Gen Lamrimpa - How to Practice Shamatha Meditation: The Cultivation of Meditative Quiescence

How to Practice Shamatha Meditation

The Cultivation of Meditative Quiescence

Gen Lamrimpa (Lobsang Jampal Tenzin) Translated by B. Alan Wallace Edited by Hart Sprager

S NOW L ION P UBLICATIONS ITHACA, NEW YORK

Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 Ithaca, New York 14851 USA 607-273-8519 www.snowlionpub.com Copyright 1992, 1995, and 2011 B. Alan Wallace and Gen Lamrimpa All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in USA on acid-free recycled paper ISBN-10: 1-55939-384-X ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-384-3 The Library of Congress cataloged the previous edition of this work as follows: Gen Lamrimpa. 1934 amatha meditation : Tibetan Buddhist teachings on cultivating meditative quiescence (Ven. Jampel Tenzin) ; translated by B. Alan Wallace; edited by Hart Sprager. p. cm. Translated from Tibetan. Includes index. ISBN 1-55939-051-4 1. MeditationBuddhism. 2. amatha (Buddhism) 3. BuddhismChinaTibetDoctrines. I. Sprager, Hart. BQ7805.G46 1992 294.3'443dc20 92-28543 CIP Designed and typeset by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Contents Editors Note O N J ANUARY 6, 1988, at Cloud Mountain Retreat Center in Castle Rock, Washington, a group of twenty-four American dharma students and aspiring meditators began a shamatha retreat under the guiding hand of the Tibetan lama Gen Lamrimpa (the Venerable Jampal Tenzin). Some of us had made a three-month commitment to the practice, others of us were there for six months, and eight of us had committed ourselves to a year of meditation. The body of this work is made up of the teachings on shamatha Gen Lamrimpa gave during the first two weeks of the retreat. Those teachings were based on The Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path of Awakening by Tsong-kha-pa, who in turn based his teachings largely on Maitreyas text The Examination of the Center and the Extremes .Gen Lamrimpa included teachings by Asanga (Asaga), namely his text called The Stages of the Listeners , and the teachings of Shantarakshita (ntarakita) on The Essence of the Center. In addition, he included teachings by Kamalashila (Kamalala) The Stages of Meditation as well as the Compendium of Practices .All of these teachers, as well as Shantideva (ntideva), whom Gen Lamrimpa quotes many times during the teachings, had perfectly attained shamatha during their lifetimes. At the time the teachings were given, Gen Lamrimpa himself had twenty years experience in shamatha and other meditative practices.Transferring a teachers words to paper is a relatively simple process, but anyone who has experienced them must realize that the task of transferring to the printed page the vibrance and vitality present in the oral transmissions of a true master is next to impossible. Recognizing the impossibilities inherent in the task, all of us who have worked on this book have been motivated by the wish to pass on the essence of the teachings as well as the fundamentally unique quality of Gen Lamrimpas presentation.Throughout the teachings Gen Lamrimpa began the day by speaking about motivation and the ways in which we, his students, could use the proper motivation to enhance our own internal processing of what we were about to hear. While what he said invariably enhanced our motivation, it sometimes seemed to have less than a direct relationship to the subject of shamatha. In that motivation is such an essential aspect of the practice, there was simply no way or reason to exclude those motivational moments from this edition. Four chapterssix, eight, ten, and twelvehave been compiled from these daily teachings.In his teachings, Gen Lamrimpa demonstrated his ability to present technical and often complicated material in a very uncomplicated and down-to-earth manner, and one of Alan Wallaces most outstanding qualities as a translator is his ability to transform that down-to-earth presentation into truly vernacular English while at the same time retaining the precision of the terminology and exactitude of the concepts being presented. It is my hope that the delicate balance they were able to create is evident in this rendering.Finally, Gen Lamrimpa constantly emphasized the importance of continuity. At the same time, he took the liberty to digress from the formal outline of the presentation whenever such a digression enhanced the understanding of his students. Those digressions, which turned out to be shortcuts to the very heart of the matter, are included here just as they came up in the teachings.It may be helpful for the reader to know a little about the basic daily routine we followed during the retreat. It was very much of an accordion-style schedule, devised so that each of us could function as much as possible on our own time clock. We awoke at five a.m. and went to sleep at around ten p.m. Except for hour-and-a-half breaks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and short tea breaks throughout the day, we were urged to devote every waking minute to the practice. We were encouraged to maintain silence in all group areas, such as the dining hall, and to avoid contact with one another. We meditated individually in our own rooms. We started meditating in fifteen-minute sessions and took a fifteen-minute break between sessions, plus an occasional longer tea break as it seemed necessary. This format allowed for as many as eighteen quarter-hour sessions throughout the day at the beginning of the retreat, a total of four-and-a-half hours of actual meditation in what would ideally be a full day of practice.As our proficiency in the practice increased, we extended the length of the sessions but held firm on the length of the break. At the end of a year of practice, some meditators were doing sessions that extended well beyond two hours. Thus, the time of formal meditation increased from the base four-and-a-half hours to somewhere between six and twelve hours per day, depending on the individuals progress.For the length of our stay at Cloud Mountain, whatever that length was, we were guided and nurtured by Gen Lamrimpa; by his translator and assistant teacher, Alan Wallace; and his attendant and translator, Thubten Jampa. All of our physical needs were attended to by the marvelous Cloud Mountain staffDavid and Anna Branscomb, Brittany Faulkner, Janet Thomas, and Tom Diggsand the many volunteers from the Seattle area. In truth, the entire experience was made possible through their efforts as well as the efforts of the Dharma Friendship Foundation, which sponsored the retreat, and its president, Chris Borland. And special thanks to Pauly Fitze and Vana Jakic, who transcribed the tapes of Gen Lamrimpas teachings. To all of them we owe the greatest debt of gratitude for the opportunity they provided us to study and meditate, and to make this written record of the teachings a reality.Sanskrit names and terms have been rendered phonetically for the sake of easy pronunciation. Renderings with full diacritics will be found within parentheses in the text upon first occurrence for proper names and in the glossary for technical terms which occur there.

P ART I

Introduction to the Teachings

CHAPTER ONE Prelude to the Practice T HE PRACTICE OF shamatha , sometimes translated as meditative quiescence or calm abiding, is not unique to Buddhism. It is common to non-Buddhist traditions as well. In fact, it is an essential aspect of most spiritual meditative practices because meditative quiescence is an indispensable tool essential for attaining liberation, nirvana , or the full awakening of buddhahood. These are lofty goals, and many obstacles lie in the path of anyone who seeks them. The chief obstacles to liberation are known as afflictive obstructions. The chief obstacles to the full awakening of a buddha are known as cognitive obstructions. They are the collective obstacles to omniscience, and to go beyond them one must apply the proper antidote. In the case of both the afflictive and cognitive obstacles, that antidote is the realization of emptiness.In and of itself, the realization of emptiness is a lofty goal, and the attainment of the wisdom that realizes emptiness requires an extremely stable mind able to focus on the ultimate truth.What does that term, extremely stable mind, mean? It means a mind sufficiently stable to be able to focus upon emptiness without wavering to any other object. In order to cultivate such a stable mind capable of focusing upon emptiness without wavering to any other phenomenon, shamatha, or meditative quiescence, is indispensable.Equally indispensable for the attainment of the state of shamatha is proper motivation. This is the first step in the process, the cultivation of a proper motivation that will create a momentum to carry the meditator through the course of the practice, however long it may last.The primary objective of cultivating shamatha is the attainment of liberation and full awakening as a means to be of service to others. However, there are subsidiary effects or benefits of meditative quiescence, namely the development of psychic powers and other forms of heightened awareness. These siddhis , too, can be used in the service of others. However, it is important to remember that the primary reason for the cultivation of shamatha is the attainment of liberation or full awakening.In order to focus in on the proper motivation, one must ask the question: What is the point of attaining the full awakening of a buddha?Just as space is without limit, so it is true that sentient beings are without limit. Buddhist cosmology says that among the various realms inhabited by sentient beings the majority abide in the hell realms, a smaller number abide in the realm of tormented spirits, or pretas, still fewer in the animal realms, still fewer in the human realm, fewer yet in the realm of the demi-gods, and a very few in the deva world. Moreover, there are limitless numbers of beings in the intermediate state between death and rebirth who are not classified in any of the six realms of existence.If we look at this question from a Western perspective, using all the available scientific technology, we see that although the ground is solid it is permeated by various types of organisms, as is the air, as is the water. Taking the Western scientific perspective one step further, it is said that something like a billion organisms live in the human body. So again we have the sense of a limitless number of sentient beings stretching infinitely into space.Now, let us return to the Buddhist perspective and ask this question: What is the point of attaining the full awakening of a buddha? The answer is almost too obvious. Upon attaining full awakening it is possible to be of unimaginable benefit to countless sentient beings, especially to those who have a close relationship with ones own being, the organisms in ones own body. Undoubtedly there is a close relationship with those.If you were able to release from samsara simply the billion organisms in your own body, that would be a tremendous achievement. To attain full awakening each organism would need to develop bodhichitta , the awakening mind, and in order to do that it is virtually necessary to have a human body. Imagine bringing each of these sentient beings with whom you have this intimate connection to the brink of full awakening by affording them the opportunity just to be born with a human body. Each would also have a billion organisms within it. A billion times a billion beings offered the opportunity of liberation by the act and motivation of a single individual.In the abstract, the motivation of bodhichitta, the aspiration to attain full enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, may seem impractical and impossible. However, looking at it from the perspective of our interdependence with just the beings within our own bodies can put the impossible within reach.The quest for the attainment of nirvana, or liberation, is chiefly discussed in the Hinayana scriptures. When one investigates this issue of liberation, it is helpful to look back to the preceding life as well as the lives preceding that life. That investigation will lead to an understanding that there is no beginning to ones previous lives, that life is indeed limitless.If you follow the rim of a metal disc, you will see that it has no end and no beginning. Samsara, or the cycle of existence, is very much like the rim of that metal disc. Its beginning and its end cannot be found. It is our mental distortions and the actions conditioned by them that propel us through the endless cycles of samsara. It is a self-perpetuating process.While this is true of the cycle of life, it is possible to search for and find the beginning of one specific lifetime. What is the origin of the specific human rebirth? It is ignorance.If we take this present body as an example, whence does it arise? It arises from ignorance, from ignorance and karma ,from the distorted action of a person of the same continuum as ourselves in a previous life. There was the ignorance; there was the action; it gave rise to this birth.And whence arose that ignorance, that karma? It arose from preceding ignorance, from preceding karma, preceding without beginning.Speaking of the twelve links of dependent origination, the great sage Asanga points out that the three primary mental afflictionsattachment, aversion, and ignorancearise from two types of karmaaccomplishing and propulsive karma. These both arise from ignorance. The three interact in a self-perpetuating, beginningless, endless cycle. In this manner then, samsara is a cycle without beginning and without end.If one reflects upon the unsatisfactory nature of suffering, one finds that it too is beyond all bounds. Suffering is not something we like to look into very much. When we do look, however, we see how pervasive it is. Even if one has a quite pleasant human rebirth, even then the extent of suffering is immense. First, there is the suffering of the very process of birth. Then, following birth, there are times of frustration when a childs desires go unfulfilled, the suffering of the discipline that forces the child to conform to its parents and societys norms. The suffering continues through youth, as one goes to school and struggles to get good grades, all the sufferings of growing up, the suffering of not attracting the boy you like, or the suffering of getting the girl you like and finding she is not the person you wanted, but only the person you thought you wanted.The suffering continues in adulthood. It becomes the suffering of seeking work, of seeking work that seems meaningful, of economic survival, trying to get ones act together, trying to get ones possessions together, struggling for success and attaining it. Eventually, when you have everything together, even when youre all set with success and everything you told yourself you wanted, then you have to protect it from all those who would take it from you if they had half the chance. Then you die, and you are back to being a beggar again, a baby again, coming into the world naked and without even a single possession.This is the case in the human situation with a very pleasant human rebirth. But look at the beings with less fortunate human rebirths, at beings in the hell realms, in the preta realm, in the animal realm. There is yet more suffering in those.At this point, each of us has had limitless experience in both lower and fortunate realms. But where has it gotten us? Right here, even in this fortunate situation in which we have the leisure to devote time and energy to spiritual practice, we are still subject to suffering. How much good has all that suffering done us?We do not and cannot stop it by saying, Ive gone through limitless lives. Ive had my share. Im satisfied with that. I think Ill move on now, on to something else. The truth is that we helplessly cultivate the very sources of our sorrow, we continue to be subject to suffering regardless of how much suffering we have had in the past, and continuing in this way we are bound to experience more suffering than we want to experience in the future.On the one hand, there is the suffering we have discussed. On the other, there are also sources of pleasure and happiness. Paradoxically, however, in the midst of the struggle to maintain happiness, to ensure the continuance of pleasure, or pervaded by dissatisfaction with pleasures that have become familiar, these too become part of suffering.When does this continuum of suffering end? It ends with the cessation of ignorance, which brings about the attainment of liberation, or nirvana. If we truly seek happiness for ourselves, it is that liberation that we should aim for. In the freedom from suffering that comes with liberation lies the true sense of happiness.Considering all this, as we embark on a one-year retreat, a three-month retreat, or any other form of shamatha practice, what objective, what aspiration shall we hold in our mind? What motivation shall we choose? Unsuitable Motivations If our motivation is the increase of our reputation, greater acquisitions, praise, affluence, etc., then our whole practice will be less than insignificant. Moreover, such a motivation will make the attainment of shamatha impossible. What is the attainment of shamatha? It is the access concentration to the first dhyana , the first meditative stabilization. This belongs to a different dimension of existence known as the form realm. The prerequisite to the attainment of that dhyana is the turning away from sensual desires. If the motivation for attainment entails attachment to the sensual or desire realm, then that very motivation for the practice becomes the primary obstacle to attainment.Another unsuitable motivation is the personal satisfaction that comes from serving others. A doctor, for instance, serves others; but if his principal motivation for serving is the satisfaction he himself receives by serving and healing others, his effort becomes self-serving and self-centered. That motivation is centered entirely on benefits attainable only within this lifetime.This kind of motivation would be equally unsuitable for the cultivation of shamatha. If one works to attain shamatha in order to bring benefit to other beings but is ultimately interested in the personal satisfaction to be gained through that seemingly altruistic act, that too is said to be an aspiration entailing concerns of this life, and it will become an obstacle for the cultivation of meditative quiescence.You might logically ask if we are supposed to forget this lifetime altogether. If I attain shamatha, will it bring no benefit in this lifetime?This is not the case. If we turn our awareness to having a higher, truly altruistic aspiration, the benefits in this lifetime inevitably occur without any special thought or effort on our part. The lives of the historical Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni (kyamuni), and the great pandits and contemplatives of India, Tibet, Thailand, Burma, and China are the proof of the pudding. Some sought to attain the full awakening of a buddha, others strove for liberation, others hoped for favorable future lives. All these motivations extended beyond this life, yet their effectiveness in serving others in this lifetime was immense.One of the most well-known examples might be the Tibetan yogi and saint Milarepa. A teacher of great renown and reputation, he is esteemed by Tibetan Buddhists of every order. Milarepa had utterly renounced the concerns of this life. His objective was very simply to attain full awakening for the benefit of all creatures. His renunciation was complete. He dispensed with all concerns for food, clothing, reputation, all mundane affairs. Paradoxically, he became the recipient of all the things he had renounced.When most people get ill they want to make sure everyone knows about it, for the sake of sympathy, or in the hope that they will get the best care, the best hospitals, the best doctors. When theyre on their death bed they want comfort, want their loved ones around them. Many think a big funeral will be the best funeral. Still others leave intricate instructions on what should be done with their remains, ensuring that a lot of people will be concerned with their bodies after death.Milarepas attitude was completely opposite. In one of his songs he said, When I am ill, may no one know about it; when I die, may there be no one to weep; and when I am dead, may there be no one who has to dispose of my body. At the end of his life word of his final illness spread far and wide. In spite of his wishes his disciples came from every corner of the country to be with him at the moment of death and weep for him. After he died there was great concern over his remains. The dakas and dakinis wanted them; his students and disciples wanted them; the people from the village in which he had been born wanted them.On the surface one might think that if one simply concerns oneself with altruistic intent and future lifetimes, the practical aspects of this life will not be accomplished, and one will be a failure. This simply isnt true. On the contrary, when one really does renounce or let go of this lifetime, everything is taken care of by force of the deeper motivation. Meaningful Motivations There are three levels of meaningful or authentic motivation for the practice of shamatha: To attain rebirth in the form or formless realmsTo attain liberation, or nirvanaTo attain full awakening REBIRTH IN THE FORM OR FORMLESS REALMS Such a rebirth can result in a life that lasts billions of earthly years and is filled with tremendous bliss. The first four dhyanas in the form realm, as well as the fifth to the eighth in the formless realm, are so subtle that it is almost like being in a deep, blissful sleep. Some non-Buddhist contemplatives confuse rebirth in either of these two realms with the attainment of nirvana. With that in mind, they make its attainment the motivation for their practice of shamatha. To strive for that is still of greater meaning than simply striving to attain shamatha as a means of accomplishing the affairs of this life. However, if you follow this route and obtain such an exalted rebirth, after so many billions of years when the power of the shamatha that got you there is exhausted, you fall from that blissful state and quite possibly could be reborn in the hell realms. Looking at its culmination, such a rebirth seems less significant. It simply decays until one falls back again. LIBERATION, OR NIRVANA Liberation, or nirvana, irrevocably cuts the continuum and source of ones own suffering. It is a very powerful motivation and a magnificent attainment. Upon attaining nirvana, while abiding in meditative equipoise, one is of no evident benefit to any other sentient being. One is in a state of total inactivity. There are many accounts of beings who have attained liberation being stimulated to seek and attain the full awakening of a buddha. But it is said that it is far more difficult for such a person to attain full awakening than it is for a person who has not attained liberation. Why is that?Liberated beings are so free of suffering, so totally beyond suffering, that it is difficult for them to develop any sense of empathy or sympathy for those who do suffer. Thus, it is difficult for them to generate great compassion or bodhichitta, also essential prerequisites for the attainment of full awakening. FULL AWAKENING Of the three authentic motivations for engaging in the practice of shamatha, the altruistic aspiration for full awakening is the most meaningful. In terms of altruism, or serving the welfare of others, even if one is not engaged in an actual activity, in some active service, it lifts the practice to the highest level. Aryadeva (ryadeva) says that the aspiration to serve, in and of itself, is an aspect or means of serving others. We see that there are basically two avenues to the attainment of full awakening. One is to attain liberation, remain there for some time, get stimulated, get back into gear, and then go on to seek full awakening. The other is simply and directly to go to full awakening. This being the case, why not take the direct path?It is very much an individual choice. Some may simply feel overwhelmed because the enlightenment of a buddha may seem to be beyond reach. To such a person it might seem more practical to say, I could handle liberation, and go in that direction. If one has the feeling that it would be more appropriate or satisfactory simply to attain liberation, then let that be the motivation. Remember, however, that through that attainment you really check out of society; that is, you are free of birth, out of the worldat least for a time. Apart from that special kind of attitude one might as well strive for full awakening for the benefit of all creatures from the outset and then think of shamatha as the instrument for attaining that goal.The actual attainment of bodhichitta, or the awakening mind, is difficult. However, insofar as we can cultivate the motivation to attain full awakening for the benefit of others, that very motivation and the practices ensuing from it are a means of service to others. It will be worthwhile for us to cultivate that motivation, for this year, this month, this day, for this hour, in order to bring this attitude of motivation to the conscious part of the mind. We should try to cultivate such an attitude at the beginning of each meditation session.To generate the motivation to attain full enlightenment for the benefit of others, first take refuge by reciting the verses of refuge three times:I go for refuge, until I am enlightened, to the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha.Through the virtuous merit that I collect by practicing giving and other perfections,May I attain the state of a buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings.Next, recite the verses of the Four Immeasurables:May all beings know happiness and the causes of happiness.May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.May all beings never be separated from the great happiness that is beyond all misery.May all beings dwell in equanimity, unaffected by attraction and aversion.Cultivate this motivation in the midst of the session as well. When the mind is wandering off, let that cultivation bring it back to the meditation. At the conclusion of each session it is important to dedicate the merit of that specific session, saying:Let this merit represent all of my merit, past, present, and future, and may all of this merit be dedicated towards the full attainment of awakening for the benefit of all beings.Finally, it is said to be most beneficial to end each session with a prayer of dedication:Just as the buddhas and the bodhisattvas of the three times have dedicated their merit, so may my merit go for the same events and projects to which they have dedicated theirs.For those of you who practice the Six-Session Guru Yoga , it will be to your advantage to begin some of your shamatha sessions with one of the guru yoga sessions. At the point where your guru dissolves into your body and you then generate yourself as Vajradhara (in the form of the blue Vajrasattva with consort), it would be best to continue your shamatha practice as Vajradhara. Then, at the end of the practice, do the dedication of merit. The Tibetan terms (and Sanskrit renderings with full diacritics, where applicable) and explanations for words which appear in italics upon first occurrence can be found in the glossary. CHAPTER TWO Guidelines for Practice T HE ATTAINMENT OF shamatha requires many favorable causes and conditions. Effort, no matter how great that effort might be, isnt enough. Many other things have to come together. In the tantric context, the practice of Vajrayana , realization arises in the stream of ones being through the blessing of ones spiritual mentor. Even that empowerment, by itself, is not sufficient. First, one must eliminate the unfavorable circumstances of negative imprints from unwholesome acts. Second, one must acquire the positive influence of favorable imprints born of wholesome acts, i.e., merit. Third, one needs to engage in the practice by focusing on the object of meditation.Focusing the mind on the object of meditation is like planting the seed for the arisal of the realization. Eliminating unfavorable circumstances of unwholesome mental imprints is like making sure the seed is healthy and able to perform the essential function of a seed, giving rise to the sprout. The accumulation of merit might be likened to caring for the seedgiving it moisture, fertilizer, and warmth.When it meets with favorable circumstances, the healthy seed will give rise to a sprout. In the same way, when one focuses on the practice and encounters favorable circumstancesthe accumulation of merit and the elimination of unwholesome imprintsthe sprout of realization may arise. The Seven-Limb Puja The Seven-Limb Puja entails the means for accumulating merit as well as the means for eliminating obscurations and unwholesome imprints. ONES SPIRITUAL MENTOR AS THE OBJECT OF DEVOTION There are many reason for choosing ones spiritual mentor as the object of devotion in the Seven-Limb Puja. The primary reason is the very close connection one has with a mentor and the swiftness with which one can receive his or her blessing. The great Kargypa lama Ku-tsam-pa said that among all the many objects of devotion there is none superior to ones own spiritual mentor. It is also true that in the highest yoga tantra , in the stages of generation and completion, there are many meditation deities upon whom one might focus and to whom one might make devotions, but none is higher than ones spiritual mentor.Last but not least, it is said that ones spiritual mentor is the vehicle or instrument for the enlightened activities of all awakened beings. With this in mind, it is very powerful to direct ones devotion, both for the accumulation of merit as well as for purification, upon ones primary lama. REFUGE AND THE CULTIVATION OF BODHICHITTA When taking refuge and cultivating bodhichitta it is very potent to focus upon your spiritual mentor. Let it be his or her form you actually bring to mind, the lama in whom you have the greatest faith. You may have received teachings from many other teachers, other masters. Imagine them all being of the same nature as your own primary lama. Then imagine this lama as being of the nature of the entire Triple Gem: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. One approach is simply to visualize a single being, imagining all of the Triple Gem and all of the buddhas of the ten directions included in the nature of that being. It is said that if one focuses in this way on ones own spiritual mentor, and then engages in offerings, prostrations, etc., one accrues the same merit one would by the same devotions to all the buddhas.Another approach is to visualize your primary lama surrounded by your other teachers, and around them the buddhas, bodhisattvas, the meditation deities, the guardians, the dakas and dakinis filling the whole of space. Once again, think of them as being of the nature of all the buddhas of the three times and the ten directions.Try the different approaches and choose the one that is most comfortable for you. THE FIRST LIMB: HOMAGE The act of prostration is often mistaken by Westerners as a degrading act of submission. On the contrary, it is an act of humility, a quality most of us would do well to develop. By prostrating three times before the Buddha and all awakened beings one surrenders to nature, to a force greater than oneself. It is an act that denotes the acceptance of ones dependent relationship to every aspect of existence. THE SECOND LIMB: OFFERINGS There are two kinds of offeringsactual and mental. Actual offerings include water bowls, candles, incense, flowers, food, etc. Mental offerings have no limit. You can offer anything of beauty, anything you find attractive, such as leaves, forests, mountains, the stars, the sun, the moonyou can even offer your favorite department store and everything in it. The list of possibilities is limited only by the imagination. In addition to these formal offerings within the practice, we can imagine offering everything we eat and drink to our spiritual mentor and all the buddhas. THE THIRD LIMB: CONFESSION This aspect of the puja contains three parts. The first is the recognition and disclosure of unwholesome deeds, the breaches of any precepts, vows, or commitments one has made in the past; and more specifically, any unwholesome imprints of harmful actions that might act as obstacles to the cultivation of shamatha. The second is developing a true feeling of remorse for having engaged in whatever act has been disclosed. The third is the generation of a firm resolve to avoid that kind of activity in the future. In actuality, this three-step process goes beyond confession. It becomes an act of entrusting and surrendering oneself to the object of refugethe Triple Gem. THE FOURTH LIMB: REJOICING Rejoicing simply means taking delight in or being happy about something. It is an extremely powerful practice, a supreme kind of devotion. It entails rejoicing in the wholesome activities of othersvirtuous deeds, spiritual practices, devotions, meditation, etc. It entails rejoicing in the prosperity, happiness, and good fortune others encounter. They may have a beautiful or handsome form, they may be affluent or successful. We can rejoice in this, recognizing that any good fortune itself arises as a result of virtue and wholesome actions. In addition, you can rejoice in the causes, the effects, and the wholesome deeds of awakened beings of the past, present, and future, as well as your own virtuous deeds of the past and the present. THE FIFTH LIMB: REQUESTING THAT THE DHARMA BE REVEALED Thinking of the darkness, the bewilderment, and confusion of all sentient beings, as well as our own blindness in terms of what is to be adopted, practiced, or avoided, beseech the awakened beings to reveal the Dharma. In making this request, one can go to ones spiritual mentor, or if you are using the more elaborate visualization, ask all the buddhas and bodhisattvas to turn the wheel of Dharma. THE SIXTH LIMB: REQUESTING THE AWAKENED BEINGS TO REMAIN This request involves beseeching ones spiritual mentor and all awakened beings to continue teaching the Dharma in their present lives. In addition, one asks them to take rebirth in a form that will allow them to continue teaching just as long as there are confused and bewildered beings in need of their help. THE SEVENTH LIMB: PRAYER OF SUPPLICATION Finally, one asks to be liberated from all physical and mental conditions that might obstruct the cultivation of shamatha. In making this supplication to ones spiritual mentor one should think, May the unmistaken realization of shamatha swiftly arise on the stream (continuum) of my being. It is important to request unmistaken realization to ensure that you not err in identifying your own experience. In making this supplication it is also important to regard your spiritual mentor as being indivisible with, or of the same nature as, your meditation deity, the one with whom you have the strongest sense of connection. If you dont have a meditation deity that stands out from all the rest, then it is very helpful to focus on Manjushri (Majur) as the meditation deity, especially for the swift arising of insight. Because of his special motivation and prayers, Manjushri is uniquely effective in this regard. If you feel as though you are about to be crushed by some kind of obstacle or problem, then it is of benefit to focus on Vajrapani (Vajrapi) or Tara (Tr) because of their special motivation and prayer.These general practices act as causes for the attainment of shamatha, and it is important to engage in them conscientiously from the very beginning. Initially they may not seem very important. However, neglecting them or treating them casually, even though it may not be evident in the beginning, will lead to obstacles or some kind of tangential path which will not lead to the development of meditative quiescence. Building a Strong Foundation The basic conditions necessary for the cultivation of shamatha entail both outer and inner causes. As we learn about them, it is important to recognize whether or not we already have them. If we do, the appropriate response is to try to strengthen and cultivate them. If we find that we are lacking in some of the causes, then it is crucial to acquire them as swiftly as possible. If, upon examination, we find that we are replete with all the necessary causes and conditions for cultivating shamatha and engaging properly in the practice, then it is simply a question of time and patience. If we return to the analogy of the seed and the sprout, we see that if even one essential component is missing or flawed, the plant is doomed. If the water is poisoned or the earth is devoid of nutrients, no matter what the gardener does or how long he waits nothing will grow. But if all the necessary components are there in the right proportions and conditionsthe seed, the earth, the water, the fertilizer, etc.it just takes time for the plant to grow. Excessive effort will not make the plant grow faster. Now the gardener has to sit back and let it happenjust let it happen. The same is true in meditation. If you have collected the appropriate conditions, the inevitable result will come in time. Patience Even in the beginning stages one might become impatient, thinking, I really want to get this done quickly. One might think that by exerting more effort, by adding more and more stuff, by changing things this way or that way the process can be made to go faster. The good gardener knows that too much water or fertilizer is harmful, not helpful. The mature meditator must understand this as well. The Kadampa masters of old gave this counsel: First, pay great heed to getting the proper causes and conditions together. Next, engage in the practice without agitation and without anxiety. Then, with the mind at ease, carry on to the end. Physical and Mental Obstacles During the course of the retreat, physical or mental distress may arise or a strong obstacle will come up. When they do, dont try to ignore them. Dont try to bulldoze your way through them with sheer perseverance. The proper response is to stop the session, to deal with the obstacle, and to dispel it. If you find that even minor obstacles or unfavorable circumstances, either inner or outer, are arising repeatedly for two or three days, go to your spiritual mentor for help. If you deal with it quickly, it will probably not be a big deal and will be easily dispelled by following the advice of your mentor. And though it may seem a little simple-minded even to mention it, remember to listen to the advice that is given. Too often people have been given sound advice from deeper experience but didnt listen to what was offered. As a result, they wound up with obstacles that need not have arisen, and had to scramble their way out of them. Potential Problems In our current situation we are bound to hear noises from our neighbors and from the outside world. From the very outset of the practice, when this kind of sound occurs, do not identify with it. Do not become conceptually involved with it. This is a very important point. If you do identify with noise, it can get to be a habit and will really damage your practice. So, when you hear noise, just let it pass. Do not become engrossed in it. Do not conceptually elaborate on it. Do not identify with it. Simply hear it, release it, and immediately go back to your practice and the object of meditation. If you follow this route, you will find that in the course of time you will not hear most noises at all. Noise will cease to be an issue. Attitudes can be harmful too. There are two that are especially dangerous and detrimental to the practice. One is getting excited and thinking, Oh, what a wonderful person I will be when I attain shamatha. The other is, I bet I am better than other meditators. Im going faster than they are. Im going to get it and they arent. These are easy traps to fall into. Be diligent in guarding against them.It is very important to maintain clarity of mind as a matter of course throughout the day. Getting sleepy during a number of sessions a day, as well as entering the meditation session with a drowsy or sluggish mind, can be either a nuisance or a serious problem. Sleepiness must be remedied without delay.It could simply be that you are drowsy because you are not getting enough sleep. The first and most obvious remedy for that is to go to bed earlier. If that doesnt cure the problem quickly, it is important to find the cause and act to eliminate it quickly. An imbalance in the subtle energies in your body can lead to insomnia and damage meditation sessions the following day. There are a couple of very simple remedies for avoiding such insomnia. Rub some tiger balm, butter, or oil into your temples. Dress warmly when you go to bed and use sufficient blankets and heat. If these dont give you a good nights sleep, perhaps you might need to alter your diet by taking in more oils or fat, both of which help diminish pranic disturbances . Also be sure to dress warmly during the day. If none of these antidotes work and if the problem begins to occur with some regularity, then by all means see your mentor for help.At all times, both during and between meditation sessions, it is extremely important to maintain an appropriate balance between the tension of holding and the softness of relaxation. Try not to be too lax or too tight. Forcing, either to maintain too severe a discipline between sessions or holding the object of meditation too tightly, will obstruct any kind of realization or attainment. At the same time, too much relaxation will be a waste of time.It is virtually certain that as the shamatha practice develops, certain types of visions or images will appear to the mind. When they do arise, whether they appear to be helpful or harmful, do not identify with them. Do not become engrossed with them. Do not elaborate on them. If they appear to be good visions, dont think, Oh, this is tremendously auspicious. If they appear to be negative images, do not be depressed. Simply let them be, and maintain the object of your awareness.Throughout the practice it is important to cultivate a sense of equanimity and acceptance. If you find some meditation sessions going well and concentration is good, do not respond with great satisfaction. As soon as the Oh, boy! This sure is a good session attitude arises, it will immediately halt whatever good is happening. If, on the other hand, meditations go badly, if your concentration was bouncing all over the place, do not be depressed. Accept what seem to be good and bad sessions as a natural and inevitable aspect of the practice, and maintain equanimity. Questions and Answers Q: Can you explain what you mean when you say that between sessions one should be neither too lax nor too tight? A: Being too tight, too constrained, too withdrawn between sessions is trying to maintain pretty close to the same quality of awareness between sessions as you had during the sessions, keeping the mind very focused, the eyes down, the mind really close, watching for the appearance of distracting thoughts. This is too tough. It will create problems in the body and mind.Let the mind out a little between sessions. You have already brought it in. Now let it gaze out. Dont look into other peoples eyes or get involved in what you might see others doing. Look out at the horizon, at the mountains, at the sky. Anything with a little distance will help.One extreme is trying to keep a strict meditative awareness during your breaks. That is too tight. The other extreme is losing yourself in a variety of activities, scurrying about, doing this and that. That is too looseit will lead you into conceptualization and that will rob you of the calm you attained during the session. Balance yourself between the two. Let the mind come into a relaxed state, one in which you do not engross yourself in some kind of activity that captures the mind, agitates it, gets it strung out. Q: I like to listen to tapes between sessions but I find that my mind becomes involved in what I hear. Is that too much to do during the break? A: The great treatises on shamatha say that between sessions one should look into the practice in order to gain greater clarity and to see what qualms arise from your practice. So, the appropriate thing to do between sessions is to seek out those activities that create greater clarity. That is what is traditionally taught. Most important, see how every action affects your mind. If it causes agitation, stop. If it creates clarity and calm, go ahead and do it. Q: In choosing the lama as the object for the Seven-Limb Puja, you said to choose the lama that one has the most faith in. I am wondering, is there a difference in the use of the word faith? Does it have a different meaning? I found that difficult because when I went to do that, I found equal faith in all my lamas. Between His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and you, and all my other lamas, I could not find the most faith. A: This is a good place to be. In that case, since His Holiness is one of your teachers, then I suggest you focus on him.For those who have been practicing for a while, it really begins to seem that all ones spiritual mentors, all ones lamas, are of the same nature. It really seems that they have just one mind. Maybe you meet a certain lama only very rarely, maybe once a year, and when you meet him he is very very happy and in a good mood. Then it seems that all of your lamas are in a good mood. When you meet other lamas after that it carries over to them too. Sometimes in dreams the different lamas are almost interchangeable. You may dream that you are on your way to meet Geshe Ngawang Dhargye, and then when you come to his house, His Holiness is there. They kind of pop in and out. As our obscurations are more and more purified, eventually we will see our own spiritual mentor, our own lama, as a supreme Nirmanakaya , in other words, having the full thirty-two major and eighty minor marks, regardless of the attainment from his or her own side. When we have attained that level, then even if he or she is in hell, we will see our lama as a supreme Nirmanakaya. Q: You said to imagine our mentors of the same nature as our meditation deities. Im not exactly sure when this process comes into play. Is this in the guru devotion, or at some other point in the practice? A: Whenever you are doing the devotional practices, be they at the beginning of each session, or between sessions, the Seven-Limb Puja, or taking refuge, or any other, in any of these occasions use this technique. Always bring the guru to mind and then imagine him or her to be of the same nature as the meditation deity.For those of you who already have the practice of the Six-Session Guru Yoga, integrating the guru yoga into the shamatha practice, combining the two, makes the shamatha practice all the more effective. It will also aid your Six-Session Guru Yoga practice as well. Q: Can you say something more about practices between sessions? A: As far as one has commitments, recitations and prayers, those should be done between sessions. However, the most important practice between sessions is to restrain the sense doors . On one hand, regard the appearances of the senses as being symbols, manifestations, emanations of ultimate reality. In terms of the actual qualities of the different sensory appearances, there will be those that are attractive, unattractive, and neutral. A natural tendency is to respond to attractive ones with attachment. If that happens, be on guard against attachment and apply antidotes. A natural tendency towards the unattractive is aversion, anger, and aggression. If such aversion arises, apply antidotes to unhappiness and dissatisfaction. To neutral appearances, unspecified or neutral responses will arise. In that case one need do nothing at all.If you are so inclined, it would be good to peruse contemplative written material, books on shamatha, in order to clarify your understanding. If you find during the course of the meditation sessions that you have a strong tendency towards excitement and agitation, then between sessions it is appropriate to reflect on subjects that give rise to renunciationsubjects such as the sufferings of cyclic existence or impermanence. In that case, it is also conducive to be reading such material. The important thing is to give rise to renunciation. That sobers the mind if you get excited.On the other hand, if you find that you are subject to drowsiness, sluggishness, or laxity during the sessions, then between sessions it is appropriate to reflect in ways that arouse the mind: topics such as the preciousness and rarity of human life, bodhichitta, the advantages of developing shamatha and attaining liberation. Q: When we are eating, bathing, doing laundry, that sort of thing, should we still be with the breath, or the Buddha image or whatever our object of meditation might be, or should we just try to keep general mindfulness ? A: The great treatises on shamatha suggest that even between sessions one ought to try to maintain some awareness of the main object of meditation. They do say, though, that one must be very careful about the intensity of that concentration. It is a balancing act, because if you do that too much you will become exhausted, and then you undermine your own practice. It is good to be somewhat aware of the object intermittently and then you can see how it affects you. Choose a level of attention according to your ability, without exhausting yourself. It is most important that you make sure you are getting refreshed and relaxed between sessions. Besides that, when you are eating, etc., there are different types of attitudes you might employ more actively: simply being aware of taste, and so forthas if engaging in the Sutrayana practice, thinking, Now I take this food for sustenance of the body, to enable me to practice more effectively, etc.If you are approaching the practice in a tantric context, then you can be transforming food into ambrosia. Generally speaking, in whatever activities you might be engaging in between sessions, mindfulness should be there in a discriminating sense, making sure that the activities are of a wholesome nature. You always have the choice of more general or specific types of practice, and the balance must be an ongoing thing. You should be checking frequently to see what is appropriate and to be sure the balance is there.Both mindfulness and discriminative alertness are needed in responding to sensory input of the three typesattractive, unattractive, and neutral. Once again, in this tradition mindfulness does not mean simply to witness. It is a more discriminative kind of thing. You are asking yourself, What is my response? and then actively responding by applying the antidotes to attachment and hostility. The word mindfulness is a little bit different in different contexts. Here mindfulness refers to the mental faculty of being able to maintain continuity of awareness of an object. Vigilance is concerned with the quality of mind, watching to see, for example, if the mind is veering off to other objects.Next page