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Key passages
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- 0:46
Settle your body in its natural state, your aspiration in its natural rhythm, and settle your mind with the qualities of relaxation, stillness and clarity.
- 6:47
state. And as a first step, let's open the eyes, but this time bring the full force of mindfulness to the visual field. Attending to the shapes and colors that arise within this elliptical field of visual impressions. But bring this quality of awareness, we may call it bare attention, a simple witnessing. But in the scene, let there be just the scene without overlaying these visual appearances with concepts, labels.
- 8:46
which is to say from moment to moment as sounds arise. Simply attend to them, take note of them, but with no further elaboration, no associations, no mental images, no thoughts, labels, no preferences, no superimposition of I or mine. Just let them be and observe the nature of sounds as sounds.
- 16:19
note when there seems to be no activity in the mind, no movement within the space of the mind, and when thoughts, images and so on are set in motion. Note the distinction between stillness and motion.
- 18:28
And with a deep sense of ease, of looseness, of relaxation, of letting go. Let your awareness be like space, still like space, as your body is still like a mountain. Let this stillness of awareness be unmoved by the comings and goings of thoughts, images.
Transcript
· · · silence, 1 minute
0:46 Settle your body in its natural state, your aspiration in its natural rhythm, and settle your mind with the qualities of relaxation, stillness and clarity. And Report an error in the passage at 0:46
1:17 in order to calm the mind, you may find it helpful for a few minutes to practice mindfulness of breathing, with or without counting, as you wish. Report an error in the passage at 1:17
· · · silence, 5 minutes
6:38 Let's gradually, step by step, circle in on the practice of settling the mind in its natural Report an error in the passage at 6:38
6:47 state. And as a first step, let's open the eyes, but this time bring the full force of mindfulness to the visual field. Attending to the shapes and colors that arise within this elliptical field of visual impressions. Report an error in the passage at 6:47
7:05 But bring this quality of awareness, we may call it bare attention, a simple witnessing. But in the scene, let there be just the scene without overlaying these visual appearances with concepts, labels. Report an error in the passage at 7:05
· · · silence, 1 minute
8:31 Then close the eyes and direct the full force of mindfulness to the auditory field, the domain of sound. In the herd, Let there be just the herd, Report an error in the passage at 8:31
8:46 which is to say from moment to moment as sounds arise. Simply attend to them, take note of them, but with no further elaboration, no associations, no mental images, no thoughts, labels, no preferences, no superimposition of I or mine. Just let them be and observe the nature of sounds as sounds. Report an error in the passage at 8:46
· · · silence, 2 minutes
11:01 Painfulness, this time to the space of the body. And to whatever tactile events arise within this domain of experience, and in the felt, let there be just the felt. Now Report an error in the passage at 11:01
· · · silence, 2 minutes
13:28 let your eyes be at least slightly open, unless you find it very distracting. Report an error in the passage at 13:28
13:37 But let your gaze be completely vacant, with no interest whatsoever in anything arising within the visual domain. As if you are daydreaming, lost in thought, but with your eyes open. Report an error in the passage at 13:37
13:53 But not daydreaming, clearly. Direct your mindfulness to the domain of the mind. Remember whatever thoughts, images and other mental events arise within that domain. And in the mentally perceived, let there be just the mentally perceived. Moment to moment, simply observe the nature of whatever is arising, without distraction, without... Report an error in the passage at 13:53
· · · silence, 2 minutes
16:13 As you seek to maintain continuity of your mindfulness, Report an error in the passage at 16:13
16:19 note when there seems to be no activity in the mind, no movement within the space of the mind, Report an error in the passage at 16:19
16:28 and when thoughts, images and so on are set in motion. Note the distinction between stillness and motion. Report an error in the passage at 16:28
· · · silence, 2 minutes
18:28 And with a deep sense of ease, of looseness, of relaxation, of letting go. Report an error in the passage at 18:28
18:36 Let your awareness be like space, still like space, as your body is still like a mountain. Report an error in the passage at 18:36
18:48 Let this stillness of awareness be unmoved by the comings and goings of thoughts, images. Report an error in the passage at 18:48
19:00 Let your awareness hold its own ground, remain in its own place, without setting out on the excursions of thoughts, memories and so on. Report an error in the passage at 19:00
· · · silence, 4 minutes
23:30 It is so crucially important to recognize the stillness here is not by contraction but by letting go, releasing all grasping. And this is why when we find the mind has been carried away, of course excitation has set in that the first response Report an error in the passage at 23:30
23:50 is not contraction, it's not discipline, it's letting go, it's loosening up and returning to stillness by way of ease and looseness. Report an error in the passage at 23:50
24:04 Stability arises from that. Report an error in the passage at 24:04
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Talk by B. Alan Wallace. Original at Vajrayana Institute via Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/ShamathaRetreatWithAlanWallace2012. Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Transcript generated automatically and may contain errors; the audio is the authoritative version.
Recorded at Vajrayana Institute, Sydney, and archived by the institute on Internet Archive. More from Vajrayana Institute