The Nature of Mind: The Dzogchen Instructions of Aro Yeshe Jungne by Khenchen Sherab & Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal & Patrul Rinpoche

Author:Khenchen Sherab & Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal & Patrul Rinpoche [Sherab, Khenchen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2016-04-26T00:00:00+00:00

19: INSTRUCTIONS FOR LESSER CAPABILITY PRACTITIONERS OF MEDIUM CALIBER, INCLUDING SOME POWERFUL SHAMATHA TECHNIQUES

FOR LESSER CAPABILITY practitioners of medium caliber, the following instructions are given in order to gain meditative stability. Maintain the same posture, and intensify the skillful means practices. Then right in front of you, about four cubits away, plant a small stick or twig in the ground so that it stands up vertically. A cubit is approximately the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. With strong concentration, unite your mind and your eyes, and look at the upper tip of the stick. This will stabilize your mind. Do not, however, focus too strongly—that will make you bored and tired. At the same time, do not be too loose—that will make you scattered.

In general, when you meditate you should be neither too forceful nor too loose. Avoid extremes and find balance. For this reason, the great wisdom dakini Machik Labdron said that if you are both strong and relaxed in your meditation practice, you will discover the essential point of the view. At first, do this practice on the stick in many short sessions with breaks. As your meditation experience grows you can do longer sessions with shorter breaks.

When your mind becomes more stable, you can change the practice by visualizing a white AH syllable on the upper tip of the stick and concentrate on that. If you prefer, you can visualize a small sphere of light on the upper tip of the stick instead of the AH. This sphere of light can be white, blue, red, yellow, or green—you can alternate. But do not change the colors too often—keep a single color for a day. Do this practice gradually, gently, and with balance to avoid the negative side effects we just mentioned.

If you feel you need to do more, replace the stick with small stones or marbles. Above the stones or marbles, you can visualize the white AH syllable or the small sphere of light in one of the five colors. When your mind becomes more stable and you wish to change the object of focus, then instead of visualizing spheres of light outside of yourself, you can visualize them on your forehead, speech, or heart centers. You can visualize the syllables from the Vajrayana teachings: a white OM on your forehead, a red AH on your throat, or a blue HUNG in your heart. Or you can simply stay with the white AH, visualizing it at any one of the three places. According to whatever makes your mind more stable and focused, you may apply any, some, or all of these techniques.

Whenever and however you meditate, be joyful. Do not neglect the skillful means practices. At the beginning of every meditation session—and even during the practice—invoke good thoughts. Again, do not be too forceful. But also do not back away and lose your courage, commitment, and confidence. If you are on a long retreat, during formal practice sessions,

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