I’ve tried on occasion to point to insights about the observer and awareness through blogging, books, and instagram posts. I find these ideas particularly powerful and transformative, so I wanted to share two YouTube videos I stumbled across which do a particularly great job at explaining the stages of thinking and what lies beyond thought.

For those unfamiliar with the stages of thinking and meta-cognition, these kinds of models can be attributed as far back as Plato but more recently to developmental psychology, Clare Graves, and Spiral Dynamics. The stages beyond thinking can be traced back to non-dual philosophy, Buddhist meditative practices, and contemplative insight.

The Stages of Thinking

The first video from PsychoMath explains the various levels of thinking…

To summarize, the first four stages of thought involve a gradual progression of complexity regarding how we think about ourselves and others. Each stage has it’s own recognition. A higher level of thinking means adopting more perspectives.

First-Person Perspective: Subjective, ego-centric. I have thoughts. I have a mind. I want to get my way.

Second Person Perspective: Relational, includes others. Others have thoughts. They have minds, too. Others want their way. What are the rules?

Third Person Perspective: Objective, rational, individualistic. I have thoughts about others thoughts. Others have thoughts about my thoughts. There’s many ways to choose. My way is up to me.

Fourth Person Perspective: Subjective, collectivist. I have thoughts and can choose to listen to a variety of potential thoughts. Everyone else can all choose their own ways, too. We need to accept and understand everyone. All perspectives are valid.

Each of the above stages of thinking can be characterized by identification with thought. At these level, we believe our thoughts are who we are. We believe there is an “I” who is thinking these ideas and crafting these stories. We build up the ego through stories, concepts, emotions and feelings about the idea of “me” and “I.” I am this person with this past, I could be this person with this future. Our awareness is entangled with the content of the mind.

After incorporating all perspectives and reaching a multi-perspectival state, additional expansion of perspectives requires a phase-shift. A phase-shift is a quantum leap, a change that includes the old model but jumps to an entirely different model and way of understanding thought.

Here’s where this second video offers a clear explanation of the next stages…

Stages Beyond Thinking

The second video from Seeking Satsang picks up where the above video leaves off, diving deeper into the next levels, which are less so additional stages of thought and more so realizations about the mind.

Stage 5: I am not my mind. Thoughts appear and I am along for the ride. There is a stable observer of these thoughts. I can see the mind happen in the moment and across time. I can watch the mind change from the outside. I can witness thoughts, judgements, beliefs, and sensations appear and disappear, change and shift. A recognition appears that each of the below stages are necessary in their own way in order to reach this point. Now that I can adopt multiple perspectives, which way of seeing things do I pick for the given situation? I can meet others where they are at in their level of thinking. Now that I know I am not my mind, I don’t have to attach or avert to specific ideas. I don’t have to be so tangled with the contents of consciousness. This freedom from the story of “me” allows for much less suffering. Endless rumination on every situation can actually be a huge leakage of energy.

Stage 6: I can observe the observer. The observer, seeing all these thoughts arise and pass away, must come from somewhere… let me try to take one more step back and observe it. When we turn attention onto itself, we notice it cannot be found. Recognizing this, something happens to the observer, which can be phrased in a few different ways. The observer dissolves. The observer can finally rest. It does not exist as a single solid entity. The observer was awareness attaching itself to yet another phenomenon within consciousness.

Stage 7: Resting in Awareness. This thing I once called the observer is actually just awareness. Awareness was previously attached to yet another phenomenon. The end of the thinker. Personal will falls away. Distinction between inner and outer dissolves. An ability to understand all, completion. There is no longer a subject-object relationship. The beginning of non-duality emerges.

Waking up vs. Growing Up

Reaching these higher stages of thinking can be useful for reducing suffering, but it doesn’t always or immediately guarantee substantial changes your physical, everyday life. It’s possible you might still have the same daily schedule, same chores, same to-do list. But it’s also likely the things you value and put your energy into will begin to change. You might find difficulty in living a normal, busy life. You might find yourself surrendering your direction to something beyond concepts created by the self.

Waking up can be sudden and direct, but growing up is a gradual path that unfolds over time.

According to Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory (which was influenced by the ideas in Spiral Dynamics), waking up and growing up are two separate lines of development. Waking up might not have much influence on your growing up and vise-versa. While waking up influences our internal landscape, growing up involves how we show up and participate in the real, physical, external world. Growing up could involve taking on more responsibility for ourselves and others or an enhanced ability to respond to momentary needs.

All of this is to say that while these insights are nice for the subjective experience, it’s not the end of the line. There’s always more work to be done inside and out, always deeper insights to be integrated, more outward responsibility to take on.

This entire post originally began with the below writing, spurred from watching the two videos linked above. I hope you enjoy.

The Observer, Awareness, & What Leads to Being

The observer is universal and what unites us all. Each of us shares this ability to witness without addition. We can all observe thoughts, sensations, and experiences. But instead of noticing that we all share this in common, we identify with form. Form divides and distracts us from the recognition of the shared observer. 

In addition to sharing this universal observer, each of us has the ability to observe the observer. To take one more step back and see the observer for what it really is.

When we turn attention toward the observer, directing attention onto the source of attention itself, we begin to notice something potentially enlightening. That a single, central observer cannot be found within experience.

In turn, the observer dissolves. What remains is described in many ways. Being, Beingness, Awareness.

Awareness is the space prior to and including all arising phenomena: the observer and observed, the mind and thought, the body and sensation, and all other forms. All takes place within awareness. 

Before this recognition, there was duality with the observer and the observed. After this recognition, there is non-duality in being. From the perspective of the observer, there is multiplicity. From the place of awareness, there is oneness.

A small thought experiment. If we lose a limb, sensations from that limb may still remain. If we change experiences, thoughts about that experience may still remain. If thoughts and sensations disappear, there is still an observer. If the observer disappears, awareness still remains.

Beingness exists outside of the observer and yet includes it. The observer can rest and everything in experience is now allowed to appear and disappear, allowed to be as it is, allowed to be.

This recognition is often described as the direct path.

If it’s not yet clear, I hope it becomes clearer for all of us in our own paths. Words are clunky and fall short of the truth, but our attempts inspire and inform practice.

Wishing you well.

Cheers,
David