---
title: Progress Of Insight Explained Through The Matrix
date: 2011-09-05
techne: :wip
episteme: :broken
---

Introduction
============

The basic Theravada map of enlightenment is way cool. But beyond that, it's very accurate. It does have some flaws. The main one is that it's closely linked to meditation, so if you don't do your insight progress through it, especially in the beginning, then it will be somewhat off or even misleading. Still, it is one of the best maps[^best] we have, so I thought another shot at explaining it would be worth it.

And the best way of explaining enlightenment is by following one of the best movies ever made - The Matrix. Now, I'm not saying that The Matrix actually *is* about the Theravada map or enlightenment in general, but it incorporates so many mystic elements that it can be used *as if* it were one. It is excellent raw material to base a commentary on. It only needs some explanations and a bit of editing and you could essentially run it as a crash course in mysticism. In fact, (awesome) Gnostic Stephan Hoeller has done just such a commentary over on [gnosis.org](http://www.gnosis.org/lectures.html) (among the Web Lectures in the left sidebar).

The main problem, really, is that beginners are told things they don't know how to do and have no context on how to even understand them. Like Neo, after seeing Morpheus jump hundreds of feet, says:

> Neo: Okey dokey... free my mind. Right, no problem, free my mind, free my mind, no problem, right...

...and he fails, as expected. No clue at all how that is even supposed to work. It's not *his* fault, though - he just lacks a lot of information. This I'm trying to remedy a bit. Help make the whole process a lot more goal-oriented and pragmatic.

If you are interested in the details or want to know more about the actual map, read Daniel Ingram's free book [Mastering the Core Teaching of the Buddha]. This is easily the best howto on Buddhism ever written. Without any metaphysical baggage or drivel, this is exactly what the Buddha was all about. I follow his book closely, but also the underlying work by [Mahasi Sayadaw], his work [The Progress of Insight], and the Theravada classic, the [Visuddhimagga] (Path of Purification). Essentially, they are all just variations on the same theme and the basic template is inherent to all Theravada Buddhism. I've taken a few liberties with the actual map, but only to convey a better feeling for what's going on or to choose labels I feel fit better, especially in the context of the movie. After all, the map is not the territory, and too strong devotion to any particular model helps nobody.

Enough introduction, let's get this going.

[Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha]: http://www.interactivebuddha.com/mctb.shtml

[Mahasi Sayadaw]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasi_Sayadaw

[The Progress of Insight]: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/mahasi/progress.html

[Visuddhimagga]: http://www.scribd.com/doc/30119169/Buddhaghosa-Bhikkhu-Nanamoli-tr-Path-of-Purification-Visuddhimagga

Beginning
=========

Neo experiences the 3 Characteristics, as they are called in Buddhism. He realizes that his world is fake and not as solid as it appears to be (it is impermanent, [Anicca]), that his self-image as Mr. Anderson is false and he lacks a true understanding of what he is (there is no self, [Anatta]), and he is dissatisfied with the world, his only desire is to overcome it (suffering, [Dukkha]). These 3 Characteristics - everything ends, isn't you and won't satisfy you - are really all there is to it. If you fully get them, you are basically done. (Well, there's a bit more, and that's exactly where the map falls apart. I'll outline some aspects of it at the end, but to be honest, I'm still confused myself about what an appropriate map of this region really should look like.)

[Anatta]: /buddhism/anatta.html
[Anicca]: /buddhism/anicca.html
[Dukkha]: /buddhism/dukkha.html

Particularly the characteristic of no-self, [Anatta], is shown in the movie through Smith's deconstruction of Neo's identity. Is he really Mr. Anderson, working a job as a programmer, being a hacker, all this? No. The moment you start pushing it, it all goes away. It doesn't last one minute to scrutiny.

I want to clarify one point here. This is often misunderstood, even by advanced practitioners. When I say that Neo is without self, what I mean is that he identifies with a construction. None of it, at any point - being a programmer, being a hacker, even being the Chosen One - is really *him*, but more like a role he adopts. The point of confusion comes when you understand that point, but think the problem is that he has an *unhealthy* self. The problem is not that being a corporate progammer sucks and being the Chosen One rocks, so let's ditch the first for the latter. What Neo must understand is the emptiness of all "self".

> Agent Smith: You're empty.  
> Neo: So are you.

Neo, really, is empty; confused about the world and what he really *is*. All he *thought* he would be is stripped away, finally, by the Big Event. The turning point.

Arising and Passing Away
========================

> Morpheus: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

I personally call this [Kundalini] Rising because for me most of the times when this happens it starts as a tingling sensation in the spine and moves from there. The image of having my spine ripped out by a giant standing over me while I meditate has often preceded the experience.

[Kundalini]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundalini

You make it past this point, you are a mystic, no matter *what*. It's not your choice anymore. The path won't ever leave you alone. You are stuck now and the only way out is to go all the way and defeat the Matrix. This isn't so bad, really, except that it's actually quite easy to get here purely *by accident*, without any intention of being a mystic at all. I've met a lot of drug users who had this happen to them (including me, in a way[^initiation]). Or as Shinzen Young says, "There's no informed consent to enlightenment.". Eris is a bitch.

[^initiation]:
    Well, I was young and trying to figure what all this mysticism stuff is all about. You know, like hallucinations, astral travel and secret knowledge? I just wanted to see a bit of it, to see if it was real and what it all looked like. Just to get an impression. I got an impression all right. After a bit of dabbling and weird, but unsatisfyingly weak low-level stuff, I made it all the way to Re-observation on a single trip. Great place to get stuck in for years, if madness is your thing. I've always been a fan of it myself, despite all the trouble. Totally worth it.

I personally really like the fact that right after Neo takes the pill and is hooked up to the tracing machine, he notices a broken mirror next to him. The mirror first repairs itself, then starts warping and finally covers Neo.

A quick note again on no-self, Anatta. Neo's training shows this, actually. The "real" Neo, if you want, has no attributes, no abilities, no identity. All of this is just added on later, quite arbitrarily. During the training, Neo becomes a kung-fu master, an expert in all kinds of weapons and machinery and other skills. It is obvious that this selection is limited only by time and imagination, only because of the tight constraints of the kind of missions he'll be on. If he wanted to be a cook, a writer, anything, really, he could easily become one. What, then, is the "real" Neo? It's there, but it has nothing to do with his personality, with his self.

After being unplugged, after a glimpse of the real world, comes the inevitable. This is a place many people get wrong. They think, at this point, that they are enlightened. Some think they have become, literally, Jesus (I know at least 3) or some other such figure. But Kundalini always comes to rest again, normally within about 6 hours to a few days.

Then comes the flushing.

The Dark Night of the Soul
==========================

image("flush.png", "the end of the rabbit-hole")

> Agent Smith: But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from.

Neo's question "Am I dead?" is typical. The whole Dark Night very much feels like dying because in many ways, it *is* death. 

The Dark Night has multiple parts to it, although in which order and to what extent they appear, varies. They are: dissolution, fear, misery, disgust.

The night comes to its end with the Desire for Deliverance. Being completely fed up with it, the will returns, the will to keep going and make it all *end*.

In The Matrix, Neo arrives at this point twice. This is normal. Rarely does anybody get through the Dark Night on their first try. The first time, Morpheus was just captured, everything is falling apart and Neo is convinced that he can't be The One. Fortunately, he decides that Morpheus' imprisonment is his fault and it's his job to free him. This mobilization of forces characterizes the end of the Dark Night. Suddenly, it's as if nothing can stop you.

Reality, however, sees things a bit differently. Despite early successes against the agents, everyone has to flee. Fear is back and strong as ever. But after Trinity and Morpheus are safe, the second time for the Desire for Deliverance has come. Neo is just about to run from Smith, but he decides against it and "is beginning to believe".

The full realization of the nature of the Matrix dawns on Neo. If it's all an illusion, then he can win. He *can* defeat Smith. So he tries.

Re-observation
==============

But no matter how well he fights, no matter how much Neo tries to beat Smith at his own game, he can't win. Like Smith, delusion never tires. It never gives up. Even after destroying Smith once through the subway train, he just comes back again. It's hopeless, so even full of strength, Neo runs.

His only hope of escape destroyed, he is trapped. His back is to the wall, he cannot run away anymore, but he also can't face the problem. The agents are invincible. There is no forwards and no backwards. He is torn apart by his own weakness. He can't flee the Matrix anymore, but he can't deal with his problems, either. Yet he is forced to do so. All his strength was not enough to defeat Smith, all his speed was not enough to escape him. Nowhere left to go, there is only death.

bang!

Path
====

There is a Zen metaphor for this. It's like you are trying to reach a goal that is 11 meters up in the air, but you've only got a ladder that is 10 meters long. You climb all the way to the end and still can't reach it. The only way is to *keep on climbing*. I know, when you hear this, it probably makes no sense to you. It didn't to me, either. But when you are there, when you actually reach the end, you will see. It will make sense then. *Keep on climbing*.

Unfortunately, this is the part where the movie breaks somewhat apart. It all goes very fast and this makes this long and fascinating journey look like it takes only a few moments, when really, it typically takes several weeks, if not months. So let's slow *way* down.

In this moment of resurrection, you can also see the Unity of Knowledge and Action. At exactly the same moment Neo *sees* the Matrix for the first time, when his view shifts to the code, he also simultaneously, through this knowledge, gains power over it. Understanding the delusion of the Matrix completely, deeply, makes him invulnerable to it. The agents lose all power over him.

> Neo: What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?  
> Morpheus: No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.

This is what is meant with overcoming suffering. It's not that you suddenly become able to accept suffering or that it goes away - you are not dodging bullets. Instead, it just stops being a problem. It has no power over you anymore, just like you couldn't shoot Neo, even though the bullet's still there.

> Morpheus: Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

And there we have it. Neo is **enlightened**. Unfortunately for Neo, the journey isn't over yet. There's still lots of things to do. He hasn't really reached *full* enlightenment yet. It's as if you wanted to clean a mirror. On the mirror are three layers of dirt, one for each characteristic - a layer of permanence, of self and of satisfaction - and all three need to go. Enlightenment is when, for the first time, you manage to clean a little bit of the mirror so that you can actually see the real thing. But still, there's a lot of dirt left, so keep on cleaning! But now that you know how to get it clean, the rest will be a lot easier.

[^best]: 
    The other map that really deserves lots of attention is Robert Anton Wilson's extended version of Timothy Leary's Circuit Model, as described in Prometheus Rising. Very useful as a broad map, but it lacks lots of details. Still, it's the one thing I'm constantly going back to for help.
