Archive Result

8

On Meditation

Talk given by Kyabje Gehlek Rimpoche

August 5, 2004

At Jewel Heart NY

We are devoting the whole year to concentrated meditation, and I’d like to revisit [some of the material we’ve covered]. In the beginning, we discussed the reasons why we need to meditate, what meditation is all about and how do we meditate. We talked about two focal points we can meditate on: the mind, and the physical body of the Buddha. In terms of mind, we introduced the relative mind. We didn’t touch on the absolute mind. We also introduced six different ways of looking at the mind. We brought you to the level of learning the nine stages of meditation and six powers. Each of the six powers brings certain of the nine stage(s).

Through the process of learning the teachings, understanding them, and reading about them, we have collected information about the nine stages. We have then refined this information. I’d like to briefly revisit each one of these nine. The first stage is focusing. If you remember, the first of the six powers is learning. You know that if you have the wrong information, you’re going to go wrong. Not only must you have the right information, but you must refine it and bring it to the point where you can [use it] and concentrate.

Any subject or object on which we meditate must be created by ourselves, through the power of learning. When the image is mind, you have to search the mind, analyze, apply all six ways of looking at it, and find it; that is your point of focus. If it is the image of the Buddha, it is very simple and easy. The image will be a mental, not a physical image. If it were a physical image, it would be a matter of training the eye, not the mind.

If you’re [choosing] to meditate on Guru Devotional practice, then you have to find the refined, free point of Guru Devotion and use it as your major focal point. It is quite simple. If you are at the Hinayana level, you will look at the guru as being like Buddha. If you are a Mahayana practitioner, you will see the Guru as Buddha. As a Vajrayana practitioner, the Guru will be inseparable from the fully enlightened ones.

These are the points you will gain from your normal learning. Then you refine them, and [use them] to find your focal point. You have to think about and analyze all the information you’ve received. You have to sort it out and decide what is right and what is wrong [for you]. That is what I mean by refining.

You can choose any one of the 64 steps of the Odyssey to Freedom or Lam Rim stage as a focal point for meditation. Refining the main point has to be [part of your process]. I’ve given you the example of the Guru [as a focal point]. Some people like to do a month-long retreat on Guru Devotional Practice. To do this you must find the main point. The power of learning is what leads you to this conclusion of finding your focal point. Then you will focus on it.

Focusing is the first step. You are taking your mind away from external distractions and away from internally submitting to sinking mind, including sleep. Freeing [yourself] from wandering mind and sinking mind and simply focusing on the point is the first step.

You are focusing well, then you lose your focal point. Your mind goes out or you fall asleep or you think of something else. Whenever we notice that, bringing the mind forcefully back to the point where we are meditating is the second stage, continual focus.

While focusing, losing [the point] and bringing the mind back, the mind is becoming more subtle. This subtle mind focusing on the point will be the third stage, patch-like focus.

At the fourth stage, close focus, you are recognizing the qualities of concentrated meditation, and the quality of your meditation, and particularly the results you are going to get.

Looking at these qualities of meditation, you make yourself happy to be meditating. That is called controlled focus, the fifth stage.

At the sixth stage, pacified focus, [when you know you are] losing focus through either external attractions, or internally submitting to laxity, you are seeing those as faults. Knowing these are not the right things to do, because they don’t give you the result you are looking for, you develop a strong dislike for them. [This dislike and unhappiness] will be pacified at this sixth level.

When you reach the seventh stage, completely pacified focus, you will know that you are not going to lose your focus to attachment-oriented thoughts, nor will you lose your mind to laxity, particularly the variety that is of the nature of ignorance. Nor will you be subject to depressions. Actually, at this level, you are completely able to overcome all the gross levels of sinking mind, including the gross depressions.

Being free of those [obstacles], you will be able to continuously focus with much, much less interruption. This is the eighth stage, single-pointed focus.

The ninth stage is true meditation.

If you are hearing about these nine stages for the first time, the fact that I am quickly going through them will be doing you a disservice. Those of you who have been listening [to these talks or attending these courses] for almost half the year will be able to [piece] together your background [information]. This will be sort of a very brief summary of the nine stages.

At the ninth stage, I have said it is meditation, but I did not say that it is zhi-ne or true shamatha. The word zhi stands for peace and ne stands for remain. If you are remaining in peace, you must have some mental and physical happiness and joy. When you have this mental and physical happiness, it is called perfection of mind and perfection of body. These are both of a pleasure nature.

This perfection of body gives a tremendous amount of physical pleasure. Because the mind is so thoroughly trained and focused, it produces a special air-oriented energy. It moves throughout our physical body. We normally enjoy it when our brain releases serotonin, and we feel enjoyment in certain parts of our body. What I’ve learned is the effect of this particular perfection energy is a thousand times greater than the serotonin effect.

This is nothing great. It does not approach Vajrayana bliss at all. We are simply talking about a physical effect that remains with the individual all the time. It is unlike a chemical effect which comes and suddenly disappears. It appears to go down, but this is because we have it constantly, so we may not notice it.

That sort of physical perfection [energy] is followed by a similar mental effect. It brings us not only calmness and quietness, but also relaxation and happiness. In Tibetan, it is called shin jang, shin tu jang pa. Without that, it is not considered zhi-ne or shamatha. There must be the perfection of those shin jangs.

Let us review the six powers. The first is the power of learning. The second is the power of contemplation. This is where you do the refining I talked about earlier. The third is the power of mindfulness. The fourth is the power of meta-alertness. The fifth power is joyous effort. The sixth is habituation. By a natural process you build natural habits.

These are the six powers. The first power enables you to focus. Through the power of refining, you will be able to focus more and more and more. Even though you will lose your focus, by bringing [your mind] back again and again, you may be able to build a little better length [of time during which you can focus without interruption].

Even in a couple of seconds we lose a lot of focusing. We know this practically [by experience]. Whenever we lose the focus, don’t let it [go completely] loose. Bring it back and try to maintain it a little bit longer. By continually refining what you’ve learned to its essence, you will be able to hold your focus a little longer.

Mindfulness, the third power, will bring the fourth stage. Mindfulness will bring the mind inside. Mindfulness will give birth to another mental faculty, which is called meta-attention or shi shing in Tibetan. Shi shing is really a result of mindfulness. You will see soon in the pictures [from the tangka from Gang Nam] the meditator has a lasso in one hand, and a sort of hook chopper knife in the other hand. The knife is used to [strike] the elephant’s ear to control the elephant. That sharp knife is the metaphor for the mental faculty called meta-attention. If we search in our minds right now, we will see we don’t have that at all. It is mindfulness that will give birth to this mental alertness.

If you are used to taking a handbag with you, and one day you don’t have it, you’ll suddenly feel empty. The moment you feel empty, you start looking back and asking yourself why you feel that way. Then you realize you’ve forgotten something and you trace back. For us, this is much, much too late. When you are practicing and your mindfulness has given birth to this alertness, the alertness is there, touching all the time.

In a very expensive restaurant, each customer has a person standing behind her/him. Whatever a customer may want, the person standing behind will bring that. It is as though that attendant is clairvoyant and knows exactly what to bring.

That sort of alertness is attending all the time. The moment you lose your focus, this [mental faculty] will recognize it [immediately]. Until that meta-attentoin, shi shing is born, you may begin the Lama Chopa with Namo Gurubyah, Namo Buddhaya, and then suddenly find yourself saying the auspicious [verses]. You have gone all the way through with no mindfulness.

Once meta-attention is born, if you lose the focus in between the words Namo and Guru and byah, that meta-attention will inform you and wake you up.

You may find that an alarm clock that rings every minute is very useful. It will remind you whether you are focusing or not.

Mindfulness and the meta-attention born from it are your two major tools to maintain your focus. In the drawings you will see the meditator holds two hand implements, the lasso and hook. These are metaphors for mindfulness and meta-attention.

If this meta-attention is attending all the time it becomes an obstacle. We talked about five obstacles that arise. When they do arise, and you are not attending, it becomes an obstacle. If they do not arise, and you are attending to them it also becomes an obstacle.

I spoke to you about these five obstacles and the eight minds, which tell you how to handle them, the nine stages and the six powers and how to bring them [all] together.

If you don’t have joyous effort, one of the six powers, none of it will work. Joyous effort is not a matter of forcing. You may remember my funny example of a dead-tired donkey with a heavy load, chasing [struggling] uphill in the Himalayas. That is not enthusiasm. The enthusiasm [that is needed] is of a joy nature, and makes one enjoy engaging in any positive, virtuous activities.

Let’s say you are dumped by your boyfriend or girlfriend. You try and try to make contact. Finally, you do and he/she tells you, ‘meet me tomorrow in the middle of nowhere at three o’clock. You keep on waiting there until six in the evening and no one shows up. You may think you are exercising patience and enthusiasm. (They almost go together.) That is not patience, it is stupidity.

Just like that, enthusiasm or joyous effort has to be of the nature of joy, not of force. This is an important point to remember.

You have to refine all the information you have; the teachings, readings, etc. and bring them together. The western style of organizing them into different boxes, labeling them and saying ‘situation under control’ will not do. It all has to be available to you at all times, in all places.

Finally, joyous effort will prompt you to put a little effort into meditation. Things will change when meditation becomes effortless. The total mind is like one little lump, [everything] joined together. It’s all rolled into one point, and that point will be focusing on the subject of your meditation.

That is the ninth stage. You don’t need effort. The last of the six powers will push you. You’ve formed your own personal habits. It is as though you get addicted (turning this around to a positive, for the sake of understanding.)

Now I will bring in the four mind stages. They are really quite simple. At the first two of the nine stages, you really have to put in a lot of effort. These stages are called the ‘absolute efforts’ stage. You are losing [your focus] all the time, bringing your mind back and trying to maintain a little length [duration of your focusing time]. These are the first two [of the four rightfully thinking mind levels].

During the third, fourth and fifth stages, the two obstacles we have, wandering and sinking, or laxity and excitations are interrupting us all the time. [The duration of the periods] when you are focusing are very short, short, short, up to the fifth level. This is known as ‘interrupted focusing.’

From the sixth through the eighth stage, there’s not so much interruption. Laxity and excitation are quite well controlled. You have a lengthy time for meditation. This stage is called ‘without interruption.’

The ninth stage is called ‘effortless.’

So there are the four levels of very forcefully focusing, interruptedly focusing, no interruption, and effortless meditation.

If you have any questions, and if I know the answer, I’ll be happy to say a few things. Next Thursday I’ll be here, so we’ll be able to talk a little more about this ‘perfection’ stage, and then shamatha itself. We’ll talk about what happens after shamatha.

My basic outline on the meditation structure is almost completed. I’m really ahead of schedule. I’m really behind, however, on Tuesdays, because this Bodhisattvacaryavatara meditation chapter [includes] the exchange development of bodhimind.

Audience: I have two questions. What is the difference between enthusiasm as a paramita and joyous effort as one of the six powers of mind?

Rimpoche: I believe it is the same enthusiasm, but the paramitas are going beyond. We are looking almost at the level of perfection. Here, we are [talking about] ordinary enthusiasm. The six paramitas are really gone beyond. We are looking at the ultimately good stages. Here, however, we are only talking about the usual efforts that we [apply].

Audience: The other question is, are we able to deal with subtle sinking and subtle wandering before we get to that ‘patching the gaps’ level three [of the nine stages] where we have relatively continuous [focus], or is it impossible to deal with that before we have consistent meditation?

Rimpoche: I don’t think we will even recognize the subtle sinking at all. Subtle sinking will not become obvious to us when we have gross laxity. When you peel off the rough skin of the laxity, then you begin to see subtle laxity. The teachings will tell you that this is a problem, but we really don’t see it until this gross level is removed.

We refer easily to subtle and gross laxity, but I think there are a great many layers in there; layer after layer. You’re not falling asleep, but you’re not really subtly sinking, you’re not really focused. Sometimes the subtle sinking mind has been called meditation. The earlier teachers like Tsong Kha Pa are very critical of this. We even think a lot of forms of gross sinking mind are meditation.

When the gross levels of sinking mind have been removed, the levels of subtly sinking mind will be revealed.

I’ll be here three times altogether this month; tonight, the twelfth and the nineteenth. Thank you.

9/13/2004