The paradigm shift (nirodha samāpatti)
To focus on the object perceived is to become aware of the object perceived as existing, while the subject that perceives the object is also seen to exist. The subject is personalized as “mine,” thus creating a sense of “I” or “self” (etan mama, eso hamasmi, eso me attati). This way of thinking is what we call existential thinking.
Instead of thinking existentially this way, if one focuses attention on the process of perception and not on the object perceived, then one sees that it is the process of perception that creates the object as well as the subject. The existence of the subject and the object is seen as an appearance and not a reality. It then is an illusion or a delusion; an illusion being a perceptual fallacy, while a delusion is a conceptual fallacy. This kind of thinking where the focus is on the experience of perception, rather than the subject or object, is called experiential thinking.
This is why the Buddha points out in the Mūlapariyāya Sutta, that the normal putujjana perceives a solid as a solid and concludes there is a solid. The emancipated Arahat Super-perceives (abhijānāti) a solid and does not conclude that a solid exists. This is the difference between perception and Super- perception.
This change from existential thinking to experiential thinking is the relieving paradigm shift (nirodha samāpatti). It means one is relieved from the sense of existence (bhava) and existence disappears. When existence is no more, birth, ageing and death are no more. This is the end of all grief, lamentation, pain, distress and exhaustion. It is in this way that the great mass of suffering comes to an end (eva metassa kevalassa dukkhakkandassa nirodho hoti).
This was why the Buddha said: “When the mind is fully tranquillized Dhamma appears (samāhite citte dhammaṁ pātubhāvo), and also one gains the understanding of how things come to be” (samāhite citte yathābhūtaṁ pajānāti).
To clarify this point further it is helpful to make use of an analogy. Suppose we keep a bird in front of a mirror, the bird begins to peck at the figure in the mirror, backed by the assumption that the figure in the mirror is another bird behind the mirror. If, on the other hand, we place a human face in front of the mirror, the human being knows that the figure in the mirror is a reflection of one’s own face. Here the human being is aware of the process, by which the image in the mirror is seen, and therefore knows that there is no human being behind the mirror.
In a similar way, the emancipated Arahat is aware of the process by which the object is seen, and therefore does not come to the conclusion that the object really exists. This is what we called Super-perception, as distinct from the ordinary perception of the normal human being. When an object is perceived normally, the object is seen to exist outside, while the process of perception is seen to exist inside. In other words, both subject and object are seen as existing. This way of thinking is existential thinking. What is experienced objectively is seen as external physical matter, and what is experienced subjectively is seen as mental and personal. In other words, we personalize the subjective and alienate the objective. What is personalized becomes the personality or “self” that is supposed to exist inside. What is alienated becomes the “world” that exists outside. This personalization of the subjective is what is called upādāna. This is why we do not translate the term upādāna as “grasping” or “clinging.” (upa=inside; ādāna=taking). To take inside is to personalize.
It is interesting to note that when we think of ourselves, we are thinking of an image in our mind, not a real existing object that can be seen. This image can even change in different circumstances. When someone takes a picture of me and shows it to me, I begin to think it cannot be my real “self,” because it is different from the picture I have in my mind. This proves that what I call my “self” is only a series of pictures in my mind that changes from time to time, and a series of sensations in my body that also changes from time to time. In other words, what I call my “self” is only a collection of cinematographic pictures and sensations stored in my memory, which I can replay when ever I need. This was why the Buddha called it the fivefold mass of personalized constituents of personality (pañca upādānak khandha).
Existential thinking brings about a relationship between the “self” that exists, and the “object” perceived as existing. The relationship is filled with emotions in the form of likes and dislikes. Therefore it is a paradigm of emotional existence. We normally live in this paradigm, which is a mass of suffering. It is this paradigm that the Buddha called Being (bhava). This paradigm of being is the paradigm of insecurity and suffering (dukkha) because it is filled with emotional disturbances.
When we begin to become aware of the process of perception this way, we begin to realize that suffering is involved with this way of thinking and we begin to think in a different way. The object perceived is only a creation of the process of perception. When we focus our attention on the process of perception we are aware that what we see is not a real object outside but a mental image which is inside our head. In other words, both subject and object are not seen as existing as in existential thinking. Whatever is seen, heard, smelt, tasted and touched, is only a sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch but the object is understood to be only a product constructed by the process of perception.
In other words, the object perceived is not a reality but an illusion or delusion. An illusion is a perceptual fallacy, and a delusion is a conceptual fallacy. The object perceived is seen as a mental image (rūpa), like a picture taken by a camera. The mental image is formed by the process of construction (sankhāra) the colours seen are the sensations (saññā), which are felt as pleasant or unpleasant (vedanā). The images are identified as objects (viññāṇa) by giving them names (nāma).
This transformation of thinking is the paradigm shift from existential thinking to experiential thinking. Then there is neither subject nor object nor emotional relationship with its insecurity and suffering. There is only the process of perception, tranquility and peace of mind. This is how one Awakens from the dream of existence. In so doing all suffering comes to an end.