The Six Perfections: An Oral Teaching by Geshe Sonam Rinchen

Author:Geshe Sonam Rinchen
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781559399951
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 1997-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Things are well found, the site is good.

The ground is good, there are good friends

And the tools for a practitioner’s happiness.

In the place you choose for meditation what is needed for daily life should be readily available and gained without wrong-doing. If, for example, food and water are not easy to come by, you will expend much time and energy procuring them, which will leave little of both for meditation. A sacred place, blessed by the presence of great practitioners in the past, is considered particularly auspicious. Such places have the power to bless one in that they inspire faith and the wish to practice.

Certainly the place should be peaceful and not one where acts of violence are known to have occurred. It should be free of danger from humans and wild animals. Some people intentionally meditate in dangerous places to show their daring, but this is unwise for any but advanced practitioners. A constant underlying anxiety will disturb one’s peace of mind.

Choose a healthy place which suits your constitution. The proximity of good companions who share your views and aspirations is important, since being alone can be dangerous for a beginner and practicing among good companions is encouraging. A good companion is someone who is prepared to point out your faults, not someone who indulges you. There should be as little noise as possible from water or wild animals, since noise is one of the chief sources of distraction.

In addition equip yourself with the tools for a practitioner’s happiness. Know what to practice and dispel doubts by hearing and thinking about the instructions. Become conversant with the order in which to proceed and rich in knowledge about your meditation topic. How strange if you invest much energy in assembling all the external conditions, but neglect these vital inner ones. You may end up in the ideal place without knowing what to do in meditation. Others know exactly what to do and are ready to begin but spend years looking for a suitable place. It is difficult to assemble all the inner and outer conditions.

Physical seclusion is important, but you also need to find inner quiet and seclusion from mental busyness. When you have the food, clothing and accommodation you need, cultivate contentment and don’t wish for more or better facilities. The time will never come when everything is perfect. Preoccupation with accumulating, safeguarding and increasing your property is a distraction. In the end you become a servant to your possessions because greed is a hard taskmaster and makes you suffer.

Busyness sends you here and there. You spend much time talking and even when you finally sit down, you can think of nothing but plans and projects. The fewer wishes you have and the more content you are, the less busy your life becomes. When trying to develop higher concentration even studies, which under other circumstances are of benefit, act as a distraction.

An ethical life-style is essential, since the wind of unwholesome physical and verbal actions creates turbulence on the lake of the mind.

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