In
Buddhism, a model for understanding the evolution of the egoic mind's reactive
thinking process is referred to as the five skandhas or "heaps." They are as
follows.
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1.
Form/Ignorance-Birth of "I".
Initially, there is open space/open mind. Then a blackout (trance) occurs, a
disruption, causing identification to arise, the shock of birth. We wake up
perceiving form, not recognizing that we have created it. We ignore our
position as creator. "Ignore-ance" is not stupidity it is very intelligent,
but reactive. The perceiver wants to possess the space, the openness is now
perceived through trance as form, as possess able. |
Since space is really just
space, at the root, this whole endeavor is futile (therefore, suffering is
unavoidable). There are three aspects of ignorance, which are simultaneous
and inseparable. (1) Separateness/birth;
(2) A sense of always so, the idea that this is the real state of affairs
(positive hallucination), therefore the perceiver must maintain it. This
brings about the birth of a sense of awkwardness.
(3) Self-observing ignorance. The perceiver sees the self as other, thereby
beginning a relationship with an external world.
2.
Feeling.
As
perceivers we wonder about our relationship to form. Space is not bare
space; it is full of color and energy. Since we're ignoring the openness of
space, these qualities are a tremendous threat to our trance. We are trying
to fix, to capture the color and energy of space, to make it solid and
manageable. Because such fixation is an illusion, there is a great sense of
insecurity about the reality of form. Feeling is a very efficient antidote
to that insecurity: it feels real, therefore it is. We ignore evidence to
the contrary.
3.
Perception/Impulse (P/I).
Perception = receiving information. Impulse = responding to information.
This is a rudimentary sorting process of perceived forms. After deciding
whether an object is positive (+), negative (-), or neutral (0), the
perceiver reacts accordingly. There are only three choices: move toward
(desire), move away from (threat/hatred), or remain neutral (stupid/dull).
4.
Concept.
The
perceiver categorizes the objects of perception as positive (+), negative
(-), or neutral (0).
Now the perceiver develops names, rules, and evaluation mechanisms
(past/present/future). Perception/Impulse is an automatic reaction to
intuitive feeling, but it doesn't defend well enough our ignorance and
insecurity. The intellect is needed to do a good job: it provides the
ability to name and categorize. Egoic minding now goes beyond mere reaction
and becomes more sophisticated; intellectual speculation arises. The
intellect creates 'I' and 'I am' to encompass all the stuff of the first 3
skandas into a solid mass, an apparently solid self. It confirms and
interprets the self. It puts the self into logical situations with a natural
tendency toward body identification and survival to affirm the perceivers
existence (i.e., his ignorance).
5.
Consciousness.
The
intuitive intelligence of the second skandha, the energy of the third, and
the intellect of the fourth, combine to produce thoughts and emotions. A
hallucinatory quality arises as we project our version of reality on to the
world. Skandhas 1-4 develop very simply and predictably. The fifth skandha
is wild and irregular. It creates unpredictable thought patterns. These are
our normal state.
Concepts mix with impulse energy to create fully developed emotions, which
are a mixture of energy and conceptual storyline (vivid trance!). Since the
real world doesn't fit our storylines, our stories and energies are
constantly thrown into conflict with themselves and worldly events. This
engenders confusion. Rambling thought arises, as we attempt to maintain the
validity of our trance, even when we're alone. Therefore, we're always alone
with ourselves. Reading things into the world, we become completely immersed
in our trance.
The
power of the hallucination has a life of its own it is called the Wheel of
Life, the Six Realms of Existence. These realms, with their primary
emotional character, can be summarized as follows.
1.
Heaven/God Realm. Full of (conditional) goodness, beauty, and freedom. Pride
predominates.
2. Jealous God Realm. Having tasted or imagined heaven, you must defend it.
(The quivers of fear begin, the intimations of insubstantiality). Jealousy
and envy arise.
3. Human Realm. Jealousy makes things get heavier, earthbound. Instead of
alternating between jealousy and pride (too intense), there is a more solid,
homey feeling. Regular, ordinary, mundane life which satisfies mundane
desires. Desire predominates.
4. Animal Realm. Pursuing desire makes you get duller, heavier, more stupid,
lazier. You just crawl around and moo or bark, rather than making the effort
to enjoy the pleasure of pride or envy. Ignorance predominates.
5. Hungry Ghost Realm. The heaviness gets oppressive, you remember the God
Realm and want to get back, but you don't know how. This generates great
hunger and thirst unquenchable/claustrophobic and it builds. Greed
predominates.
6. Hell Realm. Continuing frustration results in loss of faith, great doubt,
hopelessness, and violent reaction arise. You experience hatred for this
nightmare and for yourself. Hatred predominates.
(My
eternal gratitude to my teacher, Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, for presenting
this material in a vivid, loving, and humorous way.)
Copyright Jack Elias, 2006, All Rights Reserved. Excerpt from Finding True
Magic: Transpersonal Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy/NLP by Jack Elias. Contact
jack@FindingTrueMagic.com , www.FindingTrueMagic.com
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