I was taught this model many times over the years by Rob Nairn and have taught the model myself many times, as well as writing about it. Rob developed this model from the Tibetan Buddhist Mahamudra tradition, making it accessible to non-Buddhists. It is an important model for both our Level 1 mindfulness and Level 3 insight meditation training and is key in recognising how meditation practice can reduce needless, self-created suffering.
Mindfulness is about being present so we can know what is happening while it is happening, without preference. In the internal environment of the mind constant thinking disturbs the mind and makes it difficult to be present with what is happening.
Constant thinking would be ok if we were thinking happy thoughts, but many of us are thinking angry, sad or worried thoughts. We get caught up in feedback loops of thoughts and feelings. Taking worry as an example, we think worrying thoughts and feel anxious, the feelings of anxiety fuel more worried thoughts, which make us feel even more anxious. We think what if….and the mind takes us to the worst catastrophe. These feedback loops of thoughts and feelings are the cause of needless, self-created suffering. It makes us anxious, stressed and miserable.
Just below this endless thinking activity, if the mind is settled, we can experience the undercurrent. The undercurrent is made up of the constant arising of thoughts and feelings into the mind. They pop up of their own accord. If we are present we can know the content of the thoughts or feelings. And then they dissolve, to be replaced by the next thought or feeling. This is the self-arising, self-displaying and self-liberating character of the contents of the undercurrent. Here is a link to a noticing the undercurrent mini-meditation to explore this for yourself.
The part of the mind which knows the arising thoughts and feelings, in this model, is called the observer. If the observer is able to impartially observer the arising, display and liberation of thoughts and feelings, then even the most troubling thought or feeling will move through us quickly. This requires us to allow and accept the thought and to unconditionally feel the feeling. We refer to this as the 10% of authentic pain which all human beings experience.
However, the observer has strong conditioned likes and dislikes (preferences) which drive it to engage with the thoughts and feelings arising in the undercurrent according to its habits. It is this engagement of the observer with the undercurrent which leads to the feedback loops of thinking and feeling. We refer to this as the 90% of needless suffering, which is created by our untrained observer becoming entangled in the undercurrent. Here is a link to a noticing the attitude (likes and dislikes) of the observer mini-meditation to explore this for yourself.
So, which would you prefer the 10% authentic pain, which is fully experienced and accepted by a trained impartial observer, or the 100% pain plus suffering which we experience if our observer remains untrained? If it is the 10% then our courses can help you to train your observer.