Mon, 28 Sep 2009
Thoughts and Mahamudra
Back to Ganges Mahamudra. We're in a set of examples describing the practice of mahamudra. The next example explains how the practitioner deals with thoughts that arise during meditation:
For example, [when] vapors from the earth or clouds disperse into space, they have gone nowhere and yet do not remain anywhere. So it is with the multitude of thoughts that arise from the mind: by seeing the mind itself, the waves of thoughts dissipate.
One deals with thoughts simply by being aware of them. There is no need to repress or remove them. Thoughts are like them morning mist and awareness is like the sun, which makes the mist evaporate. If thoughts persist, one's awareness is not strong enough. And the solution for this is simply more practice of awareness. So the practice of mahmudra is relaxed, free, and easy, without forcefulness, but also without falling into unawareness,
Sat, 26 Sep 2009
Two Talks by Lama G
I've put my notes from two of Lama Gursam's talks up on his website. The first talk is on calm abiding meditation and the second is on Green Tara practice Here's an excerpt from my notes on the calm abiding neditation talk.
Calm abiding meditation has different levels and techniques. It is important to sit comfortably and in silence. Try to be calm in body, speech, and mind. Calmness of the body means that everything the body wants is given up for a time. So you need to be patient with that. The senses want to be active. These desires arise, especially in a long retreat. Garchen Rinpoche has said many times, when you look at the true nature of the mind, you will see it doesn't need anything. Only the body needs to be protected. Calming the speech means not speaking. Calmness of the mind means relaxing. The mind will not remain calm, so it requires some technique, such as watching the breath go in and out. Our inner energy has a strong connection with the breath. So how do we know if the mind is calm? During our meditation, suddenly thoughts will arise. When you truly recognize this happening, that is a beginning of calm abiding. When they go unrecognized, that is not calm abiding. But still thoughts will arise again and again. We chase after all the thoughts that arise. So that happens when we start calm abiding, but that is not a problem. Just keep at it and do not chase after or judge the thoughts. Just be aware and bring the focus back to your natural breathing. That will bring back your natural calm.
Thu, 24 Sep 2009
Random Complaints
Last weekend I was at the Tibetan Meditation Center for a weekend retreat. Weekend retreats are easy to fit into your schedule, but have the oprblem that they're too short. The hardest days during a retreat are the first and last, and a weekend retreat only has those two days. It's like eating an Oreo cookie with no filling in between. But I complain too much, it was a nice retreat with a good group of people that went off smoothly. I had a little trouble sleeping in a sleeping bag on the basement floor But at least I had my privacy and could get up when my inner clock told me (very early).
Unfortunately the calm, peaceful feeling I had at the end of the retreat got lost pretty quickly when I got back to work. Somewhere on Tuesday morning, I think. So it was back to Lama Phurbu Tashi for a booster shot. Tuesday night was mostly shamatha meditation, in a smorgasboard of different styles (gazing at an extrnal object, counting the breath, watching the breath, and watching the mind.) The location we're at now isn't set up for long meditation sessions. I'm not sure if our newer members are up for them or even if they're necessary. Shamatha is a bit peculiar in that you do five hours of sitting for five seconds of insight. You'd think I could figure a way to only do those five important seconds. Wednesday night I was the only person to show up for Lama Phurbu Tashi's talk, so we went over the Vajrakilaya practice and he answered my questions about details of the visualization. That was very much appreciated by me, since it's very seldom that I've had the opportunity to talk to a qualified teacher one on one about my practice.
Fri, 18 Sep 2009
Mind and Space
My aplogies for not posting for a while. I've either been too tired, too busy, or too tired and busy. I'll be going to a weekend meditation retreat shortly. If I don't get enlightened, I'm asking ofr my money back. The next verse of the Ganges Mahamudra say:
For example, if you examine the center of space, the one who fixates on the boundary and center ceases to be. Likewise, when you investigate the mind with the mind, the multitude of thoughts ceases and you see the nature of mind.
Space is often used as an analogy for the mind. Like space, the mind is free of any determined characteristics. We can apply labels to space, such as "here" or "far away", but such labels are arbitrary conventions, only used for convenience. A big part of the practice of mahamudra is the exmination of mind. When we start this practice, there is the examiner and the examined, as if the mind could be examined as some external object. The distinction between examiner and examined is an arbitrary one, just as the distinction between here and there applied to space. What keeps us from noticing this is the flood of thoughts that fill our minds. When thoughts quiet down, the arbitrary nature of our thoughts about our mind exposes itself and we are able to see mind for what it is.
Tue, 08 Sep 2009
Tantra for Dummies
Back to Ganges Mahamudra:
If people of inferior intelligence [can] not abide in the ultimate meaning, they [should] hold the vital point of wind energies and give up exerting [themselves] in awareness. Until you abide in the ongoing state of awareness by means of myriad gazes and [modes of] focused attention, make effort!
"Inferior intelligence" doesn't mean stupid. Some people, as a result of their accumulation of merit and practice in previous lives, find it easy to understand the main point of mahamudra. The majority, who find it more difficult to understand mahamudra, are the ones labeled here as having inferior intelligence. The text recommends that these people practice tantra instead of mahamudra. Through the practice of tantra they will understand the essential point of mahamudra and then be able to practice it. The practice of tantra is often combined with the practice of mahamudra in what is known as fivefold mahamudra. Although the practice of mahamudra should be without effort, some effort is required in the practices that support it. Practicing them in an effortless way would be a mistake.
Mon, 07 Sep 2009
The Carless Hand
No that's not a typo. I've been without a car for a week, since I took it into the body shop. Being without a car means riding the bus to work again. It also means that I've gotten a lot of my unpaid web work, mostly for Lama Gursam, done. Time on the bus is also time to think and that is dangerous, because it has caused me to rethink some of my Perl code. So the time I was not spending on web work was spent recoding Perl packages. Not the most exciting way to spend a weekend, but what else am I going to do without a car? Last Monday I started doing Vajrakilaya package. My simple shrine is now more elaborate, as I have to do a torma offering as part of the practice.
Mahasangha News reports that Lama Tsultrim (actually ex-lama) died recently of cancer. I met him when I did a dathun at Karme Choling. If you don't know, a dathun is four weeks of all day shamatha meditation. Da is short for dawa (month/moon) and thun is practice. Lama Tsultrim was on staff and explained the practice to us eager young meditators. After he explained the details of oryoki practice, I let out a loud sigh, for which he gave me a dirty look. But he was a good soul. Hearing about his death reminds me how much has changed and how much time has passed since then.
Sat, 05 Sep 2009
Khandro on the Air
Khandro Rinpoche was recently interviewed on BBC radio and you can listen to the streaming audio. (It requires RealPlayer.) I wasn't thrilled by the questions, but Khandro Rinpoche was very quick ans sure with her answers. Khandro Rinpoche is part of the Mindrolling lineage and you can read the history of Jetsun Migyur Paldron on the Lotus Garden site. She preserved the lineage by taking it to Sikkim after Mongol invasions nearly destroyed it in Tibet. Not enough is said about the great women practitioners in Buddhism, so it's worth noting their biographies.
Fri, 04 Sep 2009
Two Analogies
Next, there are two analogies in Ganges Mahamudra:
For example, [if] the root of a tree with flourishing branches and foliage is cut, its ten thousand branches and hundred thousand leaves wither.
For example, even the accumulated darkness of a thousand aeons is cleared away by a single lamp flame. Similarly, an instant of the luminosity of mind itself dispels aeons of accumulated negativity and obscuration without exception.
Afflictive emotions cn be overcome through the power of will, but this a difficult and tedious process. All afflictive emotions depend on the ignorance that grasps at a self and when this is cut through, the afflictive emotions are cut through as well. There are many deluded views and they can be overcome through scolarly examination, but this is a difficult and tedious process. Seeing the nature of mind cuts through all delusions.
Thu, 03 Sep 2009
Leave It Alone
The next verse of Ganges Mahamudra is:
Leave the polluted water of conceptual thoughts in its [natural] clarity. Without affirming or denying appearances, leave them as they are. When there is neither acceptance nor rejection, [mind] is liberated into mahamudra.
Usually we are busy judging and evaluating our meditation while it is happening. If there are a lot of thoughts and emotions, we think our meditation is going poorly and we are displeased. If thoughts are absent, we think our meditation is going well and we are pleased. Not only that, but we try to alter our thoughts to make our meditation better. We act as if we have two minds, one which is judging and correcting the other. All this dualistic thinking is obviously delusional. We don't have a scond mind and we should treat all such judgements and corrections the same as any other thoughts and simply observe them.
Wed, 02 Sep 2009
The Concordant Method
The next verse of Ganges Mahamudra extends what was said in the previous verse.
The truth that transcends the intellect will not be seen by means of the intellect. The point of non-action will not be reached by means of deliberate action. If you want to achieve the point of non-action transcending thought, sever the root of mind itself and rest in naked awareness!
We are not trying to find some higher or better through the practice of mahamudra. We are trying to appreciate the mind we have already, as it is itself the buddha mind. Because of the nature of what we are seeking in mahamudra, we need to employ a method that is concordant with it. So the main practice of mahamudra is simply resting in awareness.
Last Saturday Lama Phurbu Tashi came to my apartment to show me how to do the Vajrakilaya practice and to set up my shrine to do it. He made a torma out of modelling clay and set up my shrine with the eight offerings. Previously I had only been offering seven bowls of water, so the new shrine is more elaborate.
