I think the purpose of meditation matters a lot. If we are after enlightenment, then its pursuit becomes a craving in itself and that ends up being a hindrance. However, if our intention is to end suffering, then we have a far more practical goal and infact letting go of craving becomes so much more easy.
The Buddha set out to find a path to end all suffering. He probably did not set out to get enlightened. That happened as a by-product of searching for a path to end all suffering.
Suffering is what comes up when craving isn’t satisfied. As such it is simply not possible to satisfy any craving, because of the very nature of craving. This craving makes all sorts of bad news.
When we look at it there are three major categories of craving:
- Sensual Craving
- Craving for existence
- Craving for non-existence
Sensual craving is the craving for experiencing specific kinds of sensations, like specific kind of visuals, or sound, or smell, or taste, or touch, or thoughts.
Craving for existence is the kind of craving that manifests as becoming. For example, craving to be in a specific Jhana, or craving for Nibbana, or craving for being rich, famous, or in a specific body type, or craving for a position in society or organisation and so on.
Craving for non-existence is the kind of craving that manifests as resistance to being aka aversion. For instance, aversion to failure, to loss, to mistakes, to uncomfortable sensations (visuals, sound, smell, taste, touch or mental-content) and so on.
The true nature of reality is that everything is anicca. The word anicca is usually translated as impermanence. It probably means that, but I find it so much more within grasp when I translate it as unstable. All sensations, states and situations are unstable, as-in they don’t stick or stay put for long.
- Craving for a specific set of sensations leads to suffering, because sensations are by nature unstable, they are bound to pass-away after they arise.
- Craving for a state (Jhana, social-status etc) leads to suffering, because all states are unstable.
- Aversion to sensations or situations also leads to suffering because they won’t disappear before they do, and when they do disappear the whole force of aversion would seem like wasted effort, and physically manifests as exhaustion.
The only conclusion we can draw from all this is: craving of any kind leads to varying intensities of dissatisfaction or suffering.
The path to “ending all suffering” involves “voluntarily letting go of craving.”
That doesn’t mean we should quit our jobs, discard our possessions, and live like automatons—quite the opposite. In fact, letting go of craving enables us to appreciate our jobs, relationships, and belongings deeply, because we stop seeking our identity through them.
For example, when we release our craving for the latest shiny iPhone, we can fully enjoy and utilize the one we already have, free from the need for it to define us. Similarly, letting go of the desire to present ourselves as minimalist (or not a materialist) allows us to upgrade the phone peacefully and pragmatically whenever necessary. Do you see the difference?
Every once in a while, I meet rich folks who are embarrassed or guilty about being wealthy. They go out of their way to appear lower-middle-class, as if they want to prove that they are simple and down-to-earth. That’s the craving for a social-status (simple & down-to-earth) driving their sense-of-Self. Much the same way, I meet folks who are constrained for money overly obsessing and stressing about the lack of money they are currently facing. They either acquire symbols (expensive items), often by borrowing money, to hide their financial situation or wear their apparent poverty on their sleeve and rub it into relationships, failing to realise that their state (lack of money) is also impermanent. This also craving. Letting go of that craving allows them to simply enjoy whatever comes up as a function of their wealth, without attaching a sense of Self to it.
Coming back: The path to “ending all suffering” involves “voluntarily letting go of craving.”
So, how do we let go of craving?
Simply put: by relaxing the tension and tightness we notice around craving in the body and mind.
As simple as this is, it requires us to develop certain abilities, historically known as “enlightenment-factors”. There are seven of them:
- Mindfulness – The ability to watch how the mind moves from one thing to another
- Investigation of Dhamma – The ability to observe the three characteristics (impermanence, dukka and no-self) of every phenomenon, and the ability to identify distractions (Sensory desire, ill-will, sloth-and-torpor, restlessness-and-worry, and doubt) when they arise.
- Energy – The ability to 6R (Recognise, Release, Relax, Resmile, Return, Repeat) distractions. Infact the 6Rs capture all seven-factors described here.
- Joy – The ability to notice the lightness, ease and vibrations in the body-and-mind whenever craving is let go.
- Tranquility – The ability to peacefully drop craving and relax the body and mind whenever distractions arise.
- Concentration – The ability to allow mind to settle on observing a phenomenon.
- Equanimity – The ability to be undisturbed (or unperturbed) by the physical sensations and mental-content that show up.
We have to figure out the right dosages in which each of the above abilities must be developed, in order to reach a steady state (stream-entry) with respect to releasing craving. Let’s look at each of them in a bit more detail.
Mindfulness: Being mindful is means being able to watch how the mind moves from one thing to another. Please note that mindfulness doesn’t involve correcting or changing how the mind moves from one thing to another. It’s only involves watching the mind movement exactly as is.
This can be developed by watching sensations as they show up in consciousness. Noting practices, for example, help develop the ability to watch our sensation-stream. When we practice noting for an extended period, identifying one major sensation every moment, we will see how our conscious experience of reality is simply a series of sensations (vision, sound, touch, taste, smell, mental-image and mental-talk).
Investigation of Dhamma: As we get better at watching how the mind moves from one thing to another, we will be able to detach ourselves from the sensation-stream. This happens because we will know-by-experience that the sensation stream is not in our control, is not describing who we are, and isn’t happening “within-us” as much as its happening “out-here.” The three characteristics (impermanence, dukka and no-self) of all phenomena become obvious.
- It becomes obvious that every sensation appears, and then disappears soon after. And even when its seems to stick around, it isn’t stable – its constantly flickering, or vibrating, or pulsating.
- It also becomes obvious that sensory experience isn’t happening “in-here” as much as it is happening “out-here” somewhere.
- It becomes obvious that latching on to any sensation is dukka, because no sensation sticks around longer than it does, and no sensation disappears sooner than it does.
- It becomes obvious that all sensory experience (vision, sound, smell, touch, taste, somatic, mental-image & mental-talk) happen by themselves, without our control, and is bound by laws-of-physics (albeit not the Newtonian kind). Said in other words, sensory experience is driven by causes and conditions, and is totally impersonal.
When the three characteristics are observed over and over again, we naturally get to a place where we are inclined to give up any sense of Self we ascribe to sensory experience. We give up considering the sensation-stream as me, myself or mine. This happens as a natural by-product of knowing that (a) the sensation-stream is not in my control, (b) it is not describing who I am (because its driven by the laws-of-physics rather than personality), (c) it is not mine (since I cannot hold on to anything in the stream) and (d) as a matter of fact it not happening “within-me”, as much as it is happening “out-here” somewhere.
Energy: Noticing the three-characteristics releases a whole lot of natural energy that keeps us from being carried away by distractions. In many ways distractions hijack us, because we get tricked into believing that we can find a bigger, better, grander sense of Self in them. The more it becomes clear that there is “no-Self”, the easier it becomes to stay aloof from distractions.
Joy is what shows up when we give up looking for meaning (or sense of Self) in the sensation stream. It becomes exceedingly clear that whatever turns up in the sensation stream truly doesn’t matter and is never ever going to give us any sense of permanent and separate Self. The relief from having to “find-oneself” is what manifests as Joy. The ability to notice this Joy makes it possible for us to distinguish between activity-of-Self and activity-of-no-Self. Activity of no-Self always feels like Joy.
Tranquility is the ability to release tension and tightness in the body-and-mind, and relax into the Joy, while allowing the sensation-stream to be exactly as it is.
Concentration or collectedness is the ability to pull it all together to stay disenchanted with the sensation stream and keep noting Joy.
Equanimity is what allows us to not freak-out to any physical and mental sensation that turns up in the sensation stream. Some sensations are enticing, making us feel like we want to follow them or have them stick around for longer (craving). Some sensations are uncomfortable, tricking us into believing that we can shoo them away sooner (aversion). Equanimity allows us to stay at a distance from either kind and simply let the sensation stream flow exactly as it does.
In meditation, all we need to do is develop these abilities and balance them. Formal meditation practice is like physical exercise, where we develop these abilities. However, the true benefit of formal meditation practice is the impact it has on us when we are not formally meditating.
With enough mindfulness, we will be able to notice patterns in our sensation stream, and it appears like there is a force that seems to keep our attention fixated on a specific set of sensations and/or foment mental content in an effort to keep the pattern going.
For instance: Let’s say a mental-image of your favourite dish pops up in the sensation-stream (contact), via social media, or maybe just like that. This seems to soon be followed up by mental-images of places where the dish is available (craving), and maybe interspersed with mental-talk of how to get that right now, sometimes also mixed with physical sensations in the stomach (clinging) or maybe a movement potential in legs and hands as if the body is ready to go get that food (birth-of-action). With mindfulness one can watch, from a distance, this pattern of sensations in the stream, and identify the force of craving that’s keeping the sensation stream in place.
Recognise that no amount of moral reflection or rational investigation will make an iota of difference. Recognise that it’s just craving, and the content-of-craving doesn’t matter (equanimity). What does make a difference is to relax the tension and tightness (tranquility) already formed in hands and legs for creating that movement potential to go get the food. Relax that tension and tightness in the hands and legs. Relax the tension and tightness in the stomach. Relax the pull or tension found in the top of your head, and notice how the mental-images and mental-talk around the food naturally drops. Scan from the top of your head to the tip of your legs, drop any tension and tightness you notice along the way. In other words, relax the force of craving and clinging found in the body and mind.
Next, bring up a smile. Watch as the grip of the force of craving has now released. That’s relief (joy). That’s nibhana. Smiling creates a wholesome state. As you enjoy that wholesome state, simply allow the mind to watch what the state feels like (investigation) and let go of any craving directed to that state. Allow the mind to naturally settle into that state (energy).
Congratulations, you just released some quantity of craving for good. That quantity of craving will never ever come back. It’s gone for good.
Note, you haven’t dropped all craving yet. There is still enough and more store of craving left. A small quantity from that store may show up shortly, and construct the pointless project of of trying to hold-on-to or quickly-junk aspects of the current sensation stream. Use mindfulness once again to notice the force of craving attempting to manipulate the sensation stream.
One can never be sure how long it would take to let go of the entire stock of craving. But when it’s all gone, one will know it – because the world will exist in a very different way.
Having said that, one must never get into the trap of either measuring quantum-of-craving-let-gone or keeping track of the theoritical-quantum-of-craving-yet-to-let-go. It’s no use getting nutty about it like that. It’s far more useful to let go of whatever craving has currently arisen, and to pay close attention to what it feels like when that craving fully dissipates. When craving dissipates, what shows up is joy. It manifests as a lightness. The body and mind feels very relaxed and soft. It is very useful to allow the mind to fully observe this light, soft and relaxed state, and allow it to gently settle into this state, without generating a craving for this state. It takes a while to discover this balance, but we will get there. Why? Because human-beings have done it. Its possible. Its a matter of right-effort, that’s all!
That’s how you develop the above abilities and balance them into a unique combination that works for you.