I’m a big fan of the various spiritual maps that describe the territory toward awakening. I’m particularly fond of the maps in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which include the progress of insight, the 4 stages of enlightenment, and the shamatha jhanas. However, every map that describes the territory of awakening will have its strengths and weaknesses. Maps, in general, are only as good as the map-makers who’ve made them. They are also only, and always, mental representations of a place which one must explore for themselves. No amount of studying an idea about what a place will be like, or even studying what the path to that place will be like, can replace the actual journey. That being said, if one is going to take the journey to enlightenment, having a good map can do wonders!
A good map can point out the quickest route to your destination. It can also give you vivid descriptions of the landmarks along the way—and perhaps most importantly the pitfalls you may face. Knowing the landmarks along the route to enlightenment, especially when they are reached, provides a tremendous boost of faith & commitment to the journey itself. Also, having an idea of what obstacles one might encounter, and when these might arise, can save the spiritual practitioner years of confusion and stuckness. And in many cases it can keep one from falling off the path altogether. Good maps, again, are absolutely crucial with respect to making the daunting journey toward awakening.
Even knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the maps, there are still some finer points that need to be examined with respect to map based practice. The first is that even if someone has an extremely accurate and helpful map, they can still use it incorrectly. Even the most sincere practitioner can misjudge their own progress, make claims that simply aren’t correct, or incorrectly assess another person’s practice. Fortunately there are ways to work with all of these dangers, and one can safely use a map provided they know what they’re doing.
If one is going to try and assess their own practice using the maps it is important to know that it is easy to misjudge one’s practice. There are many dimensions to each of these stages, including the vibratory quality of phenoman, clarity, feeling tone, spatial quality of attention, and the various insights that accompany them. Because of this, if one only tunes into one or two of these dimensions and uses that to assess their progress, they can easily be mistaken. As an example, being in a bad mood doesn’t mean one is The Dark Night. This can be most easily remedied by working with folks who have an extensive knowledge of the maps and of your practice. Teachers can often notice and point out patterns that you may not see, and thus help you become more familiar with how the map terminology actually fits with your lived experience.
Another difficulty, even if one begins to see how their experience correlates with the maps, is when trying to assess another person’s practice. Because individuals often go through these stages in varying ways, at varying intensities, and different durations, it becomes tricky to try and assess another person’s practice. That being said, as one becomes more familiar with the territory themselves and sees more and more examples of what is possible on the path—again good guidance is very helpful here—then it becomes more and more natural to be able to see these patterns in other people’s practice.
Finally, if you think you’ve reached a particular landmark—say the 1st stage of enlightenment—then there is always the question of how and when to make up your mind on what you’ve experienced. One suggestion that Daniel Ingram offers, with regards to making claims of attainment, is to wait a year and a day before deciding. Often it takes time to sort out what was what, to let the high of the experience fade, and to see what remains. It’s also during this time that new understandings will unfold, which in and of themselves will provide a great deal more confidence as to what one went through earlier.
Here again it is very helpful to work with a teacher, someone who you feel confident has traversed the same territory, so as to have an objective party’s perspective. Teachers and qualified peers can help us stay grounded in our assessments of our practice, providing a kind of reality-check. Also an honest and skeptical attitude toward these experiences can be extremely valuable. Fortunately, the fruits of the practice are not dependent on us lining them up with any particular maps. All that’s required of us is that we are sincere, and are dedicated to mastering the techniques, which have for thousands of years, led to awakening.
