This is the first post of the series on this topic, based on the teachings of Mingyur Rinpoche, Khenpo Gyurme, and Khenpo Kunga. Rather that accurate transcription, this are my notes taking during the teachings and after, revising in detail the recordings.
There are 3 ways to deal with emotions:
i. abandoning or removing the kleshas,
ii. transforming,
iii. transcending, seeing their true nature.
In vajrayana, the view is that our true nature is always beyond, peaceful, unborn, nothing can pollute or destroy it. It is like sky. But we cannot recognize it. Therefore, in the ordinary level we must practice abandoning, and in the intermediate level transforming, to ultimately be able to transcend it. Despite we hold the ultimate, vast open view (absolute level), our behaviour is careful and humble (relative level).
I had panic attacks many years. I even thought I had heart problems, but checking with doctors I got convinced it was the panic. Then I asked my father how to get rid of panic and he told me, “Don’t try to get rid of panic”, and I asked, “Why?” He said that
i. Fighting panic attacks would make them bigger [Rinpoche use the example of pizza meditation: the more we want to avoid thinking of pizza, the more pizza appears in the mind] I discovered that one main reason of my panic was aversion to panic.
ii. There is no need of getting rid of panic, because we have wonderful qualities beyond it.
My father instructed me to watch stormy weather. I did it, despite I was quite scared. After he asked me if the storm changed the nature of sky, and I replied “No, it can’t change it.” Likewise, our innate qualities [the sky] are beyond thoughts and emotions [the clouds]
Do you want I introduce you your inner sky? [people vote yes raising their hands] “Ok. The introduction is finished.” You may ask, “Why?” Our inner sky is awareness, compassion and wisdom. These three qualities are present 24h/24h. This is not an idea or belief. We can experience it. But we may have hard to recognize these qualities and sustain its recognition.
- Awareness is the knowing quality of the mind.
- Love and compassion is the feeling of not wanting to suffer and longing for happiness.
- Wisdom is discerning, identifying, detecting.
These qualities are in us 24h/24h, even when we sleep.
When you raised your hand, you did it because
- you were aware, (awareness)
- and there was discernment: “Do I want it or not?” (wisdom)
- and the purpose of raising hand was to obtain something [learn=love], or to avoid something [stay ignorant=compassion]
For example, [holding a rose] when you look at this flower, the three qualities manifest: seeing the flower is awareness, recognizing the flower as flower is wisdom, and having a reaction of liking or disliking is love and compassion. Even while we sleep, if you have cold or a mosquito bites you, you react. The problem is that we don’t recognize the qualities [Rinpoche use the example of recognizing a watch as watch]
One simple way to learn how to recognize our innate qualities is breath meditation. How many of you are breathing right now? [people raise hands] Great! The introduction is finished. Do you understand? When I asked you and you raised your hand, you connected awareness with the breath. Meditation is not about having a strong concentration, but remembering the breath, although other experiences manifest.
Meditation
- Feel the body, the gravity, the contact with the sit, and relax your muscles.
- Breathe naturally and be with the breathing.
- Open your eyes, and relax the mind without any particular focus.
We call this style "abandoning", because when we experience something disturbing, we bring our mind to the breath. Usually, when we have a disturbing emotion, our mind entangles with it or fights it, which fuels the emotion. Now, the focus is on the breath without fighting the emotion or getting lost with it.
[The] Methods of controlling afflictive emotions can be subsumed into three: rejection, transformation, and recognition.
Rejecting these emotions is the ordinary approach of the sutras.
Desire is renounced though contemplation on repulsiveness, hatred through contemplation on love,
And stupidity though meditation on interdependent relationship.
“Creation and completion”, Jamgon Kontrul, pg.37
Kleshas (disturbing emotions) are the base of suffering. We generate aversion towards what we don’t like and crave about what we like. When we have aversion, we also experience craving to get rid of what we don’t want. When we have craving, we also experience aversion of losing or not attaining the object of craving.
Therefore, we must work with the kleshas, that are usually classified in five families: craving, aversion, ignorance (i.e. not knowing and wrong perception), pride, and jealousy.
We can apply the simple style method [breathing meditation] with all the families. But we can also apply the elaborated method of using an antidote:
- Craving → unpleasantness of the body (for physical attraction), impermanence, interdependence, and suffering
- Aversion → loving kindness and compassion
- Ignorance → impermanence (dissolves solidity), and the twelve links of interdependence
1. The antidote to craving for physical attraction is unpleasantness of the body
Meditation
- Feel the grounding sensation in the body and relax it, let mind and body sink in.
- Place your attention in the forehead, and let the skin, muscles, disappear. Only the bone remains.
- Go down all the head and dissolve the skin, flesh, blood... until only remains the skull.
- Go down all the body and dissolve the skin, flesh, blood... until there is only a skeleton.
- Continue with your cushion, and everything around you. Extend the experience, transforming everything (people, houses, animals) into skeletons. Include all your country and beyond until you reach the ocean.
- Come back from the ocean all the way to your place making all again normal.
- From your feet to head let your body become normal again ending with your forehead.
- Rest a few moments with your mind and body as it is.
This meditation helps to renounce to attachment. Contemplation on suffering helps too: life is pervaded by suffering, and we cannot do anything about it.
2. The antidote of aversion is love
We look for happiness and want to get rid of suffering all the time. Every breath, blink, body movement, are expressions of our loving-kindness and compassion. This is also true for all the beings. They look all the time for happiness and try to avoid suffering.
Meditation
- Relax your body.
- You are attending the teaching because you look for happiness. You may be liking it, which is loving-kindness, or not. If you don’t like them is compassion.
- Recognize that every thought and emotion that arises in your mind is the manifestation of loving-kindness and compassion.
- Not only you, but all the people experience the same. They constantly look for happiness and try to avoid suffering.
- May all of us find the causes of happiness and avoid the causes of suffering.
- Not only in this place, but in the whole world. Not only people, also animals. May all the beings have happiness and its causes. May they be free from suffering and its causes.
- Open your eyes and rest your mind with the feeling of innate love and compassion with no particular object or reason. Just feel an inner well-being and sweetness.
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