muflax65ngodyewp.onion/drafts/four_pearls/matrix.pdc

% Explaining The Path Through The Matrix

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
==========================

![the end of the rabbit-hole](flush.png) 

- 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.