Table 1.

Summary of correspondences between the enactive approach to the transition from sense-making to “knowing groundlessness” and Buddhist literature.

Stages of exploration	Enactive approach to knowing groundlessness	Corresponding ideas from Mahāmudrā instructions
(1) Point of departure	Adaptive sense-making	Samsara: confused and ignorant mind that is dualistic on the basis of its habitual approach/avoidance tendencies
(2) Stage 1	Aim: decrease sense-making Method: decrease adaptivity Gaps: (1) There is no decrease of adaptivity without knowing the current adaptivity and sense-making. (2) There is no transition from decreasing one adaptivity act to another one without knowing the respective adaptivity act.	Aim: inhibit thought (as an aid to cultivating present-centered awareness): self-liberation of thought (rang grol) Method: inhibit a requirement of thought: inhibit the approach/avoidance stance of an agent acting in the world Purpose: supporting present-centered awareness
(3) Stage 2	Aim: reflexive non-propositional meta-awareness of current sense-making acts and adaptivity acts Method and problem: the “sense-making-of-sense-making” approach leads to an infinite regress. Sense-making is then increased. Alternative: non-dual reflexive knowing (phase 2 enaction)	Aim: reflexive awareness Method and problem: the so-called “spy of mindfulness” approach leads to an infinite regress (anavastha¯) Alternative: “looking intently” (cer gyis lta) via non-dual reflexive awareness (rang rig; svasam.vitti)
(4) Point of Arrival	Knowing groundlessness is phase 2 enaction (non-propositional meta-awareness) knowing itself, unobscured by adaptive sense-making.	Reflexive awareness (rang rig; svasam.vitti) is constantly present but is only recognized in a moment of knowing groundlessness when adaptive sense-making has ceased. Groundlessness is experienced as empty luminosity.