The Art of Meditation by Matthieu Ricard & Sherab Chödzin Kohn

Author:Matthieu Ricard & Sherab Chödzin Kohn [RICARD, MATTHIEU]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion & Spirituality
ISBN: 9781848874824
Publisher: Atlantic Books Ltd
Published: 2009-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Nine Methods for Cultivating Attention

The traditional meditation texts teach nine methods to help establish the mind in a state of equanimity and make it more stable. Bear in mind that here I am talking about mindfulness as remaining continually attentive to a chosen object of concentration:

Focus your mind, even if at the beginning it is only for a brief moment, on an object, following the instructions, and avoid letting your mind be carried away by images and discursive thoughts.

Refocus your mind repeatedly, asking yourself again and again, ‘Am I keeping my attention on the object?’ Bring it back quickly to its object as soon as you notice distraction has caused it to stray. To do that, you first have to recognize that your mind has been distracted, identify the emotion or thought that has brought about this distraction, and apply the appropriate antidote. Little by little, you will develop the ability to keep your mind calm and stable for longer periods of time and your concentration will become clearer and clearer.

Keep your mind on this object continuously over a longer period of time, without falling into distraction. In order to do this, focus on the instructions for maintaining concentration on the mind’s support on pages 80–83. Recall those instructions and apply them with care. If you do this, you will be able to recognize distraction almost as soon as it occurs.

Direct your mind with care. The firmer your mind is and the more precise it is in its concentration, the more you will be inclined to meditate. Even if your attention is not yet perfect, you will reach the point where you no longer completely lose track of the object of meditation, and you will become free from the coarsest and most disturbing forms of mental agitation.

Master your mind. Your concentration will become more stable, but you might fall into a subtle form of sluggishness or laxity. When your concentration deteriorates in this way, renew the sharpness and clarity of your awareness, and rekindle your inspiration and enthusiasm by considering the benefits of perfect concentration (samadhi).

Pacify your mind. Heightening your mindfulness to counteract subtle mental slackness may lead to subtle agitation. When your concentration becomes too sharp or is shaken by the subtle mental agitation that takes the form of a little conversation going on in the background of your attention, simply consider the drawbacks of agitation and distraction. This will calm your mind and make it clear and transparent like the pure sound of a well-tuned musical instrument.

Pacify your mind completely by using sustained and energetic attention to abandon all attachment to meditative experiences that may arise. These experiences can appear in a number of forms, such as bliss, clarity or absence of discursive thoughts. They can also take the form of spontaneous bursts of joy, of unshakeable confidence, fear, exaltation, discouragement, certainty or doubt, renunciation of worldly concerns, passion, intense devotion or negative views. Any of these experiences can arise for no apparent reason. They are a sign of profound changes going on in your mind.

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