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Fourth Tetrad
13. Breathing in and out, they train in observing instability.
14. Breathing in and out, they train in observing dispassion.
15. Breathing in and out, they train in observing ending.
16. Breathing in and out, they train in observing letting go.
The final satipatthana focuses on dhammas. Dhammas is a catchall term for mental qualities, principles of reality and categories of experience that the Buddha taught. According to Analayo, they are:
“A set of frameworks or points of reference to be applied during contemplation. During actual practice one is to look at whatever is experienced in terms of these dhammas.”
Gombrich speaks of this exercise as a way “to see the world through Buddhist spectacles”. The key to this practice is understanding the conditionality of dhammas (inter-dependent arising).
This last tetrad is the most insight oriented, combining breath awareness with the ability to clearly see certain elements of reality such as transiency. At this point, it is assumed that the mind has reached a level of suppleness, focus and calmness which allows it to see clearly (vipassana) the nature of things are they truly are – transient, not-self/empty, and dukkha.
This section is the only tetrad that uses a different term for the practice, instead of “experiencing” as the last three, it uses “observing” (anupassi), from the prefix anu (to follow along) and pass- (to see) and has connotations of consistently viewing something.
Anicca
In the 13th aspect of anapanasati, one contemplates the impermanent nature of breathing and also all aspects of phenomenal experience including awareness itself. For the purpose of meditative analysis, the Buddha instructed is disciples to divide the individual into five aggregates or heaps (khandas): form, sensations, perceptions, decisions and consciousness. This is a pragmatic way of observing the phenomenological structure of experience for the purpose of gaining insight into the nature of phenomena. These could also be described as “bases of clinging” or “bases of identification” for it is with reference to these five ‘heaps’ of phenomena that we cling and identify with, and thus create suffering.
The five heaps outline all aspects of experience, from the gross physical body to subtler mental aspects. The first (rupa) refers to all the physical elements of experience (ex. cold, head, hunger, thirst, mosquitoes). The following two, vedana and sañña, refer to the hedonic sense and the perceptive elements of experience respectively. The fourth aggregate is sankhara, or volitions and represents the volitional aspect of mind (impulses, tendencies, inclinations as well as habits and opinions) which responds and reacts to the other heaps.
The final heap is consciousness, that which reveals experience, that which is aware of the other heaps. All these phenomena are co-dependent with each other and their constant interaction and interrelation creates the entire field of experience, which the Buddha called “the All”.
All five heaps are to be seen as inconstant, in flux, and this perception gives rise to the knowledge of not-self, the fact that there is no unchanging aspect of our sense of self to hang on to or ground ourselves in. Fully understanding the five heaps and letting go of them is said to lead to complete awakening.
This kind of insight is also especially powerful at dispelling distracting thoughts and removing any greed and distress with regards to the world. So this contemplation is actually helpful throughout your meditation, even if you have not gone through all the previous steps.
This 13th step is always available as a tool, even when just starting out watching the breath we can notice that whatever is pulling the mind away from the breath is just an impermanent event. Let us look at some further sutta passages which shed light on how one contemplates instability and not-self. These two are ultimately not separate, since whatever appears in the field of experience is impermanent and also part of the five heaps of self clinging.
“And what is the perception of inconstancy? … ‘Form is inconstant, feeling is inconstant, perception is inconstant, fabrications are inconstant, consciousness is inconstant.’ Thus he remains focused on inconstancy with regard to the five clinging-aggregates.
“And what is the perception of not-self? … ‘The eye is not-self, forms are not-self; the ear is not-self, sounds are not-self; the nose is not-self, aromas are not-self; the tongue is not-self, flavors are not-self; the body is not-self, tactile sensations are not-self; the intellect is not-self, ideas are not-self.’ Thus he remains focused on not-selfness with regard to the six inner & outer sense media. – AN 10.60
‘Again, monks, a noble disciple considers thus: “Sensual pleasures… sensual perceptions… physical forms… perceptions of physical forms both here & now and in lives to come are alike impermanent. What is impermanent is not worth relishing, not worth welcoming, not worth adhering to.” – MN 106
To practice the perception of instability/impermanence (anicca-sañña), one cna begin by observing the impermanence of the breath and then move on to the body and the other aggregates. Thoughts, body, breath, intentions, feelings, all are coming and going like clouds. Experience itself it like field of sand dunes, constantly shifting, if we attempt to grab sand it just slips through our fingers.
Even if it is not obvious that something is unstable right now, like our bones, so seemingly solid, reflect on how eventually they will one day turn to dust. Nothing lasts. Some phenomena can only be inferred as being impermanent, since one does not literally observe bones arising and disappearing. But do not be fooled, they are changing too! Contemplate this.
Since this contemplation includes everything in the field of phenomena, one can go back to the first step of anapanasati, watching the breath and just notice its changing nature. Try to attend to the most subtle and detailed elements of this process of becoming and dissipating. Its length is transient, its effects on the body are transient, etc. Do this with all elements of experience, pleasant and unpleasant feelings, and thoughts and even awareness itself.
Awareness or consciousness (viññana) can know different things, and it can shift its attention and level of focus. It expands and contracts. All this indicates that even this element which seems constant and stable is actually a flowing process.
So just attend to the entire field of experience, and notice everything coming and going. Just like the clouds, gusts of wind, and the sun which illuminates all of them are all moving in different ways, so it is with the space of our phenomenal world.
The Japanese Zen master Dogen has a beautiful simile illustrating this:
When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has unchanging self.
The more you train the more you will notice the nuances of impermanence. Perhaps you will notice things moving more rapidly, or you will see more movement at once, or things might become slower as if in slow motion and you will notice events coming and going like clearly seeing each frame of a movie. Some Buddhist texts explain our perception of reality as a spinning torch on a rope, which when spun rapidly, creates the illusion of a solid circle.
The Buddha also taught observing impermanence with reference to the five senses and the mind-awareness sense:
Monks, develop samadhi. A monk with samadhi under-stands in accordance with reality. What does he understand in accordance with reality? He understands: “The eye is impermanent. Visible forms are impermanent. Eye-consciousness is impermanent. Eye contact is impermanent. Feeling arisen due to eye contact … is impermanent. [And so on for the ear, nose, touch, tongue and mind.]’ – SN 35.99
In the Zen tradition, they teach a practice that might be helpful in this step. It is called Silent Illumination or “Just Sitting” (Shikantaza). This is usually done after the mind has had some samadhi developed and has attained some level of stillness. Basically it is a very minimalistic kind of meditation, you just clearly and attentively watch body, the senses, thoughts, feelings, anything within the field of attention, and you watch phenomena come and go.
It is a strong, panoramic and non-judgmental form of attention. It is sometimes called “choice-less awareness” because you do not try to control the mind and let it become calm or silent by itself. You are intensely focused, but it is a broad focus, without concentrating on any particular object or theme, and you also have to let go of all expectation or desire for meditative achievement or results.
This kind of practice resonates with the instructions of the Bahiya sutta:
In what is seen there must be only what is seen, in what is heard there must be only what is heard, in what is sensed there must be only what is sensed, in what is cognized there must be only the cognized. This is the way, Bahiya, you should train yourself.
“And since for you, Bahiya, in what is seen there will be only what is seen, in what is heard there will be only what is heard, in what is sensed there will be only what is sensed, in what is cognized there will be only what is cognized, therefore, Bahiya, you will not be with that; and since, Bahiya, you will not be with that, therefore, Bahiya, you will not be in that; and since, Bahiya, you will not be in that, therefore, Bahiya, you will not be here or hereafter or in between the two—just this is the end of suffering.”
Perceiving impermanence also gives us insight into our selfless nature (as pointed out in AN 7.46). Since things change, that means that there is nothing which exists which is at the core of the identity of phenomena. The idea that there is something which doesn’t change at the center of my individuality is an illusion. Any person’s sense of self is also unstable and ungrounded and all phenomena that make up their reality also do not have an essence to them, they are selfless too. They exist and give rise to other phenomena because they part of a huge interconnected web of other phenomena, not because they have some essence of their own. So their nature and existence is borrowed from others, and it is not lasting or solid.
The Not-Self Characteristic Sutta outlines how the observation of instability leads to the understanding of not-self and suffering. The Buddha guides the monks through the following questions:
“Is [any of the five heaps] stable or unstable [anicca]?”
“Are unstable things suffering [dukkha] or happiness?”
“Would you say ‘these things which are unstable and suffering are my self, they are me, they are mine?’”
“So, you should see any [of the five heaps] like this ‘this is not mine, not me, not my self’.
Try asking yourself these very questions as you meditate on the five heaps. Try to observe these qualities and their relationships.
Contemplating the nature of form and sensations to change and to hurt, corrects our ideas of them being substantial and pleasurable. Seeing the delusional nature of cognition reveals our tendency to project our values into external phenomena. Finally, insight into the workings of volition and consciousness counterbalances the illusion that this grouping of transient and conditioned phenomena is a substantial coherent self.
By ‘self’ here, the Buddha means any “essence of a person” which is seen as the core or basis of identity. Meditations related to the first satipatthana of body are also powerful ways to cultivate not self and dispassion. This includes meditating on the elements and the unattractiveness of the body. This is another way which the fourth tetrad is connected to the first.
It must be remembered that Buddha’s view of no-self is really just a skillful way of looking at the world which can lead to un-attachment and thus liberation. It is not a nihilistic denial of all functional aspects of one’s personal existence nor is it a philosophical exercise. Rather, it is a useful way of seeing, which allows for skillfully letting go and developing dispassion.
Meditating on inconstancy and not-self can help develop dispassion for any distracting thought and can thus be a useful perception to develop during any of the 4 tetrads, indeed, this is useful during any meditation. These contemplations can even act as preliminary practices to breath meditation. They are seen as preliminaries in Tibetan Buddhism and there are suttas that show monks contemplating these themes before breath meditation. Observing dispassion is also a powerful perception to be brought against unskillful and distracting thoughts that are ruining your concentration.
Developing anicca and anatta also helps with preventing one from clinging to states of samadhi and developing any pride around those states (sometimes this tendency is called “spiritual materialism”, and the Buddha warned against it in various suttas).
One can begin by focusing on one particular element at a time, and then move on to being aware of all the aggregates at once. One should also try to notice the conditional nature of the aggregates. As Analayo states:
“Becoming aware how any bodily or mental experience depends on and is affected by a set of conditions. Since these conditions are not amenable to full personal control, one evidently does not have power over the very foundation of one’s own subjective experience.”
The one factor that is under our control here is our identification with the aggregates. Therefore, one can always try to be aware of the hidden notion of “I am” that underlies all our experience by constantly asking oneself “who?” or “whose?” This practice will bring to light all our clinging to ideas of self-importance and ego, social positions, personal occupation and possessions, etc. that cause suffering.
The Buddha put much emphasis on this practice because this constant examination and questioning undermines the conceit of “I”-making and “mine”-making, this form of clinging leads to all kinds of suffering.
Over time this practice breaks our habitual reification of reality and the illusion of stability, solidity and permanence. These insights lead us to experience ‘thusness’ (tathata), the true way that the phenomenal world exists, as a vast shifting kaleidoscope of occurrences, which are all empty like bubbles, mist or froth. Seeing all phenomena as flickering particle waveforms, insubstantial mist or like space. Tibetans like the metaphor of the vast open sky, which is empty and bright. The Vajraccedika Prajñaparamita Sutra says:
All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow,
Like dew or a flash of lightning; thus we shall perceive them.
Likewise the Phena Sutta says:
Form is like a glob of foam; feeling, a bubble; perception, a mirage; fabrications, a banana tree; consciousness, a magic trick — this has been taught by the Kinsman of the Sun. However you observe them, appropriately examine them, they’re empty, void to whoever sees them appropriately.
One must be careful though that one is not over-intellectualizing, or merely conceptualizing emptiness/anatta since it is ultimately a non-conceptual intuitive experience. Nagarjuna says:
Do not conceptualize phenomena as empty or not empty. Refrain from affirming or negating both. Describe only to designate. For to affirm is to hold eternal, to negate is to view it as nothingness. Skillfull meditators should neither affirm nor negate.
The real meditation on the empty and not-self nature of phenomenal reality then is not just based on sound theories or ideas, but it is a radically different way of experiencing reality.
This level of meditation is difficult and subtle to achieve, but it is one which has no conceptual proliferation (papañca) and sees directly the nature of phenomenal existence, which is beyond extremes of eternalism, essentialism and nihilism, and is inexpressible. Thus the Kaccayanagotta Sutta says
Kaccāna, this world mainly relies on two ideas: existence and non-existence. But when you see the origin of the world with true insight, you won’t have the idea of non-existence in the world. And when you see the ending of the world with true insight, you won’t have the idea of existence in the world. Kaccāna, this world is enslaved by attraction, grasping, and biases. But, when you don’t go along with attraction, grasping, obsession, biases, hidden habits and have no notions of ‘my self’; you will have no doubt that whatever arises is just suffering, and whatever ceases is also just suffering.
One feature of advanced insight and samadhi is that they brings a sense of oneness to experience, this has been noted by many thinkers throughout Buddhist history. The Yogacara school placed particular emphasis on the fact that when one perfects one’s samadhi and vipassana, one breaks through the duality of subject (“grasper”) and phenomenal object (“the grasped”).
Likewise, Bhikkhu Ñāṇananda also notes that this feature of our consciousness to bifurcate experience in this way is ultimately an illusion which samadhi and wisdom allows one to see through.
The Buddha compared perception to a mirage and our consciousness to a magic trick. When the meditator sees through this illusion, it is often called an experience of non-duality (advaya), because there is a phenomenal unification of subject and object, we stop perceiving reality by splitting it into self and world, outside and inside, me and them, etc.
This eliminates the conceit of “I am” (asmi mana) and one just experiences reality without imputing any separation. Sounds, sights, sensations etc are just experienced as they are with no sense of an “I” behind the experience, no “experiencer” is there to appropriate them. As Buddhagosa says in the Visuddhimagga:
Suffering exists, but no sufferer can be found. Actions exist, but no doer of actions is there. Nirvana exists, but no one who enters it. The Path exists, but no traveler can be seen.
In this practice we train our perception and consciousness to let go of the function of crystallizing and reifying experience and this allows for things to just be. The moment that sense contact happens, instead of letting our mind do its automatic separation of experience, we just drop this and let experience reveal itself as it really is. This way of seeing things is totally non-conceptual (nippapañca), without any imputations on raw experience, verbal or non-verbal, things are seen as they are.
Letting go
“Give up the aggregates, since none of them is truly your own!” – MI 140
That should be seen as it has come to be with right discernment: “This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.” When one sees it thus, one becomes disenchanted… – MN 62
“And what is the perception of dispassion? … And what is the perception of cessation?… This is peace, this is exquisite — the stilling of all sankharas, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving, dispassion, Nirvana.’ – AN 10.60
“And what are the things to be abandoned by direct knowledge? Ignorance and craving for existence. These are the things to be abandoned by direct knowledge” – SN 45.159
It is here that other early Buddhists texts disagree and complicate the matter, disagreeing with the Pali Anapanasati sutta. The Chinese Samyukta-agama discourse and the Sravakabhumi both agree that this tetrad actually proceeds from impermanence to eradication, then dispassion and then cessation. This indicates that the process might not be as linear as it seems at first glance, and that these facets of abandoning, releasing and ceasing might arise and condition each other in different ways.
Either way, these last three steps are all closely interrelated and arise on their own after close observation of inconstancy so we will not dwell on which one conditions which and which listing is “correct” but take all these three as a whole.
Clearly seeing impermanence leads one naturally on to viraga, which is “fading” or “dispassion” as well as a sense of abandonment or letting go. Noticing anicca and anatta also brings to light the fact that all phenomena have a sense of unease about them, of un-satisfactoriness and suffering. This subtle sense of unease can be seen about everything happening in the field of experience.
Our breath is a cycle which is driven by a subtle sense of unease as we draw in air to fill our lungs and expel it back out. Our body in the sitting posture is filled with pains, aches and subtler discomforts. Our mind has all sorts of layers of suffering. They are all changing and affecting us in different ways.
Seeing the transient and painful nature of things arouses a sense of disenchantment and disillusionment with phenomena, the clinging to them fades and dissipates, craving diminishes and disappears because one sees that clinging and craving to transient things is nothing but dukkha and hence do not yield true satisfaction.
Seeing the way that consciousness creates the illusion of everyday reality has been compared to a magic show by the Buddha. Like an actual magic trick, once we see through it or peep behind the curtain, the trick no longer interests us, we see it is a sham.
In this step, one slowly realizes that the only way that dukkha will cease completely is through dispassion and letting go. Letting go of what? Of everything, stop going after every single phenomena, even yourself. Give it all away. Give away everything in your entire existence and experience true freedom. Suffering can be brought to an end by bringing clinging to an end.
The Chinese sutras use a word that has a more active connotation of “cutting off”, “severance” and “eradication”. Try this too, see your craving and clinging and slice through it with the blade of wisdom you’ve been sharpening all this time. It is all dukkha, so cut it off at the root so it never comes back. Use the pliant energy of your awareness to burn up all the corruptions until nothing is left. Of course these are metaphors, but this is the general idea of this task.
When one has let go of things one can rejoice in this, but at the same time, developing relinquishment also means letting go of any pride, however subtle, which develops from letting go of unskillful thoughts and distractions. One must always be on the look-out for the ego’s games and the tricks it plays with our spiritual practices.
Another thing to watch out for is attachment to our ideas and concepts about the Dharma, which is to be practiced, not clung to. The Buddha said:
In the same way, monks, I have taught the Dhamma compared to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Understanding the Dhamma as taught compared to a raft, you should let go even of Dhammas, to say nothing of non-Dhammas. – MN 22
Some texts mention that deep knowledge into transciency and dukkha can also bring out feelings of fear in some yogis. If this is happening, realize that this is just more of the ego’s games and try to relax and perhaps take a break to internalize your experiences and ground yourself. Then go back to your practice.
Contemplate this theme, notice how the more you gain insight into reality, the more you let go of clinging, and thus the freer and more equanimous you become. Watch shifting phenomena and let the feeling of holding on to them fade away.
From here, one proceeds to cessation or ending (nirodha) which is the disappearing aspect of whatever one is attending to, so for example, the process of a thought ceasing or of the vanishing of the breath. This also includes contemplating the very possibility of the end of something. This inferential way of seeing nirodha is important to contemplate as well, because there are certain phenomena that we can only know indirectly that they will cease. This increases one’s insight into impermanence and dukkha, for it is the aspect of nirodha which often causes fear and suffering for us, the fact that things cease.
So pay attention to nirodha, and notice that dukkha can cease as well if one just stops clinging and craving as in the previous step. Nirodha also means the ending of dukkha as it is outlined in the third noble truth. At this step one also watches dukkha and how the qualities of letting go and dispassion affect dukkha. See how to the cessation of clinging is connected to the cessation of dukkha. When the Buddha said “when this ceases, that ceases” he was referring to just this fact of existence.
While nirvana is the ultimate cessation, one can still experience lesser moments of the cessation of dukkha by contemplating like this. The more one calmly attends to cessation and internalizes this truth, the easier it is to let go of attachment, including any sense of appropriating things in terms of “mine” or “I”.
This letting go is continuous process which happens little by little, few can let go altogether on their first few days of practicing. Be patient and persistent. It is a natural evolution of thought which comes about through gradual cultivation moving through more and more refined states of consciousness. Sometimes one may have flashes of insight and leap ahead, but most of the time this process moves forward through a careful tending of the garden of the mind.
The Buddha used the following similes for this gradual process of letting go:
Suppose a carpenter or their apprentice sees the marks of his fingers and thumb on the handle of his adze. They don’t know how much of the handle was worn away today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development, they don’t know how much of the defilements were worn away today, how much yesterday, and how much previously. They just know what has been worn away.
Suppose there was a sea-faring ship bound together with ropes. For six months they deteriorated in the water. Then in the cold season it was hauled up on dry land, where the ropes were weathered by wind and sun. When the clouds soaked it with rain, the ropes would readily collapse and rot away. In the same way, when a mendicant is committed to development their fetters readily collapse and rot away. – SN 22.101
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