AN ESSAY ON BUDDHIST MEDITATION FOR THELEMITES

This article by Altair is part of an essay originally posted on http://www.thelightitself.com that explores the relationship between Theravada Buddhist meditation and Thelema, the religion of Aleister Crowley. It attempts to bridge the two traditions together and reveals their similarities. It proposes a clear correspondence between the concepts exposed in Thelema in Buddhist terms so that Thelemites can explore Concentration Meditation and Insight Meditation of the Theravada tradition.

Part 3 focuses on Insight Meditation, the art of looking at sensations without judgment.

Insight

“Let there be no difference made among you between any one thing & any other thing; for thereby there cometh hurt” Liber AL.

Insight is the practice of looking at sensations, without judgment, as they arise and pass away. It leads to dissolution of the sense of self and to the prized reward of liberation from Sorrow. The quote from Liber AL above is encouraging the Thelemite to seek unity or selflessness by practicing Insight to free oneself from suffering. Insight is seeing the worlds as if it was the first time. When adults see a frog they remember other times they saw a frog. The mind is inclined to invent stories about the frog and assign qualities to it. A baby who has never seen a frog will simply look at the frog for what it is, without thinking about it or inventing stories. That is Insight. For the Thelemite, it is a state of expectation, open to the Voice of the Holy Guardian Angel. The state of alertness is similar to trying to hear something in another room. Insight Meditation is the practice of listening, of directing the senses to the endless void of the sphere of sensation. There is nothing particularly Buddhist about experiencing sensation. It’s the nature of every human being. What is Buddhist is the method.

Today, one of the most efficient Insight Meditation technique is the Noting practice as taught by the Venerable Mahasi. He was a Theravada Buddhist monk from Burma who expanded upon the traditional mahasatipatthana practice from the Pali Canons. Mahasi started teaching around the 1930s, so he came after Aleister Crowley. His method might not be well known among Thelemite, which is a shame because it is outstanding. The Noting technique is deceptively simple at first glance, yet out of its simplicity emerges profound realizations. It is separated in three exercises: a walking, a sitting and daily life practice. For a quick overview of the technique[1], the walking practice has the meditator walking in circle paying close attention to the sensations that arise at every step, noting, without judgment, the “lifting” and “placing” of the foot. As precision of perception improves, the practitioner is invited to further detail the noting “Lifting, moving, placing”. With dedication, the technique is brought to a level of detail ever more precise, where every grain of sensation is perceived. The sitting meditation applies the same effort to the movement of the chest caused by breathing. The meditator notes “rising and falling”. Here the goal isn’t particularly the details of sensations, but rather the diversity. Since this isn’t Concentration Meditation, distractions are allowed and even welcome, as every one of them is an opportunity to note. The subtle sensations that arise during such an introspective moment, duly noted, reveal the vast range of human experiences. The last of the three practices is the daily life exercise which invites the practitioner to pay attention (still without judgment) to every sensation constituting mundane life activities.

The Noting method is very simple, but it can only bring results through intense and relentless practice. Noting Insight Meditation must be performed in retreat situation (home retreat is fine), meaning at least eight hours a day for several days per retreat, limiting social interaction and mundane tasks to a minimum. Only by committing to the three exercises given by Mahasi all day for several days will the ego be kept from looking at sensation with a judgment and a story. If only doing it one hour here and there, the practitioner inevitably reverts into the ego-driven view of sensations and the practice won’t take root in consciousness (this is at least true until Stream Entry). A retreat is intimidating. We are all busy. It is not easy to arrange for a few days, let alone two weeks of solitary lifestyle. It is advisable to start with a few hours here and there to understand what the practice is about from first-hand experience. However, once the method is understood, it is highly recommended to make arrangements for a one-week home retreat, the aim being to reach a two-weeks retreat as soon as possible. It will probably take several retreats to obtain any tangible result like the Arising and Passing Away (quickly followed by Stream Entry), but with commitment, attainment is inevitable. In-between two retreats, a period of rest from Insight Meditation practice should be taken to reflect upon and experiment with the newly acquired skills of Insight. It might help the ones hesitant to commit to a retreat to know that the attainments brought forth by Insight Meditation are permanent. Every ounce of progress is acquired once and for all.

When noting sensations become second nature, the practitioner is invited to study the Three Characteristics of each of these sensations. The Three Characteristics form a core tenet of Buddhism. Firstly, every sensation is impermanent, it comes, it lingers a bit and then it passes away. Secondly, every sensation is a source of dissatisfaction, as it triggers the mind into a judgmental mode of analysis. We cling to the things we like and we fear the things we don’t like, engaging in an endless dance of pushing and pulling that leaves us perpetually dissatisfied. This is the source of suffering. Thirdly, every sensation exists unconditioned by the presence of a self. In other words, sensations happen, nothing more, nothing less. It is by seeing the Three Characteristics from personal experience that union with the divine slowly arises. It is crucial to understand that we are talking about a personal experience, not about knowing, coming to a conclusion through reason or believing. The profound realization is nothing short of a GNOSIS characterized by selflessness and detachment. Enlightenment as intended by the Buddhists is reached through this very practice of Insight Meditation. Its importance cannot be underestimated.

Since there is no discursive thought in Dhyana, studying the Three Characteristics during the experience will be impossible. The analysis must be operated upon exit. Pa Auk recommends concentrating on the heart which causes sensations experienced in the Dhyana to automatically resurface.[2] The heart is the resting place of what Theravada Buddhism calls the Bhavanga. It is the passive consciousness devoid of active cognitive process or the intentional consciousness that operate between active consciousness moments, in deep sleep or in a state like Nirodha. The Bavangha holds the Will. It continuously carries an individual’s essential features throughout their life. It is the memory center of past lives. It is the resting place of what Crowley called the Magickal Memory. At the time of death, it is said in the Abhidhamma, that the Bavangha will bring into awareness a snapshot summary of the individual’s life, the most important aspect of that life. That snapshot will determine the direction of the next birth. In other words, the Bhavanga brings into mind the Will of the individual, however crudely or clearly understood by that person, in order to renew the momentum of that Will into the next life.

The results of Noting Insight Meditation come in the form of a series of realizations that expand the practitioner’s worldview. Reality is what we perceive through the five senses and our thoughts, the six sense-doors, as the Buddhist call them. It is through these six sense-doors that we can create a mental image of the world at large, which remains constantly beyond our grasp. In truth we have no idea whether or not such a world at large actually exists. The only thing we can know is the image in our mind (image is intended in the sense of representation and is not strictly visual). That is what knowledge is made of. We know by investigating with our six sense-doors. Knowledge is the fruit of consciousness. It is this definition of knowledge that is intended in the Wisdom through Insight Meditation in Buddhism. It leads to Right View.

Looking at sensations without judgment or Right View brings a series of pleasurable impressions. It is like being in the presence of a baby, a being of pure existence. It commands silence and calm. It is a sign of relief given by the glimpse of liberation, like the ones felt when entering Access Concentration mentioned in the previous chapter. Likewise, the pleasure should be nourished and enjoyed. As it is refined through diligent practice, it becomes equanimity, the sensation that everything is exactly how it’s supposed to be. The neutral emotional and mental state of equanimity is the closest to liberation that one can feel. As noted before, the attainments of Insight Meditation are permanent. The sharp analytical mind thus developed should therefore be used to investigate every sensation that constitute reality until the most subtle sensations are reached, ones that weren’t even noticed before, such as a slight flickering of the peripheral vision or a light swinging of awareness. Right View is a mode of looking at the world the experienced meditator can switch to at will. Much like Edgar Rubin’s optical illusion of an image looking either like a vase or like two faces, one feels a switch in perception when one enters Right View. At this point of the practice, it should be obvious to the meditator that there are two modes of view, Right View and the Heart Girt with a Serpent. It is advised to practice switching into this mode of view until it becomes second nature as it will prove useful both in the spiritual practice and in daily life.

Insight Meditation is taught in the system of A∴A∴ in the form of mahasatipatthana, coming straight from the Pali Canon. It is one of the practices of Philosophus, right before the undertaking of the task of attaining to the Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel. It is first introduced to the Zelator in a breathing practice that “may resolve itself into mahasatipatthana”[3]. The fact that it is progressively introduced in the work leading to the Adeptus Minor is undeniable reassurance that Crowley realized its importance. James A. Eshelman in his book The Mystical and Magical System of the A∴A∴ is equally unequivocal about it: “This is one of the most effective and extraordinary techniques in the entire canon of A∴A∴ methods.”

The importance of Insight Meditation was well understood by Crowley and it still seems to be today in the system of the A∴A∴. However, it is still underestimated.

Right View, arrived at by Insight Meditation practice, is the state of Harpocrates. Indeed Harpocrates is the innocent child seeing the world for the first time. Right View is seeing reality without assigning it stories, like a baby discovering the world. Harpocrates is the hermaphrodite god, the symbol of non-duality who casts no judgment. Right View is seeing the sensations as they are, without judgment, abiding in non-duality. Harpocrates is the silent god. Right View is the silent expectative state of listening.Insight is being silent and aware. It is becoming Harpocrates, which opens the way to the Voice. The Neophyte Formula explains symbolically the Silent Aleph, as representation of Harpocrates, the silent god, the mediator between the Mem of the aspirant and the Shin of Ra-Hoor-Khuit, the Holy Guardian Angel. Harpocrates is the emptiness, the air between the water and the fire. Right View is the state of Harpocrates (much like Samadhi is the state of Nuit). And if Harpocrates, the Harbinger of the New Aeon, is at the core of Thelema, then so should Insight Meditation. Insight teaches phenomenology, the ability to describe sensations in minute details. A look at the Mysticism part of Book IV quickly reveals that Crowley couldn’t explain Dhyana and Samadhi in the level of detail they merit. It is unfortunate that he wasn’t very good at phenomenology. He resorted to describe mysticism in vague poetic terms instead of meticulously detailing what he experienced. That wouldn’t have been the case had he not underestimated Insight Meditation, which is a master class in phenomenology. It unlocks the understanding of sensations and states of consciousness with the accuracy of a biologist. If we claim to have “the method of science, the aim of religion”, then accurate description of our experience of mystical phenomena is imperative. Insight Meditation allows the mystic to discern the traits of a Dhyana. It allows the magician to describe a magickal sensation, like a presence in the room. Its benefits are numerous, making the method paramount for Thelema.

[1] See “Practical Insight Meditation” by Mahasi Sayadaw for further study.

[2] “Mindfulness of Breathing” Pa Auk Sayadaw.

[3] “Liber RV vel Spiritus” Aleister Crowley.