Four Applications Of Mindfulness Retreat 2013 with B. Alan Wallace (part 49)

0:05 So this morning I'd like to share with you a fourth approach to shamatha. It's so closely related to the practice of awareness of awareness that one could say, well, it's simply an extension of it, an extremely smooth extension when we consider that the final instruction in Padmasambhava's detailed account of this practice, after going up and to the right, left, down to the heart, and then finally, The culminating phase, the end phase of this method was now simply bring your mind, bring your awareness to space and leave it there. Report an error in the passage at 0:05 Highlight the passage at 0:05

0:42 It's there in natural liberation. And then he says now simply continue in the practice until your mind has settled in its natural state. That's what he states. It's quite a definitive presentation, the most elaborate one that I've seen. It's called shamatha without a sign, which means without an object. It's also called shamatha without a support. Report an error in the passage at 0:42 Highlight the passage at 0:42

1:04 But again, he says, bring your awareness to space and leave it there. And then he emphasizes the importance of not just dabbling with this practice, doing it once in a while, maybe doing it for a month, going to one month retreat, which is not uncommon, or weekend or what have you. But he says, do this until you finish it and finish the job. And that is settling the mind in its natural state. And we've looked. And there's no equivocation or no ambiguity about what is meant there. Report an error in the passage at 1:04 Highlight the passage at 1:04

1:34 When it says, settle the mind in its natural state, it's extremely clear in these mind treasures of Dujjom Lingva, especially the Vajra Essence, that the mind settled in its natural state is when your coarse mind has dissolved into the substrate consciousness. You become completely oblivious of your environment and even your body. Report an error in the passage at 1:34 Highlight the passage at 1:34

1:54 Again, it's as if you're deep asleep but luminously awake. And now the mind has become uncontrived, unconfigured, settled in its natural state, extremely buoyant, supple, malleable, serviceable, luminous, clear, non-conceptual and blissful. In other words, it's ready to work. Now you can crack the whip and say, okay, get to work. And so he says, do that until your mind settles in its natural state and do not be introduced to Rikpa. Report an error in the passage at 1:54 Highlight the passage at 1:54

2:19 Don't go for Dzogchen teachings, don't go for pointing out instructions of Rikpa. Prematurely, because if you do so before your mind has settled in its natural state, then there's a great likelihood that you will simply take the teachings on Dzogchen or the pointing out instructions of Rigpa, they'll become an object of your intellect, and then you become dogmatic, thinking you know it because you have some conceptual grasp on it, which means you've entirely missed the point. Report an error in the passage at 2:19 Highlight the passage at 2:19

2:46 He ends on that point, well, in these mind treasures of Jujin Lingba, which again, they're very representative, very orthodox, so to speak, of Dzogchen or the Great Perfection, there are references here, in a couple of them, two or three of the five, in which the instruction is to... The instruction is extremely brief. It's like Tsongkhapa's instructions on shamatha, that is, shamatha, awareness of awareness, just rest in sheer luminosity and non-conceptuality, and that's it. Report an error in the passage at 2:46 Highlight the passage at 2:46

3:17 Figure it out for yourself. Well, there's a similarly brief reference to another type of shamatha, and it's called simply merging your mind with space. Merging your mind with space, and the instructions are simply this. Merge your mind with external space. That's it. And so the rest is all up to interpretation. But having studied, rather immersed my mind a lot, because I've translated polished, polished, polished, all of these five treasures of Jujung Lingva as well as two commentaries, I think I can make a reasonable interpretation of what is meant by this, merge your mind with space. Report an error in the passage at 3:17 Highlight the passage at 3:17

3:59 It's presented as a shamatha method, and that's quite clear in one context where he says, do this for one week. And then do this shamatha practice for a week, this practice for a week. He gives basically three weeks of a series of shamatha methods. And this is one of them. So in that context, it's quite clear that he's presenting this as a shamatha method. Which means then it's for the sake of settling the mind in its natural state. Report an error in the passage at 3:59 Highlight the passage at 3:59

4:24 But he also states that this is something of a placement exam. A placement exam. And that is, he says, merge your mind with external space for 20 days. Report an error in the passage at 4:24 Highlight the passage at 4:24

4:36 And basically just do it all day, all night, just don't do anything else as much as you can, just merge your mind with external space. Report an error in the passage at 4:36 Highlight the passage at 4:36

4:44 And he says if you are a person of medium capacity, so this is again like a placement exam, if you're a person of middling capacity, then in the course of that 20 days you will gain a realization of primordial consciousness. Pristine awareness. In other words, this can serve as a Dzogchen meditation to break through not only your coarse mind, but actually to break through the substrate consciousness to this deepest underlying utterly transcendent ground awareness, primordial consciousness, which is indivisible from the Dhamma Dhatu or absolute space of phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 4:44 Highlight the passage at 4:44

5:23 So I'll refer to, I'll elaborate on that a little bit later on. But he's presenting this as having kind of a dual function. And that is for a person who is very, very gifted, put it that way. This practice we're about to do may lead you right through the breakthrough to realize Buddha nature. Report an error in the passage at 5:23 Highlight the passage at 5:23

5:40 And if you're not so gifted, well then it's the shamatha practice and this can help you settle your mind in its natural state. So either way. And as a parallel to that, we've already done this practice yesterday where we're inverting. Practicing awareness of awareness and then we set up that oscillation exactly in accordance with the teachings of Padmasa Bhava in the book Natural Liberation. And so inverting in upon that was observing, releasing, inverting in upon that which is controlling the attention and releasing. Report an error in the passage at 5:40 Highlight the passage at 5:40

6:12 And Padmasa Bhava comments in that presentation that this may be enough, this practice right here may be sufficient for realizing Ritma. Again, pristine awareness or primordial consciousness. So he's very clearly presenting it as a shamatha technique. But for the exceptionally gifted, this may be sufficient to break right through the substrate consciousness, like an express train just going through a village and not stopping. Report an error in the passage at 6:12 Highlight the passage at 6:12

6:36 And you don't stop at substrate consciousness, you just cut right on through to pristine awareness. So the notion of one single method, possibly serving a dual function, depending on the giftedness of the practitioner. It's not uncommon. Not uncommon at all. And we find many, many instances of that. I think in this retreat, I'm quite sure I did, I cited this one paragraph of the Buddhist teachings to Bahiya. Report an error in the passage at 6:36 Highlight the passage at 6:36

7:03 Well, a lot of people say, oh, that's very interesting. Yeah, that's very interesting. And then that's it. And they go on to the next sutta. Whereas for him, that wasn't simply food for thought. For Bahiya, it wasn't just simply food for thought. That was sufficient for him to realize nirvāṇa and achieve arhatship. Report an error in the passage at 7:03 Highlight the passage at 7:03

7:19 Basically right there on the spot. There's another one, wonderful story. It's Sariputra and Malgayayan, or Sariputra and Moggallāna Buddha, the two principal disciples of the Buddha. I'm trying to remember which one. I think it was Sariputra. I'm pretty sure. Sariputra, before he ever met the Buddha, he was a wandering ascetic. Report an error in the passage at 7:19 Highlight the passage at 7:19

7:44 In fact, he was a close friend, a childhood friend with Moggallāna Buddha. They lived in the same village. And they both developed this great aspiration for liberation, for moksha. And so they practiced with one teacher for a while and became, I think it was a skeptic, simply a skeptic. And skepticism, if it's kind of self-indulgent, just winds up being skeptical indefinitely. Became disillusioned with that. And they said, well, let's, these two buddies, like two bosom buddies, and they decided, you know, let's split up. Report an error in the passage at 7:44 Highlight the passage at 7:44

8:15 And just set out as wandering ascetics and let's see what we can find. And if either one of us finds what we're looking for, liberation, then get in touch. And so we'll cover more ground that way. It's a very good strategy. So they did. And I believe it was Sariputra, Sāriputta then wandering on his own. Report an error in the passage at 8:15 Highlight the passage at 8:15

8:35 He saw another wandering ascetic, a monk, and he was just deeply moved, just very impressed. Not by some radiant aura or something like that, but just the sheer serenity, the presence, the mindfulness. There was something about the way he moved, this monk, that really caught Sariputra's attention. And he went over to him. I've forgotten his name right now. That rings a bell. Asaji, thank you. So if I get anything wrong, let me know. Report an error in the passage at 8:35 Highlight the passage at 8:35

9:04 Asaji, that does ring a bell. And so he went over and accosted Asaji and said, friend, and I'm paraphrasing here. Who is your teacher? What's your teaching? What have you found? There's something impressive about you. And Asaji's response, and again I paraphrase, because it just came to mind right now to quote this, to reference this story. Report an error in the passage at 9:04 Highlight the passage at 9:04

9:23 Asaji said, well, I'm only newly come to the teachings. I'm rather a novice, but I can say this. Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:39 You don't have the svaha part. In Tibetan Buddhism, that's a Sanskrit verse that states, and again my Sanskrit isn't that great, but those phenomena that are causally conditioned, the Buddha has shown their causes and he's shown the causes of their cessation too. That's the teachings of the great sage. It's pretty much that. Just causality. The causes of causally conditioned things and the causes of their cessation. Report an error in the passage at 9:39 Highlight the passage at 9:39

10:08 That the Buddha has taught, that the great sage has taught. And Sāriputta heard that verse and he achieved nirvāṇa. Report an error in the passage at 10:08 Highlight the passage at 10:08

10:19 Shall I recite it again? In case that went by a little bit too fast. So sorry, but you didn't make the cut. That's where you're exceptionally gifted, but join the club. There's a very large club. But a simple verse like that, you know, that did it. And in fact that's been recited a number of times in the Pāli Canon and a number of times there are people who heard that and there was so little dust on their eyes that they went right in and they realized Nirvāṇa became stream enterers and that's what happened in Sariputra. Report an error in the passage at 10:19 Highlight the passage at 10:19

10:51 And then he sought out the Buddha, received teachings from him and in a very short time, I think it was a week or two, then he achieved arhatship as well. So that was kind of a roundabout way of saying a simple method, a simple instruction. May give rise to different results depending on who the recipient is and who's practicing. Without further ado, let's jump right in. Time is short. Report an error in the passage at 10:51 Highlight the passage at 10:51

· · · silence, 1 minute

12:09 In the spirit of loving kindness, utterly set your body at ease, Report an error in the passage at 12:09 Highlight the passage at 12:09

12:19 balancing it with vigilance, settling your respiration in its natural flow, Report an error in the passage at 12:19 Highlight the passage at 12:19

12:26 and likewise settle your mind in its natural state. Report an error in the passage at 12:26 Highlight the passage at 12:26

· · · silence, 1 minute

13:53 And for a little while, calm the discursive mind with mindfulness of breathing, with counting or without as you see fit. Report an error in the passage at 13:53 Highlight the passage at 13:53

· · · silence, 2 minutes

15:51 And let your eyes be at least partially open. And evenly rest your awareness in the space in front of you, but taking nothing as an object, not even space itself. Just rest with no object. And Report an error in the passage at 15:51 Highlight the passage at 15:51

· · · silence, 1 minute

17:13 now to make this practice quite accessible, we'll take it step by step. Report an error in the passage at 17:13 Highlight the passage at 17:13

17:21 And that is during the course of the inhalation, as you maintain a peripheral awareness of the in and out flow of the breath, as the breath flows in, draw your awareness in upon itself, withdrawing from all appearances. Report an error in the passage at 17:21 Highlight the passage at 17:21

17:42 Honing right in on the sheer luminosity of your own awareness, with no interest in any appearance to the mind. Report an error in the passage at 17:42 Highlight the passage at 17:42

17:58 And then as you breathe out, utterly release. Report an error in the passage at 17:58 Highlight the passage at 17:58

18:03 Release into space with no object. Just have that sense of total letting go, with no boundary, no periphery. Report an error in the passage at 18:03 Highlight the passage at 18:03

18:18 Release into a sheer absence of thought, sheer vacuity, and whatever thought arises, let it dissolve instantly. Just let it dissolve instantly, right back into the space of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 18:18 Highlight the passage at 18:18

18:32 As you breathe out, merge your mind with space, not taking it as an object, but releasing your awareness into space with no object and devoid of thought. And Report an error in the passage at 18:32 Highlight the passage at 18:32

18:58 then as a breath flows in, rather than having a sense of retraction or withdrawal, have a sense rather simply of accentuation, accentuating, intensifying your awareness of awareness, which after all has no location, so it's not inside your head or anywhere else. Report an error in the passage at 18:58 Highlight the passage at 18:58

19:21 So as you breathe in, intensify your awareness of the sheer luminosity of awareness. And as you breathe out, release into the sheer vacuity, the absence of object, of space. If Report an error in the passage at 19:21 Highlight the passage at 19:21

· · · silence, 1 minute

20:18 you find accounting helpful in the practice of mindfulness of breathing, you may temporarily add, like putting trainer wheels on a bike, you may add a little reminder with each in and out breath, with each oscillation. As you begin the in-breath, begin the accentuation of your awareness, you may mentally recite just the one syllable, sal, which means clarity, luminosity in Tibetan. Report an error in the passage at 20:18 Highlight the passage at 20:18

20:48 But don't linger with that syllable. Let it simply point to the sheer cognizance and luminosity of your own awareness, like a finger pointing to the moon. Report an error in the passage at 20:48 Highlight the passage at 20:48

21:00 Sal, the beginning of in-breath, the beginning of out-breath, tong, which means empty. Simply release your awareness into the empty expanse, unimpeded, objectless, of space. Sel Tung. Release Report an error in the passage at 21:00 Highlight the passage at 21:00

· · · silence, 3 minutes

24:47 the trainer wheels and simply continue the oscillation between the arousal, the accentuation of awareness, Report an error in the passage at 24:47 Highlight the passage at 24:47

25:04 with no sense of withdrawal, no sense of withdrawing from space. Simply an accentuation of the awareness of awareness within space. Report an error in the passage at 25:04 Highlight the passage at 25:04

25:18 And then the utter release of all effort. While gently sustaining the flow of awareness as you release your mind into space. To Report an error in the passage at 25:18 Highlight the passage at 25:18

26:00 the best of your ability, maintain an ongoing flow of non-conceptual awareness. There's just no place for it. As you arouse your attention, you do so non-conceptually. And as you release your awareness, instantly release any thought that might come up and maintain a flow of non-conceptual knowing throughout. Report an error in the passage at 26:00 Highlight the passage at 26:00

· · · silence, 2 minutes

27:54 Then set your own rhythm independently of the respiration. Release that multitasking and Report an error in the passage at 27:54 Highlight the passage at 27:54

28:07 in an ongoing way let your awareness merge with space, with no object, accentuating and releasing in your own rhythm. Report an error in the passage at 28:07 Highlight the passage at 28:07

· · · silence, 3 minutes

31:33 Now release the oscillation and simply merge your mind with space, simultaneously aware of that emptiness, that sheer vacuity, the objectless expanse of space and the awareness that permeates that space, the sheer cognizance and luminosity. Rest there in the non-dual awareness of space and luminosity. Report an error in the passage at 31:33 Highlight the passage at 31:33