Progress Through The Fetters
The “Breaking” of Fetters
In traditional terms, successfully working with a fetter is usually described as “breaking” it, meaning that both the belief and the underlying tendency to it evaporate. Other translations of the traditional term for this are that the fetter is diminished, wasted, destroyed, or worn away. Alternatively, a more helpful (and less destructive) idea might be that we “break free” of a particular fetter or belief.
Whatever the term used, a quite thoroughgoing eradication is needed, by which both the belief and any possibility of it returning are no longer present. For example, it is one thing to see how the concept of a separate “self” is illusory, but another to go in and root out the underlying tendency to suppose that there nevertheless might be a ‘self’, such that we never think that way again. Truly breaking a fetter is therefore an irreversible change, since without the underlying tendency towards a given belief, there is no way to once again adopt it. Given this fundamental change, it may be no surprise that we can know with certainty when a fetter is finally gone. After such a change, we can look back and see how it was the fetter or belief was so believable, and also know that we will never be fooled like that again. For example, upon breaking the first fetter, believing in a separate ‘self’ is no longer possible, just as we cannot once again believe in Santa Claus once we know the truth.
In terms of the Buddhist concept of “emptiness”, we realize that experience is empty of that which we thought was there, such as a separate “self” (as opposed to there being an empty “self” that persists). In a way, a ‘goal’ is that the concept of “emptiness” will no longer be of any use to us, because we no longer erroneously presume the existence (or perhaps better version) of anyone or anything. There can also be a tangible “wow, what was I thinking?” response with this and every other shift; while experience is essentially the same as it has always been, it is simply no longer interpreted as it once was. The truth was always right in front of our noses as it were: we just hadn’t seen it.
For some, this approach may sound all too simple, in terms of how suffering ultimately ceases. It really is that simple, though, not in terms of this being an instant or easy path, in that some find themselves spending many weeks, months or even years on a particular fetter. Rather, there is nothing complicated or esoteric about the changes that occur and the beliefs that fall away.
For others, what I describe might not seem possible, and even some Buddhist teachers might assert that suffering doesn’t actually stop, that anger cannot be avoided, or that we never have a significant change in how we experience ourselves as a person with a mind in a body. Perhaps all that can be said is that many have now experienced the shifts I describe, and that while there are no doubt aspects of the Buddhist canonical literature of dubious origin or value, the fetters are as “true” and useful as anything else.
How to Break a Fetter
There are various ways to look at how a fetter and the corresponding tendency toward it might be weakened or broken. In a more gradual approach, it might be said that fetters are worn so thin that they finally break. In canonical literature, at times the fetters are described as something that decays or is exhausted, and for some that may be the most appropriate approach. Alternatively, with a more direct approach, such as what is often called “direct pointing” (with which I generally work with people), we can more directly “see through” each fetter in a relatively short period of time, examples of which we can also find in canonical literature.
Regardless of the approach, we see that what we believe we have or are, that is presumed to be “in here somewhere”, simply does not exist, nor has it ever. This is perhaps best summarized in the instructions the Buddha gave to Bāhiya:
Bahiya, this is what you will realize:
In the seen, there will be simply the seen;
In the heard, there will be simply the heard;
In the conceived, there will be simply the conceived;
In the recognized, there will be simply the recognized;
In all that, you will not be seen, heard, conceived or recognized.
If you are not seen, heard, conceived or recognized, then you are not there.
When you are not there, there is no “you”, there or anywhere else.
This is in fact the end of suffering.
In other words, while we cannot deny that there is that which is seen, heard, conceived or recognized, nowhere can an actual “me” of any sort be found. For example, we can raise our right hand, and unmistakably know that occurs: and yet, is a "self" that made that happen also seen? This underscores that fact that the intent is not to come to an understanding of “the way things are” in an epistemological or ontological way, but to eliminate the assumption or belief that there is an “I” or “me” that is participating in what is happening right now.
Also, rather than embarking on an examination geared towards convincing ourselves how there can’t be (for example) a separate self, it is eventually seen that there is no such thing, and that is that. There is of course no one that sees this per se: it’s simply seen. This typically results in an immediate and clear knowing that a fetter has been broken, particularly with a more direct approach where there is a sharp “before and after” experience.
For many, progress along the path will involve meditation, whether as a prelude to or as the setting of the actual “seeing through” of these illusions. The Buddha taught that the depth of meditative experience by which fetters might be broken varies from person to person, and that there are several vantage points (including not meditating at all) from which we can see that neither we nor anything else exists as was previously assumed.
While meditation experience can be quite helpful, it is not the case that meditation is absolutely necessary. There are several accounts in traditional literature where the Buddha simply spoke to people who (as far as we know) had no meditative experience or background, by which he led them to see that there is no separate ‘self’ and thus “enter the stream”. We also read how Sāriputta, a leading disciple of the Buddha, led new monks to the breaking of the first three fetters through discourse, whereupon his friend Moggallāna then led the monks to full awakening through more meditative means. Finally, Ananda, who as the Buddha’s attendant heard many accounts of the path people took to awakening, is recorded as hearing that awakening occurred both with and without meditation as a foundation. Thus, the place of meditation in the process of awakening can be quite varied, and it may be that insisting that meditation either must or must not be a part of the path is itself indicative of being fettered.
What Holds Us Back
Because we have lived our lives believing that there is in fact a “me” of some sort, we tend to keep any teaching or method that threatens or questions that belief at arm’s length, see it as representing some unfathomable mystery, or something we outright reject. When contemplating the breaking of the fetters, there might be a fear that, for example, no longer believing in a separate “self” will result in becoming hopelessly disoriented, or a mindless zombie who cannot remember their name. We might fear that by weakening and breaking desire and ill will, we will become cold and indifferent, no longer concerned about others and that our significant relationships will quickly fall apart. Or, we might suppose that no longer experiencing a world in which space and time prevail will result in being unable to make dinner or safely get across the street.
However, as each layer of illusion is removed, we already know how to get on with life from that perspective, and even though we may be somewhat disoriented at first, and life will generally be easier and more joyful. An analogy might be a computer with too many programs running, where closing one particular program allows what remains running to do so more efficiently and effectively. In traversing the fetters, we essentially remove more and more of the barriers that hold us back from responding with kindness and compassion to the world around us: we might say that we are naturally kind and compassionate, and we just need to get out of the way of that. And of course, we can look to the Buddha and what his life was all about as the example par excellence of what it is to be completely free of all fetters.
An important caution: for many of us, the ‘self’ that was created and developed over the years may have been at least partially fashioned in response to trauma, by which the pain and confusion has a structure in which it can be held, and by which we might cope with what happened. Removing or seeing through that ‘self’, and the underlying sense of a “me”, can therefore allow unresolved trauma to surface. If so, a healthy sense of caution is advisable and, for many, professional counseling and therapy might best be undertaken first in order that the unresolved trauma isn’t overwhelming once it finally comes out.
In traditional terms, successfully working with a fetter is usually described as “breaking” it, meaning that both the belief and the underlying tendency to it evaporate. Other translations of the traditional term for this are that the fetter is diminished, wasted, destroyed, or worn away. Alternatively, a more helpful (and less destructive) idea might be that we “break free” of a particular fetter or belief.
Whatever the term used, a quite thoroughgoing eradication is needed, by which both the belief and any possibility of it returning are no longer present. For example, it is one thing to see how the concept of a separate “self” is illusory, but another to go in and root out the underlying tendency to suppose that there nevertheless might be a ‘self’, such that we never think that way again. Truly breaking a fetter is therefore an irreversible change, since without the underlying tendency towards a given belief, there is no way to once again adopt it. Given this fundamental change, it may be no surprise that we can know with certainty when a fetter is finally gone. After such a change, we can look back and see how it was the fetter or belief was so believable, and also know that we will never be fooled like that again. For example, upon breaking the first fetter, believing in a separate ‘self’ is no longer possible, just as we cannot once again believe in Santa Claus once we know the truth.
In terms of the Buddhist concept of “emptiness”, we realize that experience is empty of that which we thought was there, such as a separate “self” (as opposed to there being an empty “self” that persists). In a way, a ‘goal’ is that the concept of “emptiness” will no longer be of any use to us, because we no longer erroneously presume the existence (or perhaps better version) of anyone or anything. There can also be a tangible “wow, what was I thinking?” response with this and every other shift; while experience is essentially the same as it has always been, it is simply no longer interpreted as it once was. The truth was always right in front of our noses as it were: we just hadn’t seen it.
For some, this approach may sound all too simple, in terms of how suffering ultimately ceases. It really is that simple, though, not in terms of this being an instant or easy path, in that some find themselves spending many weeks, months or even years on a particular fetter. Rather, there is nothing complicated or esoteric about the changes that occur and the beliefs that fall away.
For others, what I describe might not seem possible, and even some Buddhist teachers might assert that suffering doesn’t actually stop, that anger cannot be avoided, or that we never have a significant change in how we experience ourselves as a person with a mind in a body. Perhaps all that can be said is that many have now experienced the shifts I describe, and that while there are no doubt aspects of the Buddhist canonical literature of dubious origin or value, the fetters are as “true” and useful as anything else.
How to Break a Fetter
There are various ways to look at how a fetter and the corresponding tendency toward it might be weakened or broken. In a more gradual approach, it might be said that fetters are worn so thin that they finally break. In canonical literature, at times the fetters are described as something that decays or is exhausted, and for some that may be the most appropriate approach. Alternatively, with a more direct approach, such as what is often called “direct pointing” (with which I generally work with people), we can more directly “see through” each fetter in a relatively short period of time, examples of which we can also find in canonical literature.
Regardless of the approach, we see that what we believe we have or are, that is presumed to be “in here somewhere”, simply does not exist, nor has it ever. This is perhaps best summarized in the instructions the Buddha gave to Bāhiya:
Bahiya, this is what you will realize:
In the seen, there will be simply the seen;
In the heard, there will be simply the heard;
In the conceived, there will be simply the conceived;
In the recognized, there will be simply the recognized;
In all that, you will not be seen, heard, conceived or recognized.
If you are not seen, heard, conceived or recognized, then you are not there.
When you are not there, there is no “you”, there or anywhere else.
This is in fact the end of suffering.
In other words, while we cannot deny that there is that which is seen, heard, conceived or recognized, nowhere can an actual “me” of any sort be found. For example, we can raise our right hand, and unmistakably know that occurs: and yet, is a "self" that made that happen also seen? This underscores that fact that the intent is not to come to an understanding of “the way things are” in an epistemological or ontological way, but to eliminate the assumption or belief that there is an “I” or “me” that is participating in what is happening right now.
Also, rather than embarking on an examination geared towards convincing ourselves how there can’t be (for example) a separate self, it is eventually seen that there is no such thing, and that is that. There is of course no one that sees this per se: it’s simply seen. This typically results in an immediate and clear knowing that a fetter has been broken, particularly with a more direct approach where there is a sharp “before and after” experience.
For many, progress along the path will involve meditation, whether as a prelude to or as the setting of the actual “seeing through” of these illusions. The Buddha taught that the depth of meditative experience by which fetters might be broken varies from person to person, and that there are several vantage points (including not meditating at all) from which we can see that neither we nor anything else exists as was previously assumed.
While meditation experience can be quite helpful, it is not the case that meditation is absolutely necessary. There are several accounts in traditional literature where the Buddha simply spoke to people who (as far as we know) had no meditative experience or background, by which he led them to see that there is no separate ‘self’ and thus “enter the stream”. We also read how Sāriputta, a leading disciple of the Buddha, led new monks to the breaking of the first three fetters through discourse, whereupon his friend Moggallāna then led the monks to full awakening through more meditative means. Finally, Ananda, who as the Buddha’s attendant heard many accounts of the path people took to awakening, is recorded as hearing that awakening occurred both with and without meditation as a foundation. Thus, the place of meditation in the process of awakening can be quite varied, and it may be that insisting that meditation either must or must not be a part of the path is itself indicative of being fettered.
What Holds Us Back
Because we have lived our lives believing that there is in fact a “me” of some sort, we tend to keep any teaching or method that threatens or questions that belief at arm’s length, see it as representing some unfathomable mystery, or something we outright reject. When contemplating the breaking of the fetters, there might be a fear that, for example, no longer believing in a separate “self” will result in becoming hopelessly disoriented, or a mindless zombie who cannot remember their name. We might fear that by weakening and breaking desire and ill will, we will become cold and indifferent, no longer concerned about others and that our significant relationships will quickly fall apart. Or, we might suppose that no longer experiencing a world in which space and time prevail will result in being unable to make dinner or safely get across the street.
However, as each layer of illusion is removed, we already know how to get on with life from that perspective, and even though we may be somewhat disoriented at first, and life will generally be easier and more joyful. An analogy might be a computer with too many programs running, where closing one particular program allows what remains running to do so more efficiently and effectively. In traversing the fetters, we essentially remove more and more of the barriers that hold us back from responding with kindness and compassion to the world around us: we might say that we are naturally kind and compassionate, and we just need to get out of the way of that. And of course, we can look to the Buddha and what his life was all about as the example par excellence of what it is to be completely free of all fetters.
An important caution: for many of us, the ‘self’ that was created and developed over the years may have been at least partially fashioned in response to trauma, by which the pain and confusion has a structure in which it can be held, and by which we might cope with what happened. Removing or seeing through that ‘self’, and the underlying sense of a “me”, can therefore allow unresolved trauma to surface. If so, a healthy sense of caution is advisable and, for many, professional counseling and therapy might best be undertaken first in order that the unresolved trauma isn’t overwhelming once it finally comes out.