The spiral pattern can be found in around 16 early Buddhist texts. When we look at these texts in aggregate, we get a sense of the possibilities on offer. We see that, although the spiral itself is a constant, there are various routes that lead us into its upward trajectory.

The Structure of the Spiral

A New Direction

• We have two broad approaches to freedom from distress (dukkha): 1) understanding the psychology of entrapment so as to weaken the conditions that lead to suffering, and 2) looking at the positive qualities we would like to cultivate: what do we need to grow in our lives for freedom to occur? 
• These two approaches—the traditional 12-link model of dependent arising and the spiral to freedom—are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they support one another. One supports us primarily through understanding, the other through active cultivation.
• Instead of simply describing dukkha, the Buddha takes dukkha as the starting place for the spiral to freedom. This is the condition that we find ourselves in. We find ourselves in the world in a state of dissatisfaction much of the time. We take that existential condition—the way that we find ourselves ordinarily in the world—and ask what do we have to do to create freedom in our lives?
• This is a wonderful way of adding to the Buddha's teachings alongside the descriptive, the analytic, the ways of breaking things down and developing insight into the conditions of our existence. It's saying, "OK, I don't need to do that all of the time." We can focus on asking, "What do I need, here, right now, to feel more tranquil, more peaceful, happier, joyful. What kind of understanding do I need? How do I do this in my life?" These become the big questions in this particular pathway.

The Structure of the Spiral

• I think that's a crucial difference between the spiral texts' offer and the traditional reading of the teachings of dependent arising: namely that dependent arising, as the tradition has largely understood it, begins at one point: not knowing (avijjā). It looks at how to undo that not knowing. The spiral texts do something different: they address the specifics of our existential condition more.

1. Points of entry into the spiral

• This path begins with highly specific qualities that we can cultivate in the midst of our existential conundrums.
• A number of conditions can provide entry into the spiral which then leads to a unified mind more capable of understanding. This is a powerful shift of emphasis. It holds more invitation and does psychological justice to different life conditions, different temperaments, different abilities.

2. The spiral itself

• The spiral isn't the beginning of the path that these texts outline. The spiral is the middle part. We will learn more about this in later units.

3. The fruitions of the spiral

• We also find that the exit points from the spiral differ. This is interesting. We don't invariably land at awakening. Again, we will focus on these in more detail in later units.

Understanding the whole

• So we have a central sequence, the spiral way, which is accessed through a number of different entry points and leads to a number of different outcomes, all concerned with realization in different degrees.
• With the traditional understanding of dependent arising we all start with ignorance and we have to do the work of understanding this ignorance. Yet if you start with ignorance, understanding is not your strong suit! So we're in an existential dilemma there.
• In the spiral to freedom, we've named seven different entry points that correspond to different temperaments and are all the more inviting because any of us can do some of this. It's not all understanding that does the heavy lifting. It's inspiration, virtue, trust, sense restraint, mindfulness, situational awareness, examination—these do the heavy lifting and get us into the spiral. Then the spiral begins to work and, on the other side of the spiral, there is some degree of liberative understanding.

Playing to our Strengths

• So, there is another way to approach this path, and that is by playing to our strengths. We're looking at our strengths psychologically, beginning to really understand where our virtues lie and to take this as a path of cultivation.
• We still need to look at the kind of freedom that is on offer here. The path of the Buddha in general requires us to have a feeling for the kinds of freedom he is offering, and we will do this in the next unit.