The mind illuminated by culadasa (john yates, ph d ), matthew immergut, jeremy graves (2017 edition)

Praise for The Mind Illuminated “Culadasa has given us a clear, detailed, contemporary map of meditation, beautifully attuned to our household lives Through his mastery of both the science and art of conscious living, Culadasa imparts the practices and confidence we need to walk the path of liberation through all the stages to Awakening I love his friendly, encouraging teaching!” —TRUDY GOODMAN, PHD, guiding teacher at InsightLA “In a time where meditation and its twin sister, mindfulness, have become the fads du jour, Culadasa gives us the real deal in this encyclopedic handbook If you’re serious about meditation, The Mind Illuminated should be on your bookshelf.” —LAMA MARUT, author of A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life and Be Nobody “Essential reading for anyone interested in meditative development from any tradition At once comprehensive and also very easy to read and follow in practice, this is the most thorough, straightforward, clear, and practical guide to training the mind that I have ever found A remarkable achievement.” —DANIEL INGRAM, MD, author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha “The Mind Illuminated is an extraordinary accomplishment Culadasa has distilled his many years of meditative practice and teaching, his deep background in Theravada and Vajrayana traditions, and his extensive knowledge of cognitive science and neuroscience to provide a unique and highly practical guidebook to meditation practice The granular detail that Culadasa provides regarding various experiences along the path and his practically grounded advice for dealing with obstacles and developing specific skills are unique in the published literature on meditation Regardless of the particular tradition in which one practices, or the amount of one’s practice experience, there is a cornucopia of wisdom and detailed guidance here that merits careful study and practice This is a true jewel of a book that belongs on the desk or night table of every meditation practitioner.” —SENSEI AL GENKAI KASZNIAK, PHD, guiding teacher at Upaya Zen Sangha of Tucson; Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Arizona “With wisdom, clarity, and grace, Culadasa has written an invaluable manual for awakening I believe this book will become one of the Top 10 Must Reads for anyone on the spiritual path for years to come Helpful for beginning meditators and valuable for advanced meditators who are already committed to meditation but have not yet experienced the fruits of consistent practice.” —STEPHANIE NASH, mindfulness coach and integrative counselor “Writing with warmth and clarity, Culadasa brings a lifetime of investigation into Buddhism and neuroscience to his descriptions of the tasks and nuances of meditation Though it is often encouraged, a meditation practice is not often explained The Mind Illuminated provides comprehensive, step-by-step guidance about how to actually it, how to handle the many hindrances that might stop us from practicing, and how the mind benefits when we meditate regularly A masterful and inspiring guide, Culadasa encourages us to savor the process that leads to becoming fully conscious.” —SUSAN SUNTREE, author of Sacred Sites: The Secret History of Southern California and editor of Wisdom of the East: Stories of Compassion, Inspiration, and Love “This book does an outstanding job of both constructing a cognitive theory of how the mind works and presenting a detailed handbook for learning and mastering meditation The result is a beautiful integration of theory and practice, whose parallel strands lead to experientially, and account for conceptually, the radical shift in consciousness we call awakening.” —RICHARD P BOYLE, author of Realizing Awakened Consciousness “The Mind Illuminated provides among the greatest syntheses I’ve ever seen of concepts from across the spectrum of psychological research and theory The book integrates knowledge from areas as diverse as cognition and neural systems, psychoanalytic notions of unconscious processes and catharsis, theories of William James, and third-wave strategies for emotion regulation It also provides a valuable step-by-step instruction manual for mental training to focus attention while developing self-insight and deep psychological healing The secular nature of the instructions allows for bringing meditation into the therapy relationship without dogma and without the risk of either supporting or contradicting clients’ religious views.” —TUCKER PECK, PHD, clinical psychologist and recipient of the Varela Award from the Mind and Life Institute Thank you for downloading this Touchstone eBook Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from Touchstone and Simon & Schuster CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP or visit us online to sign up at eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com Contents List of Figures Foreword Introduction An Overview of the Ten Stages First Interlude: Conscious Experience and the Objectives of Meditation Stage One: Establishing a Practice Second Interlude: The Hindrances and Problems Stage Two: Interrupted Attention and Overcoming Mind-Wandering Stage Three: Extended Continuity of Attention and Overcoming Forgetting Third Interlude: How Mindfulness Works Stage Four: Continuous Attention and Overcoming Gross Distraction and Strong Dullness Fourth Interlude: The Moments of Consciousness Model Stage Five: Overcoming Subtle Dullness and Increasing Mindfulness Fifth Interlude: The Mind-System Stage Six: Subduing Subtle Distractions Sixth Interlude: The Stages of an Adept Stage Seven: Exclusive Attention and Unifying the Mind Seventh Interlude: The Nature of Mind and Consciousness Stage Eight: Mental Pliancy and Pacifying the Senses Stage Nine: Mental and Physical Pliancy and Calming the Intensity of Meditative Joy Stage Ten: Tranquility and Equanimity Final Thoughts Acknowledgments APPENDICES Appendix A: Walking Meditation Appendix B: Analytical Meditation Appendix C: Loving-Kindness Meditation Appendix D: The Jhānas Appendix E: Mindful Review Appendix F: Insight and the “Dark Night” About the Authors Glossary Notes Index This book is dedicated to my loving and beloved wife, Nancy Without your support and measureless patience, I could never have finished it It is also dedicated to my sons, Charles and Sean, who at times thought they had lost their father to this project List of Figures Figure 1: Progression through the stages is not linear Figure 2: When meditation doesn’t infuse daily life, it’s like filling a leaky bucket Figure 3: The futility of annoyance, force, and striving Figure 4: The field of conscious awareness Figure 5: Shifting the focus of attention Figure 6: Attention versus awareness Figure 7: Spontaneous movements of attention Figure 8: Alternating attention Figure 9: Introspective peripheral awareness Figure 10: Four-step transition to the meditation object Figure 11: Obstacles to establishing a practice Figure 12: Following the breath Figure 13: “You” are not in control of “your” mind Figure 14: The mind is a collective of different mental processes Figure 15: As pleasure and happiness increase, mental processes come into harmony Figure 16: How forgetting happens Figure 17: Labeling Figure 18: Handling pain and discomfort Figure 19: Subtle and strong dullness Figure 20: Four levels of mindfulness—the thornbush metaphor Figure 21: Two steps to overcoming gross distraction Figure 22: Taking pain as a meditation object Figure 23: Pain changes when you stop resisting Figure 24: The problem of discursive brilliance Figure 25: Emotions, memories, and visions as distractions Figure 26: Connecting Figure 27: Seven kinds of moments of consciousness Figure 28: Binding moments of consciousness Figure 29: Moments of attention and moments of peripheral awareness Figure 30: Moments of attention and moments of peripheral awareness II Figure 31: Non-perceiving mind moments Figure 32: Conscious intention Figure 33: Applying the Moments of Consciousness model to meditation Figure 34: Progression from forgetting to exclusive focus in the Moments of Consciousness model Figure 35: Progression from full alertness to sleep in the Moments of Consciousness model Figure 36: Body scanning method Figure 37: The mind-system Figure 38: Sub-minds of the unconscious minds Figure 39: Interactions of sensory and discriminating minds via the conscious mind Figure 40: The boardroom metaphor Figure 41: Conscious and unconscious intentions Figure 42: The narrating mind as story maker Figure 43: The “I” and the “it” Figure 44: Subduing distractions through competing intentions Figure 45: Bodily sensations versus thoughts Figure 46: Orderly flow of energy through the body Figure 47: The level of mindfulness depends on unification Figure 48: Mindfulness can increase even in dullness Figure 49: Cessation of mental fabrications Figure 50: Extending the Mind-System model Figure 51: Information processing within sensory minds Figure 52: Information exchange between the sensory minds Figure 53: Momentary concentration Figure 54: Energy currents and involuntary movements Figure 55: Turbulent versus tranquil energy flows Figure 56: Unification of mind Figure 57: Dark night transition and meditative joy, 248, 252 and Mind-System, 184, 185, 186, 197, 200, 202, 292, 294 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 148, 149–52, 151, 154, 156–57, 160, 162, 163, 183 and pacifying the senses, 240, 241–47, 252 and peripheral awareness, 31 physical, 149–52, 151, 156–57, 170, 184, 185 and pīti, 252, 330, 332, 333 and purifying the mind, 254 and Seventh Interlude, 292, 294 and Stage One, 48, 49–54, 61 and Stage Two, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 92 and Stage Three, 96, 98, 99, 106, 109, 110, 111 and Stage Four, 123, 141, 142, 144, 145 and Stage Five, 168–70, 172–79, 176 and Stage Six, 220–28, 222, 231, 232, 233 and Stage Seven, 262, 266, 268–76 and Stage Eight, 294, 301–2, 301, 304, 305, 307–13, 317, 319–22, 324, 325 and Stage Nine, 330, 332, 333 and stages of adept meditators, 238, 240, 241–48, 252, 254 and subtle distractions, 216, 220–28, 222, 231, 232, 233 and unifying the mind, 238 unusual, 239, 241–47, 272–74, 310, 311–12 and when to which practices, 301 See also bizarre sensations; pacifying the senses; sensory mind; specific sensation sensory mind and binding moments, 290, 291, 291, 292 and consciousness, 290, 291–92, 291 and discriminating mind, 292, 293 and Fifth Interlude, 184, 184, 185–86, 190, 191, 192, 195, 204–5, 206, 207, 208, 212–13, 214 functions/purpose of, 185 information processing in, 290–92, 291 and Insight, 285 and Mind-System, 184–86, 184, 190, 191, 192, 195, 204–7, 206, 208, 212–13, 214, 287, 288, 290–95, 291 and moments of consciousness, 292 and pacifying the senses, 241, 246–47 and sense-percepts, 290–92 and Seventh Interlude, 285, 287, 288, 290–95, 291 and Stage Six, 219, 221, 222, 224 and Stage Seven, 272–73 and Stage Eight, 300, 310, 311 and stages of adept meditators, 237, 238, 241, 246–47 and sub-minds, 290–92, 291 and subtle distractions, 221, 222, 224, 229 and unconscious, 184, 185–86, 190, 290, 291 and unifying the mind, 237, 238 and visual mind, 290, 291–92, 291 Seventh Interlude and adept meditators, 280, 281, 284, 294 and Awakening, 284, 286, 287 and binding moments, 289–96, 291 and cessation experience, 284–87, 285, 332, 333 and conscious mind, 281, 282, 285, 287, 288, 291, 292, 296 and consciousness, 279, 280, 281, 283–87, 285, 289–98 and discriminating mind, 285, 287, 288, 292–93 and dullness, 280, 281, 281, 282 and equanimity, 284–85 and Insight, 279, 280, 283, 284–87, 285 and intentions, 284–86, 285, 289, 293, 294, 296 and interconnectedness, 296–98 and jhānas, 295 and meditation object, 280, 293–94, 295 and Mind-System, 259, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 289–96, 291, 296 and moments of consciousness, 280, 281, 282, 289, 292, 293 and narrating mind, 287, 289, 292, 293 and purifying the mind, 279, 283–84 quality of, 280 and reality, 283, 286, 287, 289 and sense-percepts, 290–95 and sensory mind, 285, 287, 288, 290–95, 291 and shared receptivity, 296–98 and sub-minds, 279, 280, 281, 283–92, 285, 288, 291, 294, 295 and unconscious, 279, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 287–90, 288, 291, 294–95, 296 and unifying the mind, 279–81, 281, 282, 283–87, 285 and visual mind, 290, 291–92, 291, 295 See also specific topic shared receptivity, 213, 296–98 sharing experiences, 329 single-pointed attention See exclusive attention “sinking in,” 110, 144, 257, 272, 283 sitting See posture Sixth Interlude See adept meditators—stages of skilled meditators, 10, 111, 216, 235–37, 261, 262 See also Stage Four; Stage Five; Stage Six skills mastery differentiated from development of, 236 overestimation of, and overview of stages, 1–2 and progressing through stages, See also specific skill, or stage sleepiness antidotes for, 77, 109–11 and First Interlude, 37 and intentions, 15, 17 and Milestone One, and Mind-System, 190 and mindfulness, 37, 281, 282 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 164, 165, 166 and problems, 76, 77 and resistance, 109 and Seventh Interlude, 281, 282 and Stage One, 7, 61 and Stage Three, 7, 8, 15, 95, 96, 99, 106, 108–11, 109, 141, 166, 170 and Stage Four, 142, 145 and strong dullness, 141 and subtle dullness, 109 smell, 246 See also physical senses sound See physical senses space: sense of, 294–95, 296 spiritual journey goal of, 344 speed of, unfolding of process for, 1–3 and uniqueness of individuals, spontaneous attention, 198, 199, 200, 219, 306 spontaneous movements of attention, 24–27, 25, 26, 80, 81, 84, 218 stable attention and beginning meditators, 87 counting as method for, 52–54 cultivating of, 24–26 definition of, 24 effortlessly, 11, 13, 15, 299, 300, 309 and First Interlude, 19, 21, 24–29, 38, 39 and Insight, 257 and intentions, 15, 17 and milestones, 8, 11, 13 and Mind-System, 203, 214, 293 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 163 as objective of meditation, 10, 19, 21, 24–29, 38, 39 and pīti, 334 and Seventh Interlude, 293 and Stage One, 52–54 and Stage Two, 81, 84, 90, 93 and Stage Three, 98, 100, 103, 105 and Stage Four, 28, 105, 121, 126–29, 131, 132, 137 and Stage Five, 9, 167, 168, 170, 171, 174 and Stage Six, 29, 38, 215, 217, 218, 220, 222, 232, 233 and Stage Seven, 15, 29, 237, 263, 266, 273 and Stage Eight, 299, 300, 302, 309 and Stage Nine, 327, 334, 336 and Stage Ten, 13, 337, 337 and stages of adept meditators, 237, 240, 257 and subtle distractions, 215, 217, 218, 220, 222, 232, 233 and success in meditation, 94 sustained, 237, 263 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236 and unifying the mind, 237, 240 Stage One and attention, 28, 41–63 and attitude, 58, 61–62, 63 and awareness, 47, 48, 49, 52 counting in, 52–54 and diligence, 6, 7, 41, 42, 43, 45, 54, 57, 57, 58, 62, 63 goals for, 7, 41, 41, 42–43, 45, 54, 79, 87 and hindrances, 41, 44 importance of, mastery of, 7, 41, 63 and meditation object, 42, 43, 46–54, 48, 57, 87, 90 and motivation, 7, 15, 41, 42, 45, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60, 62–63 as novice meditators, 5, 6–7, obstacles/problems in, 7, 41, 41, 43, 55–58, 77 and posture, 42, 44, 45, 50, 54, 58, 60–61 practical steps in, 58–63 and preparation for meditation, 41, 42–54, 45 and rate of progress through stages, skills for, and success in meditation, 94 and time and place, 45, 46, 54, 55, 58–60, 62 See also establishing a practice; specific topic Stage Two and attention, 5, 6, 7, 28, 70–94 and awareness, 80, 81, 88, 90 and breath, 79–94, 79, 85 and control of mind, 88–89 and distractions, 7, 80–81, 82 and forgetting, 7, 79, 80–89, 82, 86, 92–93 goals for, 7, 79–80, 79, 87 and intentions, 15, 27, 79, 80, 84, 86, 90, 95, 172 and joy, 90–93 mastery of, 7, 80, 94 and meditation object, 28, 79, 80–89, 86, 94 and Mind-System, 189 and mind-wandering, 6, 7, 15, 77, 79, 80–89, 82, 86, 89, 92–93, 94, 124 and mindfulness, 81, 87 and monkey-mind, 77, 80, 89–90 as novice meditators, 5, 6, obstacles/problems in, 7, 77, 80, 81, 87 and patience/impatience, 77, 90–93 review of, 86 skills for, See also specific topic Stage Three and attention, 6, 7–8, 28, 97–100, 101, 102, 103, 105, 111, 166 and awareness, 99–100, 110, 166 and checking in, 8, 96, 98, 101, 103–5, 104, 111, 124, 170 and connecting, 8, 96, 98, 100, 101, 102, 104 and distractions, 8, 15, 95, 96–98, 97, 100–105, 102, 103, 104, 170 and dullness, 15, 77, 95, 100, 106, 108–11, 109, 141, 143, 170 and First Milestone, 96, 111 and following the breath, 8, 96, 98–100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 109, 109, 111 and forgetting, 6, 7–8, 77, 95, 96–105, 97, 102, 104, 111, 123, 124 goals for, 8, 83, 87, 95–96, 95, 98 and gross distractions, 96, 97, 102, 104–5, 104, 111, 123, 124, 170 and hindrances, 95 and Insight, 100, 106 and intentions, 15, 95, 99, 103, 104, 106, 110–11, 124, 172 and introspective attention, 15, 95, 103–5, 111, 124, 126 and introspective awareness, 8, 96, 98, 101–5, 102, 111, 124, 126, 138, 170 and labeling, 8, 96, 98, 101–2, 103, 104, 105 mastery of, 8, 96, 111 and meditation object, 87, 96–97, 97, 106, 108, 111 and mind-wandering, 7, 8, 95, 95, 97, 101, 102, 111 and mindfulness, 38, 95 as novice meditators, 5, 6, 7–8 obstacles/problems in, 8, 77, 95 and peripheral awareness, 15, 96–99, 103–4, 111, 166 skills for, and sleepiness, 7, 8, 15, 95, 96, 99, 106, 108–11, 109, 141, 166, 170 See also specific topic Stage Four and breath, 123–40, 125, 138, 141, 142, 144, 146 and distractions, 28, 77, 123–26, 125, 131–36, 133, 138–39, 140, 142, 236 and dullness, 77, 131, 140, 141–45, 141, 236 and emotions, 8, 128, 129, 134–39, 137, 145, 259 goals for, 8, 83, 87, 121–22, 121, 126, 129, 138, 141, 145 and gross distractions, 6, 8–9, 121, 122–40, 125, 127, 145, 146 and Insight, 128, 129, 132–33, 133 and intentions, 15, 121, 126, 133, 144, 166 and introspective awareness, 8, 9, 38, 100, 105, 121, 122, 124, 126–29, 131, 138, 140, 142–43, 143 mastery of, 9, 145–46 and meditation object, 28, 84, 87, 121–23, 126, 128–31, 130, 133, 135, 137, 138, 140, 141, 144, 146 and memories, 8, 128, 134–39, 137, 145 and mindfulness, 38, 118, 122, 123, 126, 127, 129, 131, 132, 139–40, 144, 146 obstacles/problems in, 8, 77, 124 and pain, 8, 9, 128–31, 130, 131, 135 as skilled meditators, 5, 6, 8–9 skills for, and stable attention, 28, 105, 121, 126–29, 131, 132, 137 and strong dullness, 6, 8–9, 121, 122, 141–45, 143, 146, 166, 169 and subtle distractions, 9, 122, 124, 125, 127, 128, 138, 140, 141, 146 and subtle dullness, 9, 121, 122, 142–45, 143, 146, 166 and sustained attention, 28, 87, 123, 124, 140, 146 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236 and visions, 134–36, 138–39 See also specific topic Stage Five and adept mediators, 171 and alertness, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172–73, 175 and awareness, 9, 170, 171–72, 174, 177 and breath, 169, 170, 172–79, 176 and consciousness, 35, 166, 167, 173, 177, 179 and corrections, 167, 168, 171, 178–79, 236 and dullness, 170–71, 172, 173, 178, 179, 236 goals for, 9, 167–68, 167, 173 and intentions, 15, 166, 167, 171–74, 177, 178, 179 and introspective awareness, 38, 100, 164, 168–73, 177, 178, 179 mastery of, 9, 168, 179 and meditation object, 168, 169, 172, 173, 174, 177, 178, 179 and mindfulness, 6, 9, 38, 166, 167, 168, 171, 173–79, 176 obstacles/problems in, 9, 77 and peripheral awareness, 9, 167, 168–69, 171, 174, 177, 179 and scanning, 9, 173–79, 176 and sensations, 168, 169, 170, 172–79, 176 as skilled meditators, 5, 6, skills for, and stable attention, 9, 167, 168, 170, 171, 174 and subtle distractions, 167, 168, 169, 172, 177 and subtle dullness, 6, 9, 77, 142, 143, 166, 167–73, 167, 178–79 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236 See also specific topic Stage Six and acquired appearance, 225, 231, 293–94 and alternating attention, 216, 217–18, 219, 221, 227 and attention, 9, 28, 29, 38, 220, 228–29 and breath, 220–21, 224–26 and consciousness, 38, 217, 218, 219, 221–24, 222, 226, 228, 229, 236, 263 and discriminating minds, 217, 219, 221–25, 222, 229, 263 and distractions, 10, 77, 218–24, 218, 219, 222, 228, 231, 236, 263 and exclusive attention, 9, 10, 168, 215, 216–26, 218, 219, 222, 231, 232, 233 and experiencing the whole body with the breath, 10, 220–23, 222, 226, 227, 231–32, 248, 331 goals for, 10, 215–16, 215, 226 and Insight, 226 and intentions, 15, 215, 216, 218–21, 218, 219, 223–24, 226, 227–28, 231, 263 and jhāna, 230–33, 315 mastery of, 10, 216, 233 and meditation object, 29, 218, 220, 221, 223–26, 231, 233, 293–94 and meditative absorption, 229–33 and metacognitive introspective awareness, 10, 38, 215, 216, 226–29, 229, 233 and milestones, 216, 233 and Mind-System, 218, 218, 219, 223, 228 and mindfulness, 10, 38, 215, 216, 226, 233 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 218 obstacles/problems in, 10, 77 and pacifying the mind, 217, 223–26, 236, 237, 263 and peripheral awareness, 10, 217, 218, 220–23, 226, 227, 228, 233 and scope of attention, 10, 29, 38, 215, 217, 220, 221, 223, 225, 227, 228, 233, 331 and sensations, 220–28, 222, 231, 232, 233 and skilled meditators, 5, 6, 9–10, 216 skills for, 10 and stable attention, 29, 38, 215, 217, 218, 220, 222, 232, 233 and stages of adept meditators, 237, 240 and sub-minds, 218–23, 218, 219, 222, 228, 263 and subtle distractions, 6, 9–10, 215–33, 215, 218, 222, 229 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236 and unconscious mind, 218, 218, 219, 220, 222–23, 222, 263 and unifying the mind, 237, 239, 240 See also specific topic Stage Seven and adept meditators, 233, 262, 277 and Close Following, 266, 268–70, 272, 295 and diligence, 11, 262–66, 264, 275, 277 and discriminating mind, 236–37, 264, 267–68, 274–77 and distractions, 11, 15, 216, 261, 262–66, 269, 272–76 and dryness, 265–72, 273, 275 and effort/effortlessness, 10, 11, 237, 261–66, 261, 264, 269, 272, 274–77 and exclusive attention, 6, 10–11, 236–37, 261–65, 264, 267, 268, 270, 271, 275 and flow, 270–71, 272 goals for, 10, 261–63, 261 and hindrances, 261 and Insight, 11, 269–70, 272, 341 and intentions, 15, 263, 264, 265, 268, 272, 274, 275, 277 and jhāna, 11, 232, 266, 270–72, 315 and joy, 232, 262, 266, 268, 272, 273, 275, 276 and letting go, 262, 263, 275, 276–77 mastery of, 11, 263, 277 and meditative joy, 239, 241, 259, 273, 276–77, 315 methods for, 11 and Mind-System, 236, 237, 263, 264 and mindfulness, 10, 11, 15, 118, 237, 261–64, 261, 266, 270, 275 obstacles/problems in, 11, 236, 262, 276–77 and peripheral awareness, 264, 264, 267, 271, 272, 274, 275, 277 and pīti, 239, 252, 262, 273, 275 and sensations, 262, 266, 268–76 and skilled meditators, 261, 262 and stages of adept meditators, 235, 237, 238, 240 and sub-minds, 236–37, 262–65, 272–74 and Third Milestone, 277 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236 as transition stage, 5, 6, 10–11, 262 and unifying the mind, 6, 10–11, 224, 231, 236–38, 239, 240, 262, 263, 266, 268, 270–71, 274–77 and vigilance, 10, 11, 261, 261, 262, 264–65, 264, 269, 271, 275 See also specific topic Stage Eight as adept meditators, 5, 6, 11–12, 299, 300 and compliant mind, 299–309, 301, 303, 305, 308, 311 and consciousness, 38, 294, 305–7, 309, 310, 311, 313, 318, 320 and effortlessness, 12, 16, 299, 299, 301, 302, 303, 305, 324 and energy, 12, 239, 301, 302, 308, 310, 311, 315, 316, 317, 322, 324, 325 and exclusive attention, 11, 302, 305, 309, 310, 311, 321 and experimenting with attention, 301–5, 303 and getting stuck, 324 goals for, 12, 299–300, 299, 309, 320 and hindrances, 277, 299, 324 and horses analogy, 315, 316, 317 and inner light, 300, 311, 312, 325 and Insight, 12, 307, 319, 320, 341 and intentions, 14, 16, 294, 302, 303, 304–11, 314, 321, 322–23 and jhānas, 12, 304–5, 314–15, 320–23, 330 and joy, 12, 16, 299, 300, 305, 312–15, 322, 323, 325 mastery of, 12, 258, 300, 325 and meditative joy, 12, 238, 239, 241, 259, 273, 277, 299, 300, 301, 309–15, 316, 317–23, 324, 325 and mental pliancy, 6, 11–12, 16, 237, 299–302, 299, 304, 305, 306, 309, 310 and metacognitive awareness, 126, 300, 302, 305–9, 308, 311, 319 methods for, 12 and Mind-System, 294, 306, 311, 314 and mindfulness, 11, 280, 299, 300, 307, 314 obstacles in, 12 and pacifying the senses, 6, 11–12, 238, 239, 241, 299, 300, 301, 305, 307, 309–15, 316, 317, 320, 321, 324 and peripheral awareness, 301, 302, 303, 306, 307, 308, 311, 312, 318–19, 320, 321 and physical pliancy, 11–12, 16, 238, 239, 299, 300, 310, 317–23, 325 and pīti, 252, 253, 301, 305, 307, 312, 315, 317, 318, 319, 324, 325 and Realizing the Witness, 318–20 and senses/sensations, 294, 301–2, 301, 304, 307–13, 317, 319–22, 324, 325 and stages of adept meditators, 235, 237, 238, 240 and still point, 318–20 and sub-minds, 305, 306, 308, 309, 310, 314, 315 and unifying the mind, 11–12, 237, 238, 239, 240, 277, 300, 305, 306, 307, 309–15, 316, 317, 319, 320, 323, 324 and when to which practices, 301 See also specific topic Stage Nine as adept meditators, 5, 6, 12 and Awakening, 334 and bliss of mental pliancy, 238–39, 328, 330, 335 and bliss of physical pliancy, 238–39, 328, 330 and consciousness, 331, 332–34 and emptiness, 332–34 and energy, 328, 329, 330, 334, 335, 335 and equanimity, 12, 16, 239, 259, 327–30, 327, 332, 334–36, 335 and flowing water analogy, 334–35, 335 goals for, 12, 327–28, 327, 330–31, 332 and Insight, 331, 332–34, 341 and intellectual understanding, 332–33, 334 and jhānas, 330–31 and joy, 6, 327–36, 335 mastery of, 12, 336 and meditative joy, 12, 16, 325, 327, 327, 328, 336 methods for, 12 and Mind-System, 330 and mindfulness, 334, 336 and nature of mind, 332–34 obstacles in, 12 and physical pliancy, 6, 12, 327, 328, 329, 330 and pīti, 253, 328, 329–35, 335 and śamatha, 327, 327, 335, 335, 336 and stages of adept meditators, 235, 237, 238–39, 240, 240 and tranquility, 12, 16, 239, 259, 327–30, 327, 332, 334–36, 335 and unifying the mind, 237–40, 239, 240, 317, 328–31 See also specific topic Stage Ten as adept meditators, 5, 6, 13 and Awakening, 337, 339, 341 beyond, 341–45 and equanimity, 6, 13, 16, 259, 331, 336–39, 337 goals for, 327–28, 337–38, 337 and hindrances, 78 and Insight, 339, 340, 341 and intentions, 16, 338, 339 and jhāna, 331, 339 and joy, 327, 337–39, 337 mastery of, 13, 340, 341 and Milestone Four, 340 and mindfulness, 13, 337–39, 337 practices for, 339 and śamatha, 13, 239, 327, 337–40, 337 and stages of adept meditators, 235, 237, 240, 240 and tranquility, 6, 13, 16, 331, 337, 337, 340 and unifying the mind, 237, 239, 240, 240, 337, 338–39 See also specific topic stages and attention, 36 and awareness, 36 benefits of, 39 function/purpose of, goal of, 39 and happiness, 93 and how process unfolds, 1–3 and intentions, 14–17 and introspective awareness, 83 and joy, 93 need for understanding of, 4–5 overview of, 1–17 progressing through, 1–5, progression of mindfulness through, 37–38 skipping/shortcutting, See also specific stage or topic standing meditation, 110, 143–44 startle reactions, 171 still point, 318–20, 331 stress, 4, 35, 55, 59, 72, 108, 115 strong dullness antidotes for, 142–45, 143 definition of, 109 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 164, 165, 166 overcoming, 6, 8–9, 141–45, 146 and seduction of dullness, 145 and sleepiness, 141, 145 and Stage Three, 109, 109, 141, 143 and Stage Four, 6, 8–9, 121, 122, 141–45, 143, 146, 166, 169 and Stage Five, 167, 167 sub-minds and cessation experience, 284–85, 285, 286, 287 and Fifth Interlude, 184–86, 184, 187, 188–205, 192, 204, 206, 207, 208, 209–14, 209 functions of, 195–96 and Insight, 257, 258, 284–87, 285, 344 and Mind-System, 184–214, 184, 187, 192, 204, 206, 208, 209, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291–92, 291, 294, 295 and mindfulness, 279, 280, 281, 283 and pacifying the senses, 241 and pīti, 332, 333 and purifying the mind, 283–84 and śamatha, 342, 343, 344 and sensory mind, 290–92, 291 and Seventh Interlude, 279–81, 283–92, 285, 288, 291, 294, 295 and skill development versus mastery, 236 and Stage Six, 218–23, 218, 219, 222, 228, 263 and Stage Seven, 236–37, 262–65, 272–74 and Stage Eight, 305, 306, 308, 309, 310, 314, 315 and Stage Nine, 332, 333 and Stage Ten, 339 and stages of adept meditators, 237, 238, 241, 257, 258 sub-, 287, 288, 289 and subtle distractions, 218–23, 219, 222, 228 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236–37 and unconscious mind, 218 and unifying the mind, 237, 238 subtle distractions and acquired appearance, 225, 231 and alertness, 227–28, 229, 231, 232 and alternating attention, 216, 217–18, 219, 221, 227 and awareness, 216, 221, 229 and binding moments, 226, 228, 229 and body position, 226 and breath, 218, 219, 220–21, 224–26 and breath at the nose, 220, 222, 227, 231 and conscious intentions, 217–20, 219 and consciousness, 217, 219, 221–24, 222, 226, 228, 229 and corrections, 127, 228, 233 definition of, 96, 122 and directed attention, 227 and discriminating mind, 216, 217, 219, 221–25, 222, 229 and discursive thoughts, 229, 232 and dullness, 228, 231, 232 and effort, 215, 216, 223–24 and emotions, 227–28, 229 and energy, 216, 218, 219 and exclusive attention, 215, 216–26, 219, 222, 231, 232 and experiencing the whole body with the breath, 10, 220–23, 222, 226, 227, 231–32 and extrospective attention, 228–29 goals for subduing, 215–16, 215, 226 and initial appearance, 225, 231 and Insight, 226 and intentions, 215, 216, 218–21, 219, 223–24, 226, 227–28, 231 and introspective attention, 228–29 and introspective awareness, 226–27, 228 and jhāna, 230–33 and meditation object, 216, 220, 221, 223–26, 231, 233 and meditative absorption, 229–33 and metacognitive attention, 229 and metacognitive awareness, 215, 216, 226–29, 229, 232, 233 and milestones, 216, 233 and Mind-System, 218, 219, 223, 228 and mindfulness, 215, 216, 226, 233 and moments of attention, 218, 220, 228, 229 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 160, 162, 162, 163 and narrating mind, 228–29, 229 and pacifying the mind, 217, 223–26 and perception, 224–26, 228, 233 and peripheral awareness, 217, 218, 220–23, 226–28, 233 and potential distractions, 217, 220, 223 and reality, 225 review of, 122 and scope of attention, 215, 217, 220, 221, 223, 225, 227, 228, 233 and sensations, 216, 220, 221, 222–23, 222, 224–26, 227, 228, 231, 232, 233 and sensory minds, 221, 222, 224, 229 source of, 223 and stable attention, 215, 217, 218, 220, 222, 232, 233 and Stage Three, 96–97, 102, 104 and Stage Four, 9, 122, 124, 125, 127, 128, 138, 140, 141, 146 and Stage Five, 167, 168, 169, 172, 177 and Stage Six, 6, 9–10, 215–33, 215, 218, 222, 229 and Stage Seven, 10, 262 and Stage Eight, 302, 303 and strong intentions, 218, 219, 220 and sub-minds, 218–23, 219, 222, 228 subduing, 6, 9–10, 215–33 and subtle dullness, 215, 226, 231, 233 types of, 128 and unconscious mind, 218, 219, 220, 222–23, 222 and vigilance, 221, 223–24, 233 See also specific topic subtle dullness antidotes for, 172–73 characteristics of, 168–71 countering, 171–73 in daily life, 165–66 danger of, 168 definition of, 109 detecting, 171–73 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 164–66, 165, 178–79 non-progressive, 167 overcoming, 6, 168–73 and problems, 77 progressive, 142–45, 143, 146, 166, 167, 167 and sleepiness, 109 stable, 9, 142, 143, 164–68, 171 and Stage Three, 95, 109 and Stage Four, 9, 121, 122, 142–45, 143, 146, 166 and Stage Five, 6, 9, 77, 142, 143, 166, 167–73, 167, 178–79 and Stage Six, 168, 215, 226, 231, 233 and Stage Seven, 10, 168, 265 and Stage Eight, 321 and subtle distractions, 215, 226, 231, 233 sustained, 168, 321 vividness and clarity of, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174 See also specific topic suffering cause of, 118 and cessation experience, 284, 285, 286 end of, 118 and Insight, 258, 284, 285, 286, 344 knowledge of, 270 and mindfulness, 114, 118 as optional, 77, 106 and pain, 106 and problems, 77 and śamatha, 343 and self as illusion, 345 and Seventh Interlude, 284, 285, 286 and Stage Four, 130, 131, 138 and Stage Eight, 324 and stages of adept meditators, 258 and Third Interlude, 114, 118 sustained attention and connecting, 98, 100 continuous, 111 definition of, 24, 27 effortlessly, 293 and First Interlude, 24, 26, 27–28 and follow the breath, 98–100 and forgetting, 98–100 and intentions, 24, 26, 27–28 and jhāna, 230 as meditation factor, 66, 67, 75 on meditation object, 84–85, 87 and Mind-System, 201, 293 and Seventh Interlude, 293 and Stage One, 46 and Stage Two, 28, 79, 80, 84–85, 86, 87, 94 and Stage Three, 95, 98–100, 101, 111 and Stage Four, 28, 87, 123, 124, 140, 146 and Stage Five, 87 sustained exclusive attention effortlessly, 16, 261, 299 and intentions, 16 and Milestone Two, 10 and Stage Six, 216–26, 219, 233 and Stage Seven, 10, 236–37, 261, 262–65 and Stage Eight, 16, 299, 301 and subtle distractions, 216–26, 219, 233 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236–37 taste, 246 See also physical senses Tathagata, 256 techniques See methods; skills; specific technique or skill Theravada Buddhism, 147, 248, 270 thinking/emotional mind See discriminating mind Third Interlude and behavior, 114–19, 120 and Insight, 114, 118, 119, 120 and mindfulness, 113–19, 120 and suffering, 114, 118 and thornbush metaphor, 119, 120 thornbush metaphor, 119, 120 time for daily meditation, and establishing a practice, 45, 46, 54, 55, 58–60, 62 as mental construct, 295 and Mind-System, 295, 296 personal, 60 sense of, 294–95 and Seventh Interlude, 295, 296 in Stage Ten, 295 top-down process, 197, 199, 220 touch See physical senses tranquility and Insight, 259 and intentions, 16 and meditation object, 46 and Milestone Four, 13 and pīti, 329, 330, 332, 334–35, 335 and Stage Nine, 12, 16, 239, 259, 327–30, 327, 332, 334–36, 335 and Stage Ten, 6, 13, 16, 331, 337, 337, 340 and stages of adept meditators, 240, 240, 259 and unifying the mind, 239, 240, 240 trust, 56, 62, 67, 74, 75, 94, 266, 276, 334 unconscious analysis/examination of, 135 and Insight, 257, 258 and Mind-System, 290, 294–95, 296 and mindfulness, 113–19, 120, 279 and Moments of Consciousness Model, 164 and objectives of meditation, 28 and pacifying the senses, 244, 246 and purifying the mind, 254, 255 reprogramming of, 115 and Seventh Interlude, 279, 289, 290, 294–95, 296 and Stage Two, 82, 83, 84 and Stage Three, 99, 111 and Stage Four, 122, 134, 135, 137, 139 and Stage Six, 223 and Stage Seven, 262, 264, 265, 270, 274 and Stage Eight, 294, 308, 309, 315 and stages of adept meditators, 244, 246, 254, 255, 257, 258 See also specific topic unconscious intentions, 197–201, 198, 199–201, 289, 310 unconscious mind and cessation experience, 284, 285 definition of, 181 and Fifth Interlude, 181, 182, 184–90, 184, 187, 192, 193–201, 203–5, 204, 206, 208, 209, 210–14 function/purpose of, 182 and Insight, 284, 285 and Mind-System, 181, 182, 184–90, 184, 187, 192, 193–201, 203–5, 204, 206, 208, 209, 210–14, 218, 287, 288, 289, 291, 295 and mindfulness, 281, 282, 283 and pīti, 332, 333 and purifying the mind, 283 and śamatha, 342, 343 and sensory mind, 291 and Seventh Interlude, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 287, 288, 289, 291, 295 and Stage Six, 218, 218, 219, 220, 222–23, 222, 263 and Stage Seven, 262, 264, 265, 274 and Stage Eight, 309, 310, 315 and Stage Nine, 332, 333 and Stage Ten, 339 and sub-minds, 218, 262 and subtle distractions, 218, 219, 220, 222–23, 222 See also discriminating mind; sensory mind; sub-minds unifying the mind and adept meditator, 237–40, 239, 240 consequences of, 279–80 and daily life, 240 definition of, 11, 67 degrees of, 309 and discriminating mind, 237, 274–77 and equanimity, 239, 240, 240 and Fifth Interlude, 181, 213–14 functions/benefits of, 283 as goal of meditation, 93 and Insight, 284, 286–87, 344 as meditation factor, 66, 67, 69 and meditative joy, 238–39, 239, 240, 240, 247, 251, 253 and mental pliancy, 237, 239, 240 and Milestone Three, 11 and Mind-System, 181, 213–14 and mindfulness, 237, 240, 279–81, 281, 282, 283–87, 285 and pacifying the discriminating mind, 237, 238, 239, 240, 262 and pacifying the mind, 224, 237 and pacifying the senses, 238, 239, 240, 240, 251, 253 partial, 286–87 and physical pliancy, 238, 239, 240 and pīti, 239, 251, 253, 329, 330, 331 and purifying the mind, 255 and śamatha, 237, 239, 240, 240, 338, 342, 343, 344 and sensory mind, 237, 238 and Seventh Interlude, 279–81, 281, 282, 283–87, 285 and skill development versus mastery, 236 and Stage Two, 93 and Stage Six, 237, 239, 240 and Stage Seven, 6, 10–11, 224, 231, 236–38, 239, 240, 262, 263, 266, 268, 270–71, 274–77 and Stage Eight, 11–12, 237, 238, 239, 240, 277, 300, 305, 306, 307, 309–15, 316, 317, 319, 320, 323, 324 and Stage Nine, 237–40, 239, 240, 317, 328–31 and Stage Ten, 237, 239, 240, 240, 337, 338–39 and stages of adept meditators, 235, 240, 247, 251, 253, 255 and sub-minds, 237, 238 summary of process for, 240 temporary, 344 and tranquility, 239, 240, 240 and transition from skilled to adept meditator, 236–37 See also Insight; Mind-System; mindfulness; purifying the mind; specific topic vigilance definition of, 264 and intentions, 15 and mindfulness, 119 and Stage One, 41 and Stage Four, 121, 126, 128, 144 and Stage Five, 172 and Stage Six, 221, 223–24, 233 and Stage Seven, 10, 11, 261, 261, 262, 264–65, 264, 269, 271, 275 and subtle distractions, 221, 223–24, 233 vipassanā method, 46, 47, 342, 343, 344 virtue, 72–73, 256, 324, 325 vision/sight, 20, 154, 155, 166, 267, 318 visions (paranormal experiences), 8, 134–36, 138–39, 145 visual mind, 196, 208, 290, 291–92, 291, 295 visual sense, 238, 244–45 waking up See “aha!” moments walking meditation, 110, 143, 268 whole-body jhāna, 270, 272, 304–5, 315 willpower, 15, 54, 57, 79, 85, 92 witness, realizing the See Realizing the Witness worldview, and Insight, 257–58 worry See Agitation: Due to Worry and Remorse Yogacara school, 147, 181 Young, Shinzen, 130 zafu position, 60–61 “Zen lurch,” 108 Touchstone An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2015 by John Charles Yates Originally published in 2015 by Dharma Treasure Press All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or 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new, more in-depth models of mind: the Moments of Consciousness model and the Mind- System model The Sixth Interlude lays the foundation... meditation and its twin sister, mindfulness, have become the fads du jour, Culadasa gives us the real deal in this encyclopedic handbook If you’re serious about meditation, The Mind Illuminated. .. your mind The more clearly you understand the Stages, and why they happen in the order that they do, the quicker and more enjoyably you will walk the path toward happiness and freedom HOW THE