Knowledge of Comprehension

At this stage, when the meditator becomes more practiced, he perceives in every act of noticing that object appears suddenly and disappears instantly. His perception is so clear that he reflects thus: "All comes to an end; all disappears. Nothing is permanents; it is truly impermanent." His reflection is quite in line with what is stated in the Commentary to the Pali text: "All is impermanent in the sense of destruction, non-existence after having been."


He reflects further : "It is through ignorance that we enjoy life. But in truth there is nothing to enjoy. There is a continuous arising and disappearance by which we are harassed over and over. This is dreadful indeed. At any moment we may die and everything is sure to come to an end. This universal impermanence is truly frightful and terrible."  His reflection agrees with the commentarial statement: "What is impermanent is painful, painful in the sense of terror; painful because of oppression by rise and fall." Again, experiencing severe pain he reflects thus: "All is pain, all is bad." This reflection agrees with what the Commentary states: "He looks on pain as a barb; as a boil as a dart."


He further reflects: "This is a mass of suffering , suffering that is unavoidable.  Arising and disappearing, it is worthless. One cannot stop its process. It is beyond one's power. It takes its natural course." This reflection is quite in agreement with the Commentary: "What is painful has no self, no self in the sense of having no core, because there is no exercising of power over it." The meditator must notice all these reflections and go on contemplation as usual.


Having thus seen the three characteristics by direct experience, the meditator, by inference from the direct experience of the objects noticed, comprehends all the objects not yet noticed as being impermanent, subject to suffering, and without a self.


In respect of objects not personally experienced, he concludes: "They too are constituted in the same way: impermanent, painful, and without a self." This is an  inference from his present direct experience. Such a comprehension is not clear enough in the case of one with less intellectual capacity or limited knowledge who pays no attention to a reflection but simply goes on noticing objects. But such a comprehension occurs often to one who yields to reflection, which in some cases may occur at every act of noticing. Such excessive reflecting, however, is an impediment to the progress of insight. Even if no such reflections occurs at this stage, comprehension will nevertheless become increasingly clear at the higher stages.


Hence, no attention should be given to reflections. While giving more attention to the bare noticing of objects, the meditator must, however, also notice these reflections if they occur, but he should not dwell on them.