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Meditation Is Mind Food

Although central to Tibetan Buddhism, effective meditation is, for many, one of the more elusive aspects of the practice. At one of his Thursday night teaching sessions in June, Geshe-la spoke on the topic of meditation.

He began by stressing a simple but often overlooked fact: we can’t meditate successfully unless we are truly interested in the object of meditation. Our interest in meditation, said Geshe-la, must be as powerful as the interest most of us have in the opposite sex.

We must be able to hold the object of meditation vividly and clearly, without dozing or following random thoughts.

Falling asleep during meditation shows a lack of interest in meditation and a lack of clarity in the object. The antidote to that is to generate more enthusiasm.

Geshe-la joked that "meditation is food for the mind; meditation time is suppertime for the mind and sleeping is no good at suppertime."

When thinking or scattering occurs, that is, when the mind is agitated by worries, desires and other distractions we must draw attention back to the object of meditation. Geshe-la suggests we do this by patiently, but firmly reminding ourselves that "this is meditation time. Everything else can wait."

Mindfulness is checking from time to time to ensure we are still attending to our meditation object. This mindfulness is necessary if we are to recognise, understand and change the habits of the mind.

Geshe-la said the objective in mediation is not thoughtlessness. Meditation is not hibernation, Nirvana is full and brilliant knowingness.

Rather, the objective of meditation is mindfulness that reliably binds us to the objective of our meditation.

The mind, like an unruly elephant, must be bound with the strong rope of mindfulness. This is difficult to do for long periods of time and requires that we alertly check our mindfulness, reinstating it when required.

When we are sluggish we need to inspire the mind; when agitated we need to calm it.

And if we never seem to get around to meditation, it is helpful to remind ourselves that life is getting shorter with every second that passes; that death is definite and the time of death is unknown. Geshe-la noted that since our delusions stem from attachment, deep contemplation on impermanence is an extremely effective antidote.

Wherever there is life there must be death.
Whatever comes together must separate.
Whatever is built up will fall down.
What is collected will be scattered.

Understanding impermanence profoundly is the most effective practice. said Geshe-la. It is the only true remedy for eliminating attachments.

Radical understanding of impermanence is a direct link to the Buddha mind. Cyclic existence is full of hardships and suffering, but the value of meditation and Dharma practice does not end when this life ends.

Geshe-la pointed out five common faults in meditation:

  1. laziness
  2. forgetting the technique of meditation
  3. not staying alert throughout
  4. the inability to stop the scattering of thoughts
  5. over-application of technique

On the other hand, we know we are making progress if:

  1. we become aware of just how unruly and undisciplined the mind is (many people give up at this point because they think their minds are getting worse, when really they are just noticing the normal state of the mind);
  2. our ability to focus clearly on the object improves;
  3. the practice of applying antidotes and returning to the object becomes easy and effective.

Geshe-la gave the following advice to those who practice meditation:

Listen to Dharma teachings, understand them intellectually, contemplate them and become
familiar with them.
Focus analytically and in detail on the object of meditation and contemplate it.
Meditate always with a noble and good heart.
As meditation will expose your delusions, be good at identifying and dealing with them directly with the skilful use of antidotes.

Geshe-la’s teachings on meditation am summarized in a booklet available at the Dharma Centre, The six page pamphlet entitled A Brief Explanation of How to Meditate points out the importance of correct body posture; the focus of the eyes and mind placement. The booklet also discusses the importance of memory and awareness in meditation and the problems of sinking and scattering.

There are numerous booklets based on Geshe-la’s teachings available from the Dharma Centre for a small donation.

(Thanks to Jennifer Tett from whose notes this article was written.)