SBI Study Group - October 3rd

7 Point Mind Training of Tibetan Buddhism

 

10:00 Welcome

 

10:05 Meditation – Shamatha ÒEarthÓ full body awareness conjoined with breath,

                                and Loving Kindness (for oneself and extend to all)

 

10:25 Introduction to 7-Pont Mind Training or lojong

  • Most loved & practiced in all Tibetan Buddhism, the essence of dharma in Mahayana tradition that provides a genuine path to enlightenment with an authentic view of reality, meditation methods, and conduct or a way of everyday practical life,
  • it is a nest, a sytematized matrix of practices expressed in terse aphorisms by Atisha (great Indian sage of 10th century), who was taught by Serlingpa, Maitriyogi and Dharmarakshita. 
  • Oral tradition first written down by Chekawa (Old Kadampa Tibetan master), and earliest Tibetan commentary Alan found is by Sechil Buwa, ChekawaÕs direct disciple.  Alan received from Kungo Barshi when he was a monk in Dharamsala, and we from Alan.
  • Continuity of a path of realized masters that fully liberates, a living tradition
  • Dharma is that which leads to a lasting state of genuine happiness and cuts through mental afflictions at their root, irreversibly.  H.H. recently explained that dharma is that which holds up and supports, and also protects (from mental afflictions). It encompasses shila, or ethics as the foundation, samadhi, or the practice of refined stabilized attention, and prajna, or wisdom and insight into the ultimate nature of reality

 

10:40 Discussion of the suggested reading:

First Point-- ÒFirst, train in the preliminaries.Ó

  • Preliminaries are the compass—the main event that we will be practicing until our enlightenment, initial teachings are the essence of the whole, important discursive meditations which generate a spirit of emergence from samsara, the world of delusion, suffering and ignorance dominated by a reified sense of self centeredness and self grasping. 
  • First two of Four Thoughts that turn the Mind

1.the rare and precious human life of leisure and opportunity

--radically re-assess orientation of this lifetime from eight mundane concerns (p 19)

to the pursuit of genuine happiness & spiritual awakening, awaken from delusion of trying to be           clever enough to perfect samsara, a revolution in the way  in which we view our life

--leisure is to have the time and desire to practice

--pause and deeply recognize not to take for granted the opportunity of freedom to practice

2. death and impermanence

--Òthe only authentic life is to live with awareness of oneÕs own mortalityÓ, authentic vision that  everything will pass, an absolute certainty that everything born dies, all that is acquired gets lost, and all that comes up goes down

--working hypothesis that what cannot be extinguished is consciousness—it doesnÕt arise from matter or dissolve into it—consciousness arises from consciousness

--experiencing while in good health the nature of primordial awareness, which later manifests as the clear light of death is one of the main goals of Tibetan Buddhist meditation

--recognition of impermanence has the greatest impact, all fading like a non lucid dream

--in the face of death, what is of value?  what is of value is our virtue, quality of heart and mind

--genuine path of dharma gives coherence from lifetime to lifetime, the path is the perennial fruit that  persists; investigate the myth of the materialist view that life simply terminates when brain dies because mind is co-emergent property of the brain

--point of dharma practice is to die without regret; death is inevitable but in Tibetan Buddhism, it is malleable

 

11:40 Tea break

 

12:00 Meditation – Shamatha ÒSkyÓ and

                                Discursive reflection on awareness and what is ongoing beyond death

 

12:20 Dharma Q&A

 

12:55 Dedicate Merit

                        ÒWherever this precious, supreme spirit of awakening, bodhichitta,

                        Has not arisen, may it arise,

                        And where it has arisen, may it never decline,

                        But grow stronger and stronger.Ó

            May what we have studied and practiced today be of benefit to all of us, and

            May we all realize the fulfillment of our most meaningful aspirationsÉ.

 

 

On Meditation:

We begin with calm abiding or shamatha meditation to make the body & mind relaxed, serviceable and attentive, cultivating a baseline of sanity from which to effectively engage dharma teachings, in this case, the 7-Point Mind Training.  In general, shamatha develops the faculties of mindfulness and introspection as a means of enhancing the stability and vividness of the attention to make the mind serviceable for the further insight practice of vipashyana or critical inquiry, wherein the element of investigation is the difference. 

 

This practice of shamatha meditation is based on AlanÕs teaching suggesting the balancing of Òearth and sky.Ó   This offers the full spectrum of shamatha practice from the most basic full body awareness to the most advanced practice of awareness of awareness, or shamatha without a sign.  We will conclude each session with a discursive meditation either based on the four immeasurables or the four preliminaries.  These are some of the basic ingredients for the cultivation of bodhichitta, the spirit of awakening, and the 7 point mind training.

 

 

 First Meditation:  A.  Directions for ÒEarthÓ, the ÒInfirmaryÓ

 

1.     Be physically comfortable, assume either seated or preferably supine position for this practice.

2.     Set the welcome mat of ease and letting go, as we settle into earth element—sending down deep roots of relaxation, as in savasana, whether we are seated or lying down

3.     Settle body in natural state imbued w/ 3 characteristics of relaxation, stillness and vigilance—it is a formal posture for meditation, not just to relax and sleep, spine is straight

4.     Let your awareness permeate the field of the body, be mindfully present throughout the body with a very quiet mind, letting the mind dissolve into awareness, and letting awareness settle into the field of the body, this region of space in which tactile sensations arise and pass

 

 

 

5.     Be present with the tactile sensations of the earth element, sensations of solidity, firmness, touching and being held by earth. Mindfully relax the body, especially the shoulders, the neck and face, and particularly soften the eyes, the jaw, and allow the tongue to gently rest up against the upper palette behind the teeth

6.     Settle the respiration in its natural rhythm, and take three slow deep breaths, inhaling through the nostrils, mindfully present with the sensations of the breath throughout the body as we breathe deeply into the abdomen, then the diaphram, and finally the chest, releasing the breath completely

7.     Continue breathing effortlessly, releasing all control of the breath, and with each outbreath, let go of involuntary thoughts , w/o trying to control or concentrate the mind, simply release the mind w/ every outbreath and return to the silence of the space of the body

8.     With awareness grounded in the earth element, rest in the simplicity of the quiet field of the body, and gently attend to the sensations of the breath wherever they arise in the body, like watching waves roll in and out at the shoreline, just observe the ebb and flow of the breath

 

 

B.  Directions for ÒLoving KindnessÓ

1.     Practice of shamatha is a salve, a healing balm that soothes and brings about temporary peace, a welcome time out and withdrawal from samsara, a truce with mental afflictions,  but in and of itself is not enough for irreversible transformation or liberation, the culmination of dharma practice, and so with this settled awareness now cultivated in the sanctuary of calm abiding, we gently arouse our minds and drawing on our faculties of imagination, memories and intelligence, you are invited now to individually and uniquely envision your own flourishing from this moment forward.  What are your most meaningful aspirationsÉ over the short term, the long termÉwhat is your vision for your own realization of genuine happiness, of true freedomÉ.

2.     Now imagine your body to be empty—literally an empty form, just a matrix of appearances, just form in space, in and of space, and

3.   In the center of the heart chakra (center of chest), imagine the deepest dimension of your   awareness (called by many names in different traditions), your buddha nature, primordial awareness, and symbolically visualize this as a radiant orb of Light, an inexhaustible well spring of loving kindness, of primordial purity, the Light of Joy, the ultimate source of all desires and ground of all our inner resources

4.   With each inbreath, draw in from this radiant Source, and with each outbreath, allow the aspiration to arise Òmay I find the happiness that I seek—freedom, joy, meaning.  Imagine Light saturating the whole field of the body, and permeating the entire mind with the Light of loving kindness.

3.     Fill yourself to overflowing, and then let it flow with every outbreath to all present in this room—let everyone here realize his/her heartÕs desire, our innermost aspirations

4.     Now let the light expand in all directions, to all realms of being, and with each outbreath, send out the prayer ÒMay we all be well and happy.Ó

5.     Release all objects of the mind and all aspirations, and for a moment let your awareness rest in its own place, simply illuminating its own nature, and bring the session to a close.

 

 

Second Meditation:  A.  Directions for ÒSkyÓ  Awareness of Awareness

This is the practice of shamatha without a sign or object of meditation, in which we draw attention right in on itself, and abide there in that luminous space of cognizant awareness.  The end of this practice hinges on vipashyana or insight practice as we follow the instructions of Padmasambhava and reflect on pristine awareness.

 

 

1.     Sit comfortably in a formal seated posture and settle the body in its natural state, assuming a posture of relaxation, stillness and vigilance, with spine straight, sternum slightly lifted, abdominal muscles relaxed and loose

2.     Settle the respiration in its natural rhythm, breathing as effortlessly as if you were deep asleep, not modifying in any way, just allowing it to flow in & out of its own accord

3.     Settle the mind by taking 10 breaths, completely relaxing through the outbreath, letting go of any thoughts that may have arisen, arousing the attention during inhalation, paying close attention to the sensations of the breath & again, relaxing through the outbreath

4.     Then let your eyes be at least partially open, resting your gaze vacantly in the space in front of you before it meets any objects.  Eyes are relaxed, you may blink any time you need to

5.     With a core sense of ease, of letting go, of deep relaxation, simply let awareness rest in its own place

6.     To facilitate this process, conjoin this practice with breathing, without modifying the breath, let the breath flow naturally as before and now maintain a peripheral awareness of the breath such that you know when it is going in and when it is going out

7.     During inhalation, draw awareness in away from all objects and invert it into that which is aware, that which is observing

8.     During exhalation, utterly relax and let awareness come out into space, and just release   without latching onto any object

9.     Drawing the breath inwards, arouse attention, and pay close attention Òwhat is the nature of that which is observingÓ, and during exhalation, utterly release and let awareness come out and expand into space, & now as you breathe out retain, as if holding a thread very gently but firmly, this ongoing flow of awareness of awareness— and sustain an unbroken flow of cognizance, of knowing

10.  With every outbreath, release any thought that comes up immediately and sustain a flow of non-conceptual, unstructured awareness.  ÒThis is not trying to maintain awareness of awareness, but rather releasing of the trying thatÕs involved in attending to everything else.Ó  Rather than extending awareness to objects, either to the senses or to the mind, profoundly release so that your awareness stays home, resting in the knowing of knowing.

11.  Let your body be still like a mountain, your awareness coming to rest still like space, and releasing the impulse for movement, releasing the graspingÉ.

12.   In the words of the pointing out instructions of Padmasambhava:

ÒÉwithout having anything on which to meditate, release your body and mind into their natural stateÉWithout any modification or adulteration, rest your attention simply without wavering, in its own natural state, its natural limpidity, its own character, just as it.  Remain in clarity, and rest the mind so that it is loose and free.  Alternate between that which is concentrating inwardly and then releasing.  If it is the mind, ask: what is that very agent that releases the mind and concentrates the mind?  Steadily observe yourself, then release again.  By doing so, fine stability will arise, and you may even identify pristine awarenessÉ.Ó

13.  Finally, as we conclude this session let us deeply reflect, might this pristine awareness which we may identify, might this be that which persists beyond death?É.  And gently bring forth this aspiration, if this be so, may I realize in life the nature of this pure consciousness, of pristine awareness, of my own buddha nature, not only for my own sake, but for the sake of the enlightenment of all sentient beingsÉ        

14.  Release now all aspirations and for a moment let your awareness once again rest in its own place, simply illuminating its own nature, and bring the session to a close.