Metacognitive Introspective Awareness: Where Insights Arise From

[ardacigin]

Metacognitive Awareness is the primary awareness component you develop in adept stages of meditation to practice and succeed in insight techniques like Self enquiry, God realization etc.

Metacognitive Introspective awareness is composed of 2 different aspects to it. Everythng I'm going to write below is NOT analytical or complex to experience. They all happen instantaneously in each moment without any rational thought or planning.

1- Activities of the Mind

•      Attention

    - Knowing where attention is

    - Vividness and clarity of attention

    - Movements of Attention

•      Awareness

     - Knowing what Peripheral Awareness constitutes in any given moment. Especially when attention is stabilized on a particular object.

      - Knowing the changing objects within awareness

      - Knowing the contextual relatonship between objects

2- State of the Mind

• Clarity: Knowing the current dullness and alertness levels of the mind. Monitor of the mind's conscious power.
• Predominant Emotion: Joy, Sadness, Frustration, Boredom etc..
• Hedonic Feelings: Knowing the overwhelming hedonic quality of each moment: Pleasant - Neutral - Painful
• Intentional quality behind the activities of the mind: Desire, Aversion or Equanimity

---

Practice meditation with these sub-skills in mind. These are the exact qualities you are developing to become a skilled meditator. 

This will allow you to rest in thoughtlessness. Or to stay with the breath even when there are distractions in the background. This will prevent sinking into further unconsciousness when dullness is present. 

Don't mistake meditation as 'watching my breath' and that's it. Maybe some revelation will instantly hit me after more breath observation. Yeah, that can happen. But this is not why we focus on the breath. It is to develop these faculties I've laid out above so that you can investigate reality with as full conscious awareness as possible.

Not at all different than how psychedelics allow you to investigate reality at greater and more accurate depths compared to a sober state of consciousness.

Much love,

Arda

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by ardacigin

[BipolarGrowth]

Great post Arda. Much love ❤️ 

I have been using many of these as I continue working with Ānāpānasati, but as an adept, you uncovered many additional facets I am not able to juggle quite as well as an intermediate practitioner. Thank you very much for taking the time to add this information to the forum. I will be referring back to this. 

[ardacigin]

@BipolarGrowth That is great, Brandon :)) Let me know how your practice is going with TMI.

[RedLine]

@ardacigin very good info!

 

I have recently been experiencing in my meditation what I think it is Arising and passing away. I experience my thoughts as physical sensations and I can see in real time how they go from one to another, it feels like I am not lose in daydreaming anymore but bravely aware of what the mind is doing in real time. This is accompanied by energy release sensations in my body like open the eyes like crazy, clench my jaw or head shakes; it feels very  good and powerful. The image of Zeus or some greek god sumarize pretty well the experience: a lot of energy and fury + I feel like I am in control, no tought is cowerly hidden from me.

 

My question is, do you know what stage I am in the TMI system? I read in reddit that A&P is stage 7 but I am not sure because my general meditation skills are pretty mediocre, before this I thought I was in stage 3 or 4 lol.

 

I am very excited because finally meditation seems like it "does something".

 

btw: I experienced this doing zazen (using the 6R from Bhante Vimalaramsi to not get involved in the hindrances a the begining) other meditation techniques with concentration object does not work for this to me

Edited January 3, 2022 by RedLine

[ardacigin]

On 03.01.2022 at 11:28 PM, RedLine said:

I have recently been experiencing in my meditation what I think it is Arising and passing away. I experience my thoughts as physical sensations and I can see in real time how they go from one to another, it feels like I am not lose in daydreaming anymore but bravely aware of what the mind is doing in real time. This is accompanied by energy release sensations in my body like open the eyes like crazy, clench my jaw or head shakes; it feels very  good and powerful. The image of Zeus or some greek god sumarize pretty well the experience: a lot of energy and fury + I feel like I am in control, no tought is cowerly hidden from me.

Hi, I've just seen your post. Hope you are doing well.

This is a fairly classic description of 'incomplete piti'.  Arising and passing away is a different insight that will surely come as you go deeper into your spiritual training.

The sense of control is very real but the one who is 'exercising' this control by forming intentions is an illusion you'll drop as you go further. Just keep that in mind as you practice.

On 03.01.2022 at 11:28 PM, RedLine said:

My question is, do you know what stage I am in the TMI system? I read in reddit that A&P is stage 7 but I am not sure because my general meditation skills are pretty mediocre, before this I thought I was in stage 3 or 4 lol.

You need to provide me with how you use attention and awareness and what level of tranquility, equanimity, joy and mindfulness arises because of this process. Only then, I can tell you which stage you are in TMI.

Energy sensations, head shakes, etc can arise at any stage but to answer your question, since you have deemed your meditation skills as mediocre, it is safe to assume it is somewhere between stages 2-5. 

On 03.01.2022 at 11:28 PM, RedLine said:

I am very excited because finally meditation seems like it "does something".

 

btw: I experienced this doing zazen (using the 6R from Bhante Vimalaramsi to not get involved in the hindrances a the begining) other meditation techniques with concentration object does not work for this to me

That is great. That excitement will motivate you to practice more often and deeper. Maintain that and try to curb it with equanimity if it produces agitation or impatience.

You need to develop such strong levels of awareness that regardless of what object of meditation you put your attention on (breath, pleasure, energy blockage, part of the body etc), you have strong peripheral awareness of everything else and stability of attention to that particular object. Alongside this, piti (joy) and happiness will arise giving you the feedback that things are going in the right direction. Then arises tranquility and equanimity where metacognitive awareness tends to develop deeply which is the primary awareness I've outlined in this post :))

Let me know if you have questions,

Much love,

 

 

 

[RedLine]

2 hours ago, ardacigin said:

Hi, I've just seen your post. Hope you are doing well.

This is a fairly classic description of 'incomplete piti'.  Arising and passing away is a different insight that will surely come as you go deeper into your spiritual training.

The sense of control is very real but the one who is 'exercising' this control by forming intentions is an illusion you'll drop as you go further. Just keep that in mind as you practice.

You need to provide me with how you use attention and awareness and what level of tranquility, equanimity, joy and mindfulness arises because of this process. Only then, I can tell you which stage you are in TMI.

Energy sensations, head shakes, etc can arise at any stage but to answer your question, since you have deemed your meditation skills as mediocre, it is safe to assume it is somewhere between stages 2-5. 

That is great. That excitement will motivate you to practice more often and deeper. Maintain that and try to curb it with equanimity if it produces agitation or impatience.

You need to develop such strong levels of awareness that regardless of what object of meditation you put your attention on (breath, pleasure, energy blockage, part of the body etc), you have strong peripheral awareness of everything else and stability of attention to that particular object. Alongside this, piti (joy) and happiness will arise giving you the feedback that things are going in the right direction. Then arises tranquility and equanimity where metacognitive awareness tends to develop deeply which is the primary awareness I've outlined in this post :))

Let me know if you have questions,

Much love,

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much ardacigin!  I  tought that pity is silence and tranquilty and not energy and awareness of thoughts, my phenomenology fits very much with the MCTB A&P description. Anyways whatever it is is definitely an improvement in my path, I have a lot of motivation to keep practicing!

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by RedLine

[ardacigin]

2 minutes ago, RedLine said:

I  tought that pity is silence and tranquilty and not energy and awareness of thoughts, my phenomenology fits very much with the MCTB A&P description. Anyways whatever it is is definitely an improvement in my path, I have a lot of motivation to keep practicing!

Okay. Now, I get it. You meant A&P as a stage in Daniel's system of training. I thought you meant the integration of the insight into impermanence. All piti sensations, energy movements etc. are A&P in broad strokes. You would be correct. But it is not all that important. When piti is develop more deeply, it will enable you to practice jhanas. Only then will it have some deeper significance and effect in purifying the psyche with 5 hindrances and craving etc.

Anyways, let me know how your practice goes

Much love,