No More Learning

PRELIMINARIES 27
? Tire
Disadvantages of Samsiir11
After this, if you do not meditate on the disad? vantages of sams-a:ra or cyclic existence, you will not turn away from compulsive attraction to it, nor will
you develop thoughts of renunciation. From such a situation, experiences and insight will not dawn in your mind-stream. Because you will be depriving yourself of your share of such dawnings, you must meditate on the suffering of sams-a:ra in order to
abandm. it.
In connection with this, if sentient beings are reborn as hell creatures, they have such sufferings as those of the eight hot hells, the eight cold hells, the neighbouring hells and occasional hells. Hungry ghosts have hunger and thirst. Animals have being killed and slaughtered. Humans have birth, old age, sickness and death. Gods have falling from their state and their consciousness being transferred. Anti- gods have quarrelling and fighting. Such are the sufferings peculiar to the six states of rebirth.
Moreover, the obvious suffering you experience is the suffering of misery. That which appears to be pleasure is the suffering of change. That which has a neutral feeling-tone is the all-pervasive suffering.
? Because you are uninterruptedly harmed by this last one, it does not matter which state of samc;ara you are in. Even if you have attained the position of a universal cakra-emperor, Brahma or Indra and so- forth, you have not? transcended suffering. Therefore, with the conviction that sams-a:ra is like a prison, a deep pit or a mass of flames, you should from now on continually, as much as possible, seek a method for becoming liberated from it.
Samslira means "to circle. ,, in other words to revolve- continually through the cycle of birth, sickness, old age, death, then rebirth, sickness and so forth. It is propelled and perpetuated by ignorance and its mechanism described' by the twelve links of interdependent origination. There- arc four methods Qf being born, namely from a womb, an egg, beat and moisture and by miraculous transformation. These bring you into one of the six rebirth states as a hell? creature, hungry ghost, human, anti-god or god. The first five are in the Desire Realm and the gods span all Three Realms : the Desire, Form and Formless. But no matter where and how you arc reborn, there is only suffering.
Each of the rebirth states bas its own peculiar disadvan- tage as mentioned in the text. The three general sufferings. of misery, change and that which is all-pervasive are found throughout. The first is the obvious pain of sickness, old age and so forth. The suffering of change comes from seemingly pleasant things such as delicious foud or a walk in the country which can tum into an upset stomach or blisters. All-pervasive suffering appears neutral or unobvious to ordinary beings, like the sensation of a piece of hair on your palm, but is as sharp as a hair in your eye to Aryas with bare perception of Voidness. It is the suffering inherent in the fact of being born with contaminated aggregates. which by their very nature arc like a magnet attracting sickness, old age and death.
Meditating on all these disadvantages of samslira, you should develop renunciation or the "state of mind that.
PRELIMINARIES 29'
? 30 MAHAMUDRA
wishestobe completely free of all suff~ring. Thisisthe Hinayina motivation and with it an understanding of Voidness brings you Liberation. But to overcome not only the obstacles preventing Liberation, but those blocking Omniscience as well, you must go further. In addition to renunciation, you must develop an Enlightened Motive of Bodhicitta. Seeing that all beings experience the sufferings of sarilsara and wish as you do for release from its bondage and to attain ultimate happiness, you should strive to attain Buddhahood in order to liberate both yourself and
others. This motive gives the realisation of Voidness the added force that will bring you Enlightenment.
Even if you achieve the Liberation of a Hmayana practitioner, which is a state beyond this (sarils'll:ra), you have still not attained the state of ultimate happiness. Therefore you should try to achieve this
peerless Enlightenment by all means. For this purpose then, with the certainty that all sentient beings with- out exception have been nothing but your mothers and fathers, beginninglessly kind, you should develop an unhypocritical Enlightened Motive of Bodhicitta, thinking, "I shall definitely work to place them all in the peerless bliss of complete and perfect Enlighten- ment. " That is the seventh (preliminary practice) :
making efforts in this (direction).
? Tl1e Precio1ts HuJnanBebirtl?
The working basis for practising like this hstie precious human body. Because it is very difficult to obtain, you should not Jet yourself come under the sway of indifference or laziness, but should totally involve yourself in the practices. If when your fully endowed human body is snatched away by the de- mons of death and impermanen~e, you have to go empty-handed, then what will you do ? Because this precious human form is difficult to obtain and easily lost, you should try to make your attainment of a fu]]y endowed one purposeful at all times and in all situations. To make efforts in this is the eighth (preliminary practice).
A human form fully endowed with all the liberties and opportunities to study and practise the Dharma is extremely rare and precious. It is the vehicle through which you will attain Enlightenment or, if you arc not careful, a lower rebirth. Its causes arc your collections of merit and insight, particularly morality, as well as prayers for such a rebirth state. Santideva has said that its attainment is as rare as the odds for a blind turtle living on the bottom of an ocean and rising to the surface only once every hundred years to surface at just the spot where it would put its neck through a golden yoke that is floating about blown by the winds. In this analogy, the turtle is sentient beings, being blind is their ignorance, being on the bottom of the ocean is the lower rebirth states, coming to the surface is being reborn, the
? 32 MAHAMUDRA
golden yoke is a precious human rebirth and its being blown
by the winds is the vicissitudes of karma.
From the point of view of numbers as well, a human
birth is rare. It is said that the number of hell creatures equals the grains of sand in the desert, hungry ghosts the dust particles in the air, animals the stars at night and humans the number of stars seen during the day. Ir you consider how it is possible to take a census of the number or people in a state, but impossible to count the animals, in- sects and microbes there, you will gain an appreciation of
this. Furthermore, out of the world population, those with a kind heart are even rarer and, of those, the ones who have the liberty, opportunity and inclination to follow the Dharma are practically unheard of.
Therefore, having attained a precious human rebirth, do not waste it, for death will c. lme all too soon. Do not be like a sea expedition going out for treasure and returning empty-banded. Without regard for temporary pleasures, practise the Dharma and gain ultimate and lastina happiness.
? Tl1e Carlslrl Condition for Srtceess
Of the four conditions for successful practice, the causal one is making an effort to train your mind-stream with (thoughts of) impermanence and to develop renunciation. Furthermore. it is to turn away from compulsive attraction by seeing the (unsatisfactory) quality of all things of samsara with
respect to yourself and to things in general. That is the ninth (preliminary practice).
Just as the causal conditions for a visual cognition are the elements of earth, water, fire, energy-wind and space of the object and of the cognitive base ofthe eye, likewise these
common preliminaries are the building blocks of medita- tional practiee.
? Tl1e llain Condition
You should devote yourself to a perfect spiritual master such as the Guru who is a personality of the lineage, the Guru which is the words of the Buddha, the Guru which is ultimate reality, the Guru which is an imputation on an appearance and so forth. Then you must practise in whichever way he orally instructs you. Because being cared for by a
perfect master is the main condition (for success), you should devote yourself in this way. That is the tenth (preliminary practice).
The main condition for a visual cognition is the cogni- tive power of the eye. Likewise through the power of your
devotion you will be able to realise all insights.
? The Objeetive Condition
Y ou must cut off completely all sectarian, biased feeJings since (all the schools of tenets and lineages) are established by imputation and mental labelling and are conventionalities (for leading disciples to Enlightenment). Y ou must develop the certainty that they are all non-contradictory and from each you can come to the natural, especially distinguished, primordial nature of reality, the abiding state of all things. As this is the objective condition for being undeceived about what is to be meditated upon, you must become certain like this. That is the
eleventh (preliminary practice).
All the different schools of theories expounded in India and Tibet derive from Sakyamuni Buddha and are expres- sions of his skilful means to lead disciples of varying disposi-
tions to the realisation of ultimate reality. They are different ways of explaining the same thing and, being merely words, are established as schools by people's mentally. labelling them as such. None are in conflict. Just as a visual form is the objective condition for a visual cognition, so is your non- sectarian understanding of the true nature of the mind for successful practice.
? Tl1e l? ? ? medutte Condition .
i~ot only must you make sincere effort from your heart with a state of mind in which you are free from compulsive attachment to meditation, you must also not have any sign whatsoever of expectations or
worries such as thinking, " I f I meditate now or in the future or have done so in the past this is worth while, but if not I am worthless. '' Because being free from expectations and worries is the immediate condition (for success), you must practise in a state of mind that is uncontrived. That is the twelfth (preliminary practice).
The immediately preceding moment of conaciouaoesa ia . the immediate condition for a visual cognition, providing the continuity of its awareness. The above state of mind has
a similar function in Mah! mudrl meditation. This concludes the preliminaries.
? Part Two:
JJIENTAL QIJIESCENCE JJIEIJITATION
? Tire Esse1rtial Postures of Bodg and JJii,. ,
The actual body of the practice is divided into two: mental quiescence meditation (samatha, zhi-na. ) and penetrative insight meditation (vipa5yana, lhag-t'ong) The first is as follows.
In general there are many methods for develop- ing single-minded concentration (samadhi, ting-nge- dzin), but if you know one essential method, then hindrances and interferences will not come about and you will develop effortlessly the experiences and insights into primordial, pristine awareness, free from any faults with respect to mental quiescence and penetrative insight.
The teachings of the meditative ? posture of Vairocana are a method for developing single-minded concentration for the development and completing stages of anuttarayoga tantra, and an effortless non- conceptual experience of bliss and clarity. There? fore beginners should rely on this essential point
about the bodily posture.
For this, in order to control the downward- going energy, your legs should be either in the vajra- position or in the cross-legged posture of ordinary beings. In order to place the energy-winds of the
? 40 MAH? . fMUDRA
solid element of the body into the central energy- channel, straighten your spine like the end of a spear. In order to induce the energy-winds of the liquid element into the central channel, place your har. ds in the equipoise meditation posture and hold them beneath your navel, and also raise both your shoulders back and even. To induce the energy- winds of the heat element into the central channel. keep your neck slightly bent like a hook. To ir. duce the energy-wind of the gaseous element into tl:e centr~l ch~nnel, have your eyes neither wide-open nor shut tight, but gazing at a point straight ahe:~d from the tip of your nose. Your tongue ar. d lips
should be in their normal, relaxed cor. dition or you may have your tongue touch your upper palate.
Mental quiescence or calm abiding is a blissful stage of single-minded concentration free of thought and devoid of the five obstacles of mental dullness, agitation, foggy-minded- ness. sleepiness and staleness. It can be achieved by many methods : focusing on an ot-ject, or none, or even <'n a con- ceptual thought such as a visualisation of the Four Noble
? Truths, in which case free of thought means free of extrane? ous thought. It is not at all blank-minded and is essential for all practices, especially those of the higheit classification of tantra, anuttarayoga.
According to the tantra teachings, lhe mind and the energy-winds upon which it rides are inseparable. If the energy-winds (priiQa, lung) are properly channeled, the mind will be focused ; but when they run wild lhrn thoughts do likewise. These \\ inds run through energy-channels (naqi, tza), the main ones being the central, right and left ones parallel to and slightly in front of the spine. Normally the winds pass l\nly through the right and left ones, and in this way act as the vehicle for deluded thoughts. Such delusions are stopped, however, when the energy-winds carrying them
are no longer available, having been channelised and central-
? MENTAL QUIESCENCE MEDITAT/ON 41
? ? ised into the central energy-channel. Therefore if your rough b0dy is straight and in the correct posture, your energy~
channels will also be in a proper position. Then the energy- winds can flow freely through them and, when properly channeled, your mind will be fully focmed. For this reason the bodily posture of Vairocana is esaential.
There are various classifications of energy-winds. Accor~ ding to the "Six Yogas of NAropa", there are five major ones : (I) downward-going, controlling the discharge and retention of wastes in the lower orifices, (2) upward-going, controlling swallowing, speaking and other activities of the throat, (3) life-sustaining, maintaining the spark of life, (4) equalising, for digestion and separation of wastes and (5) all? pervading, handling all motor activities. Another
classification is of the energy-winds associated with each of the bodily elements of earth, water, fire, energy-wind and space. In this text, both systems are mixed and the various parts of Vairocana's posture deal with channelising assorted ones of them.
The vajra-position is with both legs crossed, the feet resting on the opposite calves or thighs. The equipoise meditation posture of the hands is with them in your lap, palms facing upwards, left hand beneath the right with thumbs upright and touching. It is helpful to bave a cushion beneath your backside.
With your body in this essential posture, the many advantages of a non-conceptual state and so forth will come about once you have naturally
cleansed yourself of your tendency to follow trains of thought. But even if you merely hold your body in this essential posture, your body and mind will become blissful and tranquil. Therefore holding
yourself neither too tightly nor too tensely, first expel a little air and then maintain your breathing in an unforced manner.
When expelling air, feel that you are exhaling faults and distractions. Practise first some breath awareness and
? 42 MAHAMUDRA
when you arc calm, there is no need to focus on your
breath any longer.
Refresh your memory a little about the prelimi- naries and then do not give any heed to {thoughts of) your past activities or think about what you will do
in the future or what you are doing here. Place your mind, without (consciously) adopting or abandon- ing, in a fluid, natural state of being here and now, in which you are not manufacturing your ordinary, usual types of cognitions about the present moment. By doing this, your mind becomes pliable and you can develop single-minded concentration. Because these essential postures of the body and mind are the foundation stone for meditation, you should exert an effort in them. That is the first point (for mental quiescence meditation).
? l! ocusi,? g on a Visual Object:
If you are unable to settle your mind in this? state, you should focus by looking at an external. object such as either a stick, a pebble, a Buddha statue, a flame of a butter lamp, the sky and so? forth, whatever suits you. Do not think about such things as the colour or shape of the object which is. the basis of your meditation. Rather place your attention single-mindedly without any wandering on
merely the object itself and abandon having your mind being either too tight or too sloppy. Cut off
completely any extraneous train of thought.
If your mind is too tense, you will experience anxiety and frustration, if too loose mental dullness, foggy-minded- ness and sleepiness. Like the strings of a lute, your mind. should be tuned just right without any distortion.
The process of settling the mind on a visual object is. like trying to see a stone on the bottom of a glass of muddy. turbulent water. Without worrying about the colour or? shape of the stone, you will see it clearly when the mud subsides. Likewise when your thoughts subside you will be left with a clear view of your object. Therefore look at objects as a small child would without any mental chatter or? commer~tary.
If you can focus without any conceptual thoughts or? ideas, this is good. But should they arise, do not follow them out. Just Jet them pass and they will disappear. If? you allow a thought to grow into a train of thought, it wm.
? -44 MAHAMUDRA
be an obstacle to your meditation. You must realise that thoughts are the play of the mind, like ripples on water and li? ht on leaves. They naturally dissolve.
You can also focus in front of you on either a written or visualised white syllable 0 M, red Af-!
- and hlue HUM, which are the nature of the body, speech ard mind of all the Buddhas, or on white,
red and blue dots, whichever suits you. In short, you should aim ar. d fix your mind single-pointedly to whatever type of visual form suits it and gives it pleasure to hold. If you try to settle your mird on something that it finds uncomfortable to fix on or which your intellect cannot grasp, then when you try to make it go (to this object), it
will ignore it. Having no interest (in this object), it will fix on something extraneous.
You should cut off completely aU signs of thoughts such HS thinking ''I am meditating" or "I am not n~editating" or expectztions to settle your mind or worries that you will be unable to settle
it. Meditate having your mindfulness keep a check not to let your mind fix for even an instant on something extraneous which it should not be meditating on at all. Do this well and let your meditation sessions be short and frequent. This is important for training your mind to settle single- pointedly with continuing clarity, lucidity and eager- ness. so that it will not repeatedly lose the continuity
of this state because of becoming tired.
At ftrst it is important to have short, but Crequenl meditation sessions. If you find the meditation blissful and s0~thing, you may pursue it for a longer period of time. However, if you begin to hecome depressed or bored while n~editating, perhaps your sessions are too long. If you are
? MENTAL QUIESCENCE MEDITATION 4S?
tired, meditation becomes an unpleasant ordeal and you will not wish to continue. Therefore gauge yourself accordingly and take a break while you are still fresh and wish to con-
tinue. That way you will be happy to resume meditation. Suppose you have to walk twenty miles. If you go slowly and take frequent rests, you will not exhaust yourself and
will reach your goal. The same is true for meditation.
If it is comfortable for your mind to take any one of these visual objects as its basis or focus for meditation, you should choose that one. If you wish to take each of these objects in turn, progres- sively, this is permitted. But, if you have taken one and find that sufficient, do not feel you have to go on to take them all as if going through an alphabet primer. In short, having your mind hold whichever visual form suits it is the second point (for mental quiescence meditation).
? ? Otl? er Sensory Objects
Once you have held such a (visual) object, then in progressive order you should take (as your object for concentration) a sound which is the object of your ear's consciousness, a smell which
is the object of your nose's, a taste which is the
object of your tongue's, a tactile sensation which
is the object of your body's and so forth. For this,
? direct your mind at merely an outstanding sound or a strong odour and hold it with the hook of your mindfulness not letting (your mind) wander astray. Except for letting your mind settle to its own level, you should not make any judgments whatsoever about the quality, quantity and so forth (of your
{)bject).
Thus whatever situation you happen to bo in, usc it to help develop mental quiescence. If where you are meditating is noisy or someone is playing the radio, focus on the pure audial sensation of it without judgments, reactions or identifying the sound. For touch, you can focus on the feel of your clothing next to your skin. It is not necessary to eat something during meditation to focus on tastes. You can do this while taking your meals. Simply remain
d~tached and follow the instructions as before.
When your mind has been holding whatever it has, you should break your session while you still
as far as sounds, smells and so forth go, you should
.
? MI! NTAL (JUIESCENCB MEDITATION 41
have full clarity and then take a rest. This way you will not become bored. In-between sessions do not let the rope of your mindfulness break. As for how to look, you should be directed on what is in front of your nose. As for your body and speech, whether
you are walking or sitting, talking or speaking, do these neither too strongly nor too much. As for your mind, try to cut the stream of your conceptual thoughts and mental chatter. By stages like this, you will build up the habit of single-mindedness. That is the third point (for mental quiescence
meditation).
Therefore, if you lessen your activities, your mind will naturally quiets down. If you are constantly busy, it i1 more difficult to focus the mind since you will be worrying about many things at once and become easily scattered or mentally exhausted.
? El;,,,;,,,,t;,,g Ale? ? tlll B? ? ll11ess ''''d Agitation
Furthermore, to eliminate such faults as mental dullness and agitation, you should visualise at the middle ot your brow a dot the size of a pea, white, shining, lustrous, spherical and extremely clear, and direct your mind towards it. Sometimes you should direct your mind towards a black, lustrous, spherical dot the size of a pea at the point in front o1 you where your folded legs touch your seat. For mental dullness you should direct your attention to the white one and your way of looking should be
as if into space. Your body should be in a breezy place and you should splash your face with running water. Wear thin clothes and follow a light diet. Do not sit near fire nor in the sun. If you have mental agitation and your mind proceeds in many
(directions), the visualisation and way of looking should be directed to the black dot. As for your activities, keep warm, do exercise and eat heavy, nutritious food.
Mental dullness and agitation are the greatest obstacles to mental quiescence. With dullness, your mind either has no clarity or, if it does, you are in a daze. To perk yourself up, visualise a white dot at your brow and thus bend your mind upwards. The effectiveness of the colour white for
? MENTAL QUIESCENCE MEDITATION 49
eliminating dullness can be illustrated by putting a white cloth in front of your eyes. The while colour being the image on your mind awakens you a little and your mind naturally becomes brighter. Furthermore, if you stay in the sun or in a warm, stuffy place you will inevitably becomct drowsy and dull. Therefore stay where it is cool and breezy and you will be fresher. Also diet is extremely important. Light food makes the mind similarly light.
With agitation, on the other hand, you are ovor-exclted add your mind cannot stay where you wish to place it. Even 'fit maintains a hold on an object, part of it starts to wander astray. Visualising a black dot by your seat bends the mind downwards and the sombre colour naturally makes your mind more subdued. If you are very fidgety, physical exercise will tire you and cause your mind to wander less.
Much agitation is due to the energy-winds being too light and active. Therefore a heavy, fatty diet will weight down these winds and ? make you less flighty.
Thus for a properly balance'\ meditation it is important to look after your body. Your mind rides on the energy- winds through the energy-channels of your subtle body. For these to flow properly depends on the condition of your rough physical body. Therefore a sound body and mind arct
interdependent.
I f you have neither mental dullness nor agitation~
direct your eyes and mind to either a small blue dot or an actual (small blue) object (on the ground) at the distance in front of you of the end of your shadow (or about an arrow's length away). With respect to these, first you should think, "The dot and so forth I am supposed to meditate on is like this," and then you should simply project your mind out to it. If after this (the visualised object) is clear, this is best. But even if it is not cJear, you
should merely think that there is an object like this and then make that the focus of your attention. Then without making any analysis or minute enquiry
? SO MAHAMUDRA
about it, let your mind reach its level and naturally
settle on it without any wandering.
The blue of a clear, dustless autumn sky is a neutral colour that neither uplifts nor subdues the mind. It is beneficial to have both mental placement and clarity with respect to this dot, but if you have only placement this is enough. With sufficient concentration. clarity will come
automatically.
While you still have full clarity, break your session and then continue meditating later. In other words, have short and frequent sessions. Holding your mind (like this) is the fourth point (for mental quiescence meditation) .
? Fot! using on No Objet! t
As for directing your mind on no basis or object, you should stare blankly into space straight in front of you with opened eyes and not direct your mind at any object whatsoever.
Space. like the nature of the mind, is a permanent, unconditioned phenomenon not dependent on causes or circumstances. Therefore staring into space before you is a method of approach for meditation on the mind itself.
This meditation is also similar to those done in anuttarayoga tantra practices concerning the death process. Normally consciousness relies on all the bodily elements as its basis. During the death process. however. the elements as bases progressively fail and consciousness relies on less and less of them. This is figuratively described as the elements dissolving one into each other. First the earth or solid element fails and consciousness can no longer rely on
? it. Then the same happens with the water or liquid. fire or heat and energy-wind or gaseous elements. Finally. the finest level of consciousness, relying only on space. is left alone. inseparable from the finest level of life-sustaining energy. This is what experiences the Clear Light of death and passes into the in-between or "bardo? ? ? state and on into your next rebirth. Thus meditation on the mind with no object is similar to the tantric ones of taking the Dharma- kaya as a pathway for death, in which you simulate in meditation the dissolution process of death and focus finally on the space-like mind itself in the Dharmakiiya Clear Light experience.
? S2 MAHAMUDRA
Meditation on no object should not be confused with blank-mindedness in which you are completely dull as if in a stupor or a faint. It is extremely alert, mindful and clear. but as in the Clear Light death meditations, without any object or thoughts.
Without letting your mind think about anything, do not allow even the slightest mental wandering. Do not direct your mind to (thoughts of) what qualities this state has or does not have, or the past or the future. Post your mindfulness as a spy to check with great diligence that you do not wander
astray, and then relax. In other words place yourself in a tranquil, uncontrived state of being here and now.
Do not wander for even an instant. Be as (attentive as) when threading a needle. Do not let you mind be turbulent, rather have it be like an ocean without any waves. Do not self-consciously try to accomplish anything, rather fix your mind like an eagle soaring. Be completely free from all expectations and worries.
When you have no mental wandering, thoughts will no( come. But when mental wandering occurs, then because your thoughts will come one after the other, try to recognise them for what they are as soon as they arise. In other words, stare right
at them and then fix your mind as before. No matter what thoughts arise in this way, just recognise them for what they are. Place your attention right on them without thinking anything
like "I must block them" or "I have succeeded (in blocking them)", or feeling happy or unhappy. Just look at them with the eye of discriminating aware- ness. Take the thought itself as the basis or
? MENTAL QUIESCENCE MEDITATION 53
object for your mind to hold and then fix upon it. Train your mind not to fall into either too tense or too loose a state. That is the fifth point (for mental quiescence meditation)
When you begin to meditate, it may &eem that your thoughts are ? increasing. This is not so, for you arc merely becoming more aware of the amount of mental traffic that passes through your mind.
The mind and its thoughts arc neither the same nor different. If they were one, there would be no way to quiet or eliminate thoughts. If they were different and separable, you could have thoughts without a mind. Thoughts are the
temporary play of the mind. The mind is clear and pure without any specific qualities, like a mirror. Thoughts are like tbCJ hnages on that mirror; they Cllnnot be separated from it, nor ftre they the same as it.
Thoughts arc the result of confusion about tlte true nature of reality, an~ there are many different kinds. Coarse or rough thoughts arc easy to identify. For instance, if you arc meditating on a cup, and tho thought arises that you want a drink of tea and then you call someone to fetch jt for yoq, this is a ~oarsc ~\lgbt. I\ fine or subtl~ tho. ught WCJ\Ildbe tllinking,"ThisisAct~p" or"Itismadeofwhite J>orcelaip", or identifyillJ tho sopod of a radio while trying to focus on the cup. But whatever type of thought arises, identify it for what it is. Recognise that it is merely a thought, the play of the mind like an image. on a mirror, and without grasping at it let it pass. Have your thoughts ~ntinually dissolve like a parade of characters marching a~ross " st11ge without any ever standing still.
If you think that a little thought does not matter, this is a poor attitude. Forest fires grow from a small llamc. Likewise from the small thought "This is a tea cup", if you
dwell on it you will soon be in the kitchen brewing tea having completely dis~rded your meditation. Just look at the thought, without following it out, and it will Di\turaUy di&s<>lve. Tberc is nothing else it cpn do.
? Focusi11g on tl1e Breath and tl1e Tl1ree Stages of Settling tire . llintl
As a method to hold the mind, you can direct it on the breath as its basis or object. Hold your breath with vase-breathing practice and fix your mind single-pointedly on it without any mental wandering. I f you cannot hold your breath in the vase-breath manner, you should take as your object such things as the counting of your breath. Count your inhaling, exlialing and holding of your breath. Count at first up to twenty-one rounds and then gradually extend it to a hundred. Direct your mind
to your nostrils and hold your attention on count- ingyourbreathswithoutlettingyour mind wander elsewhere.
But if you can hold your breath while (your body is) filled (with air) and then release it (with the vase-breathing technique), you should first expel all the air (from your lungs) three times and then breath in as much air as you can. Force it down beneath the navel and when you can no longer hold it, release it and exhale. Do this again and
again ar. d do not let your mind wander to anything other than this.
? MENTAL QUIESCENCEMEDITATION SS
Focusing on the breath is another effective way to aettle the mind. As mentioned above. the mind rides on the energy-winds or breath. Therefore if there is much turbulent breathing, there are many disturbing thoughts. If your breathing is relaxed, quiet or held, so will be your mind.
There are several types of breathing. Even or normal breathing is the type you have when neither sick n o r excited. Intermediate is when you inhale and slightly hold your breath. Vase-like breathing is when you inhale. contract your sphincters and hold your upper and lower breatha brought together.
This last type has several divisions depending on where the breaths are held. The large vase-breath is held betweea the throat and navel centres, the intermediate between the heart and navel, and the small at the navel. Internal vase- breathing is held inside. while external on the exhale. In general, vase-like breathing has four defining characteristics : (1) held breath, (2) extended abdomen, (3) the ability for the breath to leak either out of your pores or into the central energy-channel and (4) the ability for the breath to be shot out of the top of the head through the central energy-channel once it has been held for a very long time.
? Vase-breathing is a very advanced and potentially dangerous practice. Your Guru will normally teach it to you ooly after you have completed the extraordinary preli- minaries of 100,000 prostrations and so forth. If you tamper incorrectly with your breathing, you can throw your energy systems into imbalance.