Clarity of mind and heart |
| Even if you are new to meditation, it is possible to get a feeling for the clarity of your own mind, which in turn will give you an experiential insight into what the mind is and how thoughts and feelings arise. This is useful, for happiness and suffering depend upon the mind, and so if we want to avoid suffering and find true happiness we need to understand how the mind works and use that understanding to bring our mind under control. In this way we can improve the quality of our life, both now and in the future. As a preview for the millennium retreat, I will now introduce the meditation on the mind that we are going to be focusing on in the retreat. You'll need 20-40 minutes. Sit comfortably with a straight back, close your eyes, and settle your mind with a few minutes breathing meditation. Once you have overcome strong distractions and your mind is relatively peaceful and stable, turn your attention from your breath to the continuous stream of feelings, thoughts, and images arising in your mind. Simply observe these, without trying to control or follow them. Watch your thoughts arising and falling away. Watch your feelings and sensations arising and falling away. Whatever comes up in the present moment and then disappears, watch this without reacting or intruding, clinging or pushing away. Now ask yourself where these thoughts are coming from and where they go to. What is the space between the end of one thought and the beginning of the next? Notice the clarity out of which thoughts arise and to which they return, like focusing on a mirror rather than on what is reflected in the mirror. Lower your sense of awareness from your head to your heart, so that you are visualizing this clarity at the level of your heart. This is bare awareness. It is like a boundless clear ocean, without shape, without color, without any physical properties. Gradually try to sink your awareness into this ocean-like root mind, and merge with it. Abide in this blissful clarity for as long as possible. Any thoughts that still arise are just like bubbles arising in an ocean - pay them no heed, and they will naturally dissolve back into the ocean from whence they came. Before you arise from meditation, think: "I'll bring back with me this peacefulness, serenity, and heightened awareness". |
SPECIAL EVENTS Shelter from the Storm International Spring Je Tsongkhapa Shelter from the Storm International Summer PHOTOS View the US
2008 For everything you ever wanted to know about Kadampa Buddhism visit the main Kadampa Tradition website. |