Yes, you are right. Vipassana is about developing a certain 'special vision' of things 'as they really are'. But as far as my understanding and experience of Buddhist doctrine and practice goes, this is a clear seeing of the true nature of 'my' experience. If there is a 'special vision' to be developed it is about seeing how consciousness, or more precisely the five khandas, are anicca and anatta.Ben wrote: Hi EdIsn't it this that we do when we practice and develop the special vision of vipassana?But even as I develop greater clarity, I don’t think it allows me to ever leap out of my position, as if I could detach myself from the conditions that have brought me to where I am and establish a free-floating, aerial 'God's eye' view to unambiguously pass judgements about the different positions
...just a thought!
It may be the case that this 'special vision' would allow me to perceive other positions differently. But even then my current understanding of the Dhamma tells me that it can only be a perception of those positions that emerges out of the interplay of the khandas. So even if I come to see these positions 'as they really are', what I am 'seeing' is more accurately how I am conscious of these positions rather than how they are in and of themselves. In other words, I am still within the ground of 'my' own experience. This is what I mean when I say that I cannot leap out of my position.
There is of course the possibility of developing a kind of omniscience that the Buddha purportedly had. But hey, I don't know what that is and I don't even want to begin to imagine how that would be like! The five khandas are more than enough for me to work with!