Living with pain, not in pain.

Chronic pain is a very common and often debilitating condition that affects young and old alike. Western medicine struggles with pain management, we encourage modalities like physical therapy, massage, accupuncture, exercise, but often end up turning to opioids and other medications to manage chronic pain. Meditation has made its way into the treatment of pain, but even that has mixed results. 

Meditation seems to be touted as a cure-all these days, recommended for everything from treating hypertension, to mental illness, chronic pain, and improving overall well-being. There is a lot of good data supporting the practice of meditation for these purposes, but I think it is important to recognize that meditation is not a cure-all, but rather manages to make everything workable. 

This is a rather minor but significant shift. Meditation won't solve all your problems, but it will help make all your problems workable. Problems of all kinds are solved when we see them as workable. When we know that we can experiment, play around with things, try something new in a maybe slightly different way, we can solve problems. Maybe the problem goes away, maybe it just becomes less of a threat. 

Most of the power that problems have, and this is especially true of chronic pain, is that they seem inescapable. The pain doesn't go away, and it doesn't seem likely that it is going to go away tomorrow. This persistent experience in our lives is exhausting and drains a lot of our attention and energy. When we fight our pain, it always wins, because it gains power when we resist it. Try to escape its presence by using drugs and alcohol, and we just find it again on the other side of our stupor. Escape seems hopeless, we seem powerless, and it is very easy for depression to set it. 

The solution that meditation provides is to find some space with the pain. In meditation, we find that we can experience pain, but not be overwhelmed by the pain. The pain is there, dancing, doing its thing, but it is also a little distant from 'us'. We find that we don't need to identify with the pain, that we can live with the pain, rather than in pain. Pain in this sense becomes like a companion with us on the journey of life. Sure, it is often a nagging companion that we don't really want to hang out with, but alas, here we are. If they are going to join you on this journey, you might as well figure out how this relationship is going to work. 

If you are feeling stuck with a chronic problem like pain, start by trying to find a space where you can be present amidst the pain. Set out to discover a sense of peace and calm, a solid ground to stand (or sit), amidst the experience of pain. This ground is the basis of exploring and understanding your relationship with pain. When you start to realize that you can experience pain but not be dominated by its presence, then you have made the problem workable. Gradually, your presence overpowers the presence of pain. Sit with that, your presence overwhelms the presence of pain, rather than the other way around (the old way of our relationship with pain).

Then, like the Buddha said, our pain becomes like a teaspoon for salt in a large body of water, rather than a small cup. The salts still there, but not as distasteful.  

My last thought on the use of meditation for working with pain. Often, we are asked by the doctor how much pain we are in, 0-10. If the pain is held as a constant level of experience, what if we change our relationship to that pain. How can we move from a 7 to a 5? Or even a two? That's what meditation can do, I'm confident of that. 

Teaching, leading or guiding?

The Buddha is a powerful symbol in the Buddhist tradition. Any Buddhist tradition will have some embodiment of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The Buddha represents the teacher, the dharma the teachings, and the Sangha the community that revolves around these two. 

The Buddha represents the ideal form that one assumes in this lifetime. It is the form of oneself as a teacher, a leader, or a guide. Each of these roles can have subtle differences and as we associate with a teacher it is important that we discern our own role in relation to the teacher. 

A teacher has knowledge that you don't have. A teacher is someone you turn to for resources, insight or direction. A teacher can connect dots and build bridges where there is confusion or uncertainty. A teacher sees a bigger picture than you see, and as such can open doors or tear down walls. It is important that the teacher has some practical, real world experience. Some teachers might be overly academic or scholarly, but not be grounded in reality. Practical knowledge is almost always better than theoretical knowledge. 

A leader by necessity has a following, even if it is a following of one. A leader heads into the unknown, through the woods and over mountains to pave a new trail. Our world and our situation is constantly changing, so the importance of a leader cannot be overlooked. Leaders are able to connect the tribe, set out a vision, build something new, and give us a heading on our journey. Leaders have authority but also recognize and honor the voices of those below the leader. Be wary of a leader who is reckless, self-centered or doesn't lead by example. 

A guide is someone who has intimate experience with the path that you are traveling and has no other motive than for you to travel the path safely and with minimal hardship. They know the best places to sprint and the times to rest. They are patient and tolerant of the hardship one faces, but also recognize the urgency and initiative needed to traverse the path. The guide knows you are very results orientated, that you want to finish, but they know that once you reach the end you must go back and hopefully they can teach you to enjoy the journey along the way. Be wary of a guide who sells you on the finish, or really wants you to do this thing because they have done it. Find a guide for the journey you want to travel. 

You might not find all of these qualities in one individual. You might have teachers, leaders and guides along the journey. The important part is recognizing your needs and the challenges you are facing on your journey. 

Cut through the experience.

One meditation instruction from my teacher Younge Khachab Rinpoche that was really useful and had a profound impact on my meditation was to intentionally interrupt positive experiences of meditation.

This might seem counterintuitive, because we are trying to accomplish something in meditation after all, aren't we?

The instruction applies to the state of naturally abiding, or rang-nay. When we start to really feel like we have it, and maybe we are having some kind of positive experience, then we intentionally slightly interrupt that meditation. Shift your posture. Maybe circle your head, or shift your gaze. Then, settle right back into the natural state. Let go, rang-bab.

This subtle instruction breaks us from the bondage of clinging to positive experiences, and it also gives you more agility to seamlessly relax into the natural state. It is not a big, dramatic interruption. Keep it small, a few seconds really. Then rang-bab, settle into the natural state again.

You don't need to always apply this technique. Use it skillfully. Especially if you ever find yourself with your great and unmatched wisdom saying, "Ah, yes. This is it." Interrupt that grasping.

Give yourself the gift of your practice.

"What am I going to get out of this?"

My Qiqong teacher Kim Ivy was posed this question recently. The beginner wants to have a glimpse of the promised result. They want to know that what they are doing is going to be of benefit. Most likely, they want to get rid of the fear of being a beginner and feeling awkward about what they are doing. Most of us feel enough insecurity and uncertainty as it is, why put ourselves in situations that expose our insecurities?

You might practice yoga, qiqong, meditation or any other form of the internal arts. Each of these benefits our body and mind, improves our health and prolongs our longevity. Each of these encourages a sense of well being, and that might be all that you need to get out of them.

My experience has been that our bodies and mind as largely a mystery to us. You notice this most when you are sick or endure an injury, the question of "How do I get better?" becomes paramount. Even in otherwise healthy states we still experience weird sensations in our bodies, our minds run scripts we can't seem to shake, and we feel a sense of dissatisfaction and unease. Sit still for a moment in meditation and you might notice just how uncomfortable you are in your own body- shifting your leg, scratching an itch, straightening your neck.

We often feel at odds against ourselves.

The curious thing about practices like yoga, qiqong and meditation is that they train you to look at your experience. They teach you, slowly, to not react to what is coming up in your experience. They expose imbalances and resistance, teaching you how to correct and find balance. Interestingly enough, you learn not to fight your body and mind, but how to work with your body and mind.

Over time, we learn to be friends with ourselves. We learn to be comfortable in our own skin. Being more accepting of ourselves, we can be more present and available for others. Instead of protecting ourselves and hiding our insecurities, we learn to stand with dignity in openness and vulnerability. Like a child learning to walk and falling often, we can learn to walk through the world with this type of posture. Of course we too will fall, and that is why we always come back to our practice.

Learning to check in with yourself, to look into the great mystery of our body and mind, and to gain some understanding of the complexity of this human life- this is one of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves.

It is also one of the greatest gifts that we can share with the world.

Get comfortable with not knowing what you are going to get out of this. Give yourself the gift of showing up and simply devoting yourself to the practice of self-discovery.

You might be surprised at what you find.

Mindful presence.

Being present and aware we are open to directly experience the world.

The world is filled with suffering. Being present and aware allows us to fully understand that suffering, to be responsive and receptive to our own needs and the needs of others.

The world is filled with wonder and awe. Being present and aware allows us to fully enjoy that wonder as it unfolds around us.

When we are present and aware, we encounter the world as it is, while understanding that everything is connected and impermanent. That is the outlook of mindful presence.

Forging the path ahead.

The path starts right where you are.

You can follow the footsteps of those who have gone before you, but your path is not going to look exactly like theirs. You'll meet your own problems and challenges. You'll enjoy ease and contentment, as well as difficult times.

The journey of self-discovery and awakening is forged based on your own experience.

You'll share that journey with others. You'll travel with others who have a shared kindred purpose. You meet a variety of travelers on the path- teachers, spiritual friends, partners, mentors, students. Some of these travelers will walk with you for a lifetime, some for just a short way.

There is no end to the journey ahead. No accomplishment, and no non-accomplishment. The result is the path. Continue with confidence in liberation.

Clarify your path. Let your path clarify you.

Removing the mystery of meditation.

Understanding the mind and the nature of reality is often profound and difficult work. Understanding how to train the mind shouldn't be.

The path of meditation is very rational and practical. Once you have the basic tools and a working basis for understanding your own mind, you can develop a high degree of self-sufficiency in your practice. Just as a mechanic is able to properly diagnose a problem and fix it, you should be able to discern the quality of your meditation and to know how to correct it.

The advantage of having this type of self-sufficiency is that when we are meditating, it is really just us and our mind. No one has a better view of the situation than you. We can ask questions and get direction from other people, but the work has to be done ourselves. Internal confusion must be eventually be resolved through your own practice.

Learn how to meditate. Learn the key elements and tools involved in the practice. Develop familiarity and agility working with the mind. Based on your own experience, give rise to confidence in your practice. Continue to explore deeper.

Trying to find your self?

Have you ever lost your car keys? You know they are somewhere, but everywhere you look you don't find them. The act of not finding your keys perpetuates the cycle of looking, until eventually, hopefully, you find your keys.

What about when we look for a self?

When you look for the self as an independent, truly existing identity, you don't find it. The self is dependent and conditioned by the world around us. Keep looking.

When you look for the self as an agent or actor, you don't find it. Every intention and choice is predicated on something else, there is no agent who functions autonomously independent of the environment or situations. Keep looking.

When you look for the self as the experiencer or witness behind the continuum of your life, you don't find it. The subjective experiencer must experience some thing, so by its very nature experience is compounded and dependent. Keep looking.

When you look for the self as the awareness that knows oneself, you don't find it. Awareness isn't a thing, there is no location, no essential beingness, nothing to hold onto. Self-knowing awareness doesn't find a self, what it finds is selflessness. There is no ground of awareness, awareness is empty yet luminous cognizance.

Search for the self until you don't find it. When you don't find the self, you discover selflessness.  Stabilize that experience of finding empty but luminous cognizance, which opens the door to the path of meditation.

.   .   .   .   .

Still time to register for the Meditation Workshop this weekend.

Hope to see you on the cushion!

Embarking on the path of meditation.

In the Buddha's first sermon, the Buddha stated the following:

Fully understand dukkha.

Let go of arising.

Actualize cessation.

Cultivate the path. 

What gives rise to dukkha is the three poisons of ignorance, craving and aversion, that is the truth of the origin. Craving and aversion reinforce a cycle of reactivity. Ignorance creates an underlying confusion about who we are, the nature of the world around us and our place in it. In meditation, we can train our mind to let go of craving, aversion and ignorance. The result is the actualization of the state of cessation, the third noble truth. 

Actualizing cessation can be interpreted according to different practice traditions. The common Buddhist tradition used the metaphor of a doctor to understand the relationship between the four noble truths and how we actualize cessation. 

The doctor metaphor goes like this: you are sick, I know why you are sick and I know what is best for you. Listen to what I say and follow my advice, and you will get better. 

That might work in many cases. A lot of times we know that we are not happy, that we have a deep dissatisfaction with our life and we simply don't know the way out. We don't know how to get better. We look for a good doctor, and faithfully follow his advice by practicing his prescription. And we get better.

The common tradition approaches the four noble truths like this: 1) truth of dukkha (you're sick), 2) truth of origin (I know the cause), 4) truth of path (I know how to make you better), 3) truth of cessation (you are better). One, two, four, three. 

 

The uncommon traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen approach the four noble truths differently. From the very beginning, we recognize your innate buddha nature, your innate potential and disposition for flourishing. These practice traditions recognize that you have something to contribute and they recognize your own innate wisdom, which is the wisdom of your own dukkha and life (the truth of dukkha). With this opportunity available to you comes tremendous responsibility, but we need to learn how to get out of our own way. We are the storm, the shit show is our own thoughts, feelings and actions. We need to learn to relax and self-regulate (let go of arising), in order to actualize our nature, which is the state of cessation. Then we are able to continue to walk and practice the path. 

 

The uncommon tradition starts by empowering you and approaches the four noble truths accordingly: 1) truth of dukkha (your innate wisdom of situation and life), 2) truth of origin (you learn to let go of arising craving, aversion and ignorance), 3) truth of cessation (you recognize and actualize the resultant state), 4) truth of path (you continue to practice the path).  One, two, three, four. 

You don't need to practice the path in order to attain some said result. The result is the path, each and every step. Actualizing the state of cessation doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It doesn't mean your a Buddha and that you never fall back into worldly existence. Not at all! Don't confuse yourself!

Actualizing cessation means that we recognize and abide in our true nature, or buddha heart. We are introduced to our nature through the teachings of the resultant vehicles and the grace of our teacher. When we recognize that nature, we embark on the long journey of the path of meditation. We carry that recognition into all of our activities, learning how to carry it in the form of the six perfections for the benefit of others. The practice of the path reveals the middle way between indulgence and beating ourselves up. We can enjoy life, and our practice makes everything workable. 

The uncommon traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen only bring final attainment if you live a life dedicated to practice. If you practice for a little while, have some kind of experience, then set the teachings aside and go about your normal existence then it will be no different than drinking a fine wine or going on some grand trip. Sure, you'll have some kind of memory of that experience, something you can hold onto and tell your friends about, but you won't be changed. 

A life of practice is a life of doing. To be, you have to do. You have to keep doing the inner work of being. Practicing the path in this way will give your life meaning and purpose. Your practice will present you with the opportunity to do art, to make a difference in others lives, to make an impact. You will always have the opportunity to be present, understanding and kind. 

Buddha on the Life Changing Practice of Mindfulness

“Whoever, mendicants, should practice these four foundations of mindfulness for just one week may expect one of two results: either complete deliverance in this life or, if there is a residue of clinging, the state of a non-returner.”

On one occasion, the Buddha was staying in the Kuru kingdom near a marketplace called Khammasadhamma. The Kuru kingdom was the center of Vedic culture and the dominant political and cultural center of the area. The local culture was committed to brahmanic rituals and rites of purification and the society maintained a strict social hierarchy. The marketplace would have been filled with artisans working on their craft, traders doing business, and local religious and political leaders lobbying for power and control. It was a culture not much different than our own.

At that time and in that place, the Buddha spoke to his disciples about the practice of mindfulness, teaching what is known as the Mahāsatipatṭhāna Sutta, the Great Sutra on the Foundations of Mindfulness. This work of his revealed the core practice of mindfulness, which is central to the Buddha’s teachings and a core principle of living life according to the Dharma.

The practice of mindfulness is for those practitioners who are committed to living mindfully in order to realize inner freedom. It is a practice to overcome busyness and distraction, teaching us to let go of preoccupations and focus the mind in the present. This practice of being mindful and aware frees us from suffering, fear and anxiety, giving us the capacity to be present and engaged, to look deeply and discover the insight needed to transform our life and the world around us.  Accessible and relevant to the modern world, this teaching reveals four qualities of the mind necessary for embarking on a lifetime of practice. This practical yet profound practice teaches us how to maintain mindfulness of the body, how to experience sense perceptions and the influences of the inner and outer world, how to recognize thoughts and various mental states, and how to carry mindfulness through the varieties of our lived experience.

In the Digha Nikaya, the Long Discourses of the Buddha, the Buddha taught the practice of the foundations of mindfulness.

There is, mendicants, this one way to the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and distress, for the disappearance of pain and sadness, for the gaining of the right path, for the realization of Nirvana- that is to say the four foundations of mindfulness.

During the Buddha’s time, the local culture would have been obsessed with purifying the body, improving its condition and making it more pleasing for the sake of everyday concerns. They would have yearned for a way to purify their minds of negative thoughts and mental states, reaching out to their local Brahmin for a method of cleansing the mind and spirit. In this regard, ancient India is not much different than our own modern day world. People are always looking for an easy fix to their problems. People spend countless resources on ways to cleanse the body and make it healthier. They seek out methods that all promise to lead to happiness and a life of meaning and purpose. Celebrities of the moment all have the solution of the day available to you.

Knowing the local culture and the concerns of his audience, the Buddha taught the foundations of mindfulness as the single authentic way to purify our own body, speech and mind. He taught the practice of mindfulness as the only way to overcome sorrow and distress, pain and sadness. This single practice sets us out on the right path, on the path of inner freedom. 

Here, mendicants, a mendicant abides contemplating body as body, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world. She abides contemplating feelings as feelings; she abides contemplating mind as mind; she abides contemplating phenomena as phenomena, ardent, clearly aware and mindful, having put aside hankering and fretting for the world.

Four Qualities for Engaging in the Practice

The Buddha taught that when we are contemplating these foundations of mindfulness, we should be ardent, clearly aware, mindful and put aside any hankering and fretting for the world. These four qualities are essential if our practice is to be fruitful.

Ardent (Pali. Ātāpī) means to burn. It is to be passionate and enthusiastic about the task at hand. One who is not ardent lacks energy. Thus, the Buddha taught that to engage in the practice of mindfulness we need to be passionate about our work. Who among us is passionate about the work they do? 

Amateurs are passionate, to be an amateur is ‘to love’. Amateurs are curious and have lots of questions, and the answers to those questions lead to more questions resulting in a constant state of wonder. Approaching the practice with a beginners mind, we are fueled by wonder and fascination. Amateurs are passionate enough to do the work it takes to orientate themselves to the worlds in which they inquire. Their passion allows them to build the framework necessary to explore deeper. Their passion carries them beyond the superficial layers, it fosters depth and the depth feeds the passion. Passion coupled with orientation, a framework for exploration and the ability to see deeper are the prerequisites for becoming an expert. Being ardent, we start as amateurs in the practice and end up as masters.

Clearly aware (Skt. samprajanya) is a vigilant awareness that is fully alert to the present moment. The Buddha describes this vigilant awareness in the Satipatthanasamyutta:

And how, mendicants, does a mendicant exercise clear comprehension? Here, mendicants, for a mendicant feelings are understood as they arise, understood as the remain present, understood as they pass away. Thoughts are understood as they arise; perceptions are understood as they arise…It is in this way, mendicants, that a mendicant exercises clear comprehension.

Being clearly aware means being present in a non-reactive and non-judgemental way. It is like a watchmen in the tower, looking out over his domain, knowing who is coming and going. It is sharp, attentive and focused.

The next quality of the mind that must be developed is mindfulness itself. Mindful in this sense means to be mindful of the object of our intention. Attention follows intention, so we need to be clear about what we are being mindful of. Once we have set a clear intention, mindfulness maintains our attention on that focus. When the mind wanders and becomes distracted, mindfulness brings us back. Mindfulness can be described as a rope that ties a monkey to a stake. As the monkey of the mind moves and jumps around, the rope always brings the monkey back.

The last quality of the mind required for this practice is to put aside hankering and fretting for this world. Set aside your attachment and aversion, your craving and fixation. Remain in a state free from judgment and speculation. Let go of reactions to whatever is coming up in your experience, simply maintain the continuity of mindfulness and vigilant awareness with curiosity and enthusiasm. 

Cultivating these four mental qualities of being ardent, clearly aware, mindful and setting aside our reactions to our experience, we can move through each of the four foundations of mindfulness, contemplating the body as body, feelings as feelings, mind as mind, and phenomena as phenomena; simply being aware of our experience in a non-reactive and non-judgemental way.

These four qualities of mind are the way in which we engage in the practice of mindfulness. Next time, we will look into the practice as it pertains to contemplating one’s own body, feelings, mind and experience.

Moving through the four noble truths.

Fully understand suffering.

Let go of arising.

Realize cessation.

Cultivate the path. 

Adapted from the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta
translated by Stephen Batchelor

The Dharma is vast and complex. There are various philosophical traditions and practice lineages, as well as various presentations of the path. The challenge of deciding how to start can seem daunting. 

Start where you are. 

The four noble truths can be interpreted as a process that we move through. 

Fully understand suffering.

Look at your current situation. Look at the ways in which you are unhappy. Look closely at your body, how does it feel? Where is there discomfort and pain? Look at your emotions, where do you experience sadness or fear? Look at your perceptions, how do you view your self and the world around you? Look at your habits and inclinations, where are you stuck? 

Fully understand your suffering. This is the first noble truth. It is not a Truth, but the truth of your experience. Understand it. Embrace it. 

Let go of arising. 

What are you holding onto in your experience? What are you accepting or rejecting, holding onto or pushing away? Fixation and grasping are subtle and pervasive, you won't even realize what you are holding onto until you can calm your mind and look. Meditation is the practice of creating a calm and clear mind, so that you can see the various levels of your fixation and grasping. When you see your fixation, whether it is feelings, appearances, concepts, whatever, let it go. Relax. Release the tight knot of grasping and reactivity. 

This is how we train. This is the practice. This is the truth of the arising of suffering.  

Realize cessation.

Cessation means attachment, aversion and ignorance have ceased to control your experience and understanding of your self and the world. What is left in the wake of the cessation of ignorance, attachment and aversion? Is it a void, a blank nothingness? What do we realize in the truth of cessation? 

A vast equanimity. All that appears and exists is naturally present and free in its own place. Nothing to accept, nothing to reject, we abide in complete openness. 

Cultivate the path. 

You thought you were done? Cultivate the path. Do the work. Walk, share, be present and kind in the world. It takes effort and patience. 

You will fall back into suffering and confusion, and you just keep on repeating the process by contemplating your suffering. Give yourself a break, failing means your making progress. (Unless of course you are just skipping over the first three truths and just cultivating the path, in which case you are avoiding the truth of your situation and living a fantasy.)

This is the truth of the path.

Pure perception.

དག་སྣང་
Tibetan: dak-nang
English: pure perception

Pure perception is the awakened principle that everything is regarded as the path. All circumstances arise as opportunities for practice. The dharma isn't just something we hear or read, it is our lived experience.

Ordinary perception is our habitual subject-object interpretation of the world. I have control over certain things in my life and other things happen that are simply out of my control. I struggle to reconcile my inner experience with the world at large, and purpose and meaning are driven by ambitions of conquest and control over the outer world. Ordinary perception is characterized by continual struggle and the ever urgent desire to gain a sense of security over our 'place' in the world.

With pure perception, everything is connected as a single mandala. Problems and obstacles are opportunities to practice. Challenging people present as teachers showing you the way to enact the practice.

Fundamentally, the principle of pure perception is gaining control over your experience. The world doesn't happen to you and you are not a victim. You get to choose how to respond. You get to choose whether you apply the teachings into practice, or whether you fall into habitual modes of being.

You get to choose. Awake, or asleep.

How are you going to follow through on your decision?

The problem with a guide.

Guides are important.

Say it is your first time in New York. Any city can be overwhelming and intimidating on your first trip, even more so a city that is as complex and fast paced as NYC. You have to learn the local transportation systems, navigate different neighborhoods and learn to deal with the local culture. A guide can simplify that first encounter. They can tell you where to go, and what to avoid. They can give you helpful tips and highlight important details that might otherwise be overlooked. They can remove a lot of the stress and uncertainty in that initial visit.

The problem with a guide is that you are experiencing the city through their lens. If they are really into the local history, you will hear a lot about that history. If they are into art, they will draw your attention to art in the city. Their experience will color and shape your experience.

When traveling, this might be just fine. During guided meditation, it is important that you recognize this important flaw.

When you are just getting started with meditation, having a guide walk you through might be really helpful. They will drop important reminders, show you where people often go astray. They'll remind you to come back, again and again.

But if someone is always guiding you, your mind is simply following along. It is being led and you are having a conditional experience.

Once you know the basics of what meditation is and how to apply the various instructions, you need to go out on your own. You need to get lost in the woods and try to figure out a way back home. You need to encounter your own doubt, fear and uncertainty about the process. When you do this, you will encounter all kinds of other challenges and questions. Bring those questions back to your guide, and then you will also discover the importance of finding an excellent guide on the path.

Reading is not enough.

How do you know something?

When it comes to the practice of vipasyana, how we come to know something is important. Over the past two thousand years Buddhist traditions have developed a rather extensive system of reason and logic. One of the subjects that was developed by Dignaga and Dharmakirti was the system of pramana, or valid cognition. How do we go about correctly knowing something?

Broadly speaking there are two types of valid cognition, inferential and direct. Inferential valid cognition is made using reason, logic and analysis to come to know something. We can study, read various works on the subject at hand, and debate others until we come to a correct understanding.

Direct valid cognition is a direct experience that is free from concepts. Direct valid cognition is seeing something directly, having your own experience. You can study the great stupa at Boudhanath, its layout and history, the various materials and methods used for its construction; but that is a very different experience than actually being at the great stupa, seeing it firsthand, feeling the energy of the environment and the various sounds, smells and interactions taking place. Direct valid cognition is a first-hand experience that is free from conceptual imputations or bias.

In the practice of insight, we are relying on direct valid cognition. The time to use inferential valid cognition is before the meditation session. Inferential valid cognition enriches and prepares us, but it is not a replacement for the actual experience. We should study interdependence and emptiness, we should be familiar with the different presentations of mind and how it manifests, and we should be familiar with how to recognize the nature of mind. We should read, a lot. But reading is not enough. At the time of practicing vipasyana, we need to set aside our ideas and concepts and focus on our actual experience.

Vipasyana is the practice of have a direct valid cognition of the nature of the mind and the nature of reality. This is our chance to see things as they are, don't waste your time and energy on going back to ideas and concepts. Look directly. What do you see?

Buddha eye.

The practice of shamatha leads to the development of a mind that is calm, clear and luminous. Our mind is naturally settled in a state of cognitive knowing that is free from the proliferation of thoughts. It is a mind that is like an unstirred candle, it is steady and calm, yet luminous and bright.

What do we do with this newly discovered awareness? We simply use it to look.

The practice of shamatha or calm abiding leads to the practice of vipasyana, or vivid seeing. In the practice of vipasyana, we use this mind that is focused and steady to look at phenomena, self and our own mind. This awareness is like a sharp weapon that we can use to dissect and cut through layer after layer of confused perception and bias. We can peel back layers of habitual grasping and fixation, layers of imputation and exaggeration.

The practice of insight is a continual process of digging deeper, moving from gross to subtle, moving from one to many and many to one. It is a practice of learning to ask better questions, not being content with the answers that you have before you.

The uniqueness of the Buddha's tradition lies in the practice of vipasyana. There are many forms of shamatha meditation, and many similarities among the various traditions as to how to calm the mind and rest in a peaceful state. The wisdom of the Buddha's teachings are what distinguishes it from the other forms of meditation. It is the Buddha's insight into the true nature of the self, how all things are interconnected, and how we can use this wisdom to benefit ourselves and others that makes it truly transformative.

The Buddha taught that your view is important. What you think about things influences your reality and your experience. Our perception binds us, it limits us and our abilities. Our ignorance causes us suffering, we just don't recognize that fact.

Vipasyana is the practice of seeing truly, and coming to the direct experience of that wisdom of the Buddha. It is the practice of developing the Buddha eye.

Metaphors for the progression of your practice.

The process of developing our shamatha practice of calm abiding develops through five stages of experience. This progression of experience can be described through five metaphors.

Waterfall. The first experience of shamatha is movement. When we sit down the first thing we discover is that our thoughts, feelings and sensations are raging like water cascading down a steep cliff. This is the first experience which is like a waterfall.

Torrent in a deep ravine. The second experience is attainment. Our mind, which was once cascading and all over the place is being channeled and brought to focus. We discover in the stages of settling the mind and continuously settling that the mind is incredibly powerful and provides a lot of resistance to being directed towards our object of meditation. Effort is required to keep bringing the mind back to its focus. This is the second experience which is like a torrent in a deep ravine.

Meandering river. The third experience of shamatha is familiarization. The raging waters of our mind have calmed considerable, and we have discovered a gently flowing current. Within this river of meditation, we still experience the currents of agitation and dullness pulling us away from our focus, but we are able to come back and rest much more easily.  This third experience which is like a meandering river is like the stages of completely settled mind and the subsequent stages of training and calming the mind as we continue to work with the movement of the mind.

Ocean free of waves. The fourth experience is stability. The waters of our mind have merged with the great ocean which is free from waves. This is the fourth experience of resting in single-pointedness in which the mind does not waver, like an ocean free of waves.

A candle flame unstirred by any breeze. The fifth experience of shamatha is consummation. This is the stage of resting in equanimity in which the mind rests naturally in a state of limpid clarity, like a candle that is unstirred by any breeze. It is the state free from effort in which we experience the total pliancy of mind and body.

These five metaphors describe the progression that takes place in your meditation as you deepen your practice of shamatha. You can further understand and appreciate these experiences by contemplating the four ways of working with the mind and the eight remedial techniques that eliminate the five flaws of meditation.

Settling the Mind.

Take your seat. Meditate for ten minutes using any method that you are familiar with. You might focus on your breath, visualize an internal drop of light, focus on a mantra, or rest in the uncontrived natural state.

What is your experience? What do you notice? What are some of the challenges or problems that come up?

One of the first things you will probably notice is movement.

You experience thoughts racing, sensations coursing through your body- pain, itching, tightness. You notice all of this movement, which normally goes unseen and unrecognized.

Movement is the first experience of meditation. Now you know how stirred up you are. You may have a conceptual idea of resting the mind and what that should look and feel like, but when you sit what you actually experience is movement.

Which is good.

What we are experiencing is our own mind- complete with thoughts, emotions, sense perceptions, habits and memories. We are having a direct encounter with our crazy monkey mind.

At this point in your practice it is important to rely on study. What is meditation? What are methods for dealing with obstacles? Really investigate what is mind, what is the nature of mind? What is the basis for what we experience in meditation? Are the things we experience momentary and fleeting or do they have some real substance? Investigate cause and effect, look at where you are stuck or what you are holding onto. Dig deeper into your experience.

Don't beat yourself up. Don't make your practice into a big project. Learn to relax. Let go.

It is okay if it doesn't happen right away. It is important to develop the habit of settling and resting. Put your effort into showing up without expectation or judgment. Be present, be here. Even if the present is loud and unsettled, it is enough for now. 

Say yes.

What do a barista, a stranger on the bus, a teacher, a lawyer and a designer all have in common?

They can all be practicing virtue.

They can be patient, generous, compassionate and kind. They can act fairly, justly, without bias or discrimination. They can share insight and experience, share tidbits of wisdom and joy.

When we interact with those whose path is one of all-embracing virtue, we encounter a certain honesty and truthfulness. It feels right, genuine.

They often have a freedom and joy about them. They exhibit a natural grace and ease, a sense of lightheartedness.

As they move through the world, every encounter is one of mutual sharing and exchange. There is a directness free from the baggage of strong emotions, projections or bias. They interact with others in a way that the chains of confusion are broken and the cycle of anger is interrupted, even if only for a moment.

So how do we carry that virtue into our lives?

Say yes to whatever is coming up.

You could be faced with a problem that you would rather not deal with. Opportunities could present themselves, do you take them or not? A stranger might ask you something, or maybe a friend. You will have to interact with someone you really don't like that much.

Don't push it away. Don't get overly excited and enraptured by it. Say yes, acknowledge it, and see where it leads.

Be willing to interact with things as they are.

Some things play themselves out, unravel and wither away. Some evolve and open up into something else altogether.

The play of interdependence is beyond the mind. We can't say for certain what will happen. Our own decisions, connections and propensities create a world that is uniquely our own. It can be challenging to carry that experience into the world around us to effect change, make a difference or to benefit others.

Simply engaging in the formless practice of all-embracing virtue,
we can meet with the world and our experience as it is,
and bring about benefit in ways that we could have never imagined.

That is how all-embracing virtue creates inconceivable benefit. 

Feeding concepts.

When was the last time someone told you something that influenced and shaped your experience?

Do you find yourself being aware of this as it plays itself out?

Probably not.

We often think of ourselves as rationale coherent beings, experiencing the world through our lens of truth. We trust in our thoughts and emotions, believe that our perception is unerring, and value our discernment and judgement.

What we don't know is that much of what shapes our experience and perception is concepts that were planted long, long ago. Most of which we didn't even know were being planted.

Take my two year old as an example. My wife said she didn't like chicken pot pie. My daughter parroted her taste preferences, yet she has never had chicken pot pie. We have yet to find out how long this biased perception lasts.

Chicken pot pie isn't much of a big deal. It doesn't really matter if you like mustard or not, or if you prefer skim over whole milk.

But what about your concepts about race, sexual orientation and religion? What about your views about money, politics and human rights?

Most of what we call our ideas, opinions and preferences have been fed to us. Most often, we don't dissect and analyze those preferences too much, we think we came to them through our own merits.

Part of waking up means no longer trusting your own biased perception. You need to recognize that your perception is biased, that is a starting point. Your view isn't to be held onto. Your position isn't to be fortified. All of that is confusion.  We are confused.

Once you know that we are confused, then you can start the process of right view, right intention, right discernment. First, you need to be honest with yourself. Then you can start to be honest with others, and things get better.  

A different kind of doubt.

There is plenty of doubt in our lives. We doubt the media, strangers, untested products. We are skeptical of people selling us things on the street, overly generous offers, promises too good to be true.

Doubt and healthy skepticism project us from trouble.

We also have a lot of self doubt. We doubt our ability, our knowledge and experience. We are skeptical that we will be able to perform at the highest level, that others will appreciate what we have to contribute, or that our work will make an impact.

Doubt at this level starts to take on an emotional dimension. We start feeling anxious or fearful. We feel our heart race, maybe become depressed or upset. Doubt becomes a snowball that continues to grow and feed upon itself as it races downhill.

We create all of these experiences.

Our perception and concepts of the world and our environment engender doubt as a protective mechanism. Our perception of our ability, or our perceived notions of what others think or expect, all of those are based largely on concepts and stories we tell ourselves. Even our feelings of anxiousness and fear are created from these stories and perceptions.

What we haven't doubted, even for an instant, is the concept or the perception itself. That little devil gets off time and time again, and yet it is the one that torments us the most. 

Take a moment to look deeply into your own concepts and perceptions. Take a look from another angle, try something new. Break free from the cage of reifying conceptions. 

This kind of doubt will be truly beneficial and protect you from a bunch of self-made trouble.