruition the mind leaves mundane dependent origination for the supermundane. I’m not an abhidhamma expert so I’ll leave it at that.
 
I really wish an insight only had to be had once. Practice would be so much quicker! But a lifetime(s) of karmic conditioning can’t be undone so easily.
 
Hope this helps!

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