Tom Otvos wrote:
One of the things I always found mysterious about MCTB was that "insights" was used without really defining it. Each stage was described with this offhand "and see whatever insights this stage has to reveal".
WTF?
And then many of us know someone that used "insights" to describe facial knots and twitches, which is about as off-the-wall as it comes. So "insights" to me has always been elusive, which I guess makes them hard to articulate. Can we try and articulate at least some of them, or would that be giving away the secret to the koan?
LOL!!
Yes, I remember someone asking me once "well, what insight am I supposed to have this week?" and the question makes no sense, because each person realizes things in different times and sequences. But in the way I use the word they are realizations (intellectual-experiential) about how reality works. So for instance Chris' favorite one about sensory data being one thing, and your reaction to it being another. Calling this a 'fact' is one thing. To call it an 'insight' would mean that at some point during a sit or daily life you had a moment of "DUH!" where you suddenly really felt/saw/knew that for yourself, based on your own experience, rather than knowing it because someone told you it was true. Or an insight regarding impermanence might be noticing how you can be sitting there watching tv, and one minute you are just angry at the world, and a minute later, though nothing external has changed, you just have such a gentle friendliness towards the world, and then it switches back again a few minutes later. So your mental states are vivid evidence of impermanence in a concrete, personal way. Or noticing how you have a bodily feeling of anxiety, and a moment later start to tell yourself 'reasons' for it (relates to Chris's example above). Or, in a Christian context, you might have an insight (they use the word here, too) about the reality of God's mercy, when you have some supernatural grace arise that you did not merit by your own efforts, and in fact are undeserving of; or a realization of God's love for you. I think some schools of Buddhism have lists and maps about what you are supposed to realize, but I think generically, across traditions, the experience of realization/insight is a human experience.
So it's not 'secret' at all, but there's an important distinction between being able to say it because you read/heard about it and having a moment where it suddenly sinks into your bones, or feels like a bucket of cold water, where you realize it REALLY IS TRUE for YOU, now, always and forever. When an insight arises like that, personally, it usually results in changes in behavior, attitude etc. One feels more humble, grows in generosity, patience, compassion etc. Because the insights all (gradually! chip by chip!) diminish the sense of self-importance, selfishness, self-centeredness, etc etc.