Valid cognition.

How do we know what is true?

Valid cognition or pramana is a whole branch of study in traditional Buddhist training. Broadly speaking, there are two types of valid cognition: inferential and direct perception.

Inferential valid cognition is based on reason and logic. We can come to an authentic understanding of phenomena through reason and logic. You can study a system like the human body, understand how it works, all of its parts and pieces, and develop a lot of confidence in that understanding based on examination and analysis.

Direct perception (DP) is presented as four categories, but for our purposes understanding two is sufficient: sensory direct perception and yogic direct perception. Sensory DP is valid cognition based on one's sensory experience. You can learn about the differences between cabernet and pinot noir by reading and studying (inferential valid cognition), but this understanding is quite inferior to actually tasting the wine and discovering the differences based on your own experience. Notice however, that sensory and inferential valid cognition can actually serve to deepen and refine your understanding by mutually supporting each other.

Yogic DP is a non-conceptual valid cognition that directly perceives the true nature of phenomena. This type of valid cognition is reserved for practitioners in a deep meditative state that is free from conceptual elaboration or emotional turbulence. This awareness has a lucid clarity and is completely calm. It is with this lucid awareness that we can explore the inner landscape of the mind or the play of dependent origination. Because such a mind is free from limiting perceptions or biased reference points, it is considered the highest form of valid cognition.

As a practitioner traveling on the path of meditation, it is important to understand the significance of these two forms of valid cognition. Logic and reasoning have their place in your practice, as Ju Mipham describes "giving rise to the approximate ultimate." But this is not to be confused for the actual ultimate reality, which is solely the domain of yogic direct perception.

Meaningful activities to do today.

Copying texts, making offerings, charity,

Study, reading, memorizing,

Explaining, reciting aloud,

Contemplating and meditating—

These ten activities

Bring merit beyond measure.

~Maitreya

Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes

What does a dharma practitioner do with their time? What type of activities are worthwhile and meaningful? Other than taking care of our daily responsibilities and work, what should we do in our free time? 

Our culture of accomplishment encourages us to be doing all the time. The habit of having to accomplish something, ship something, create something can create a lot of unrest and dissatisfaction when we are not engaging in those activities. Learning how to spend your downtime is a useful skill to have, since most of us can agree that surfing the internet or social media produces little benefit and often sucks us into a wormhole of mental wandering. 

Here are ten activities that Maitreya recommended all bodhisattvas on the path of awakening engage in:

Copying texts. A thousand years ago, copying texts was the only way to preserve them. Today we could say sharing texts, sending someone a book that impacted you, or sharing a cliff notes version of books that you are reading.

Making offerings. Be generous and kind. Share a smile. Talk to a stranger. Random acts of kindness are easy to share and make a positive impact in our community and in our own life. 

Charity. Donate, contribute and work for projects or organizations that are making things better in the world. Helping others in whatever form it takes is meaningful work worth doing. 

Reading. Read widely and deeply. There are no subjects or interests that are out of bounds here. Reading is a virtue. 

Study. Take notes. Systematize, draw out the implications and summarize the essence. Whatever you are reading is a good area to deepen your study. 

Memorization. In a time when books were not widely available, memorization was the only way to commit something to memory in order to keep it with you. In modern times, this can mean having a system or process by which you can easily retrieve and access needed resources. Google takes this category for most information, but how do you retrieve patience when you need it? How do you access compassion and responsiveness when you are tired and hungry? Build a habit for accessing your emotional intelligence. 

Explaining. Write a blog post on a book. Share your insights on what you have learned. Join a discussion group with a shared interest. 

Reciting aloud. Reciting a text was part of a regular practice to preserve and share the blessings of the tradition. This could be done alone or with a group for special ceremonies. Their is an unspoken blessing that one encounters when you have done something again and again by yourself, and then you encounter a group with a shared interest and everyone engages in the same activity without missing a beat. It is hard for a modern westerner to comprehend this, but we can all relate to cheering for a football team at home and then the shared experience in the stadium. There is a shared sense of belonging or affiliation that we experience that is beyond words. 

Contemplating. Think about what you are reading and studying. We need space and time to contemplate. You need some boredom in your life to enjoy contemplation. Build some time into your day for not doing anything, but being present and observe the world around you. You might also want to have a notebook or sheet of paper with you;)

Meditating. Rest naturally. Sit with intention. Experience your authentic condition. Build some time into your day for being, not doing.

These ten activities will make your day worthwhile. What other activities can you think of that are meaningful and worth committing to on a regular basis?

+2 important additions: exercise and mindful eating.

Choose a regular exercise, could be taking a walk, doing yoga or qiqong, or going for a run. Dr. Jivaka recommended the Buddha instruct all his disciples to do walking meditation everyday to strengthen their bodies and improve their mental focus.

Mindful eating. Enjoy your meals. Eat simple, nutritious food. Our meals can support our practice and encourage us to appreciate our connections to the world around us. 

Different traditions.

The tradition of study and contemplation that took place in Tibet and now modern day India and Nepal is quite different than our own tradition here in the West. Here in the West it is quite common to read a book over a month or two, make some notes, reflect on it and then move onto the next book.

We do cursory studies.

In Tibet, it was quite common to study a single text for months or years. There was an in depth attention and application of the text at hand. The purpose wasn't to get through the material, but to do an immersive study and internalize the work.

This immersive study took place under the guidance of a dependable teacher. They made the depth and breadth of the work accessible and practical. This was the very foundation upon which the classical studies of the Buddhist textual tradition was based.

If we are looking to transform our mind and our life, it doesn't happen overnight. We cannot expect to read a book or two and to discover what is meaningful. It takes effort over the long haul. It requires that we return again and again to the same teachings, coming at them from different angles and under different situations. Over time, we discover the essence and we are able to enjoy it for ourselves.

Dharma practitioners don't just meditate.

The Buddha's teachings get a lot of press about meditation. A lot of people may even equate the Buddha's teachings with meditation. That's what the Buddha did, right?

The Buddha did not just teach about meditation.

Meditation is a critical step in a much larger process of developing insight and wisdom. The development of wisdom evolves through three phases- study, contemplation and meditation.

When we study, we learn key concepts and principles. We are exposed to ideas and use reason and logic to determine their validity.

Contemplation is the process of building connections, coming at the material from different angles and reflecting on our experience of the teachings we have been studying. Contemplation involves deeper aspects of our mind and heart, often within the sphere of contemplation we will experience flashes of insight or meaning that seem to come from outside our own conjecture.

Meditation is the process of moving beyond concepts and into direct experience. We can talk about what chocolate tastes like, we can compare it to other regional varieties, but at some point we need to actually taste the chocolate. Meditation is a direct experience of the teachings.

We gain a certain type of knowledge and wisdom through study. We gain a different type of knowledge and wisdom through contemplation. The wisdom of meditation is the wisdom of direct experience.

The fundamental problem that all dharma practitioners are trying to resolve is the human condition complete with all of its negative and positive aspects. We as humans experience a lot of pain and suffering. Mental illness runs rampant through our communities affecting both young and old. But we also see great examples of virtues like compassion, generosity and wisdom. As dharma practitioners work to solve this problem, they rely on the process of study, contemplation and meditation. Over and over again, they cycle through these processes, continuously trying to resolve the nature of their own human life, and sharing that wisdom with others.

Slowly, and tirelessly they gain wisdom about how to work with suffering and practice virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they gain wisdom about how to live with suffering and share virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they discover freedom in the midst of suffering and learn how to embody virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they learn how to embody virtue and discover freedom in the midst of suffering.

Upcoming Course: Essence of the Path

 

Essence of the Path: The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma

 

July 10-31, 2016

 

Join us for a 4 week workshop on the Essence of the Path: the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. This student-led course is part of a series of teachings given by Younge Khachab Rinpoche to his students, which presents the entire Buddhist path from the point of view of practice. This course will present the foundational teachings of the First Turning, lay the groundwork for the view and practice of the common vehicle, and allow you to understand how these teachings are connected to the Mahayana and Vajrayana vehicles. Rinpoche encourages all students to take this course, whether they are new to the Dharma or experienced practitioners who have insight and understanding to share with the group.

The course will take place using Canvas, a web platform created for learning. Within a couple days of registering you will be sent an invitation to the course. Log in and check out the course syllabus, the online materials and recommended materials. Take a look at the weekly assignments and the course schedule. Check in on the discussion page and introduce yourself. Each week on Sunday at 6pm CST we will be having a Zoom video conference to discuss the material, allow people to ask questions and go over practice essentials.

Required Materials: Essence of the Path: The First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma by Younge Khachab Rinpoche (available for download on course page)

REGISTER NOW

Disconnected.

All that study, yet it doesn't fit together.
All that information, but no sure way to act.
All those years of dedication, but still the struggle to find balance.

The ability to make connections is vital to your practice.  Study broad and deep, but distill the essence to bring it all together.  Expand and elaborate, then summarize the key point.

When you understand the essence, everything else makes sense.  You see the relationship and the bigger picture.  You see the next step, the possibility.

Without the essence, you're all head.
With the essence, you're all heart.

Meditation: A Panacea?

Meditation is all the rage lately.  Study after study has reported its benefits, from
health, to memory, to happiness and even sex.

Is it really the panacea that it is purported to be?

Meditation is a vehicle.  It brings you to where you want to go.  Just as you take a car to go hiking, or a plane to travel abroad, or a boat to go fishing; meditation is a vehicle.

If it is a vehicle, then it is really important that you have a clear intention for where you are going. 

The Buddha divided all types of meditation into two categories- worldly and transcendent.

Worldly meditation involves not only all of the health and wellness benefits listed above, but also includes meditation for the sake of cultivating specific mental states for your own benefit. 

Transcendent meditation is for the purpose of liberation.  Complete awakening has the function of liberating the mind from all suffering and ignorance, but its distinctive feature is the presence of great compassion. 

Great compassion fulfills its own intention by carrying out and ensuring the benefit of others.  In this way, transcendent meditation not only fulfills your own aims, it also fulfills the aims of others. 

It transcends the self.  It is greater in purpose, greater in scope.

With this type of meditation, your life becomes the vehicle for awakening in order to bring benefit to those around you.  Everything is included in your practice everything becomes part of the path.

What is your intention for meditation?

You could probably figure this out on your own.

Given the time, the discipline and the effort, you can learn and master anything.  You can start with curiosity, learn, study, read and reflect.  You could make mistakes, false starts and follow dead end paths.  You could make outlines, throw them out, rewrite them, correct them and then go back to what you read and try to see if it all matches up.

You could do all of those things, and in the end you might succeed.  You definitely would make progress and learn something.

Or you could consult an expert.

The expert could direct your efforts and attention to what is most worthwhile.  She could give you a foundation of knowledge and understanding so that you can easily build a fortress of knowledge and experience.  She would let you make mistakes, and then point out through your own experience how to improve.

Do this.  Don't do that.  

She will teach you how to connect the dots, draw out the implications.  When you are focused on the what and how, she slips in the why.  When your focus is narrow, she gives you the big picture.  When doubt and uncertainty creep in, she makes the unreasonable seem reasonable.  

You still need to put in the time, discipline and effort.  You still need to make mistakes, go back and learn, reflect and contemplate.  But you don't need to do it all by yourself.

Find yourself a good mentor.  Ask questions.  Listen.  And do the work. 

The best experts start out as amateurs. 

Dharma Project

I am happy to announce a new project that my friends Karen Johnstone, An Ri and myself have started.  

timelessfootsteps.org

Our goal is to start a tradition of study and practice.  More specifically, to:

To spark, stir, excite, and invite those who are interested in Dharma.
To encourage, empower, and inspire those on the path.
To clarify what it means to be on the path, what it means to be a practitioner.
To facilitate insight, clarity, illumination, stability, devotion, patience, diligence and wisdom.

Sign up to receive updates by email, join us on Facebook or Twitter, or pass it along to friends who might be interested.