Fall 2013 Shamatha And The Bodhisattva Way Of Life

We lock onto an object, reify it and then attachment or aversion arises. The discovery model allows the mind to heal itself by doing nothing but maintaining cognizance. Discussion of blessings arising from Buddha nature. Meditation – Rest for a while without grasping. As the clarity and warmth of awareness becomes really obvious then explicitly attend to it. Discussion of the five inner qualities necessary for long term shamatha retreat. Meditation starts at: 18:15 (silent, front loaded at start of session)

Alan again front loads the meditation by comparing Atisha's Lam Rim texts and Seven Point Mind Training text and the role of discursive meditation in both. We can be encouraged that although Ultimate and Relative Bodichitta might seem high and complex ideals we have already begun training our minds in each of these with our range of meditations. After the meditation, Alan begins to unpack the next aphorism taking the advice from living well to dying well. He shares advice on preparing for death, propulsive karma, the bardo and rebirth. Meditation starts at: 28:40 (silent meditation)

Alan front loads this session by looking at the difference between this practice and Dzogchen - grasping - and looks at how practice is ideally couched in a supportive way of life. After the meditation session Alan shares with us Atisha's list of complete conditions for achieving Shamatha, starting with the outer conditions. This takes us naturally to discussion of the contemplative observatory. Meditation starts at: 15:30 (silent meditation)

Today's evening session begins with the continuation of the discussion on the power of prayer and blessings. Alan gives a few examples of how blessings work and their possible bandwidth and draws analogies with the so-called placebo effect. After that, we move onto a beautiful practice of the stage of generation of Avalokiteshvara - the embodiment of compassion. The practice is based on a text titled "A spacious path to freedom" by Karma Chagme (which Alan translated) and the sadhana from the text together with its commentary will be made available to listeners of the podcast via the SBI website. Alan explains that this practice is part of public Dharma, which means that it can be done without an empowerment and/or oral transition, unlike other deity practices that do require an empowerment. In fact, it is highly recommended by Karma Chagme to begin one's daily practice with it as a means of obtaining blessings for the rest of the practice of meditation. First Alan explains the sadhana in detail and then we

This morning we start with the last session in the second cycle of settling the mind in its natural state. Alan gives a short preamble before we go into a silent meditation emphasizing the utter simplicity of the practice and its very nature of presence and stillness. Alan also talks about how this stillness and presence can be applied to a more engaged way of living once we come out of the retreat. After the meditation, we go onto discussing the post-meditative effects of achieving Shamatha, from its impact on one's mind, body, and prana to its enabling one to enter the path of Vipassana and other higher realizations. Alan stresses that achieving Shamatha creates a deep state shift in once's body-mind (shift in the entire way of being), which is a state of profound well-being and functionality. Meditation starts at: 8:23 (silent, not recorded)

Before the guided meditation, Dr. Wallace comments on Malala, a 16 year old girl from Pakistan, who currently fights for the right of education for women amidst Taliban death threats against her. After the meditation, we pick up where we left yesterday. In the last 150 years, the growth of knowledge coming from science is unprecedented. However, at the same time, the last 150 years have also lead to severe damage of the environment, destruction of an increasing number of species, and man's inhumanity to mankind. So, there is a huge asymmetry in the growth of scientific knowledge. Next, Alan goes into the view of William James, who points out the different roles of faith in respectively the realm of actuality and the realm of possibilities. Examples are given of this condition, like the "placebo effect" and achieving Shamatha. Subsequently, Alan sketches the vision of William James, on how one could establish a science of mental phenomena. This asks for an open attitude and full empiricism (contrary to Occam'

Before the meditation, Dr. Wallace starts with a prelude to the meditation of settling the mind in its natural state. The focus should now be on the ongoing flow of mindfulness, whether thoughts and images arise or not. Special attention for "what's there" when there are no thoughts. After the silent meditation, Dr. Wallace comments on various quotes of great masters form Theravada, Sanskrit and Tibetan traditions on "what it is to rest in Shamatha". Meditation starts at: silent meditation (not recorded) starts at 09:04 min.

Silent meditation session and then a continuation of yesterday's theme related to the 'power of prayer'. "We don't believe in anything without sufficient evidence". That's the creed of scientists and so called skeptics alike, but in practice they don't follow it. Newton believed he could find the philosopher's stone, Miller believed he could create life from inorganic compounds and neuroscientists believe that the mind is the brain. What is merely belief is presented as evidence with great authority. But what is evidence? Look closely at the groups that claim to hold evidence as their guiding principal and what is seen is a definition which completely rejects the experience of those outside the narrow trench of power, prestige and wealth they continue to occupy and deepen. It is to say, you as a non-scientist don't count and we will tell you what counts. A complete disregard for subjective experience. We see this in philosophers, religious scholars, psychologists, astronomers, neuroscientists, these people ar

We revisit an important facet of settling the mind in its natural state: to observe not so much the objective appearances to the mind, but the subjective impulses to the mind. This is not as easy as we only become aware after it occurred. But we can observe them and not identifying with them. There are three points: 1) The importance of this practice cannot be over emphasised, we can’t just wish for no mental afflictions and apart from arharts, everyone has them. Now we have the great fortune to see mental afflictions as mental afflictions which is so beneficial. As we do not identify with them, the little violence in our minds does not spew out onto those around you. 2) This is a path of self knowledge, it’s the wrong path if you want to have one pleasant hedonic day after another, release the hedonic evaluation of a good session or a bad session, the proof of the practitioner is how one responds to the various disturbances that occur. Go through the experience, not take a detour around it. Don’t identify

Silent meditation on relative and ultimate Bodhicitta (not recorded) at 6:08. Fourth point of the text 'To synthesise the essence of this practical guidance, apply yourself to the five powers', the last of which is the power of prayer. Alan discusses the last 150 years of the 'dark age' of scientific materialism. This is the view of the 21st century that is important to understand to relate to the world in which we live. Much of science hinges on the causality being closed, and the conservation of energy principle. Modern physics has demonstrated that it is not closed and is regularly violated. It is therefore possible for non-physical influence. This principle hasn't carried over to other sciences. Alan discusses the expansion of the universe (energy) and the orderly nature of the universe (matter). 96% of mass and energy is unaccounted for in science - dark matter/ energy. Alan discusses the placebo effect which is basically - if you believe it, it will happen. Part information and part causa

Focus simply on the observation of the so call objective appearances that appear in the space of the mind. When we have difficulty doing this practice, the way to counter is to learn to relax more. OUr prana systems are so wired. We can also request the blessings of the guru as explained earlier. Alan discusses the so called placebo effect with respect to trust. After the silent meditation Alan goes on to explain the 9th stage prior to achieving shamatha - attentional balance. Silent meditation at 14:17 (not recorded) was "front loaded" at the start of the session.

Meditate for half the session on shamatha without a sign – probing right into where you think the observer is – this can lead to ultimate Bodhicitta. Spend the second half of the session on Tonglen, relative Bodhicitta. Alan provides commentary on the line from 7 point mind training – “Whatever you encounter, immediately apply it to meditation. Description of the five powers: resolution, familiarization, positive seeds, revulsion and prayer. Under power of prayer, given the law of karma, what can the Buddha’s do? Silent meditation (not recorded) was "front loaded" at the start of the session.

What makes us so vulnerable to suffering? We identify so closely with the body and mind. This meditation starts to put some distance as you roll back from the environment, roll back from your body and attend to the mind without fusing with it. Meditation – Focus on the space of the mind and observe when it is still and when there is motion. When there is motion there is grasping. Alan describes stage eight of the shamatha path – Single-pointed Attention. Silent meditation (not recorded) was "front loaded" at the start of the session.

Here Alan continues the Lojong text and addresses how we can eliminate the tug of war between dharma and our everyday life by transforming everything into dharma. We look at different ways of viewing adversity - external and internal - in terms of our hedonic and eudonameic happiness. Alan then looks at the difference between hope and aspiration before moving on to talk about transformation at a psychological level and an ultimate level. Meditation starts at: Silent meditation not recorded at the start of the session.

We return to this practice also known as Appearances and Awareness as the Path. Alan reminds us to examine the essential nature of the thought arising rather than the content or referent and discusses stillness and motion as the type of mindfulness we are working with here. Next we look into stage seven of the Shamatha Path: Fully Pacified Attention. Alan relates this to the five paths and ten stages. Meditation starts at:11:35 (silent meditation not recorded)

We begin the evening session with a silent Tong Len meditation by focusing on a person, group of people, or other sentient beings - those who come to mind. The session is briefly introduced by Alan right before. After the meditation, we go back to the explanation of the sixth stage of Shamatha path and the wide range of experiences that might occur as a result of dredging up the psyche and the importance of seeing them simply as appearances to the mind: see them for what they are. After that, we move onto the last of the four practices to purify karma of the Seven Point Mind Training, which is: make offerings to Dharma Protectors. Alan explains that if one is not sure who his/her Dharma protector is, the best method is to see Buddha Shakyamuni as the Dharma protector and make offerings to him, as suggested by His Holiness The Dalai Lama. We end the session by Alan answering three questions from the retreatants. Meditation starts at: 5:20 (silent meditation; not recorded)

The morning session starts with a silent meditation on mindfulness of breathing of our preferred mode (not recorded). After the meditation, stage six of the Shamatha path is commented, which is: pacified attention. What is achieved in this stage is that one no longer experiences any resistance to training attention (as opposed to as it was in the fifth stage and its biggest obstacle). This stage is achieved by the power of introspection. The problems that occur in this stage are: desire, lethargy, depression and multiple possible psycho-somatic side effects. They all are the result of dredging the psyche, which is a desirable effect, and are a sign of progressing on the path, so one should not be discouraged by them, especially since they are transient and eventually will give way to the next, more blissful stage of Shamatha. Meditation starts at: Not recorded (silent meditation on mindfulness of breathing)

After el short introduction, we go into a silent meditation session on the three spaces. Right after the meditation, we go back to the theme of the "spirits". Alan talks about how scientific studies, from halfway through the 17th century up until now, have "dealt" with both internal and external spirits. He points out that a contemplative inquiry has been more and more ignored over this period, which ultimately yields a disenchanted Universe. At the end of the session, we go into the subject of spirits again, this time from Dzogchen perspective, quoting the Vajra Essence from Dudjom Lingpa. Finally, a story about spirits and nuns near the cave of Tilopa. Meditation starts at: Not recorded (silent meditation on the three spaces)

The morning session starts with a footnote on the subject of yesterday's evening session, i.e. spirits. Then we continue with a silent meditation on mindfulness of breathing (not recorded). After the meditation, stage five of the Shamatha path is commented: tamed attention. Special attention is given to the quality of vividness. Finally, Alan answers a question about the relevance of the nine stages in relation with awareness of awareness. Meditation starts at: Not recorded (Mindfulness of Breathing on silent mode)

Again returning to the three space meditation, this time front loaded with a readings from the Bāhiya Sutta and instruction from Sera Khandro Dewé Dorje, an accomplished yogini. Also references to the heart sutra - giving a range of ways to connect with this practice. Post meditation: Returning to the seven point mind training text and the next aphorism, "The best strategy is to have four practices." This refers to 1) accumulate merit 2) purify vices 3) make offerings to spirits. Looking back at Thomas Sprat's "History of Royal Society" in 1667 and what was occurring in Europe at the time, Alan talks at length about how it came about that science does not study spirits, even though scientific enquiry is meant to be open minded. Alan also shows Newton's influence on the view that we are internally filled with demons, the basis of modern psychiatry. Meditation starts at: A silent meditation session not recorded. Begins at 35.48