Meditation

1. Meditate.
2. Meditate more.
3. Meditate even more.
4. Meditate even more than that.
5. Meditate when you don’t want to.
6. Meditate when you do.
7. Meditate when you have something to meditate on.
8. Meditate when you don’t.
9. Meditate every day.
10. Keep meditating.

Seriously though there is a lesson in there. Think like a meditator, be like a meditator. Which is by the way the title of a forth coming blog post I’m currently working on.

I will be presenting classes on meditation at the Sunbury Community Health Centre starting May 6th and running through to June 10th.

Meditation - Key to a Calmer Life

A practical approach to improving health, happiness and relaxation through meditation. The main aim is to develop a clear, happy mind free of tension and stress. This effective short course is facilitated by the Tibetan Buddhist Society. This program has been running for over 10 years with excellent feedback from participants, many of whom have repeated the program.
May 6 - June 10

Email: fionata@sunburychc.org.au
Time: Tuesday 7:30 - 8:30pm
Venue: Sunbury Community Health Centre
Cost: $65 for 6 weeks
Contact: Fiona Tanner 9744-9564
Dates: 06 May 08 - 10 June 08

Click Here to download Application Form

Learning to meditate is a creative process of persistent enthusiastic effort in becoming familiar with functional minds such as the minds of compassion and the wisdom the knows emptiness. Being able to meditate deeply is not something that will naturally happen over night. Would you expect to become an artist or musician after just one lesson?

Artists and musician’s have their tools of the trade, as do meditators. What are these tools? Below is a list along with short explanations of each. However the list is by no means an exhaustive list.

There are external tools for meditation such as

1. A dedicated room or place within a room.
2. Cushion.
3. Blanket.
4. Table for books and meditation manuals.

and there are internal tools for meditation such as

1. An appreciation of the benefits of meditation.
2. Awareness of attention.
3. Enthusiasm.
4. Patience.
5. Knowledge.

So lets now expand on each of these a little.

A dedicated room or place within a room for meditation
It is useful to have a dedicated place for your meditation practice. By having a dedicated place for meditation you are saying to yourself:

I believe meditation is an important and worthwhile activity. I see the advantages it can bring to my life, my family and everyone I engage with throughout my life. For this reason I believe it is important enough to have it’s own dedicated space.

You will also be reminded every time you walk by the room. There are other benefits also besides these for instance; When I was young my grandfather, who we called “green pa” because he had a green car, had a shed in his backyard. My grandmother knew that when he was in his shed he could not be disturbed. My grandfather use to build things for people out of wood. It was like a meditation for him. So similarly, we need our own shed - a meditation shed. A place where we can build things like the minds of compassion, wisdom, equanimity and develop the skills to really help others.

Meditation Cushion
You don’t need to sit on the floor or in a crossed legged position to meditate. Meditation is a mental activity not a physical one but, you do need to be comfortable. If you are not comfortable it will be difficult to develop a deep and stable practice. So when you are first starting out, pay attention to how your body feels. If pain arises, try and fix it by adjusting your position slightly. However don’t fuss over this process. Don’t spend too much time worrying about the pain or discomfort. Otherwise this checking could itself become an obstacle to meditation.

Also, sitting in a chair is permissible. However sitting as the great meditators of the past did is best if you can. Why? Because adopting a cross legged position is a powerful signal to yourself that it is now time to meditate. However if you are sitting in a chair make sure it is not the same chair you use to have afternoon naps, as your meditation will probably just turn into more sleeping.

Also the cushion is to keep you comfortable. It is not a fashion item, or a decorative piece. Don’t turn your meditation practice into another worldly activity.

Meditation Blanket
There are two types of meditation blankets. One to keep you warm and one for keeping your hands comfortable. If you are too warm by having too many blankets wrapped around your body this can induce sleep. So make certain you are comfortable and warm while leaving some space for the air to flow around your body. Remember your meditating not sleeping!

The second type is for your hands. Place a soft piece of fabric or a fold of your blanket under your hands, this will help your mind relax. The sooner you relax the quicker your meditation will develop. However meditation is not just about deep relaxation, so don’t allow yourself to fall into the abyss of sleepiness. It is very much like tuning your mind. Too tight and conceptualization will occur, too loose and you will end up wasting time in the fogginess of laxity. In this regard meditation is a creative ongoing process of adjusting between too tight and too loose. So have fun learning to meditate!

If you live in a noisy area try using ear plugs.

Meditation Table
This tool is simply to allow you to read guided meditation manuals or writing notes without having to get up from your meditation seat. Not all meditation is about only focusing the mind. You can meditate on subjects that are quite subtle and difficult to understand. So you might need a couple of books handy in order to consult.

An appreciation of the benefits of meditation
This tool cannot be overemphasized. However an appreciation of the benefits of meditation can only develop over time as you see first hand the benefits. So given this some what difficult premise, that is, an appreciation of the benefits of meditation can only come after you see the benefits of meditation, try and research articles or stories of the benefits of meditation in order to inspire. If you like biographies, read the biographies of great yogis like Milarepa. If you are a science type, find articles on the science of meditation or http://www.danielgoleman.info/blog/2008/01/01/the-inexplicable-monks/ to inspire you. The point is, many have said there is benefits in learning to meditate. However the only way you can verify these benefits is to learn to meditate yourself.

Reading inspiring stories will help develop an aspiration to engage in meditation. Aspiration is the key to a successful practice. Without an aspiration to engage in meditation, even if you have all the external tools of the trade, the best cushions, a dedicated room, a beautiful meditation table made of fine antique timber, you will still find yourself watching television or finding some excuse to not meditate. It’s amazing just how sophisticated some excuses can be. Don’t get fooled by them.

Awareness of attention
Are you aware of your thoughts right now? Probably not. As you are reading this your mind is engaged in the process of reading. But, there are other things going on that you may not be aware of. I’m not just talking about being mindful per se but, rather a broader class of attention. It might even be classified as intention. I think it is more like being attentive of your intentions. What does that mean? If your intention is to sit down to meditate, be certain that is what you end up doing. Don’t spend your time worrying about money, or your job, or your children or your broken finger nail or whether your football team is going to win on the weekend. If you come up with some cool new idea for a project that will help get you a great new job. Jot down the idea while remaining seated, then continue meditating until you finish. Then start thinking about the idea after that. Actually this can be an issue. Because as your meditation deepens you will find that creativity can increase. So watch out for this one. Don’t let yourself go off day-dreaming or speculating about the future. Be attentive of your intention to meditate.

Through this, stability will develop. Stability is a lack of being here, there and everywhere! Stability will arise at the same time as conceptualization decreases. But conceptualization can only decrease if you do not engage it. It is a little like ignoring someone who is standing near you asking the same questions over and over again. If you ignore them long enough they will eventually go away.

For this reason it is also good to meditate at the same time of day, each day. This will allow you to develop the habit of meditating rather than spending this time stressing over things that can, in the end, be dealt with later.

Enthusiasm
This tool is the meditators engine. It is the one thing that will get you out of bed early every morning to meditate. It is closely linked with appreciation. So when you feel your enthusiasm waning, go back to internal tool # 1 and read something inspiring.

The more you appreciate the results of meditation, the more your enthusiasm will increase. But, be careful because too much meditation can be a large factor in destroying enthusiasm for meditation. So be smart with how much meditation you do. If you are new to meditation aim to meditate everyday for at least 20 minutes and, build from there. The goal would be 3-4 hours a day everyday. When you get to this point. The problem won’t be trying to meditate it will be stopping.

Patience
Patience is a necessary ingredient to a successful meditation practice. It is not only a willingness to practice. It is a steadfastness in the face of difficulties. When meditation gets boring, patience will be that voice in your head encouraging you to keep trying. It can be your best friend in meditation. Always there with kind words to help and encourage you along. When you have patience you can except difficulties without resistance. And if you have no resistance you will become irresistible! Just joking.

The point is be patient, with the right motivation, meditation can be the best thing you can do with your life. Wisdom, compassion and knowledge of how to help others will develop naturally. Then you can be of use to both yourself and others. Does that sound like something worth campaigning for? Geshe Loden my teacher often says, most people only campaign for this life. Thinking about having more money, a better car or a better looking body. Not so many campaign for better future lives! Which one do you want to be?

Knowledge
The topic of Buddhist wisdom used as both a method for the use within meditation and as the result of meditation, will be covered in an upcoming post entitled Buddhism as Philosophy.

But I will leave you with a quote from DromTompa the famous disciple of Atisha

Some think, Meditators do not need to study; those who teach need to study. Actually, learning is more necessary from the meditator; teachers may just incur the fault of explaining something incorrectly.

Do you see his point? I will let you think about it and explain what I think he is saying in the post on Knowledge.

I often get asked, what people can do during the last days of a loved one.
Below is some simply advice for anyone currently dealing with death.

What to do when someone is dying
Generally speaking, just having good thoughts and memories of your loved one will be helpful both to you and your loved one(s). Getting upset, crying or getting angry, will only serve to make things worse. A persons state of mind at the time of death is important for a good rebirth. Therefore it is best to help the dying person remain calm and happy. Reminding them of events that will only cause problems is not a skillful action. So try to avoid this as much as possible.

If you feel so inclined, you and if possible, the dying person can meditate on compassion and loving-kindness for all sentient beings.

Start off the meditation by not focusing on a friend, as this can cause people to get upset and attachment to arise. Think about someone like a work friend or someone similar. Someone that you know and care for but, who is not too close that attachment will arise. Then as the meditation continues, add more and more people into the scope of your attention. In the end add all beings, even your enemies if you can without causing issues. Then this is the important part, try and develop a feeling that all the beings in the scope of your meditation are of equal importance to you. Why? because all beings want happiness and do not want suffering. No one wants to die, not even the worse people! But, we all have to leave our bodies behind. We all come into the world naked and all we leave naked. In this regard we are all the same, we are all equal. Try and develop a sense of equanimity towards all beings. This will happy remove attachment for friends and family and anger for people you feel have done you wrong. Buddhist assert that someone who dies with this type of mind is very likely to have a good rebirth.

In terms of a Buddhist prayers for the dying you and if possible the dying person can recite the following prayer.

By this virtue (reciting this prayer), at the instant of death, may you take rebirth in Tushita (a heavenly realm). May you meet the limitless Bodhisattvas and be cared for by Maitreya, our supreme refuge.

Through the fire of great love, the wood of hatred is burnt.
Through the light of pristine awareness, the darkness of ignorance is dispelled. To the Regent of the Dharma (Maitreya Buddha) abiding in Tushita, I prostrate.

Also, learn the death process itself. If the dying person is a Buddhist and they want to hear. Read to them the explanation of the death process. This will also be useful for when we are dying.

As a side note you may have wondered why do Buddhist meditate of death and dying this post may shed some insight.

Recently I was asked to lecture on Buddhist philosophy and meditation to a group of high school kids. The kids and staff were great. Very attentive and interested in learning about Buddhism and or meditation.

So a shout-out to the staff and kids at Overnewton College.

I applaud Overnewton College for their wonderful and progressive outlook to the education of their students. The event even made their local newspaper.

via http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/56016

MORE than 50 Overnewton College students got in touch with their spiritual side last month after a visit from a Buddhist monk.
Tibetan Buddhist Society monk Loden Jinpa led an animated discussion on Buddhism and meditation before involving the students in a practical meditation class.
The students, all part of the school’s new spiritual and values education program, were taught to manage negative thoughts and situations through meditation and deep breathing.
They were also shown methods to combat stress heading into their VCE years.
Spirituality and meditation teacher Amanda Clifford said it was important for the students to recognise and understand the ways of different religions and cultures.

“If you don’t know much about something you can fear it or not understand it and get different beliefs,” she said. To have an authentic Buddhist monk talk to them about it instead of me lecturing them is great. When Loden held the discussion there was lots of energy in the room and then we had the meditation practices and he said to them ‘do you notice any difference?’ and all of the kids were like ‘yeah, it’s so much calmer’.

The Buddha said more than two and a half millennia ago, all beings want happiness and wish to avoid suffering. At first glance, this may seem like a simplistic observation however, a closer examination will reveal an extraordinary implication.

Everyone has this innate wish, the wish for greater happiness, it is not a selfish wish, however, we often use erroneous methods in our endeavors to find it. Many people believing that happiness can be found through physical stimuli or financial security, spend their entire lives chasing after money, power and fame only to be exhausted by their efforts. Buddhism asserts that although external conditions, such as, money or a nice car do play a role in a good life, they are not the real causes of happiness. You don’t need to look too far to find people who are materially well off, yet experience unhappiness, which if left unchecked can lead to depression. This does not mean we should not have material things or work towards providing for our families. Owning a nice car, a big house or having a highly paid career is not the issue. The issue is how we relate to these things. The real source of life’s problems and their resolutions can be found within our mind.
What I find most compelling about the Buddha’s statement is he hints at our fundamental capacity to expand and develop our experiences of happiness. Not the kind of happiness that is generated by forcing yourself to laugh or the kind of happiness that is sometimes jokingly described as happy happy joy joy. The happiness that is referred to here, is a genuine feeling of joy that naturally arises due to the cultivation of functional states of mind. It is a feeling of contentment with yourself, your life and the things and events that you encounter. It is not a passive experience. It makes you want to embrace life and the people you encounter through it. So his statement, all beings want happiness and want to avoid suffering, is not merely an observation but rather a supremely optimistic statement.

This statement of the Buddha also hints at our current situation. Like it or not, most people experience unwanted problems. Be they big or small, they are problems nonetheless and they are unwanted! No one wakes up in the morning and thinks, today I hope nothing but problems come my way. In fact the opposite is often the case. We wake up thinking about all the good things that might happen. We plan our day, thinking of the things we need to get done. Yet unexpected problems do arise. We can find ourselves experiencing the tension of a strained relationship, the stress of deadlines, or even the boredom of work. The Buddha points this out as a means of motivating us to begin our journey. Don’t live in denial. Face up to the fact that we do, even if just occasionally, experience these problems but, understand there is something you can do about this situation. You have the power to change your life, no one else can do it for you. In this regard the Buddha once said,

You are your own protector,
who else will be this protector?

This is great news, you can change your life and it is not that difficult. However, it is a journey, and like all good journeys, it starts with making the decision to go. To sum up then, the basic framework of the Buddha’s message is. All of us want happiness, yet what happiness we currently experience is fleeting at best. However, it is possible to experience real and lasting happiness that transcends any experience of happiness or bliss that is generated from physical stimuli, and that the methods which enable this can be found within our own mind.
This is where meditation comes in. Meditation is the tool used in the Enlightenment Project. It is both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in this endeavor. Meditation introduces you to the world of your mind. A world that for many has remained hidden. Meditation brings the world of your mind to the forefront of life. Making it work for you rather than letting it enslave you. Many people are unaware of the potential of their mind or the role it plays in your life. Many unaware of this go through life acting out in habitual ways, reacting with events habitual tendencies, many of which lead to the problems describe earlier. The removal of dysfunctional states of mind, such as anger, jealousy or pride and the development of functional minds such as the minds of loving-kindness, compassion and wisdom constitutes the Enlightenment Project.

I received a series of questions on a post about finding a Lama, what meditating to practice etc. I decided it was be easily and quicker to do it via video.

I hope this is useful?

Yesterday I read with interest, Daniel Goleman’s blog post on the unexplained gamma increases in highly trained Tibetan Lamas. This morning I had an idea that might shed some insight into the reason why some meditators, with roughly the same amount of training as others, can have massively different gamma readings.

The idea is based on how these monks engage their object of meditation. Daniel did state that all the participants were meditating on compassion, however his findings assumes that all participants engaged in this meditation on compassion are of the same type of compassion. According to Mahayana Buddhism there is more than one type of compassion.

Candrakirti a 7th CE Buddhist scholar-yogi, abbot of the famous Nalanda monastic university, and author of many famous Buddhist treatises enumerates in his treatise of Madhyamaka philosophy entitled Engaging in the Middle Way (Madhyamakavatara) three types of compassion.

Three Types of Compassion

1. Compassion observing mere sentient beings.
2. Compassion observing impermanent sentient beings.
3. Compassion observing dependently-related sentient beings.

This theory says that all three compassions have as their observed object sentient beings, with a subjective aspect of wishing them to be free from suffering and wanting to protect them from suffering but, their engaged object or conceived object are (1) real sentient beings, in the sense of being substantially existent; (2) Impermanent sentient beings and; (3) Sentient beings that do not inherently exist. Candrakirti states that the three compassions increase in depth, scope and power from the first through to the third. I would add, a meditator who possesses this third type of compassion has fewer dysfunctional states of mind compared with one who only has the first or second type. This perhaps is a way of explaining the different degrees of gamma in the participants. Although a person with the 3rd type of compassion may look simpler in appearance to another monk or Lama, their mind would be far from simpler.

I believe that in order to get to the bottom of this conundrum, scientists need to starting asking questions of meditators. Get them to describe their meditational objects, rather than assume they are all meditating on the same objects. Currently scientists are reluctant to do this or at least reluctant to speak about it in public. Yet, this is the area that will show in my opinion how dualistic thought processes are the root cause of suffering. I believe science can play a role in this endeavor but, only after they get over their fixation with the materialistic notion of consciousness. 

Here are 3 books I recommend for more information on death, dying and associated meditations.

But you may also want to have a look at these posts also.

Prayer and meditations for the dying
The death process in Buddhism
The purpose of prayer in Buddhism

1: Theory based book on death etc.If you want to know the details of the death process this is a great book for that.
Intermediate Buddhism

Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth by Lati Rinpoche Read more about this title…

2: A great book for new comes to Buddhism or for someone dealing with death wither directly or indirectly.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller; Revised and Updated Edition by Sogyal Rinpoche, Patrick D. Gaffney, Andrew Harvey Read more about this title…

3: Practice based book by a an outstanding and popular Tibetan Lama/yogi. This books deals with meditation practices for the sick and dying.

Ultimate Healing: The Power of Compassion by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lillian Too Read more about this title…

Recently my blog posts have been focused on death or dying as one of my lama’s passed away.

Buddhism sees death as a natural part of life and something that is neither negative or bad. I even blogged about the death process here. Previous to these two posts, I wrote about the purpose of prayer in Buddhism. So in this post I want to combine these two themes and provide some ideas that may assist you or another through the process of dying.

Having a good death?

Is it possible to have a good death? Absolutely ! Generally speaking, death is seen by Buddhism as a great enemy - one that takes away the precious opportunity to practice Dharma. This is the reason for the images of death being demonic types.

As Milarepa said

Frightened of death I ran to the mountains to meditate. Now that I have seen the nature of my mind I welcome death.

You see, death to a Buddhist has contextual meaning. That is, when one is alive and healthy we use death meditation to shake us from laziness and complacency. Thinking about your own mortally is great motivation to practice and to improve our mind (remember that the goal of the Buddhist path is the freedom from dissatisfactoriness by replacing dysfunctional states of mind with functional ones). Because at the time of death nothing is of greater benefit than your practice. It is said that money can’t help you, how popular you were is no benefit and no matter how many pairs of shoes you have you cant take them with you.

But once death is a upon us, our focus and how we relate to death shifts from using it as a motivational tool to one of acceptance and letting go. In fact for great meditators, the time of death is an exciting time, as it is during the actual process of death that they gain access to the very subtle Clear Light mind and they have the chance to purify the last remnants of dualistic perception - thus achieving enlightenment.

How long can the process take?

It is said that the process of rebirth can take up to 49 days. For this reason prayers for the recently deceased should continue for that period of time. Can someone take rebirth sooner than 49 days? Yes, but you should still continue to say prayers for 49 days.

What to do before someone passes away?

1: Take time out to care for the dying person, make them feel that there is someone here to look after them, support them and listen. People need to feel that they are supported both before they die and after. So listen to them without judgement.

2: Stay focused on the positive and encourage the person to rejoice in their spiritual achievements regardless of how much or little practice they did during their life. Remind them of meditation retreats they did, talk about the good times or let them tell you stories of meeting great Lamas. This will uplift the dying persons mind…regrets at this point are useless! And it goes without saying that feelings of guilt and anger will only lead to problems.

3: It is especially useful to encourage and support letting go when the actual time has come. Therefore it is important to understand the process of dying. It is of no benefit to the dying person to tell them they won’t die or, to dismiss their feelings and words of letting go.

4: It is useful to arrange for the dying person (before they die) to give away their belongings, to make donations where they can, save the lives of animals, say goodbye to friends and to make funeral arrangements.
I have found that when I tell people that I will say prayers and meditate for them both before and after their death, and that I can say a couple of prayers at their funeral they are very very happy.

5: Help support faith, devotion and confidence by arranging the room with images such as Medicine Buddha, or one’s Lama. Try to minimize the display of loved ones as this can promote attachment, clinging and in extreme cases upset to dying person. Leaving a photo of a new grand child for example wont help the dying person. Showing them photos that are requested is fine but, continual reminders of what they will not see again will only result is a depressed mind.

6: Practice meditation together. I have been to see people dying of cancer in hospitals, where we performed Medicine Buddha puja, meditated on compassion and perform dedication prayers - the merit of the dying person is dedicated to their future good rebirth and the benefit of all sentient beings.

What to do after a loved one has passed away.

If you are not Buddhist, thinking good thoughts is the best advise. Not getting depressed and excessively crying over your loss will help both yourself and the recently deceased. If you are Buddhist below are a couple of short prayer you can request for someone dying or recently deceased.

Prayers for the dead and dying

Buddhist prayers for the dying

Chanting the names of Manjushri
Great Treasury of Excellence - The Prayer of the Path to Enlightenment.
The prayer benefiting past, present and future.
Long Life sutra.
Medicine Buddha sadhana.
White Tara long life sadhana.
Amitabha Sadhana - Transference of Consciousness.

If you would like to request prayers for the dying or recently deceased you can do so by contacting me http://lodenjinpa.com/about/