The Stages of Vipassana - 6th stage of vipassana nana


The sixth stage of insight is knowledge of terror (bhaya nana).
When the knowledge of dissolution (bhanga nana) has fallen away, the person who develops vipassana realises that defilements are still strong, that there are conditions for their arising to the extent they have been accumulated. He carefully considers the characteristic of dissolution of nama and rupa, but the clinging to the concept of self is still firmly accumulated. This kind of clinging can be eliminated by seeing the danger and unsatisfactoriness of the dissolution of nama and rupa. Panna should continue to consider the characteristics of nama and rupa and thereby realise more and more the danger and disadvantage of the dissolution of realities. When panna has become more accomplished there can be the right conditions for the arising of the sixth stage of insight, namely, knowledge of terror (bhaya nana). This knowledge sees the danger of nama and rupa while it clearly realises at that moment the arising and falling away of nama and rupa.


Topic 238