The Hot Pan

One of my favorite spiritual metaphors is the "hot pan". I first heard this during one of the Pure Experiences podcasts. Tarun uses this metaphor frequently when describing the learning process that occurs when living in awareness. The following is an adaptation from one of my journal entries during stage 4 (Awareness) of the Path of Knowledge Program

The hot pan metaphor describes the self-purification process of the mind perfectly. Anyone who is on a spiritual path that increases attention and awareness will experience this self-purification process eventually. When our attention (we can maintain a clear focus on an object for a few moments) is adequate and we are living in awareness (abiding as the witness of our Experience) we see the causal process of the mind and body more clearly. We can see the causal process of suffering.

With this metaphor, the hot pan is an undesired experience (thought, feeling, cravings, aversions, sensations, etc.). The pain of the hot pan in this metaphor is the uncomfortable bodily feeling that one experiences in common areas such as the chest, solar plexus, or abdomen (think of that "fight or flight" sensation when you see a snake on the trail for example). These undesired experiences are glowing, white-hot. Our seemingly separate self (the ego, who we think we are before Self-Realization) is the hand that grabs the pan and then feels the pain. We call this process suffering.

This ego, which is now functioning in the light of awareness, learns to stop hurting itself and becomes more intelligent. Perceived suffering begins to decrease. "My life", becomes infinitely more peaceful and free because there is less perceived mental pain.

We stop doing habitual behaviors that cause suffering for ourselves and others. This is essentially the same process that was described in my last article about spiritual progress with a family. My ego was habitually craving "free time" and "time for myself". These thoughts were the hot pans. The ego grabbed them over and over until the lesson was learned: "You can be free and happy, here and now, just drop the pan!".

This learning goes extremely deep and extends into many habitual tendencies big and small. The ego begins to prefer the newfound sense of freedom. Awareness burns through all of the harmful habits and continues to reveal sources of pain in your life. There are many, many hot pans to be dropped in our life.

The biggest pans are the ones that cause gross suffering: addiction, lying, stealing, etc. But to the furthest extreme, we realize that even the smallest activities of the mind create a sense of suffering or discomfort. We discover that the activities of the mind are in fact the food that keeps us (or the ego) in bondage. We taste freedom from bondage when both the activities of the mind and the ego itself disappear. It knows that all of this Experience is a fabrication of the mind. Silence remains, the hot pan and the hand that grabs it disappear altogether.

So, let's walk step by step through this process and how one comes to freedom using this metaphor. This is based on my own direct observations. This process is simplified and certainly not linear.

1. Ignorance creates suffering. Ignorance that there is a self (here) perceiving a world (out there) and that the self (here) derives happiness from the world (out there). We have preferences (which are the hot pan) and we continue to cause ourselves pain because we think these preferences will eventually bring happiness, despite the pain.

2. Eventually, the pain is too much and we pursue spirituality. The teacher points us to our True Nature (see this excellent video from Muni's Silent Wisdom YouTube channel discussing the Guru and the path). We realize that we are not the ego. In fact, we understand deeply that we are no-thing that can be pointed to whatsoever. Freedom for the first time arises as disidentification occurs and we see that the Experiencer, or pure subjectivity, is the bliss we have been searching for.

3. The ego tries to optimize the experience for itself because we still consider it to be “us” to some degree. The ignorance is deep and purification is needed.

4. With awareness, we see that our habits are actually causing pain, we drop the hot pan over and over again. Freedom starts to arise and a higher intellect arises.

5. This higher intellect teaches the ego about what is painful and what is not.

6. Acceptance of all that arises in our Experiences occurs and harmful habits and afflictions of the mind are burnt away. There is no more denial about what is painful and what is peaceful.

7. The ego realizes that additional mind activity no matter how subtle (planning, striving, thinking) creates a sense of discomfort. These behaviors naturally decrease.

8. The baseline state changes from habitually identified mind activity, to disconnected witnessing of activity.

9. We identify with the Experiencer the majority of the time.

10. We know and see that the Experiencer is one with the Experience, we are actually the whole Existence itself. Bliss is the only result possible. Everything is OK as it is and will always be. The purification process will continue naturally and you will continue to witness, no matter what the Experience may be.

Bottom line: Dropping the "hot pan" occurs naturally once Awareness arises. Don't rush to purify the mind, that's simply more ego activity. That same rushing will eventually be seen as a "hot pan" and will be dropped too. Just maintain the intention to live in Awareness.

In the end, though, nothing is ever gained and nothing is lost. Remember, "You" are not being purified. You are already free. You are both the pan and the hand that drops it!