Meta-awareness is derived from the work of developmental psychologist, John Flavell, who coined the term "metacognition" (ca. 1975) to describe a phenomenon where a person has cognition about cognition or, stated another way, thinking about thinking.

Meta-awareness is modern academia's term for the ancient concept of Detachment. While faliling to note this earlier, Eastern, source, Wikipedia does acknowledge that writings on metacognition date back at least as far as two works by the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC): On the Soul and the Parva Naturalia.

The Fourth Way provides the best assessment of this ancient concept using graduations of awareness/consciousness ranging from self-remembering to self awareness to self-consciousness. Other elements of the Fourth Way expand upon this ancient concept, helping to better understand how to cultivate this significant, but poorly understood, state of mind.