The paramita of meditation

Faults and virtues

Without meditation the other paramitas will not be efficient because our mind will be under the influence of distraction and the emotions.

Definition

It is to place the mind focused in virtue

Classification

Meditation will allow us to stabilise our mind.  First we practice shamata that pacifies the turmoil that permanently agitates our mind and once we reach stability, we practice vipashyana to understand the true nature of things, the shunyata, the emptiness. This comprehension is the ultimate tool to unroot the disturbing emotions.

Vipashyana is also part of the paramita of wisdom, because wisdom comes from the direct experience of the true nature that we obtain in the meditation. But we cannot attain it without preparation and to do it we must based it on our shamata practice and this needs physical and mental isolation.

• Physical isolation means in our context find a place and time set aside of our daily business.  For practitioners of contemplative life means to find a solitary place, far away of civilisation.
• Moreover, we must pacify our mind, as the isolation of the body is not enough.  We may isolate and let us carry by distractions (story Path to Buddhahood, pg.101)

To pacify the mind the first step is to identify the poison that affects us the most and apply the antidote that suits better.  There are five main disturbances: ignorance, attachment/desire, anger, pride, jealousy.

Antidotes

Possesivity and attachment: we must meditate on our false idea of beauty (e.g. the human body).  When we analyse closely the object of our attachment, we can discover that it is not that beauty, nor special, important, all this attributes are our mental projections.  We may even find it is ugly and repulsive. 

Anger and hatred: meditate on loving-kindness and compassion

Jealousy: meditate on equanimity and rejoice on the luck good fortune of others

Vanity, pride: exchange yourself avec the others, all your qualities, wealth and privileges against the defects and misfortune of others.

Ignorance: meditate on the interdependence and shunyata (emptiness).  Meditate on the 12 links of interdependence.

1. Ignorance
2. Volition
3. Conscience
4. name and form
5. the six sensorial organs
6. contact
7. sensation
8. desire or craving
9. grasping
10. becoming
11. birth
12. aging and death

Practice

If our meditation is disturbed we may pacify our mind with the practice of calm abiding (shamata).

All the meditation methods has the same goal: to calm, stabilize the mind and control [no to let be carried by] the negative emotions. Therefore it is possible to use methods from different traditions.  But we must do that seeing the practices as the facets of a single practice, that support between them, instead of seeing as independent elements. The "practice" is just our work on our emotions, our effort to find a solution to all our problems.  The only difference is the way each practice act in our mind and help us.

The spiritual guide is not there to impose on us a practice, but to guide us in our path.  We can deal with the mental poisons with different methods without mixing them.  Inspiration can touch us in very different ways (gardening, physical exercise,...).  If we do not understand this, it is better we use only one practice.

States of meditation (different to types of meditation)

Life happy in the present moment: meditation is totally relaxed, free from distraction and concentration. (path to Buddhahood, pg 107, distraction and dullness).  There are four levels

1. Presence of analytical and discursive thoughts
2. Experience of joy and happiness
3. Contentment that replaces joy and happiness
4. The contentment vanished give place to  a big peace and serenity

Acquire the qualities: inconceivable variety of meditative concentrations

Work to benefit others: development of [miracle] powers to help others, manifestation of the power of a perfectly mastered mind.

Dedication after meditation

This is as important as the other paramitas.  Dedicate the benefit of the practice to the happiness of others and commit to guide them out of samsara.

Meditation

5 antidotes

The paramita of perseverance

Faults and virtues

Tsendru is usually translated as perseverance.  It is crucial because although we have generosity, virtuous and patient, without perseverance we will be controlled by laziness and we will not succeed.  We would not be very helpful to others.  Perseverance is like the engine of the other paramitas, avec it they become efficient and powerful.

Definition

It is a joyful sensation in the virtue (another denomination of perseverance is joyful effort).  It is the antidote to laziness, of which there are three kinds

1. Inactivity, inertia: postpone the things to do with  a strong tendency to idleness, indulging in the little comforts.  The antidote is the reflection in the impermanence.  We apply the effort now to avoid anxiety when we will have little or no more time.  It is the Indian-style laziness. (look story of Path to Buddhahood, pg. 94). Quoting Shantideva "How quickly we react when a snake suddenly falls into our lap! Let’s counter laziness and torpor with as much vivacity, before it penetrates [to our very core].
   
2. Discouragement: if I would never reach my goal, why should I worry about it?  We must think that all we should do is our best.  That way even the highest goal is possible.
3. Distraction: being busy with useless activities.  We don't have time to do the important things.  It is the western-style laziness.  We must set clearly our priorities.

Classification

Like an armour: it is our declaration of intentions.  Like the warriors wearing an armour to go into combat, with the armour of perseverance, no obstacle may stop us.  We use to react base in our expectations.  If we are attached to things happens as we would like, the smallest difficulty will discourage us. If we anticipated big difficulties nothing may discourage us.  On the contrary, ready for the worst, every positive thing, even the very small ones, with resource us.

Applied perseverance

1. Solve the problems of mental poisons, the negative emotions.  Gampopa use the metaphor of walking with a bowl full of liquid to the brim and followed by man threatening of cutting our head if we lose a single drop. 
2. Accumulation of merit. There are five qualities to develop: stability and constancy; get rid of pride; full of devotion; unshakable to the obstacles; never step back, even if everything crumbles around us.
3. Perseverance to benefit others.  First, we accumulate merit, we practice with our current qualities, without need of being perfect and we encourage others to do the same, without remission and with joy.

Insatiable: we must go to the end, the perfect enlightenment.  Obstacle don't stop us anymore, and success don't make us take a pause.  We go always farther.  We do not compare to others' performance, only to our own.

Perfection

The highest expression is to understand that the true nature of perseverance is emptiness and compassion. Moreover, dedicate the merit of our efforts multiply the effects and will seal them from our future actions. Progression must be gradual, it is useless to run in the beginning.  We must hurry from now, but without trying to do more than it is possible.

Meditation

Impermanence