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APPLICATION
14 STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
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Yet far more interesting is the fact that we often experience brief insights into 'higher' stages - irrespective of the level we presently reside in. Though the duration of these insights may be very short, they offer us a taste how higher levels feel like. These insights - however brief they may appear - prove vividly that we are capable of experiencing the higher stages. They tell us that it is well within our ability to reach entirely different layers of our consciousness and that we - only by re-directing our attention and energy - are capable of developing them into a permanent foundation of our life now.
Knowing the characteristics and mechanisms of the different gunasthanas enables us to identify what level opened up when we have insights into higher stages.
In contrast to other systems of development the 14 gunasthanas are not 'climbed' sequentially one after the other. We do not have to 'complete' one level first before we can progress to a higher one. The Tattvarthasutra describes an interconnected, complex structure that makes dynamic moves between distant stages an essential part of our development. The insights we obtain this way give us an immense incentive to wind up the themes of the lower levels so we can turn our attention towards exploring the far more fascinating higher stages.
We nevertheless should not judge higher stages as fundamentally 'better than lower ones. In the end it is the experience of all stages that makes up the fabric of our character we are building during bodily manifestations. While on a higher stage we might well decide that the - temporary - experience of a lower stage would be essential for our development and then consciously immerse ourselves into the greater emotional density and lesser comprehension of the lower stage for that very purpose.
Once we fundamentally understand how our consciousness unfolds, we never discount anyone who presently experiences a denser stage. We only feel profound compassion and appreciation for his or her particular path.
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