Discussing aspects of inseparable wholes can be a useful entrance into non-cognitive appreciation of them. The danger is that the aspects are reified into a cutting of nature at its joints.
OK, that’s out of the way.
Recognizing the nature of states, as outlined in posts on Searchless Responsiveness, can be viewed as three aspects of recognizing the nature of states and seven non-progressive intimacies.
The Three Aspects of Recognizing the Nature of States
Recognizing the nature of states is the conjoined release of the momentum of states and the allowance of the free play of perceptual transformation (see Recognizing the Nature of States). As a fractally progressive path, this could be outlined as:
Be present to sensation
Release patterns superimposed on sensation
Allow the play of patterns, now free of momentum
This is fractally progressive, because the three aspects can occur in at a micro-scale, relating to a particular sensation and moment, or a macro-scale, relating to everything-all-at-once.
They can also occur
as a temporal sequence that proceeds through narrative time
as an effectively-instantaneous sequence that occurs in subliminal time
or, when release of patterns is continuous and sufficient, “occur as non-occurrence”, as there are no patterns to release in the first place.
Why Seven?
A curve could be drawn of “how many aspects the inseparable is divided into for sake of discussion”. At one end of the curve is none. While not incorrect, this can be impractical in many circumstances. At that end of the curve, the single gesture might be “recognize the nature of states”. This is either grasped of not.
At the other end of the curve is innumerable aspects. The danger here is being lost in conceptual analysis, in particular, over-emphasis on minor points, like considering the exact arc of the loop of a letter when handwriting: while this is a slightly relevant aspect effecting the overall effect, it is mostly a distraction.
As a practicality, people seem to do well with a relatively small number of aspects: 2, 3, 5, 7…
The Seven Aspects
Breaking down being present to sensation into five aspects expands the three aspects above into a total of seven:
Bodily Sensation, encompassing all external and physical senses that appear prima facie to be about the world (including sight and sound), in contrast to the next three which appear prima facie to be about subjectivity.
Emotional Sensation, or Emotion, without cognitive narrative or label.
Cognitive Sensation, or Cognition, experienced as a free play of concept.
Desiring Sensation, or Desire, felt as magnetic pulls of attraction and repulsion.
Subtle Sensation: all sensation felt that seems only quasi-locatable, and is prima facie ambiguously about the world versus about subjectivity. In general, most of what is called “energy” in spiritual practices would fall under this aspect.
Phenomenal Release: the phenomenal experience of the release of patterns superimposed on sensation.
The Heart: The regeneration of the play of patterns. “The Heart”, here, is by analogy to the heart as full feeling in union with responsive action, but without a personal boundary.
Why non-progressive?
There is a rough progressivity, where greater familiarity of an earlier aspect greatly supports becoming familiar with a later aspect — but this is not a strictly dependent sequence; support of familiarity can go both from earlier-to-later and later-to-earlier. Earlier-to-later is often the lead in the dance at the start, ceding to the contrary direction later on.
Why intimacies?
For each aspect, there is a coming into intimacy that can be analogized to a long-term relationship with a spouse.
First, there is introduction, the first meeting. If you have never felt an emotional sensation without labeling and narrative, the first time it occurs is a portal to an entire new world: now you know that world exists. There is a similar introduction if you have never experienced sensation without pattern recognition before, the first time it occurs.
As you encounter these aspects again and again, familiarity increases. It’s like dating or courting someone. You get to know them more and more, and intimacy increases. In the seven aspects, there may come familiarity with emotion solely as sensation, or familiarity with the release of superimposing patterns on sensation.
At some point there may be a leap to committing to have this person in your life, in perpetuity. There is confidence in the intimacy. A marriage occurs. You are now fundamental supports to each other in all circumstances. With the seven aspects, an earned confidence develops.
Following this analogy farther, we can allow for loss of confidence, as there is no ultimate guarantor of maintenance of intimacy. But, if intimacy is lost, there is often the capability to restore it.
Taking an intimacy as the final goal
Each of the seven aspects, if taken as a final goal, has a characteristic appearance.
When bodily sensation is taken as a final goal, health, vitality and physical appearance seem primary.
When emotion is taken as a final goal, the quality and experience of interpersonal relationships seem primary.
When cognition is taken as a final goal, systematic frameworks and ways of understanding the world seem primary.
When desire is taken as a final goal, transcendental love, a love that shines as a universal light, seems primary.
When subtle sensation is taken as a final goal, energetic capabilities and experiences (in the spiritual sense) seem primary.
When phenomenal release is taken as a final goal, then non-attachment and the equal valence and weight of all phenomena (which is an effect of phenomenal release) seem primary.
When the play of perceptual transformation is taken as a final goal, a shortcutting to an enforced stance of “everything is already perfect just as it is” may arise. Everything is perfect just as it is, but this is realized via intimacy with all seven aspects. This recognition has a significantly different texture than when the fruit of this comprehensive realization is grasped at independently of earned confidence. “Everything is already perfect just as it is” has become a state, instead of recognition of the nature of states.
The Seven Intimacies as practice
In a marriage, there are many aspects. Consider these intimacies with a lover:
The body of the lover
The emotions of the lover
The thought of the lover
The desires of the lover
The subtle energetic patterns of the lover
How the patterns of the lover are not fixed, but continuously change
The embrace of all of this as searchless responsiveness.
Each of these aspects is infinite in details, but the infinite detail need not (and cannot) be mastered. Rather, familiarity leads to confidence in participating in these intimacies.
So, also, for the seven non-progressive intimacies of the nature of states.