The Ten Fetters
After an initial weakening of the self structure, many people can experience a great deal of inner turmoil, which is simply the underlying processes that kept the full-on sense of self going. The intesity of this turmoil can vary from person to person.
A total can of worms is released, and all sorts of behavioural complexities, fears, addictions, obsessions and confusions can arise, but the theme can always be simplified into a very basic structure: pushing and pulling at internal conceptions, simply to try to change, remove or get away from some uncomfortable internal reality.
This inner dance can take a very long time to settle down, and for some people, they can get caught in the struggle for a lifetime but inquiry can shorten that time dramatically.
I see the very same pattern in people I work with, where a major shift in how they identify with their internal world is followed by some measure of disorientation, confusion, and pushing and pulling to try and re-establish themselves. This pushing and pulling is an attempt to restablish themselves using old, defunct self-driven solutions. It never works.
So this is the breaking of the lower fetters to reveal the underlying mechanisms that gave shape and form to the continuity of identity. Having seen through the self illusion, it's continuity can no longer be maintained, so gaps are readily available as you catch the thought stream trying to identify with itself. If you’ve broken the lower fetters, you might notice how you automatically catch ‘selfing’ thoughts.
Many people follow a similar trajectory, whereby a major shift in how they identify with thoughts (fetter 1, 2 & 3) is then followed by some inner struggle (fetter 4 & 5). Time and again I’ve met people who have had this initial shift, and cannot yet grasp the fundamentals of this 4th & 5th teritory. That phasea can have aperson runing around for decades. This is the type of energy that a religious fundamentalist is born from.
Once this inner struggle has been delt with, the subject/object split, (fetter 6) and the foundation of perception (fetter 7) can be approached far easier.
This then leaves a very tenuous identity, that is generally intangible and impervious to the previous modes of inquiry. This is the 8th fetter - the subtlest of all identities. Once this fetter goes, it can be quite remarkable, but it can also open up another set of internal pain, as it did for me. In particualr I had non-specific trauma arise, which was very challenging to manage.
Adding to that, I was going through some severe restlessness, which was pretty brutal (fetter 9). I knew what fetter 10 was, although it had taken several months to fully move in. I’ve never spoken about that to anyone - their doesn’t seem to be any point, but it is not about a self, no-self, a process or any kind of insight at all. No knowledge was given to me at all - not even a single ounce of spiritual knowledge.
So the fetters simply describe a detachment from the various layers of identity, and a helpful way to contextualise and navigate the changing terrain. An awakening typically follows the hallmarks mentioned: seeing through self identity - grappling with the notion of wanting and not wanting, subject/object split - who owns perception - subtle self - restlessness - and the unknowable.
The Ten Fetters as a Guide to Direct Inquiry
The fetter model seems to be only suited to certain kinds of people. Introverted people would find the fetter inquiry a favourable option, but it’s open.
Think of the fetters not as arcane dogma, but as a practical framework to highlight whatever anchors you to the sensory experience (click here to read what that means) and the illusion of a separate self. These fetters are mental constructs that create an apparent anchorage between a subject (me) and an object (the world), both of which are internal concepts. Fetter inquiry is about looking directly to see if this anchor is actually there, or if it might be assumed to be there.
This process isn't about acquiring new beliefs or getting enlightenment as a future prize; no!. Instead, it’s a direct, conscious scrutiny of the various layers of your experience.
As a brief overview, the process generally involves looking into different layers of experience:
First, we explore the core sense of identity – the feeling of being a separate 'self,' the doubts or fears that can arise around that, and the various routines or habits that shape our sense of who we are.
Next, we examine patterns of reactivity – the ways we tend to 'push away' experiences we dislike (manifesting as anger, or frustration) and 'pull towards' those we like (desire or craving).
Following that, the focus can shift to the nature of experience itself – investigating the subjective/objective split, how perception seems to function, and eventually looking into the most subtle layer, the underlying sense of existence sometimes called the 'I Am.'
However, rather than viewing these strictly as steps 1 through 10 in a fixed hierarchy, it might be more helpful to think of this work as an inquiry into the ever-decreasing (or increasingly subtle) layers of the sense of self. The focus is more on the direct process of seeing through these layers as they present themselves in your experience, rather than aiming for a predefined destination or outcome.
A word of caution: this looking can lead to the collapse of your inner conceptual world. This might unearth old memories, traumas, and difficult emotions, and can sometimes cause a temporary destabilization. This is a natural part of seeing through illusion.
Sample Dialogues:
Fetter 6 & 7
Fetter 8
Fetter 9 & 10