FW: [dzogchen] FW: [bodhisangha] How Meditation Works

[Guest guest]

Im passing along a nice article for anyone interested in Buddhist

meditation....Joyce -

> -

> "James Tan" <norbu3

>

> Joyce, I take the liberty to download in text format

>>From : http://here-and-now.org/VSI/Articles/TheoryMed/theoryHow.htm

>

> How Meditation Works

> by Shinzen Young

> An introductory overview of techniques for mental development within the

> Buddhist traditions of Theravada, Tantra and Zen and including reference to

> Christian contemplative practice.

>

> The Buddhist world comprises three broad traditions. Much of Southeast Asia

> (Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) preserves an early form of

> Indian Buddhism, the Theravada. A very late and highly evolved expression of

> Indian Buddhism, Vajrayana or Tantra, has dominated in Tibet, Mongolia and

> Nepal. In East Asia, we find Buddhism greatly transformed at the hands of

> the Chinese. It is this "Sinified" form of Buddhism which enters Korea,

> Japan and Vietnam. Zen is a product of East Asia.

>

> Within each of these three spheres, numerous schools, traditions and

> individual approaches exist for the practice of meditation. Yet concerning

> basic principles, there is remarkable agreement among Buddhists as to what

> is involved in the meditative process.

>

> This distinctive Buddhist orientation towards meditation can be summed up

> concisely. Meditation consists of two aspects or components. The first,

> called shamatha in Sanskrit, is the step by step development of mental and

> physical calmness. The second, vipashyana1, is the step by step heightening

> of awareness, sensitivity and observation. These two components complement

> each other and should be practiced simultaneously. Some techniques develop

> primarily calming, others primarily clarity, still others both equally. It

> is of utmost importance, however, that one component not be enhanced at the

> expense of the other. To do so is no longer meditation. Tranquility at the

> expense of awareness is dozing; awareness at the expense of calm is

> 'tripping.'

>

> Shamatha, if taken to an extreme, leads to special trance states; these may

> be of value, but they are not the ultimate goal of Buddhism. The practice of

> clear observation, on the other hand, if developed with sufficient intensity

> and consistency leads to a moment of insight into the nature of the self

> identification process. At that moment, awareness penetrates into the

> normally unconscious chain of mental events which gives us the rock-solid

> conviction "I am separate and limited." This insight brings with it a

> radical and permanent change in perspective . . . a refreshing sense of

> freedom which is not dependent upon circumstances2. The attainment of this

> perspective and the full manifestation of its implications in daily life are

> the goals of Buddhist meditation.

>

> What follows will amplify upon the above ideas and describe briefly a few

> specific practices drawn from the three Buddhist cultural spheres of East

> Asia, Southeast Asia, and Tibet.

>

> Shamatha

> Shamatha is the practice of stilling the mind through letting go. In

> Buddhist usage, it is virtually synonymous with the term samadhi. This

> latter term is usually translated as "one-pointedness" or concentration.

> Unfortunately, the word concentration often carries the connotation of

> repressing the mind, forcing it not to wander from a certain object. Such a

> tug of war between the desire of the mind to hold an object and its desire

> to wander is exhausting and produces unconscious tensions. This is the very

> antithesis of the shamatha state.

>

> The nature of concentration is detachment. Realizing this marks an important

> step along the path to the attainment of mental power. In real

> concentration, one simply rests the mind on the object at hand and then

> proceeds to let go of everything else in the universe. The mind then remains

> on that object until it is appropriate to shift attention. Thus, the ability

> to focus, to totally concentrate on one thing, is essentially equivalent to

> the ability to let go of everything. But, in order to do this, it is

> necessary to relax the body in a special way.

>

> First one learns to keep the body upright and utterly motionless entirely

> through balance and relaxation, without using muscular effort. The ideal

> posture for this is the cross-legged lotus, although satisfactory results

> can be achieved with a variety of postures, including sitting in a chair3.

> The important thing is to align the vertebra, find a position of

> equilibrium, and simply let the body hang from the spine by its own weight.

> This feeling of letting go then extends to the breath and finally to the

> mind itself.

>

> Since shamatha has the dual nature of letting go and one-pointedness, two

> approaches to the mind are possible. One is simply to allow the emotional

> and conceptual content of the mind to settle of its own weight. A way this

> may be achieved is through the elegant technique of "analogy." One feels a

> part of the body, such as the arm, relaxing, then discovers the mental

> analog of that feeling, i.e., what it feels like to relax thought.

>

> The second approach is to rest the attention on a specific object and gently

> return it there each time it wanders off. Eventually this wandering habit

> weakens, then disappears. The object may be physical or visualized, outside

> the body or within. The so-called "elephant taming pictures" of Tibet

> portray this process in detail.4

>

> It is common in all Buddhist traditions to give beginners some form of

> meditation which brings the mind to rest on the breathing. In Zen this

> usually involves counting the breaths or following the breath in and out. In

> the Theravada approach, one typically cultivates awareness of the touch

> feeling of the breath at the nose tip or abdomen. Here no attempt whatsoever

> is made to control the breath. But in Vajrayana, elaborate channels for the

> breath are visualized in the body, and cycles of inhalation, retention and

> exhalation in fixed ratios are practiced as in Hatha yoga.

>

> Chanting is also common to all traditions. When done with proper posture and

> intention, it can be very tranquilizing. In East Asia, chanting the Buddha

> Amitabha's name is especially popular. The Chinese call this practice

> Nien-Fo, the Japanese Nembutsu, the Koreans Yombul and the Vietnamese

> Niem-Phat. Many Tibetans incessantly chant mantras aloud or silently. Even

> in Theravada countries, the chanting of special scriptures, called pirit,

> represents a major event in the monastic year, often going on unbroken for

> many days and nights. The mind-stabilizing nature of chant and mantra

> recitation was also recognized in Christianity as witnessed by the "prayer

> of the heart" so popular in Eastern Orthodox spirituality. Chanting has a

> strong shamatha effect, but, as usually practiced, there is little of the

> vipashyana component; thus its power to bring liberating insight is weak.

>

> Physical Effects

> As body, breath and mind settle, a distinctive slowing down of the overall

> metabolism begins to take effect. One needs to sleep less, eat less, breathe

> less. In fact, spontaneous slowing of breath is probably the most easily

> observed physical barometer of depth of samadhi. Normal adults at sea level

> breathe about fifteen times per minute. During seated meditation, at a

> middle level of shamatha, the breathing rate may drop to only two or three

> breaths a minute. Because shamatha practice produces such conspicuous

> changes in the body's function, there has recently been a good deal of

> physiological research on meditators. A few results of this research will be

> summarized here.

> Meditators' brainwaves are usually highly synchronized; typically this takes

> the form of increase in the alpha rhythm whose frequency ranges from eight

> to twelve cycles per second. This enhanced alpha production in meditators

> continues even when their eyes are open. In non-meditators, opening of the

> eyes normally stops production of alpha waves. Electromyography reveals deep

> muscle relaxation in spite of the upright, unsupported posture. Skin

> conductivity (GSR) decreases, probably indicating less sweating and hence

> decreased sympathetic activity. This too implies relaxation.

> Researchers at Tokyo University made an interesting discovery about brain

> wave behavior in Zen practitioners. A group of meditators and a group of

> non-meditators were asked to sit quietly with electrodes attached to monitor

> brainwaves. A click sound was repeatedly presented to both groups. At first,

> both groups showed momentary "blocking" of alpha. This was as expected, for

> such blocking is part of the normal orienting response to a new stimulus.

> After several clicks, the non-meditator group no longer showed this

> blocking. This also is normal. They had accommodated to the stimulus: it was

> no longer new and fresh. But the Zen practitioners continued to momentarily

> block alpha with every click as if each time they were hearing the click for

> the first time. This fits nicely with the Zen ideal of "living in the

> moment." In India, a similar click experiment was done with some yogis. They

> showed no alpha blocking. Apparently, withdrawn in trance, they did not hear

> the sound.5

>

> Shamatha is a continuum of states of progressive settling of the mind

> associated with growth in detachment, concentration power and a distinctive

> set of physiological changes. At the deep end of this continuum, these

> phenomena become extreme, and states, called in Pali jhanas (Sanskrit

> dhyana), are entered. In deep jhana, the drives to which everyone is

> normally subject are actually suspended, though not necessarily

> extinguished. This may last for a few hours or several days. One does not

> feel driven to move, eat, sleep or think. Indeed, the metabolism so slows

> that the breath seems nonexistent. The mind, which in its uncultivated state

> is like a torrential cataract, becomes a rippleless, limpid lake. The

> deepest jhana is a kind of trance, but by no means is every trance a jhana

> state. The characteristics of the jhanas are distinct and well-defined in a

> class of Buddhist literature called Abhidharma literature. In all, nine

> levels are distinguished.

>

> Development and Use of Shamatha

> Shamatha is best developed by a daily, sitting meditation practice. What are

> the typical experiences of a person who takes up such a practice? - How is

> it likely to affect his or her day-to-day life?

> At first, the body strains to remain upright during sitting, the breath is

> rough, piston-like. and the mind wanders terribly. One may even feel more

> agitated than usual. Actually, one is just becoming aware for the first time

> of the appalling extent and intensity of the chaos within. This awareness is

> really the first stage of progress. Until the mind has had a chance to

> really experience the discomfort caused by its habitual drivenness and

> fixation, there will be no motivation to develop different habits. In the

> Tibetan tradition, this initial sobering experience is called "realizing the

> mind as a waterfall."

> As with any other art, however, time and regular practice bring skill at

> shamatha. Body learns to settle into the posture, breath becomes smooth and

> slow, and irrelevant thoughts no longer scream for attention but whisper and

> are more easily ignored. By the end of each half-hour or hour meditation

> period, one experiences a noticeable calm, lightness and openness. Then the

> task is to remember this calm state and to remain in it throughout the

> activities of the day!

>

> At first, it may be possible to recapture this settling effect only during

> the simplest mechanical tasks such as walking, sweeping or gardening. The

> emphasis on manual labor in all forms of monasticism, East and West, is

> meant to provide situations wherein it is relatively easy to preserve inner

> silence while moving the body. After sufficient experience, the awareness of

> calm can be preserved throughout the day, though its depth may vary

> depending on circumstances. One can drive a car, make love, even have

> arguments and write books without leaving the shamatha state. One even

> dreams in it.

>

> Even a person with no meditation experience can appreciate the advantage of

> a calm and concentrated mind in carrying out physical or mental tasks. With

> the deepening of shamatha, most activities of daily life are enhanced as one

> brings this ever more powerful, ever more stable mind to bear on them. In

> addition, the associated settling of the body produces an abundance of

> energy. Further, shamatha is a state of openness and acceptance, key factors

> in successful interpersonal relationships. Also, the detachment associated

> with shamatha makes it much easier to stick to one's principles and approach

> one's moral ideal.

>

> For many shamatha practitioners, the events of the day are seen as a

> sequence of opportunities to deepen and apply skill at one-pointedness.

>

> Peculiar inversions in values may take place. Normally unpleasant situations

> turn into gold.

>

> Overwork and physical discomfort become "feedback devices". Uncomfortable?

> Go deeper!

>

> Chaotic and fearful situations are accepted as challenges to one's

> meditative prowess. Wasting time is no longer conceivable. Being

> unexpectedly kept wafting for an hour somewhere means an hour of "secret

> use, hidden enjoyment."6 The Sung dynasty Ch'an master Wu-Men summed it up

> when he said, "Most people are used twenty-four hours a day; the meditator

> uses twenty-four hours a day."

>

> The states along this "shamatha continuum" from superficial calming to total

> trance are known outside Buddhism. Indeed, they are central to the

> systematic cultivation of mystical experience in all religious traditions.

> For example, in the Roman Catholic Church, cover terms for such states are

> oratio quies (prayer of quiet) and recollection7. Sometimes these states are

> referred to as "nondiscursive prayer" as opposed to usual prayer which uses

> words and thoughts. There is copious literature on the subject in both the

> Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions of Christianity. Different

> authors use different terminologies to distinguish benchmarks along the

> continuum8. The deepest trance level of prayer of quiet was sometimes called

> "infused contemplation" or simply "contemplation." After the 16th century,

> the practice of nondiscursive prayer declined in the Western church for

> interesting historical reasons. This, however, is beyond the scope of the

> present discussion.

>

> The classical Raja yoga of Patanjali, another non-Buddhist system,

> distinguishes three stages along the continuum of settling which are

> referred to as the 'inner branches' of yoga. The first is dharana (holding

> on) during which the yogi strives to hold the object of concentration,

> returning to it each time the mind wanders. When the second stage, dhyana,

> is reached, concentration upon the object is unbroken, like a "flowing

> stream of oil." Finally, all mental fluctuations cease, trance is attained,

> and the yogi feels that mundane limitations have been transcended. Patanjali

> calls this last stage samadhi. Note that, while in Buddhism the word samadhi

> is usually used as a general term for any state of one-pointedness, here in

> classical yoga it refers only to the very deepest of such state.9

>

> Nor is the experience of shamatha found only within the context of religious

> mysticism; it sometimes crops up in the arts, sports and other "secular"

> activities which require intense concentration and relaxation.

>

> It is interesting to see how beliefs and attitudes influence people's

> perceptions of the shamatha process. The musician who sometimes experiences

> a light transient samadhi while performing will likely associate this state

> only with the art and, being unaware of its broader potentials, will not

> strive to deepen and maintain it. In this case, the artist's daily life will

> never be engulfed and transformed by the experience.

>

> The Value of Trance

> Mystics in traditions with dualistic philosophical outlooks tend to see

> trance as the pinnacle and ultimate goal of the mystic path. This makes

> perfect sense. If you believe in the dichotomy of spirit versus matter as

> did the Neoplatonists of Hellenistic Europe and the Sankhya theorists of

> ancient India, then your goal will be conceived of in terms of freeing

> spirit from the trammels of matter. The absence of drives and extreme

> withdrawal which characterize the deep end of the shamatha continuum will

> allow you to do this but, of course, only for limited periods of time.

> Eventually one must come out of trance, at which time there may or may not

> be a permanent transformation of consciousness. Patanjali's Raja yoga is, in

> fact, simply the practice associated with the Sankhya philosophy, a system

> which postulates a radical dichotomy between purusha (spirit) and prakriti

> (matter). Likewise, if you believe in a God who stands outside creation,

> then the way to meet God directly is to pull out of creation for a while.

> Furthermore, it you are theistically inclined, you will likely perceive

> these states of tranquility, particularly the deeper one's, as special

> graces conferred by God. In her "Interior Castle", the 16th century Spanish

> saint, Teresa of Avila, vividly describes the various levels of prayer of

> quiet culminating in what she calls perfect union, which roughly corresponds

> to the very deep jhana in Buddhism or "samadhi" in Patanjali's yoga.

>

> For Buddhists, the attainment of samadhi at its various depths is more a

> skill than a supernatural grace. Like piano playing or golf, it is something

> that can be learned reasonably well by most people with sufficient

> motivation and regular practice. Of course, it is a special skill because of

> its great generality and power. Most other skills are enhanced by this one

> skill. More important, it is special because of the changes it brings to

> one's life.

>

> However, shamatha, no matter how deep, is not the ultimate goal of the

> Buddhist. The intensity and enrichment which habitual one-pointedness brings

> to daily life are but pleasant byproducts of the meditative process. Even

> the jhanas, though purifying and refreshing, are conditioned, impermanent

> and ultimately unsatisfying. They may even become a hindrance to realizing

> the true Buddhist goal, Nirvana.10 Shamatha is merely a tool which

> facilitates the attainment of Nirvana.

>

> The word Nirvana literally means extinction. Not the extinction of self, but

> extinction of the kleshas, the "afflictions" which prevent happiness. The

> kleshas may be broadly grouped under three headings: raga, dvesha and moha.

> Raga (desire) is the drive to repeat pleasant sensations. Dvesha (aversion,

> hate or antipathy) is the rejection of unpleasant sensations. Moha is

> confusion and lack of clarity. Moha is responsible for our sense of limited

> identity and prevents us from noticing the subtle malaise and discomfort

> which underlie all experience.

>

> Concerning raga and dvesha, there is an important point which is sometimes

> missed. Raga means hankering for mental and physical pleasure, not the

> pleasure itself. The serious Buddhist seeks to eliminate this hankering

> because it is a source of suffering. Pleasure of itself is most definitely

> not evil and need not be abjured. Likewise, dvesha is the reaction of

> rejecting, psychologically and physically. Fighting with pain causes

> suffering. Pain, if not frantically rejected, causes little suffering. One

> who has come to grips with raga and dvesha, then enjoys the pleasant without

> feeling frustrated when the pleasant cannot be had. Likewise, he or she

> naturally avoids hurt yet does not feel imposed upon when harm is

> unavoidable. Such a person no longer carries around that internal sword of

> Damocles under which the majority of humanity labors, i.e. the constant

> threat of hell within if we don't get what we want.

>

> So Nirvana is what life feels like to a person for whom:

> No matter how assailed, anger need not arise.

> No matter what the pleasure, compulsive longing need not arise.

> No matter what the circumstances, a feeling of limitation need not arise.

> Such a person is in a position to live exuberantly, to experience life

> fully, and also to fully experience death. The former is called "Nirvana

> with a remnant," the latter "Nirvana without a remnant."

>

> There are two ways in which shamatha serves as a tool for attaining Nirvana.

> Firstly, it confers a sense of letting go which aids in the gradual

> renunciation of desire and aversion. Secondly, it gives the mental stability

> and one-pointedness necessary for effective vipashyana practice. Vipashyana

> destroys moha.

>

> Moha means basically not knowing what is going on within one'self. According

> to Buddhism, it is the fundamental kiesha, lying at the root of all our

> problems. The cure lies in extending clarity and awareness down into

> normally unconscious processes. This sounds like much of Western psychology.

> The difference lies in the fact that, in meditation, awareness is cultivated

> within the shamatha state, that distinctive profound settling of mind and

> body described above. This allows for an exposing of the unconscious which

> is far more direct, unrelenting and keener than that usually attained in

> psychotherapy. Not surprisingly, the results are different. Therapy, when

> successful, solves specific problems. Meditation, when successful, provides

> a general solution applicable to any problem, even "biggies" like guilt,

> loss of loved one's, failure, intractable disease, old age and death.

> Psychology tells us something about how a person's problems arise.

> Meditation reveals something about how the idea of "person" arises and, in

> doing so, frees one from the necessity to always identity with being a

> particular person. Within the context of such radical objectivity, personal

> problems can then be dealt with very efficiently.

>

> Liberating Insight

> The term vipashyana is derived from three Sanskrit morphemes,

> vi-pash-yana. -yana is suffix used to form nouns denoting actions or

> processes (technically it is the "iotacized" or "y-" form of the common

> nomen actionis suffix -ana). Note the short 'a' in yana. It should not be

> confused with yana meaning vehicle. Vi- is a prefix connoting both

> separation and penetration just as its Greek counterpart dia- does

> (dia-critic "serving to separate," dia-thermy "passing heat through.") Both

> vi- and dia- are ultimately derived from the Indo European *dwi- believed to

> be related to *dwo- meaning "two." Pash is a shortened form of spash, which

> is ultimately connected both to the Latin stem spec- (as in spectacle) and

> the English word spy. It means simply to see. So vi-pash-yana means both to

> "see with separation," i.e. to discern clearly the components of one's

> experience, and to "see through," i.e. gain penetrating understanding into

> the nature of experience. Thus vipashyana connotes both the practice of

> investigation (mindfulness) and the wisdom that arises as the result of the

> investigation (insight). In the most general sense, vipashyana refers to the

> clarifying side of the meditation coin while shamatha refers to the calming

> side. In this general sense, all forms of meditation, Buddhist and

> otherwise, can be analyzed in terms of shamatha and vipashyana effects. But

> the term vipashyana (or its Pali equivalent Vipassana) is also used as a

> proper noun (hence the capital 'V' here). In this sense, it refers to a

> specific style (or more accurately, a group of related styles) of meditation

> practiced in the Theravada countries of South East Asia, South East Thailand

> and Burma. This style emphasizes systematic observation of the sense

> gates...infusing ordinary experience with precision and equanimity.

>

> Sustained vipashyana leads to a moment of liberating insight when a huge

> mass of moha falls away like a chunk of concrete revealing a vista of

> freedom. In scholastic Buddhism, this is called "entering the stream of

> nobles." The Rinzai school speaks of kensho (seeing one's nature) or satori

> ("catching on"). Sometimes in English it is referred to as initial

> enlightenment or breakthrough. At that moment, the wisdom eye opens, but

> wider for some than for others. In any case, it never closes again. This is

> no "peak experience" which later fades. It is a permanent change in

> perspective, a revolution in the basis of the mind.

>

> A breakthrough of insight into oneness sometimes occurs spontaneously to

> people who have never practiced meditation and may not even be particularly

> "spiritually" inclined. However, without some background in clarity, it is

> difficult to hold on to and integrate such an insight and the experience

> usually fades into a pleasant memory after a few moments, hours or days.

> Occasionally, such an unsought experience does work a permanent

> transformation, but, even then, without systematic practice it is difficult

> to realize its full implications in daily life.

>

> Late in life, Saint Teresa de Avila came to an experience of God which was

> permanent and independent of trance. She called it spiritual marriage and

> says it was occasioned by an "intellectual vision." From her description, it

> seems similar to the initial breakthrough in Buddhism, though conceived of

> entirely in Christian terms, of course. Concerning this experience, she

> makes the remarkable statement, "There is a self-forgetfulness which is so

> complete that it really seems as though the soul no longer existed..."11 For

> another classical Christian source which clearly distinguishes "trance

> mysticism" and "insight mysticism", see "The Cloud of Unknowing"

> particularly chapter LXXI, which describes the fact "that some may feel the

> perfection of this work only in a time of ecstasy while others may feel it

> whenever they wish, in the common state of mans soul".

>

> According to Buddhist concepts, at this first breakthrough, one realizes

> "no-self". But this expression, no-self, which Buddhists are so fond of, can

> be very misleading. At first blush, the idea seems uninviting if not

> positively absurd. It sounds like a negation of individuality, a frightening

> loss of controlling center, or a kind of deluded regression. But what is

> meant by no-self is becoming free from the perspective of "self as thing"

> (satkayadrishti). Conceptually this is not quite the same as losing self nor

> does it imply the absence of a "personality of self."

>

> What is meant by "becoming free from a concept?" One is free from a

> particular thought or concept if that thought always arises without the

> slightest unconscious tension, repression or break in awareness of the

> thought as thought. Then one is experiencing the thought so fully that there

> is not time for the mind to tense and solidify the thought. And so the

> thought ceases to be in one's way. In other words, a thought, concept,

> mental image or memory has no hold over us if we always experience it

> totally (vipashyana) and yet remain relaxed (shamatha). This is no easy

> matter in any case. Initial enlightenment comes when we discover that it is

> possible to allow our deepest moment to moment image of "me and mine" to

> arise in this full, empty way. From then on, the distinction between self

> and other (or between enlightenment and nonenlightenment) loses its hold.

> This, of course, is but one of many ways of interpreting the experience.

>

> Later tradition dilates upon the great merit and karmic resources necessary

> to achieve this. However, it should be strongly emphasized that, with

> skillful guidance, a person may well come to such an experience within a few

> years of highly motivated practice.

> Most people, even after such a breakthrough, still find themselves becoming

> confused, doing wrong things, feeling bad, giving in to unwholesome habits,

> etc., though they are no longer constrained to identify with these

> negativities. So they continue to practice, even more assiduously than

> before, working to eliminate raga and dvesha, rooting out subtle remaining

> moha, eradicating the stubborn sway of old bad habits.

>

> Along the way, as one moves closer and closer to complete Nirvana, there may

> come a point where priorities shift from "wisdom" to "compassion," i.e.,

> from meditation to action12.

> If you really feel oneness with everything, it is only natural to take

> responsibility for all your parts. Helpful words and actions begin to flow

> forth spontaneously.

>

> Although in Mahayana, compassion (really love) is conceived of on a par with

> wisdom, in practice priority is usually initially placed on gaining

> liberation. Its just more efficient that way. Clearing away some moha first

> makes it less likely that one's efforts to help others will be misguided.

> Eliminating raga and dvesha makes it less likely that one's zeal will lead

> to aggressiveness and the sacrificing of principles for an end. Further,

> after one is free from the concepts of helper, helped and helping, there is

> less feeling of chagrin or loss of enthusiasm when one's efforts to help

> fail.

>

> The specific direction which such activities take depends upon the culture,

> circumstances, abilities and personality of the individual. They range from

> wizardry to political activism.

>

> To summarize what has been said so far, shamatha and vipashyana then are

> tools for attaining "enlightenment," insight into the nature of the sense of

> separate self. That perspective is a tool which, facilitates the achievement

> of complete Nirvana.

>

> According to some Mahayana conceptualizations, Nirvana itself is a kind of

> tool, a tool which allows a person to effortlessly and efficaciously exert a

> beneficial influence on others. If you are completely free and if your

> influence is such that it helps a great many people to also become free (as

> did that of Sakyamuni), you are called a Buddha.

>

> The following are a few specific techniques for developing the liberating

> awareness described above.

>

> Mindfulness Meditation

> A common approach used in the Theravada tradition is to flood the

> consciousness with more and more complete and precise information about

> mental and physical events. Typically, one first learns to experience this

> intense "vipashyana mode" of observation for a single simple event. Once

> learned, this can be generalized and applied to any aspect of experience.

> With practice, a habitual suppleness is developed which allows one to

> perceive each event in the stream of daily life in this totally aware way

> without having to work at it.

>

> Take, for example, the act of walking. Most people do it unconsciously.

> There's nothing wrong with that, but suppose you would like to enhance

> awareness of this event "walking." You could start by mentally noting which

> foot is swinging at any particular time. This gives you a tiny bit more

> information about the reality of walking than doing it unconsciously. Next,

> with regard to each foot, try to note the very instant when the foot begins

> to rise and the instant when it again touches the ground13 . Left up, left

> swing, left down, right up, right swing, right... For still more detailed

> observation, it is useful at the beginning to walk much more slowly than

> normal and perhaps to pause between each component of the walking. Now, note

> the instant the left heel rises, note the sweep of tactile sensation as the

> sole lifts away from the ground. Note the moment the toes leave the ground,

> the beginning of the forward swing, the swing itself, the end point of the

> swing, the beginning of lowering the foot, the lowering, the instant the

> foot touches ground, again the sweep of tactile sensation and the instant

> when the foot has completely returned to the ground. Now pause. Note when

> the will to move the right foot arises. Now begin to move the right foot,

> observing each component as before.

>

> Such an exercise builds much samadhi, but this is a byproduct. The important

> thing is increased clarity about the process. After more practice, it is

> possible to apply an even finer analysis. Within each component of the

> motion (lifting, swinging, lowering, etc.) can be distinguished numerous

> subcomponents, tiny jerks each with distinct beginning and end points and

> each preceded by a separate will to move.

>

> If this keen observation is sustained, alterations in perception begin to

> occur. The event seems to slow down, a subjective sensation independent of

> any actual physical slowness. Each component of the event seems to contain

> vast expanses of time and space within which to perceive information in an

> unhurried way14.

>

> But wait. As your information about the foot gets fuller and fuller, the

> foot seems to be less and less there! It expands, contracts, becomes light

> and hollow, merges with things, disappears and reappears. Without being

> seduced or frightened, just keep on noting the simple reality of the foots

> moment-to-moment motion.

>

> This "vipashyana mode" of awareness can be applied to every type of

> experience. One can gently move the eye over an object, drinking in

> information about it so rapidly and fully that the consciousness has no time

> to solidify and limit the object. Likewise with other senses, touch, taste,

> smell, hearing, etc. This is the fundamental paradox of meditation: see

> something fully and it is transparent, hear fully and there is silence. The

> feeling of solidity and separateness of objects, which most people take for

> granted, turns out to be merely an unnecessary and toxic byproduct of the

> process of perception. It clogs the flowing stream of life. One can function

> quite well without it.

> Applying this total mode of awareness to emotions, concepts and mental

> images is the most difficult but most productive exercise of all. The stream

> of a person's thoughts and feelings is so unpredictable and gripping ... not

> at all like raising and lowering a foot! Yet with the detachment and

> one-pointedness of shamatha, one can catch a thought at its very onset and

> note each minute permutation until the very end in that same slowed down,

> complete, unsolidified mode of awareness. A person who can unrelentingly

> apply this mode to his or her deepest images of self will enter a refreshing

> new world.

>

> The Rinzai Zen Koan

> The meditator attempts to establish direct contact with deep processes. One

> approach is to pose a question which can be readily answered by the deep

> spontaneous mind but is utterly intractable for the discursive surface. This

> approach was developed within certain schools of the Chan-Zen tradition,

> that important East Asian expression of Buddhism. Nowadays, it is

> particularly associated with Rinzai-shu, one of the two major schools of

> Japanese Zen. Such a conundrum is called a koan in Japanese; "What is the

> sound of one hand?" and "Mu" are two famous one's. The koan question is

> mercilessly pressed to deeper and deeper levels, and, in the process, great

> samadhi power is developed. When an answer wells up, it carries with it a

> valuable insight. In this way, by answering many such koans, the wisdom

> faculty is gradually exercised. However, if the question is pressed deeply

> enough, the insight accompanying its solution will be sufficient to crack

> moha and bring kensho (initial enlightenment). It is important to remember,

> however, that there are many kinds of koans for specific purposes and that

> individual teachers use koans in different ways.

>

> The Tantric Tradition

> Meditation is sometimes described as a journey, a journey from the surface

> mind to the Source Mind, a journey made by progressively extending calmness

> and awareness to subtler and subtler levels, eliminating layer after layer

> of unconsciousness in great sheets. But along this journey one may

> experience various phenomena which have significance, though are not in

> themselves the goal. The meditator may experience warm blissful energy

> flowing in parts of the body, see dazzling light, hear symphonies of

> internal sound, seem to float out of the body, etc. Or one may encounter

> what appear to be archetypal entities: gods, demons, sages and spirits. In

> most traditions of Buddhism, such experiences are denigrated as stray paths

> and impediments along the "main line" to liberation. Zen teachers usually

> dismiss them as makyo (obstructive hallucination) and recommend simply

> ignoring them. This phenomenon was well know to Christian contemplatives who

> referred to it as phantasmata.

>

> The Tantric tradition takes a different tack. The Tantrics systematically

> explored and cultivated these byways. But, and this is really the point,

> they interpreted these experiences in Buddhist terms and skillfully

> harnessed them towards the realization of the twin ideals of Mahayana

> Buddhism, wisdom and compassion. Herein lies the distinctive and powerful

> contribution of Buddhist Tantra. It successfully incorporates experiences

> from the subtle "realms of power" in a way which is both philosophically and

> practically consonant with the goals of Buddhism. This is part of what is

> meant by "skillful means" of which the Tibetans so often speak.

> Tibetan tradition has preserved and developed a rich repertoire of

> contemplative techniques. Here we will discuss just one, that of

> "visualization" which perhaps could be more accurately described as mental

> creation.

> We have pointed out how Buddhist meditation seeks to understand the process

> of identification with a particular self. One way to get such understanding

> is to, step by step, build another self from scratch! One visualizes body

> parts, imputes mental states, speech and personality until one can see this

> artificial being in front of oneself as vividly as anything in the natural

> world. This, of course, is no easy task, but it is made possible through the

> great mental stability which shamatha confers. Then the practitioner learns

> to fully identify with the created being for a specific period of time. Here

> we are talking about something very different from shamanism and possession

> phenomena. This is a learning process which, when done properly, is

> perfectly controlled, lucid and contrived to bring insight into the

> arbitrary nature of self-identification. But it confers even more, because

> the alternate self which is created and identified with is an archetype, an

> ideal image: a Buddha, Bodhisattva or Guardian. Not only is concentration

> power and liberating insight developed by this practice, but one begins to

> take on the virtues and positive attributes of that ideal, quickly

> eliminating the subtle remaining kiesha blocks to Nirvana. In this way,

> visualization is a skillful means for rapid progress toward complete

> liberation. It is, however, also relevant to the compassion aspect of

> Buddhism. This is because habitually perceiving oneself as a spiritual

> archetype has a subtle and pervasive influence on other people, drawing them

> in and fostering their own spiritual growth.

>

> Liberating insight achieves the "dharmakaya," or body of the absolute, which

> is formless. Within, there is constant identification with an ideal image.

> This is called technically "sambhogakaya," or body of glory." Outwardly the

> visualizer appears to others as a normal human being, the nirmanakaya -

> normal but somehow special, magic in a way that people can't quite put their

> finger on.

>

> The Paradox of Meditation: Soto Zen

> So far we have spoken of meditation in terms of growth, development, rewards

> and attainments. In Japan, there is a school which approaches meditation in

> an utterly different way, refusing to speak of any "attainment" such as

> samadhi, enlightenment or Nirvana. According to Soto Zen, meditation is most

> emphatically not a tool, not a means to an end. Rather it is an expression

> of the fact that the means and the end are not separate. Soto Zen advocates

> something called "just sitting." To appreciate this, we must consider for a

> moment another "fundamental paradox" of the meditation process.

>

> At the end of "Little Gidding," T. S. Eliot says,

> We shall not cease from exploration

> And the end of all our exploring

> Will be to arrive where we started

> And know the place for the first time.

>

> If meditation is a journey, it is a journey to where one is. The distance

> separating starting point and goal is zero. The mystic's freedom is none

> other than noticing that the bonds don't exist to begin with. In ultimate

> terms, to create in people's minds a solidified concept of enlightenment as

> a future goal is already to mislead them in some way. Soto Zen refuses to

> speak in any but ultimate terms. This is the perspective of the so-called

> "original enlightenment" school of thought which Dogen, the founder of

> Japanese Soto Zen, had studied as a youth under Tendai masters.

>

> If everything is already perfect, then what should we do? Soto Zen says,

> every day, for a period of time, place the body in meditation posture and

> just sit. Let go of everything but the reality of sitting. Don't daydream;

> don't seek Buddhahood. In a sense, Soto Zen is a form of vipashyana practice

> in which one is simply totally aware from moment to moment of the fact of

> sitting. But it is much more, because this is done within the context of the

> Mahayana philosophy of original enlightenment and, moreover, with the

> deepest faith that such sitting is the perfect expression of that inherent

> perfection. This last element, faith, characterized the ethos of the

> Kamakura period during which Dogen lived and during which pietistic sects

> like Pureland and Nichiren-Shu flourished.

>

> Misconceptions

> Finally, a few words about misconceptions and misapplications of meditation.

> To begin with, it is common for people to fool themselves into thinking they

> meditate when in fact they don't. One often hears statements like "I

> meditate with kung-fu" or "Life is my meditation." This is possible. It is

> also extremely rare. By Buddhist criteria, only a practice which palpably

> and relentlessly destroys the grip of desire, aversion and confusion is

> worthy of the name meditation.

>

> Glorifying the guru is another aberration, in my opinion. True, one needs

> guidance and encouragement, but people who are searching for the perfect

> guru often fail to make solid progress. The Buddha Sakyamuni urged

> self-reliance and downplayed the role of authority in spiritual life.

> Some people meditate for one-upmanship and special powers. They think

> meditation will give them an edge on the other guy. Actually, the purpose of

> meditation is to learn to embrace failure as effortlessly as success. As for

> special powers, Buddhism (particularly Tantric Buddhism) says it is

> legitimate to explore those realms in order to help others. However, in

> general, it is best to do this after liberation has been glimpsed. Only then

> do special powers cease to be seductive, frightening or at all impressive.

>

> Everyone who develops habitual shamatha will sometimes misuse it. If one

> does something wrong, it will be done wrong very one-pointedly! There is

> even a technical term for this. It's called miccha samadhi. Also, it is easy

> to use the withdrawal of shamatha to avoid facing unpleasant realities. In

> particular, one can silence the internal voice of conscience with it. This

> is why cultivating sila (wholesome character, morality) is a prerequisite to

> cultivating samadhi. It is also another reason why vipashyana awareness

> should accompany shamatha detachment.

>

> If some is good, more is better is not necessarily true of sitting

> meditation. Some people who sit all day and night for years have amazingly

> little to show for their suffering.

>

> One of the most insidious traps on the meditative path is getting stuck in a

> good place. By this is meant achieving some good results and becoming

> complacent, not moving on to the incomparably better results which lie

> around the corner. In Zen, a person who gets a taste of enlightenment and

> does not move forward is referred to as "a worm in the mud".

>

> Deep contemplative attainment does not make a person perfect; it confers

> mind power, a sense of happiness which is not dependent on circumstances,

> and a basically loving orientation toward one's environment. It does not,

> however, automatically guarantee immunity from stupidity, poor judgement or

> cultural myopia.

>

> Furthermore, each meditative system has its characteristic weaknesses.

> Theravada "Vipashyana" meditation could make one humorless and

> depersonalized if not balanced with "loving kindness meditation." Tantric

> practice can easily degenerate into manipulativeness, sterile ritual and

> obscurantism. Belief in original enlightenment and just sitting could get in

> the way of rapid growth. In Japan, Zen training, particularly Rinzai

> training, can be brutal and imbue a tendency towards authoritarianism. In

> fact, Zen suffered a temporary eclipse in Japan following World War II

> precisely because it had been widely used as an underpinning for militarism.

> The practice of meditation to get tough and the cultivation of detached

> repose so that one may kill and be killed without fear or compunction

> represents a tragic perversion.

>

> Finally, it is a mistake to identify meditation with a particular life

> style. Obviously, if one's daily life is seamy and chaotic, it will be

> difficult to attain a settled mind, but it is ludicrous to think that a

> person must be a vegetarian or enter a monastery to make headway in

> meditation. Such externals can help. They can also distract. The path to

> freedom is systematic and open to all. You don't need to be a Buddhist to

> profit from Buddhist meditation.

>

> That these aberrations and misdirections exist should not in the least

> surprise, dismay or discourage us. Every tool can be misapplied. The fact is

> that each of the above approaches to meditation, if skillfully and

> persistently cultivated, produces a well-balanced, fulfilled individual

> whose very presence benefits his or her fellows. As such, they represent

> significant and powerful contributions to human culture.

>

> To Sum It

> "There are many paths for entering the reality of Nirvana, but in essence

> they are all contained with two practices: stopping and seeing.

> Stopping is the primary gate for overcoming the bonds of compulsiveness.

> Seeing is the essential requisite for ending confusion.

> Stopping is the wholesome resource that nurtures the mind. Seeing is the

> marvelous art which fosters intuitive understanding.

> Stopping is the effective cause of attaining concentrative repose.

> Seeing is the very basis of enlightened wisdom.

> A person who attains both concentration and wisdom has all the

> requisites for self-help and for helping others... It should be known, then,

> that these two techniques are like the two wheels of a chariot, the two

> wings of a bird. If their practice is lopsided, you will fall from the path.

> Therefore, the sutra says: To one-sidedly cultivate the merits of

> concentrative repose without practicing understanding is called dullness. To

> one-sidedly cultivate knowledge without practicing repose is called being

> crazed. Dullness and craziness, although they are somewhat different, are

> the same in that they both perpetuate an unwholesome perspective."

> From the Hsiao Chih-Kuan by Master Tien-T'ai, 6th Century China

>

> Notes

> 1. The corresponding Pali terms are samatha and vipassana. In Tibetan zhi

> gnas (peaceful abiding) and lhag thong (penetrating vision) and in Chinese

> simply chih (stopping) and kuan (seeing).

> 2. This is analogous to what Thomas Kuhn, in his The Structure of Scientific

> Revolutions (University of Chicago Press, 1962), calls a paradigm shift. As

> with the "Copernican revolution", that which was thought to be the center is

> no longer seen as such, and suddenly everything makes a lot more sense.

> 3. Patanjali defined a suitable meditation posture (asana) as "stable and

> comfortable".

> 4. See Janice Dean Willis, The Diamond Light of the Eastern Dawn, Torchstone

> Books, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1972. The Ch'an/Zen school of East Asia

> has a series of "ox taming pictures". But the Chinese ox pictures portray

> the entire course of Buddhist training beginning with confusion and passing

> through the stages of study and meditation, initial breakthrough experience,

> the deepening and integrating of that experience and culminating in entering

> the marketplace offering gifts for all". The Tibetan elephant pictures

> merely depict stages of settling the mind.

> 5. See Charles Tart (Ed.), Altered States of Consciousness, Anchor Books,

> Doubleday and Co., Garden City, Now York, 1972, pg. 501- 518, " Tomio Hirai,

> Zen and the Mind, Japan Publications. Tokyo, 1978.

> 6. A Chinese expression. The Japanese speak of "stealing moments" during the

> day.

> 7. Meaning not "to remember" but to "collect back" or gather in the mind.

>>From Latin recon-ligere "back together tying". Compare Sanskrit sam-a-dhi

> "together-back-putting".

> 8. For general treatment of Roman Catholic Mysticism, see Auguste Poulain,

> The Graces of Interior Prayer, Celtic Cross Books, Windsor, Vermont 1978,.

> J. V. - Bainvel, (Ed.). For the Eastern Orthodox tradition, see Vladimir

> Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, St. Vladimir's Seminary

> Press, Crestwood, New York. New York, 1976, and E. Kadloubovsky and E. M.

> Palmer, translators, and Timothy Ware, editor, The Art of Prayer, An

> Orthodox Anthology, Laber and Faber Limited, London, 1978.

> 9. We see here the immense importance of context when dealing with spiritual

> vocabulary. In languages with long rich histories such as Sanskrit, Tibetan

> and Chinese, the same word in different traditions may mean something

> entirely different or something slightly but significantly different, even

> within the same tradition, teachers may use terms in different senses. In

> fact, in the realm of spiritual discourse, the same teacher may use the same

> term in different senses on different occasions. Developing a sensitivity to

> such usage is an important aspect of intellectual maturity for students of

> religious experience.

> 10. When Freudians spoke of the "Nirvana Drive," meaning the drive to not

> exist, they were taking Nirvana in its commonly misunderstood sense of

> self-extinction. As a technical term in Buddhism, Nirvana means freedom from

> any sense of being driven. Buddhism explicitly states that the drive to not

> exist (abhavatrsna) is as much a hindrance to Nirvana as the drive to exist

> is. Taken in that Buddhist sense, the term "Nirvana Drive" is an oxymoron, a

> self-contradictory expression, like saying wise fool.

> 11. See chapter seven of Teresa de Avila, Interior Castle, E. Allison Peers

> (Tr.), Image Books, 1961.

> 12. The notion that Theravadans as "Hinayanists" are only interested in

> individual liberation and not in helping others is quickly dispelled by

> examining the lives of highly attained representatives of that tradition. It

> is just that the "Mahayanist" tradition of East Asia and Tibet has a highly

> developed systematic philosophy and symbolism placing compassion on a par

> with wisdom and elucidating the inextricable interrelationship between the

> two. In Mahayana, one is oriented from the very beginning to seek liberation

> for the sake of oneself and others. Such an orientation is technically

> called bodhicitta in Sanskrit. A person who meditates with this orientation

> is a bodhisattva.

> 13. In attempting to fully experience any event, it is of utmost importance

> that the event's beginning and ending points be clearly noted. A line

> segment which includes its first and last point is mathematically very

> different from one which does not.

> 14. John Brodie, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, recalled

> such experiences in an interview published in the January 1973 issue of

> intellectual Digest (pp 19-20):

> "At times, and with increasing frequency now, I experience a kind of clarity

> that I've never seen adequately described in a football story. Sometimes,

> for example, time seems to slow way down, in an uncanny way, as if everyone

> were moving in slow motion. It seems as if I have all the time in the world

> to watch the receivers run their patterns, and yet I know the defensive line

> is coming at me just as fast as ever. I know perfectly well how hard and

> fast those guys are coming and yet the whole thing seems like a movie or a

> dance in slow motion. It's beautiful."

>

>

>

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Dear Joyce,

 

Thank you very much for the lovely article. Have'nt finished it yet, but

very interesting.

 

Good to hear you are a 'student' of Dzogchen. This is a most profound

teaching - the bit I have gathered so far.

 

Love,

Moller

 

Joyce Short <insight

< >

29 February 2000 11:15

FW: [dzogchen] FW: [bodhisangha] How Meditation

Works

 

>"Joyce Short" <insight

>

>

>

>Im passing along a nice article for anyone interested in Buddhist

>meditation....Joyce -

>

>> -

>> "James Tan" <norbu3

>>

>> Joyce, I take the liberty to download in text format

>>>From : http://here-and-now.org/VSI/Articles/TheoryMed/theoryHow.htm

>>

>> How Meditation Works

>> by Shinzen Young

>> An introductory overview of techniques for mental development within the

>> Buddhist traditions of Theravada, Tantra and Zen and including reference

to

>> Christian contemplative practice.

>>

>> The Buddhist world comprises three broad traditions. Much of Southeast

Asia

>> (Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) preserves an early form of

>> Indian Buddhism, the Theravada. A very late and highly evolved expression

of

>> Indian Buddhism, Vajrayana or Tantra, has dominated in Tibet, Mongolia

and

>> Nepal. In East Asia, we find Buddhism greatly transformed at the hands of

>> the Chinese. It is this "Sinified" form of Buddhism which enters Korea,

>> Japan and Vietnam. Zen is a product of East Asia.

>>

>> Within each of these three spheres, numerous schools, traditions and

>> individual approaches exist for the practice of meditation. Yet

concerning

>> basic principles, there is remarkable agreement among Buddhists as to

what

>> is involved in the meditative process.

>>

>> This distinctive Buddhist orientation towards meditation can be summed up

>> concisely. Meditation consists of two aspects or components. The first,

>> called shamatha in Sanskrit, is the step by step development of mental

and

>> physical calmness. The second, vipashyana1, is the step by step

heightening

>> of awareness, sensitivity and observation. These two components

complement

>> each other and should be practiced simultaneously. Some techniques

develop

>> primarily calming, others primarily clarity, still others both equally.

It

>> is of utmost importance, however, that one component not be enhanced at

the

>> expense of the other. To do so is no longer meditation. Tranquility at

the

>> expense of awareness is dozing; awareness at the expense of calm is

>> 'tripping.'

>>

>> Shamatha, if taken to an extreme, leads to special trance states; these

may

>> be of value, but they are not the ultimate goal of Buddhism. The practice

of

>> clear observation, on the other hand, if developed with sufficient

intensity

>> and consistency leads to a moment of insight into the nature of the self

>> identification process. At that moment, awareness penetrates into the

>> normally unconscious chain of mental events which gives us the rock-solid

>> conviction "I am separate and limited." This insight brings with it a

>> radical and permanent change in perspective . . . a refreshing sense of

>> freedom which is not dependent upon circumstances2. The attainment of

this

>> perspective and the full manifestation of its implications in daily life

are

>> the goals of Buddhist meditation.

>>

>> What follows will amplify upon the above ideas and describe briefly a few

>> specific practices drawn from the three Buddhist cultural spheres of East

>> Asia, Southeast Asia, and Tibet.

>>

>> Shamatha

>> Shamatha is the practice of stilling the mind through letting go. In

>> Buddhist usage, it is virtually synonymous with the term samadhi. This

>> latter term is usually translated as "one-pointedness" or concentration.

>> Unfortunately, the word concentration often carries the connotation of

>> repressing the mind, forcing it not to wander from a certain object. Such

a

>> tug of war between the desire of the mind to hold an object and its

desire

>> to wander is exhausting and produces unconscious tensions. This is the

very

>> antithesis of the shamatha state.

>>

>> The nature of concentration is detachment. Realizing this marks an

important

>> step along the path to the attainment of mental power. In real

>> concentration, one simply rests the mind on the object at hand and then

>> proceeds to let go of everything else in the universe. The mind then

remains

>> on that object until it is appropriate to shift attention. Thus, the

ability

>> to focus, to totally concentrate on one thing, is essentially equivalent

to

>> the ability to let go of everything. But, in order to do this, it is

>> necessary to relax the body in a special way.

>>

>> First one learns to keep the body upright and utterly motionless entirely

>> through balance and relaxation, without using muscular effort. The ideal

>> posture for this is the cross-legged lotus, although satisfactory results

>> can be achieved with a variety of postures, including sitting in a

chair3.

>> The important thing is to align the vertebra, find a position of

>> equilibrium, and simply let the body hang from the spine by its own

weight.

>> This feeling of letting go then extends to the breath and finally to the

>> mind itself.

>>

>> Since shamatha has the dual nature of letting go and one-pointedness, two

>> approaches to the mind are possible. One is simply to allow the emotional

>> and conceptual content of the mind to settle of its own weight. A way

this

>> may be achieved is through the elegant technique of "analogy." One feels

a

>> part of the body, such as the arm, relaxing, then discovers the mental

>> analog of that feeling, i.e., what it feels like to relax thought.

>>

>> The second approach is to rest the attention on a specific object and

gently

>> return it there each time it wanders off. Eventually this wandering habit

>> weakens, then disappears. The object may be physical or visualized,

outside

>> the body or within. The so-called "elephant taming pictures" of Tibet

>> portray this process in detail.4

>>

>> It is common in all Buddhist traditions to give beginners some form of

>> meditation which brings the mind to rest on the breathing. In Zen this

>> usually involves counting the breaths or following the breath in and out.

In

>> the Theravada approach, one typically cultivates awareness of the touch

>> feeling of the breath at the nose tip or abdomen. Here no attempt

whatsoever

>> is made to control the breath. But in Vajrayana, elaborate channels for

the

>> breath are visualized in the body, and cycles of inhalation, retention

and

>> exhalation in fixed ratios are practiced as in Hatha yoga.

>>

>> Chanting is also common to all traditions. When done with proper posture

and

>> intention, it can be very tranquilizing. In East Asia, chanting the

Buddha

>> Amitabha's name is especially popular. The Chinese call this practice

>> Nien-Fo, the Japanese Nembutsu, the Koreans Yombul and the Vietnamese

>> Niem-Phat. Many Tibetans incessantly chant mantras aloud or silently.

Even

>> in Theravada countries, the chanting of special scriptures, called pirit,

>> represents a major event in the monastic year, often going on unbroken

for

>> many days and nights. The mind-stabilizing nature of chant and mantra

>> recitation was also recognized in Christianity as witnessed by the

"prayer

>> of the heart" so popular in Eastern Orthodox spirituality. Chanting has a

>> strong shamatha effect, but, as usually practiced, there is little of the

>> vipashyana component; thus its power to bring liberating insight is weak.

>>

>> Physical Effects

>> As body, breath and mind settle, a distinctive slowing down of the

overall

>> metabolism begins to take effect. One needs to sleep less, eat less,

breathe

>> less. In fact, spontaneous slowing of breath is probably the most easily

>> observed physical barometer of depth of samadhi. Normal adults at sea

level

>> breathe about fifteen times per minute. During seated meditation, at a

>> middle level of shamatha, the breathing rate may drop to only two or

three

>> breaths a minute. Because shamatha practice produces such conspicuous

>> changes in the body's function, there has recently been a good deal of

>> physiological research on meditators. A few results of this research will

be

>> summarized here.

>> Meditators' brainwaves are usually highly synchronized; typically this

takes

>> the form of increase in the alpha rhythm whose frequency ranges from

eight

>> to twelve cycles per second. This enhanced alpha production in meditators

>> continues even when their eyes are open. In non-meditators, opening of

the

>> eyes normally stops production of alpha waves. Electromyography reveals

deep

>> muscle relaxation in spite of the upright, unsupported posture. Skin

>> conductivity (GSR) decreases, probably indicating less sweating and hence

>> decreased sympathetic activity. This too implies relaxation.

>> Researchers at Tokyo University made an interesting discovery about brain

>> wave behavior in Zen practitioners. A group of meditators and a group of

>> non-meditators were asked to sit quietly with electrodes attached to

monitor

>> brainwaves. A click sound was repeatedly presented to both groups. At

first,

>> both groups showed momentary "blocking" of alpha. This was as expected,

for

>> such blocking is part of the normal orienting response to a new stimulus.

>> After several clicks, the non-meditator group no longer showed this

>> blocking. This also is normal. They had accommodated to the stimulus: it

was

>> no longer new and fresh. But the Zen practitioners continued to

momentarily

>> block alpha with every click as if each time they were hearing the click

for

>> the first time. This fits nicely with the Zen ideal of "living in the

>> moment." In India, a similar click experiment was done with some yogis.

They

>> showed no alpha blocking. Apparently, withdrawn in trance, they did not

hear

>> the sound.5

>>

>> Shamatha is a continuum of states of progressive settling of the mind

>> associated with growth in detachment, concentration power and a

distinctive

>> set of physiological changes. At the deep end of this continuum, these

>> phenomena become extreme, and states, called in Pali jhanas (Sanskrit

>> dhyana), are entered. In deep jhana, the drives to which everyone is

>> normally subject are actually suspended, though not necessarily

>> extinguished. This may last for a few hours or several days. One does not

>> feel driven to move, eat, sleep or think. Indeed, the metabolism so slows

>> that the breath seems nonexistent. The mind, which in its uncultivated

state

>> is like a torrential cataract, becomes a rippleless, limpid lake. The

>> deepest jhana is a kind of trance, but by no means is every trance a

jhana

>> state. The characteristics of the jhanas are distinct and well-defined in

a

>> class of Buddhist literature called Abhidharma literature. In all, nine

>> levels are distinguished.

>>

>> Development and Use of Shamatha

>> Shamatha is best developed by a daily, sitting meditation practice. What

are

>> the typical experiences of a person who takes up such a practice? - How

is

>> it likely to affect his or her day-to-day life?

>> At first, the body strains to remain upright during sitting, the breath

is

>> rough, piston-like. and the mind wanders terribly. One may even feel more

>> agitated than usual. Actually, one is just becoming aware for the first

time

>> of the appalling extent and intensity of the chaos within. This awareness

is

>> really the first stage of progress. Until the mind has had a chance to

>> really experience the discomfort caused by its habitual drivenness and

>> fixation, there will be no motivation to develop different habits. In the

>> Tibetan tradition, this initial sobering experience is called "realizing

the

>> mind as a waterfall."

>> As with any other art, however, time and regular practice bring skill at

>> shamatha. Body learns to settle into the posture, breath becomes smooth

and

>> slow, and irrelevant thoughts no longer scream for attention but whisper

and

>> are more easily ignored. By the end of each half-hour or hour meditation

>> period, one experiences a noticeable calm, lightness and openness. Then

the

>> task is to remember this calm state and to remain in it throughout the

>> activities of the day!

>>

>> At first, it may be possible to recapture this settling effect only

during

>> the simplest mechanical tasks such as walking, sweeping or gardening. The

>> emphasis on manual labor in all forms of monasticism, East and West, is

>> meant to provide situations wherein it is relatively easy to preserve

inner

>> silence while moving the body. After sufficient experience, the awareness

of

>> calm can be preserved throughout the day, though its depth may vary

>> depending on circumstances. One can drive a car, make love, even have

>> arguments and write books without leaving the shamatha state. One even

>> dreams in it.

>>

>> Even a person with no meditation experience can appreciate the advantage

of

>> a calm and concentrated mind in carrying out physical or mental tasks.

With

>> the deepening of shamatha, most activities of daily life are enhanced as

one

>> brings this ever more powerful, ever more stable mind to bear on them. In

>> addition, the associated settling of the body produces an abundance of

>> energy. Further, shamatha is a state of openness and acceptance, key

factors

>> in successful interpersonal relationships. Also, the detachment

associated

>> with shamatha makes it much easier to stick to one's principles and

approach

>> one's moral ideal.

>>

>> For many shamatha practitioners, the events of the day are seen as a

>> sequence of opportunities to deepen and apply skill at one-pointedness.

>>

>> Peculiar inversions in values may take place. Normally unpleasant

situations

>> turn into gold.

>>

>> Overwork and physical discomfort become "feedback devices".

Uncomfortable?

>> Go deeper!

>>

>> Chaotic and fearful situations are accepted as challenges to one's

>> meditative prowess. Wasting time is no longer conceivable. Being

>> unexpectedly kept wafting for an hour somewhere means an hour of "secret

>> use, hidden enjoyment."6 The Sung dynasty Ch'an master Wu-Men summed it

up

>> when he said, "Most people are used twenty-four hours a day; the

meditator

>> uses twenty-four hours a day."

>>

>> The states along this "shamatha continuum" from superficial calming to

total

>> trance are known outside Buddhism. Indeed, they are central to the

>> systematic cultivation of mystical experience in all religious

traditions.

>> For example, in the Roman Catholic Church, cover terms for such states

are

>> oratio quies (prayer of quiet) and recollection7. Sometimes these states

are

>> referred to as "nondiscursive prayer" as opposed to usual prayer which

uses

>> words and thoughts. There is copious literature on the subject in both

the

>> Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions of Christianity. Different

>> authors use different terminologies to distinguish benchmarks along the

>> continuum8. The deepest trance level of prayer of quiet was sometimes

called

>> "infused contemplation" or simply "contemplation." After the 16th

century,

>> the practice of nondiscursive prayer declined in the Western church for

>> interesting historical reasons. This, however, is beyond the scope of the

>> present discussion.

>>

>> The classical Raja yoga of Patanjali, another non-Buddhist system,

>> distinguishes three stages along the continuum of settling which are

>> referred to as the 'inner branches' of yoga. The first is dharana

(holding

>> on) during which the yogi strives to hold the object of concentration,

>> returning to it each time the mind wanders. When the second stage,

dhyana,

>> is reached, concentration upon the object is unbroken, like a "flowing

>> stream of oil." Finally, all mental fluctuations cease, trance is

attained,

>> and the yogi feels that mundane limitations have been transcended.

Patanjali

>> calls this last stage samadhi. Note that, while in Buddhism the word

samadhi

>> is usually used as a general term for any state of one-pointedness, here

in

>> classical yoga it refers only to the very deepest of such state.9

>>

>> Nor is the experience of shamatha found only within the context of

religious

>> mysticism; it sometimes crops up in the arts, sports and other "secular"

>> activities which require intense concentration and relaxation.

>>

>> It is interesting to see how beliefs and attitudes influence people's

>> perceptions of the shamatha process. The musician who sometimes

experiences

>> a light transient samadhi while performing will likely associate this

state

>> only with the art and, being unaware of its broader potentials, will not

>> strive to deepen and maintain it. In this case, the artist's daily life

will

>> never be engulfed and transformed by the experience.

>>

>> The Value of Trance

>> Mystics in traditions with dualistic philosophical outlooks tend to see

>> trance as the pinnacle and ultimate goal of the mystic path. This makes

>> perfect sense. If you believe in the dichotomy of spirit versus matter as

>> did the Neoplatonists of Hellenistic Europe and the Sankhya theorists of

>> ancient India, then your goal will be conceived of in terms of freeing

>> spirit from the trammels of matter. The absence of drives and extreme

>> withdrawal which characterize the deep end of the shamatha continuum will

>> allow you to do this but, of course, only for limited periods of time.

>> Eventually one must come out of trance, at which time there may or may

not

>> be a permanent transformation of consciousness. Patanjali's Raja yoga is,

in

>> fact, simply the practice associated with the Sankhya philosophy, a

system

>> which postulates a radical dichotomy between purusha (spirit) and

prakriti

>> (matter). Likewise, if you believe in a God who stands outside creation,

>> then the way to meet God directly is to pull out of creation for a while.

>> Furthermore, it you are theistically inclined, you will likely perceive

>> these states of tranquility, particularly the deeper one's, as special

>> graces conferred by God. In her "Interior Castle", the 16th century

Spanish

>> saint, Teresa of Avila, vividly describes the various levels of prayer of

>> quiet culminating in what she calls perfect union, which roughly

corresponds

>> to the very deep jhana in Buddhism or "samadhi" in Patanjali's yoga.

>>

>> For Buddhists, the attainment of samadhi at its various depths is more a

>> skill than a supernatural grace. Like piano playing or golf, it is

something

>> that can be learned reasonably well by most people with sufficient

>> motivation and regular practice. Of course, it is a special skill because

of

>> its great generality and power. Most other skills are enhanced by this

one

>> skill. More important, it is special because of the changes it brings to

>> one's life.

>>

>> However, shamatha, no matter how deep, is not the ultimate goal of the

>> Buddhist. The intensity and enrichment which habitual one-pointedness

brings

>> to daily life are but pleasant byproducts of the meditative process. Even

>> the jhanas, though purifying and refreshing, are conditioned, impermanent

>> and ultimately unsatisfying. They may even become a hindrance to

realizing

>> the true Buddhist goal, Nirvana.10 Shamatha is merely a tool which

>> facilitates the attainment of Nirvana.

>>

>> The word Nirvana literally means extinction. Not the extinction of self,

but

>> extinction of the kleshas, the "afflictions" which prevent happiness. The

>> kleshas may be broadly grouped under three headings: raga, dvesha and

moha.

>> Raga (desire) is the drive to repeat pleasant sensations. Dvesha

(aversion,

>> hate or antipathy) is the rejection of unpleasant sensations. Moha is

>> confusion and lack of clarity. Moha is responsible for our sense of

limited

>> identity and prevents us from noticing the subtle malaise and discomfort

>> which underlie all experience.

>>

>> Concerning raga and dvesha, there is an important point which is

sometimes

>> missed. Raga means hankering for mental and physical pleasure, not the

>> pleasure itself. The serious Buddhist seeks to eliminate this hankering

>> because it is a source of suffering. Pleasure of itself is most

definitely

>> not evil and need not be abjured. Likewise, dvesha is the reaction of

>> rejecting, psychologically and physically. Fighting with pain causes

>> suffering. Pain, if not frantically rejected, causes little suffering.

One

>> who has come to grips with raga and dvesha, then enjoys the pleasant

without

>> feeling frustrated when the pleasant cannot be had. Likewise, he or she

>> naturally avoids hurt yet does not feel imposed upon when harm is

>> unavoidable. Such a person no longer carries around that internal sword

of

>> Damocles under which the majority of humanity labors, i.e. the constant

>> threat of hell within if we don't get what we want.

>>

>> So Nirvana is what life feels like to a person for whom:

>> No matter how assailed, anger need not arise.

>> No matter what the pleasure, compulsive longing need not arise.

>> No matter what the circumstances, a feeling of limitation need not arise.

>> Such a person is in a position to live exuberantly, to experience life

>> fully, and also to fully experience death. The former is called "Nirvana

>> with a remnant," the latter "Nirvana without a remnant."

>>

>> There are two ways in which shamatha serves as a tool for attaining

Nirvana.

>> Firstly, it confers a sense of letting go which aids in the gradual

>> renunciation of desire and aversion. Secondly, it gives the mental

stability

>> and one-pointedness necessary for effective vipashyana practice.

Vipashyana

>> destroys moha.

>>

>> Moha means basically not knowing what is going on within one'self.

According

>> to Buddhism, it is the fundamental kiesha, lying at the root of all our

>> problems. The cure lies in extending clarity and awareness down into

>> normally unconscious processes. This sounds like much of Western

psychology.

>> The difference lies in the fact that, in meditation, awareness is

cultivated

>> within the shamatha state, that distinctive profound settling of mind and

>> body described above. This allows for an exposing of the unconscious

which

>> is far more direct, unrelenting and keener than that usually attained in

>> psychotherapy. Not surprisingly, the results are different. Therapy, when

>> successful, solves specific problems. Meditation, when successful,

provides

>> a general solution applicable to any problem, even "biggies" like guilt,

>> loss of loved one's, failure, intractable disease, old age and death.

>> Psychology tells us something about how a person's problems arise.

>> Meditation reveals something about how the idea of "person" arises and,

in

>> doing so, frees one from the necessity to always identity with being a

>> particular person. Within the context of such radical objectivity,

personal

>> problems can then be dealt with very efficiently.

>>

>> Liberating Insight

>> The term vipashyana is derived from three Sanskrit morphemes,

>> vi-pash-yana. -yana is suffix used to form nouns denoting actions or

>> processes (technically it is the "iotacized" or "y-" form of the common

>> nomen actionis suffix -ana). Note the short 'a' in yana. It should not be

>> confused with yana meaning vehicle. Vi- is a prefix connoting both

>> separation and penetration just as its Greek counterpart dia- does

>> (dia-critic "serving to separate," dia-thermy "passing heat through.")

Both

>> vi- and dia- are ultimately derived from the Indo European *dwi- believed

to

>> be related to *dwo- meaning "two." Pash is a shortened form of spash,

which

>> is ultimately connected both to the Latin stem spec- (as in spectacle)

and

>> the English word spy. It means simply to see. So vi-pash-yana means both

to

>> "see with separation," i.e. to discern clearly the components of one's

>> experience, and to "see through," i.e. gain penetrating understanding

into

>> the nature of experience. Thus vipashyana connotes both the practice of

>> investigation (mindfulness) and the wisdom that arises as the result of

the

>> investigation (insight). In the most general sense, vipashyana refers to

the

>> clarifying side of the meditation coin while shamatha refers to the

calming

>> side. In this general sense, all forms of meditation, Buddhist and

>> otherwise, can be analyzed in terms of shamatha and vipashyana effects.

But

>> the term vipashyana (or its Pali equivalent Vipassana) is also used as a

>> proper noun (hence the capital 'V' here). In this sense, it refers to a

>> specific style (or more accurately, a group of related styles) of

meditation

>> practiced in the Theravada countries of South East Asia, South East

Thailand

>> and Burma. This style emphasizes systematic observation of the sense

>> gates...infusing ordinary experience with precision and equanimity.

>>

>> Sustained vipashyana leads to a moment of liberating insight when a huge

>> mass of moha falls away like a chunk of concrete revealing a vista of

>> freedom. In scholastic Buddhism, this is called "entering the stream of

>> nobles." The Rinzai school speaks of kensho (seeing one's nature) or

satori

>> ("catching on"). Sometimes in English it is referred to as initial

>> enlightenment or breakthrough. At that moment, the wisdom eye opens, but

>> wider for some than for others. In any case, it never closes again. This

is

>> no "peak experience" which later fades. It is a permanent change in

>> perspective, a revolution in the basis of the mind.

>>

>> A breakthrough of insight into oneness sometimes occurs spontaneously to

>> people who have never practiced meditation and may not even be

particularly

>> "spiritually" inclined. However, without some background in clarity, it

is

>> difficult to hold on to and integrate such an insight and the experience

>> usually fades into a pleasant memory after a few moments, hours or days.

>> Occasionally, such an unsought experience does work a permanent

>> transformation, but, even then, without systematic practice it is

difficult

>> to realize its full implications in daily life.

>>

>> Late in life, Saint Teresa de Avila came to an experience of God which

was

>> permanent and independent of trance. She called it spiritual marriage and

>> says it was occasioned by an "intellectual vision." From her description,

it

>> seems similar to the initial breakthrough in Buddhism, though conceived

of

>> entirely in Christian terms, of course. Concerning this experience, she

>> makes the remarkable statement, "There is a self-forgetfulness which is

so

>> complete that it really seems as though the soul no longer existed..."11

For

>> another classical Christian source which clearly distinguishes "trance

>> mysticism" and "insight mysticism", see "The Cloud of Unknowing"

>> particularly chapter LXXI, which describes the fact "that some may feel

the

>> perfection of this work only in a time of ecstasy while others may feel

it

>> whenever they wish, in the common state of mans soul".

>>

>> According to Buddhist concepts, at this first breakthrough, one realizes

>> "no-self". But this expression, no-self, which Buddhists are so fond of,

can

>> be very misleading. At first blush, the idea seems uninviting if not

>> positively absurd. It sounds like a negation of individuality, a

frightening

>> loss of controlling center, or a kind of deluded regression. But what is

>> meant by no-self is becoming free from the perspective of "self as thing"

>> (satkayadrishti). Conceptually this is not quite the same as losing self

nor

>> does it imply the absence of a "personality of self."

>>

>> What is meant by "becoming free from a concept?" One is free from a

>> particular thought or concept if that thought always arises without the

>> slightest unconscious tension, repression or break in awareness of the

>> thought as thought. Then one is experiencing the thought so fully that

there

>> is not time for the mind to tense and solidify the thought. And so the

>> thought ceases to be in one's way. In other words, a thought, concept,

>> mental image or memory has no hold over us if we always experience it

>> totally (vipashyana) and yet remain relaxed (shamatha). This is no easy

>> matter in any case. Initial enlightenment comes when we discover that it

is

>> possible to allow our deepest moment to moment image of "me and mine" to

>> arise in this full, empty way. From then on, the distinction between self

>> and other (or between enlightenment and nonenlightenment) loses its hold.

>> This, of course, is but one of many ways of interpreting the experience.

>>

>> Later tradition dilates upon the great merit and karmic resources

necessary

>> to achieve this. However, it should be strongly emphasized that, with

>> skillful guidance, a person may well come to such an experience within a

few

>> years of highly motivated practice.

>> Most people, even after such a breakthrough, still find themselves

becoming

>> confused, doing wrong things, feeling bad, giving in to unwholesome

habits,

>> etc., though they are no longer constrained to identify with these

>> negativities. So they continue to practice, even more assiduously than

>> before, working to eliminate raga and dvesha, rooting out subtle

remaining

>> moha, eradicating the stubborn sway of old bad habits.

>>

>> Along the way, as one moves closer and closer to complete Nirvana, there

may

>> come a point where priorities shift from "wisdom" to "compassion,"

i.e.,

>> from meditation to action12.

>> If you really feel oneness with everything, it is only natural to take

>> responsibility for all your parts. Helpful words and actions begin to

flow

>> forth spontaneously.

>>

>> Although in Mahayana, compassion (really love) is conceived of on a par

with

>> wisdom, in practice priority is usually initially placed on gaining

>> liberation. Its just more efficient that way. Clearing away some moha

first

>> makes it less likely that one's efforts to help others will be misguided.

>> Eliminating raga and dvesha makes it less likely that one's zeal will

lead

>> to aggressiveness and the sacrificing of principles for an end. Further,

>> after one is free from the concepts of helper, helped and helping, there

is

>> less feeling of chagrin or loss of enthusiasm when one's efforts to help

>> fail.

>>

>> The specific direction which such activities take depends upon the

culture,

>> circumstances, abilities and personality of the individual. They range

from

>> wizardry to political activism.

>>

>> To summarize what has been said so far, shamatha and vipashyana then are

>> tools for attaining "enlightenment," insight into the nature of the sense

of

>> separate self. That perspective is a tool which, facilitates the

achievement

>> of complete Nirvana.

>>

>> According to some Mahayana conceptualizations, Nirvana itself is a kind

of

>> tool, a tool which allows a person to effortlessly and efficaciously

exert a

>> beneficial influence on others. If you are completely free and if your

>> influence is such that it helps a great many people to also become free

(as

>> did that of Sakyamuni), you are called a Buddha.

>>

>> The following are a few specific techniques for developing the liberating

>> awareness described above.

>>

>> Mindfulness Meditation

>> A common approach used in the Theravada tradition is to flood the

>> consciousness with more and more complete and precise information about

>> mental and physical events. Typically, one first learns to experience

this

>> intense "vipashyana mode" of observation for a single simple event. Once

>> learned, this can be generalized and applied to any aspect of experience.

>> With practice, a habitual suppleness is developed which allows one to

>> perceive each event in the stream of daily life in this totally aware way

>> without having to work at it.

>>

>> Take, for example, the act of walking. Most people do it unconsciously.

>> There's nothing wrong with that, but suppose you would like to enhance

>> awareness of this event "walking." You could start by mentally noting

which

>> foot is swinging at any particular time. This gives you a tiny bit more

>> information about the reality of walking than doing it unconsciously.

Next,

>> with regard to each foot, try to note the very instant when the foot

begins

>> to rise and the instant when it again touches the ground13 . Left up,

left

>> swing, left down, right up, right swing, right... For still more detailed

>> observation, it is useful at the beginning to walk much more slowly than

>> normal and perhaps to pause between each component of the walking. Now,

note

>> the instant the left heel rises, note the sweep of tactile sensation as

the

>> sole lifts away from the ground. Note the moment the toes leave the

ground,

>> the beginning of the forward swing, the swing itself, the end point of

the

>> swing, the beginning of lowering the foot, the lowering, the instant the

>> foot touches ground, again the sweep of tactile sensation and the instant

>> when the foot has completely returned to the ground. Now pause. Note when

>> the will to move the right foot arises. Now begin to move the right foot,

>> observing each component as before.

>>

>> Such an exercise builds much samadhi, but this is a byproduct. The

important

>> thing is increased clarity about the process. After more practice, it is

>> possible to apply an even finer analysis. Within each component of the

>> motion (lifting, swinging, lowering, etc.) can be distinguished numerous

>> subcomponents, tiny jerks each with distinct beginning and end points and

>> each preceded by a separate will to move.

>>

>> If this keen observation is sustained, alterations in perception begin to

>> occur. The event seems to slow down, a subjective sensation independent

of

>> any actual physical slowness. Each component of the event seems to

contain

>> vast expanses of time and space within which to perceive information in

an

>> unhurried way14.

>>

>> But wait. As your information about the foot gets fuller and fuller, the

>> foot seems to be less and less there! It expands, contracts, becomes

light

>> and hollow, merges with things, disappears and reappears. Without being

>> seduced or frightened, just keep on noting the simple reality of the

foots

>> moment-to-moment motion.

>>

>> This "vipashyana mode" of awareness can be applied to every type of

>> experience. One can gently move the eye over an object, drinking in

>> information about it so rapidly and fully that the consciousness has no

time

>> to solidify and limit the object. Likewise with other senses, touch,

taste,

>> smell, hearing, etc. This is the fundamental paradox of meditation: see

>> something fully and it is transparent, hear fully and there is silence.

The

>> feeling of solidity and separateness of objects, which most people take

for

>> granted, turns out to be merely an unnecessary and toxic byproduct of the

>> process of perception. It clogs the flowing stream of life. One can

function

>> quite well without it.

>> Applying this total mode of awareness to emotions, concepts and mental

>> images is the most difficult but most productive exercise of all. The

stream

>> of a person's thoughts and feelings is so unpredictable and gripping ...

not

>> at all like raising and lowering a foot! Yet with the detachment and

>> one-pointedness of shamatha, one can catch a thought at its very onset

and

>> note each minute permutation until the very end in that same slowed down,

>> complete, unsolidified mode of awareness. A person who can unrelentingly

>> apply this mode to his or her deepest images of self will enter a

refreshing

>> new world.

>>

>> The Rinzai Zen Koan

>> The meditator attempts to establish direct contact with deep processes.

One

>> approach is to pose a question which can be readily answered by the deep

>> spontaneous mind but is utterly intractable for the discursive surface.

This

>> approach was developed within certain schools of the Chan-Zen tradition,

>> that important East Asian expression of Buddhism. Nowadays, it is

>> particularly associated with Rinzai-shu, one of the two major schools of

>> Japanese Zen. Such a conundrum is called a koan in Japanese; "What is the

>> sound of one hand?" and "Mu" are two famous one's. The koan question is

>> mercilessly pressed to deeper and deeper levels, and, in the process,

great

>> samadhi power is developed. When an answer wells up, it carries with it a

>> valuable insight. In this way, by answering many such koans, the wisdom

>> faculty is gradually exercised. However, if the question is pressed

deeply

>> enough, the insight accompanying its solution will be sufficient to crack

>> moha and bring kensho (initial enlightenment). It is important to

remember,

>> however, that there are many kinds of koans for specific purposes and

that

>> individual teachers use koans in different ways.

>>

>> The Tantric Tradition

>> Meditation is sometimes described as a journey, a journey from the

surface

>> mind to the Source Mind, a journey made by progressively extending

calmness

>> and awareness to subtler and subtler levels, eliminating layer after

layer

>> of unconsciousness in great sheets. But along this journey one may

>> experience various phenomena which have significance, though are not in

>> themselves the goal. The meditator may experience warm blissful energy

>> flowing in parts of the body, see dazzling light, hear symphonies of

>> internal sound, seem to float out of the body, etc. Or one may encounter

>> what appear to be archetypal entities: gods, demons, sages and spirits.

In

>> most traditions of Buddhism, such experiences are denigrated as stray

paths

>> and impediments along the "main line" to liberation. Zen teachers usually

>> dismiss them as makyo (obstructive hallucination) and recommend simply

>> ignoring them. This phenomenon was well know to Christian contemplatives

who

>> referred to it as phantasmata.

>>

>> The Tantric tradition takes a different tack. The Tantrics systematically

>> explored and cultivated these byways. But, and this is really the point,

>> they interpreted these experiences in Buddhist terms and skillfully

>> harnessed them towards the realization of the twin ideals of Mahayana

>> Buddhism, wisdom and compassion. Herein lies the distinctive and powerful

>> contribution of Buddhist Tantra. It successfully incorporates experiences

>> from the subtle "realms of power" in a way which is both philosophically

and

>> practically consonant with the goals of Buddhism. This is part of what is

>> meant by "skillful means" of which the Tibetans so often speak.

>> Tibetan tradition has preserved and developed a rich repertoire of

>> contemplative techniques. Here we will discuss just one, that of

>> "visualization" which perhaps could be more accurately described as

mental

>> creation.

>> We have pointed out how Buddhist meditation seeks to understand the

process

>> of identification with a particular self. One way to get such

understanding

>> is to, step by step, build another self from scratch! One visualizes body

>> parts, imputes mental states, speech and personality until one can see

this

>> artificial being in front of oneself as vividly as anything in the

natural

>> world. This, of course, is no easy task, but it is made possible through

the

>> great mental stability which shamatha confers. Then the practitioner

learns

>> to fully identify with the created being for a specific period of time.

Here

>> we are talking about something very different from shamanism and

possession

>> phenomena. This is a learning process which, when done properly, is

>> perfectly controlled, lucid and contrived to bring insight into the

>> arbitrary nature of self-identification. But it confers even more,

because

>> the alternate self which is created and identified with is an archetype,

an

>> ideal image: a Buddha, Bodhisattva or Guardian. Not only is concentration

>> power and liberating insight developed by this practice, but one begins

to

>> take on the virtues and positive attributes of that ideal, quickly

>> eliminating the subtle remaining kiesha blocks to Nirvana. In this way,

>> visualization is a skillful means for rapid progress toward complete

>> liberation. It is, however, also relevant to the compassion aspect of

>> Buddhism. This is because habitually perceiving oneself as a spiritual

>> archetype has a subtle and pervasive influence on other people, drawing

them

>> in and fostering their own spiritual growth.

>>

>> Liberating insight achieves the "dharmakaya," or body of the absolute,

which

>> is formless. Within, there is constant identification with an ideal

image.

>> This is called technically "sambhogakaya," or body of glory." Outwardly

the

>> visualizer appears to others as a normal human being, the nirmanakaya -

>> normal but somehow special, magic in a way that people can't quite put

their

>> finger on.

>>

>> The Paradox of Meditation: Soto Zen

>> So far we have spoken of meditation in terms of growth, development,

rewards

>> and attainments. In Japan, there is a school which approaches meditation

in

>> an utterly different way, refusing to speak of any "attainment" such as

>> samadhi, enlightenment or Nirvana. According to Soto Zen, meditation is

most

>> emphatically not a tool, not a means to an end. Rather it is an

expression

>> of the fact that the means and the end are not separate. Soto Zen

advocates

>> something called "just sitting." To appreciate this, we must consider for

a

>> moment another "fundamental paradox" of the meditation process.

>>

>> At the end of "Little Gidding," T. S. Eliot says,

>> We shall not cease from exploration

>> And the end of all our exploring

>> Will be to arrive where we started

>> And know the place for the first time.

>>

>> If meditation is a journey, it is a journey to where one is. The distance

>> separating starting point and goal is zero. The mystic's freedom is none

>> other than noticing that the bonds don't exist to begin with. In ultimate

>> terms, to create in people's minds a solidified concept of enlightenment

as

>> a future goal is already to mislead them in some way. Soto Zen refuses to

>> speak in any but ultimate terms. This is the perspective of the so-called

>> "original enlightenment" school of thought which Dogen, the founder of

>> Japanese Soto Zen, had studied as a youth under Tendai masters.

>>

>> If everything is already perfect, then what should we do? Soto Zen says,

>> every day, for a period of time, place the body in meditation posture and

>> just sit. Let go of everything but the reality of sitting. Don't

daydream;

>> don't seek Buddhahood. In a sense, Soto Zen is a form of vipashyana

practice

>> in which one is simply totally aware from moment to moment of the fact of

>> sitting. But it is much more, because this is done within the context of

the

>> Mahayana philosophy of original enlightenment and, moreover, with the

>> deepest faith that such sitting is the perfect expression of that

inherent

>> perfection. This last element, faith, characterized the ethos of the

>> Kamakura period during which Dogen lived and during which pietistic sects

>> like Pureland and Nichiren-Shu flourished.

>>

>> Misconceptions

>> Finally, a few words about misconceptions and misapplications of

meditation.

>> To begin with, it is common for people to fool themselves into thinking

they

>> meditate when in fact they don't. One often hears statements like "I

>> meditate with kung-fu" or "Life is my meditation." This is possible. It

is

>> also extremely rare. By Buddhist criteria, only a practice which palpably

>> and relentlessly destroys the grip of desire, aversion and confusion is

>> worthy of the name meditation.

>>

>> Glorifying the guru is another aberration, in my opinion. True, one needs

>> guidance and encouragement, but people who are searching for the perfect

>> guru often fail to make solid progress. The Buddha Sakyamuni urged

>> self-reliance and downplayed the role of authority in spiritual life.

>> Some people meditate for one-upmanship and special powers. They think

>> meditation will give them an edge on the other guy. Actually, the purpose

of

>> meditation is to learn to embrace failure as effortlessly as success. As

for

>> special powers, Buddhism (particularly Tantric Buddhism) says it is

>> legitimate to explore those realms in order to help others. However, in

>> general, it is best to do this after liberation has been glimpsed. Only

then

>> do special powers cease to be seductive, frightening or at all

impressive.

>>

>> Everyone who develops habitual shamatha will sometimes misuse it. If one

>> does something wrong, it will be done wrong very one-pointedly! There is

>> even a technical term for this. It's called miccha samadhi. Also, it is

easy

>> to use the withdrawal of shamatha to avoid facing unpleasant realities.

In

>> particular, one can silence the internal voice of conscience with it.

This

>> is why cultivating sila (wholesome character, morality) is a prerequisite

to

>> cultivating samadhi. It is also another reason why vipashyana awareness

>> should accompany shamatha detachment.

>>

>> If some is good, more is better is not necessarily true of sitting

>> meditation. Some people who sit all day and night for years have

amazingly

>> little to show for their suffering.

>>

>> One of the most insidious traps on the meditative path is getting stuck

in a

>> good place. By this is meant achieving some good results and becoming

>> complacent, not moving on to the incomparably better results which lie

>> around the corner. In Zen, a person who gets a taste of enlightenment and

>> does not move forward is referred to as "a worm in the mud".

>>

>> Deep contemplative attainment does not make a person perfect; it confers

>> mind power, a sense of happiness which is not dependent on circumstances,

>> and a basically loving orientation toward one's environment. It does not,

>> however, automatically guarantee immunity from stupidity, poor judgement

or

>> cultural myopia.

>>

>> Furthermore, each meditative system has its characteristic weaknesses.

>> Theravada "Vipashyana" meditation could make one humorless and

>> depersonalized if not balanced with "loving kindness meditation." Tantric

>> practice can easily degenerate into manipulativeness, sterile ritual and

>> obscurantism. Belief in original enlightenment and just sitting could get

in

>> the way of rapid growth. In Japan, Zen training, particularly Rinzai

>> training, can be brutal and imbue a tendency towards authoritarianism. In

>> fact, Zen suffered a temporary eclipse in Japan following World War II

>> precisely because it had been widely used as an underpinning for

militarism.

>> The practice of meditation to get tough and the cultivation of detached

>> repose so that one may kill and be killed without fear or compunction

>> represents a tragic perversion.

>>

>> Finally, it is a mistake to identify meditation with a particular life

>> style. Obviously, if one's daily life is seamy and chaotic, it will be

>> difficult to attain a settled mind, but it is ludicrous to think that a

>> person must be a vegetarian or enter a monastery to make headway in

>> meditation. Such externals can help. They can also distract. The path to

>> freedom is systematic and open to all. You don't need to be a Buddhist to

>> profit from Buddhist meditation.

>>

>> That these aberrations and misdirections exist should not in the least

>> surprise, dismay or discourage us. Every tool can be misapplied. The fact

is

>> that each of the above approaches to meditation, if skillfully and

>> persistently cultivated, produces a well-balanced, fulfilled individual

>> whose very presence benefits his or her fellows. As such, they represent

>> significant and powerful contributions to human culture.

>>

>> To Sum It

>> "There are many paths for entering the reality of Nirvana, but in essence

>> they are all contained with two practices: stopping and seeing.

>> Stopping is the primary gate for overcoming the bonds of

compulsiveness.

>> Seeing is the essential requisite for ending confusion.

>> Stopping is the wholesome resource that nurtures the mind. Seeing is

the

>> marvelous art which fosters intuitive understanding.

>> Stopping is the effective cause of attaining concentrative repose.

>> Seeing is the very basis of enlightened wisdom.

>> A person who attains both concentration and wisdom has all the

>> requisites for self-help and for helping others... It should be known,

then,

>> that these two techniques are like the two wheels of a chariot, the two

>> wings of a bird. If their practice is lopsided, you will fall from the

path.

>> Therefore, the sutra says: To one-sidedly cultivate the merits of

>> concentrative repose without practicing understanding is called dullness.

To

>> one-sidedly cultivate knowledge without practicing repose is called being

>> crazed. Dullness and craziness, although they are somewhat different, are

>> the same in that they both perpetuate an unwholesome perspective."

>> From the Hsiao Chih-Kuan by Master Tien-T'ai, 6th Century China

>>

>> Notes

>> 1. The corresponding Pali terms are samatha and vipassana. In Tibetan zhi

>> gnas (peaceful abiding) and lhag thong (penetrating vision) and in

Chinese

>> simply chih (stopping) and kuan (seeing).

>> 2. This is analogous to what Thomas Kuhn, in his The Structure of

Scientific

>> Revolutions (University of Chicago Press, 1962), calls a paradigm shift.

As

>> with the "Copernican revolution", that which was thought to be the center

is

>> no longer seen as such, and suddenly everything makes a lot more sense.

>> 3. Patanjali defined a suitable meditation posture (asana) as "stable and

>> comfortable".

>> 4. See Janice Dean Willis, The Diamond Light of the Eastern Dawn,

Torchstone

>> Books, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1972. The Ch'an/Zen school of East

Asia

>> has a series of "ox taming pictures". But the Chinese ox pictures portray

>> the entire course of Buddhist training beginning with confusion and

passing

>> through the stages of study and meditation, initial breakthrough

experience,

>> the deepening and integrating of that experience and culminating in

entering

>> the marketplace offering gifts for all". The Tibetan elephant pictures

>> merely depict stages of settling the mind.

>> 5. See Charles Tart (Ed.), Altered States of Consciousness, Anchor Books,

>> Doubleday and Co., Garden City, Now York, 1972, pg. 501- 518, " Tomio

Hirai,

>> Zen and the Mind, Japan Publications. Tokyo, 1978.

>> 6. A Chinese expression. The Japanese speak of "stealing moments" during

the

>> day.

>> 7. Meaning not "to remember" but to "collect back" or gather in the

mind.

>>>From Latin recon-ligere "back together tying". Compare Sanskrit sam-a-dhi

>> "together-back-putting".

>> 8. For general treatment of Roman Catholic Mysticism, see Auguste

Poulain,

>> The Graces of Interior Prayer, Celtic Cross Books, Windsor, Vermont

1978,.

>> J. V. - Bainvel, (Ed.). For the Eastern Orthodox tradition, see Vladimir

>> Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, St. Vladimir's

Seminary

>> Press, Crestwood, New York. New York, 1976, and E. Kadloubovsky and E. M.

>> Palmer, translators, and Timothy Ware, editor, The Art of Prayer, An

>> Orthodox Anthology, Laber and Faber Limited, London, 1978.

>> 9. We see here the immense importance of context when dealing with

spiritual

>> vocabulary. In languages with long rich histories such as Sanskrit,

Tibetan

>> and Chinese, the same word in different traditions may mean something

>> entirely different or something slightly but significantly different,

even

>> within the same tradition, teachers may use terms in different senses. In

>> fact, in the realm of spiritual discourse, the same teacher may use the

same

>> term in different senses on different occasions. Developing a sensitivity

to

>> such usage is an important aspect of intellectual maturity for students

of

>> religious experience.

>> 10. When Freudians spoke of the "Nirvana Drive," meaning the drive to not

>> exist, they were taking Nirvana in its commonly misunderstood sense of

>> self-extinction. As a technical term in Buddhism, Nirvana means freedom

from

>> any sense of being driven. Buddhism explicitly states that the drive to

not

>> exist (abhavatrsna) is as much a hindrance to Nirvana as the drive to

exist

>> is. Taken in that Buddhist sense, the term "Nirvana Drive" is an

oxymoron, a

>> self-contradictory expression, like saying wise fool.

>> 11. See chapter seven of Teresa de Avila, Interior Castle, E. Allison

Peers

>> (Tr.), Image Books, 1961.

>> 12. The notion that Theravadans as "Hinayanists" are only interested in

>> individual liberation and not in helping others is quickly dispelled by

>> examining the lives of highly attained representatives of that tradition.

It

>> is just that the "Mahayanist" tradition of East Asia and Tibet has a

highly

>> developed systematic philosophy and symbolism placing compassion on a par

>> with wisdom and elucidating the inextricable interrelationship between

the

>> two. In Mahayana, one is oriented from the very beginning to seek

liberation

>> for the sake of oneself and others. Such an orientation is technically

>> called bodhicitta in Sanskrit. A person who meditates with this

orientation

>> is a bodhisattva.

>> 13. In attempting to fully experience any event, it is of utmost

importance

>> that the event's beginning and ending points be clearly noted. A line

>> segment which includes its first and last point is mathematically very

>> different from one which does not.

>> 14. John Brodie, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, recalled

>> such experiences in an interview published in the January 1973 issue of

>> intellectual Digest (pp 19-20):

>> "At times, and with increasing frequency now, I experience a kind of

clarity

>> that I've never seen adequately described in a football story. Sometimes,

>> for example, time seems to slow way down, in an uncanny way, as if

everyone

>> were moving in slow motion. It seems as if I have all the time in the

world

>> to watch the receivers run their patterns, and yet I know the defensive

line

>> is coming at me just as fast as ever. I know perfectly well how hard and

>> fast those guys are coming and yet the whole thing seems like a movie or

a

>> dance in slow motion. It's beautiful."

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

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