On Meditation

Dudjom Rinpoche
London, 1979

What you are about to see is a film of Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche teaching on
meditation. The film was made by Sogyal Rinpoche in London in May 1970 and was
set in a house in Richmond, and then in Richmond Park.

Part I: Home
On the one hand, what we call dharma is very difficult; but on the other
hand, it’s very easy, because it really just depends on our own minds. So you
should search with your mind and look after it. Don’t let your mind get carried
along by rising thoughts. Cut the elaborations and conceptualizations of mind
and allow your mind to relax into its natural state. Let your mind simply be in
your body and allow relaxation to enter into your mind.

What does the state of relaxation feel like? It is like the experience of a
person who has just finished some exhausting work after laboring long and hard
to accomplish their task. Once it is finally over, they experience a blissful
satisfaction and are content simply to rest. Quite naturally, their mind will arrive
at a state of calm and they will remain relaxed for a while without being caught
up in their usual pattern of wild and unimaginable thoughts.

So following this example, you should try to guard and protect your mind
even in the midst of all kinds of turbulent thoughts. Leave your mind in its own
natural state and relax. Keep your body still, and your speech silent. Don’t think
about whether or not you should do this or that; just settle your mind in a state of
relaxation and calm in which there is no chasing after objects and no wild and
crazy thoughts. Instead, you should find yourself in a state that is vividly open
and empty, brilliantly clear, and deeply relaxed. This state of ease is an indication
that mind has arrived at its inherent clarity and it will simply settle itself in that
clarity.

But it won’t remain like that for long. Something happens. A thought rises.
When that rising takes place, let your awareness recognize it just as it occurs.
Don’t think something’s gone wrong, but recognize the rising as soon as it arises,
and just leave it at that, with the recognition. If mind is left in its own natural
state, it becomes pacified and all of the rising thoughts naturally subside; as you
leave them, they liberate themselves.
 It’s like waves in the ocean. They are left to dissolve back into the ocean.
And this is really the only place for them to go. It’s the same with our minds.
When from out of a state of stillness a movement occurs, by simply leaving it to
follow its own natural course. It will be liberated by itself. It will be naturally
pacified, and become clear by itself. That’s how you should practice this.

But if instead, you think: “Oh! Now this thought has arisen! That can’t be
right”, and you try to stop the thought, then that itself is just more thinking.
Practicing like that, you only risk furthering your own confusion as the mind
follows after objects. So don’t practice that way.

Resting in the recognition without following after thoughts is known as

“Peacefully Remaining” because it defuses or pacifies the power of thoughts and
enables you to remain in the blissful nature of your own mind. This is what we
call the practice of “Shamatha” in Sanskrit, or “Shyine” in Tibetan.

When you become somewhat familiar with this practice, you may
experience a state of physical and mental bliss or ecstasy; or, if you’re meditating
at night, you might experience a state of clarity as if daylight had dawned.
Different experiences such as these can occur and they are signs that you are
cultivating the peace and calm of Shamatha. There is no fault in seeing these as
positive but it would be a mistake to become attached to them. If you just allow
them to occur without feeling any attachment towards them, they can only assist
you in your practice and no harm will come of them. So whatever experiences of
bliss or clarity occur, there’s no need to grasp at them with attachment and no
need to suppress them either. Simply allow them to dissolve naturally.

You could also have what is know as an experience of absence of thought.

This is a dark, dull and drowsy state in which there is no awareness whatsoever.
You’re not quite asleep, but you’re in a blank dullness. This experience of absence
of thought does involve some calm abiding, but there are no rising thoughts and
none of mind’s inherent clarity. This is because you have drifted into the Alaya,
the all-ground; and you will need to alert yourself and awaken from it. In order to
clear it away, straighten your body, exhale the foul air and focus your awareness
in the space in front of you. Otherwise, if you remain in such dullness, your
meditation will be ineffective and will never evolve at all. This experience of
absence of thought is a fault in mediation and it must be cleared away whenever
it occurs. Then it also very important to sharpen your awareness. Practicing like
this is the way to develop calm abiding.

When the mind is resting naturally and at ease in it’s own unaltered state,
that is referred to as the stillness of meditation. If a thought arises out of this state
of stillness, that is called movement. And that which knows when mind is in a
state of stillness and recognizes any movement, is your awareness, or Rigpa.
These are known collectively as Ne Gyu Rig Sum, the three states of stillness,
movement, and awareness.

As a beginner, unless you do this practice formally, in proper mediation

sessions, you won’t be able to remain at peace. But once you become more
familiar with it, you will be able to remain undistracted even while you are
walking about and when you are sitting, you will sit without being distracted
from awareness. You should apply the practice to whatever you do and then you
will gradually develop and improve.

Was that OK? So, shall we practice a little mediation together?

(Note: RInpoche and students present recite a brief prayer before

commencing their meditation. The prayer was untranslated in the video. You
can recite the seven line prayer if you are familiar with it, or a simple prayer of
taking refuge. If you have not taken refuge, you may just take a moment to set a
positive intention. )

Silent Meditation for 4 or 5 minutes...

When we rest for a while in the natural state like this, it’s called meditative
equipose. This is what we refer to as a formal session of meditation. Then, when
we rise from that state and we resume all our normal everyday activities, such as
walking about, sitting, reciting prayers or mantras and so on, all activities such as
these fall into the period of post mediation. Post meditation refers to the period
after you have risen from a state of formal, meditative equipose. If you are able
to maintain an awareness of the present moment without losing it throughout the
post meditation period, you will quickly gain stability in your formal meditation
so you should try to guard this awareness and never lose it.

Part II Park
In meditative equipose, we allow the mind to settle calmly into it’s own
nature like the ocean, unruffled by the wind. Then, when a thought arises as an
expression of mind’s energy and a change occurs, that rising takes place upon the
mind itself. Mental distraction is only a movement or a change that takes place
within the mind. Whatever turbulent thoughts arise, if you allow the mind to
settle into it’s own nature, they will pacify themselves just like waves in the ocean
dissolving back into the ocean. That is how to practice in your formal mediation.
 In the post-meditation which includes the activity of eating, sleeping,
walking around, resting and so on, you shouldn’t just jump up like a startled
rabbit the moment you finish your formal meditation. Get up slowly. And then, if
you need to leave your home and go outside, walk with your body relaxed and
your mind at ease. Focus your gaze lightly on the ground a few feet in front of
you; at about a plows length it is said in the teachings, and walk calmly so your
mind is not disturbed. If on the other hand you just wander around aimlessly,
turning your head from side to side as you go, then you’ll become agitated. So
when you walk, you should move slowly and steadily, talking small steps and
looking at the ground a few feet in front of you. That is how to walk about.

When you sit down, don’t fall to the ground like a sack of earth or heavy
stone. If a stone is suspended above the ground and the rope that holds it in place
is cut, it crashes to the earth with a “thud”. Rather than sitting down like that
ourselves, we should sit slowly and calmly.

As for how you should act when encountering other people, it is said:
“When I look upon another being, may my gaze be honest and filled with love.”
So when you encounter someone, gaze at them straightforwardly, and honestly,
from a state of natural calm. Look at them with a sincere and loving gaze. If your
mind is loving and you have bodhicitta, then that will lend a particular
expression to your gaze and convey an atmosphere of peace and calm. So when
you look at other beings, look at them honestly and with love.

When you talk, don’t just chatter away meaninglessly about whatever
comes to your mind. Speak truthfully and gently in a way that suites your
listeners and is agreeable to them.

When you eat, don’t make all kinds of noises like a cow chewing the cud
or a dog gobbling up it’s dinner. Eat and drink calmly and mindfully in a state of
natural relaxation.

And when you go to the toilet, find a suitable location to do it in; one that’s
hidden from other people and away from popular gathering places and sacred
sites such as temples.

When you go to sleep, lie down gently, and in a relaxed way. Then pray to
the master and the three jewels, the buddha, the dharma and sangha. That is
how to fall asleep. With your mind at ease and in a state of prayer.

And then, when you wake up, bring the three jewels and your master
clearly to mind and get up in that state of devotion. In this way it is said, devotion
should arise in your mind just as you yourself are rising. Then throughout all
your daily activities, walking, resting, eating or sleeping, your body should be
relaxed. You should move calmly and slowly. Your speech too should be calm,
with as few words as possible, and yet disciplined: pleasant to the eat and yet
agreeable to the mind.

If you act like this, then all of your daily activities will accord with the
teachings. And most important of all, your mind will be in harmony with the
dharma. Here in this context, dharma means taming our minds and pacifying all
our disturbing emotions.

Dedication of merit (in Tibetan, not translated)