Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 43-minute teaching, Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen identifies the five main obstacles to calm abiding meditation and their eight specific antidotes. Using the elephant-and-pole metaphor, he shows why maintaining the meditation object is critical to stable mind. He explains the Gelug tradition’s choice to visualize Buddha Śākyamūni, then methodically guides the preparation sequence: sitting posture, breath work, visualization of a refuge field with Buddha and guru, the seven-limb practice, blessing requests with colored light, and final dissolution into oneself as Buddha. Alternative meditation objects from the Buddhist tradition are briefly surveyed. Practical guidance for practitioners beginning a concentration retreat.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 03 CAR.mp3
UUID: 5b2b18ef-c45f-405f-84c1-22dbf17f1567
Teacher: Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen
Collection: Calm Abiding Retreat (Geshe Dhawa Gyaltsen)
Date: 1995 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 43.9 minutes
Words: ~2,419
So then the third one is third fold is dullness and the excitement state of the mind. So then the fourth one is not applying the antidotes. Well well, I wonder if there is two like that of the dullness and the excitement. So then the fifth one is applying antidotes when there’s no need of that application. And these these five are the faults.
So there are the eight what is the antidotes? So, the antidote for laziness is the four which is explained. And then each one, each one antidote for the following form. So so then when when one is doing this calm abiding meditations, wants you to follow the instructions which are given from from those profound checks. Like whatever religion one lives into in in in that religion, in those particular religions, they might they have those different instructions or explanations how one do this.
So that ancient text which explains to say or give instructions on these these practices. So so the instructions that you should be looking into is that those performed into those profound texts. To use some simple explanations those meditation like explanations. You should look for the profound, I would say, profound instructions on this particular practice. Like, in the one of the masters when he gave teachings on calm abiding.
In between there, he said some lines. Explains that thing. You know, whatever whatever concentration practice you do, the highest that of the generation and completion stage in tantra or the little different concentrations once you do take the instructions from from those profound text. So to, like, applying these eight so antidotes for this five fold that arises along this meditation practice. So so to to applying these eight what should accomplish that meditation?
So the four antidotes against laziness. So the first one is the antidote against laziness is faith. And then second antidote is the aspiration towards the calm abiding state, the calm abiding meditations. Aspiration towards that. So so then next antidote is the effort towards putting effort towards the concentration.
So through through the through effort, by putting as a result, gains the pliancy that is the result of the effort. And these four are explained as the antidotes of laziness. As a result of effort, plant. So it was explained again for those who just came in that So there five faults are to be abandoned for the to do the calm abiding meditations and to avoid that, there are eight antidotes which I explained. So, the first fault is laziness and as an antidote towards that, the first one as a faith, having faith in the concentration practice.
So then the second is the aspiration towards this concentration practice. If you have the aspiration towards the concentration, then you you put effort to achieve that. That’s the third one. And as a result of your effort, you reach yeah. You have the And these are the four just antidotes against laziness.
So then the second fault is forgetting the explanations which is which is, yeah, forgetting the instructions or the explanations of how you do this concentration meditations. So forgetting the instruct instructions or the explanation doesn’t mean any, like, any, like, any explanations? So which in this context instructions referring that forgetting the object of your meditation? So forgetting the objects of your object of your meditation is the is the is the, what do say, the biggest obstacle for for achieving karma And for that, in one of the text explains, gives example to So the analogy or the example is given as how the elephant is tied onto a pole. So the elephant is example of the mind.
And then So so then the pole is the mindfulness. So the mind Example of the mind is the elephant and that which the elephant is tied to the pole, which is the pole is your object of meditation. So then the elephant is tied to the pole with the rope. And as a rope, the mindfulness ties the mind to the objects or to the object of your meditation. So this explains the need for mind to observe the object.
So in general, it’s explained as the object of your meditations, one can use any objects. One can use any objects in meditations. So in the sūtra teachings, Buddha Śākyamūni explains, like, five different objects of meditations. So there are as it is explained in the sūtra saying that in other in other religions that they accomplish this karmavatta meditations through using objects like stones or or sticky and so on. So so but then in in in Gelug tradition, in Gelug school, it is explained to use the object of your meditation, the object as the image of Buddha, Buddha Śākyamūni.
So the reason for that, like, using the image of a Buddha, you fulfill two purposes. And like you accomplish the calm abiding meditations plus you also accumulate merits by using that objects. And as an example, when you shave your head at the same time like shaving your beard and moustache, it’s sort of doing it once. So will explain two different objects of meditations, and one can choose any of any of those different ones. So this meditations that we will do is not only for these three days but if we have times, we wanna have time then one can also do in other times which as in Buddhist teachings you start the meditations with the six, what do you call, the preparatory practices?
So which oneself sitting on the cushion comfortably with with with the meditation postures? So, like, sitting on a comfortable cushion which means that the back of the cushion is a little high than the front side. So, using that type of cushions keeps one’s posture right plus one one have less problem of those two distractions that have dullness and the excitement. So then then sitting posture, you can you can maintain or keep the postures which I explained in different region teachings. So they might have, like, all the these different explanations of sitting.
So so then in the Buddhist teachings, like, the way of sitting is sitting in the posture of Buddha Vairocana, like maintaining seven postures, which which which again, like, fulfills other wishes. And the reasons for for keeping these postures. So, the reason is that to keeping these postures of the Vairocana at present, one creates the cause in the future to achieve the postures. The call it the or the qualities of So then with that posture, at the very beginning, one one do the breathing meditations, which is to clear one’s mind. So which clearing the mind here, as an example, like taking the as example, taking out the dirt from the water to clean the water in the same manner.
So on this part, there will be there are lot of explanations. But if Geshe-la to give in detail, then we won’t finish in tomorrow. So after after clean cleaning the mind through through the meditations, then one have to set up the motivations, which is also the different motivations explained in different teachings. So so then after setting up the motivation, that then one one do the visualizations. That is the space before one.
On the cloud, you visualize a big throne which is supported by eight lions. And on top of that throne, visualize Buddha Śākyamūni sitting. And if if one is doing a Christian practice, then taking refuge as a Christ, then one can visualize on this on this throne Jesus in the form of sitting in a meditation like the manner of Buddha Śākyamūni and using that as an object of meditation. So So one can imagine the refuge objects, whatever one wish. So so then that is what you visualize in the space before you and then above one’s crown, again, you visualize a lotus.
On top of lotus, visualize one’s own guru in the aspect of that that future object what you have visualized is basically for you. And like sitting in the same manner, like facing, like how one is sitting, like facing to the other refuge objects. So then those two refuge objects when I visualize one just in front of one, this fist before one, and one above one’s crown. To both of these fused objects, do the seven limb practice. So, which the seven limb practices are known as the practice of prostrations.
Making offerings. And doing purification. And and rejoicing what is it? Rejoicing in the deeds of those refuge objects? And then making request to leave until the end of saṃsāra.
And then making request to turn the wheel of Dharma. And and to this request, one should imagine that they have accepted our request. So, the final and the last one is the dedication, which is we dedicate the merit that we gain out of doing this formal six practices like prostrations, offering, and rest. So then the reason for making or doing this practice of dedication is that the merit that we accumulate out of doing these practices, those merits not to get destroyed by our anger. That’s one of the reasons.
And second is to making dedication to able to enjoy the result till one reach the full enlightened state. So so these these practices in in Buddhist teachings, it’s also known as the practice of guru devotions or the practice of refuge. So it’s known in different ways. So so that and then one should imagine that the the guru that one have visualized at one’s crown makes a request to the object, to the that one have visualized in this space before one. Make a request a request which to be able to complete this practice of calm abiding.
And then through the request three natural white lights, three different lights of that of white, red and blue showers or comes down to one and dissolves into one which removes the negativities that one have accumulated to one’s like body and like that of killing and so on. And that of the speech negative actions and so on. Imagine that all of these are being purified. So the request that the the the guru makes to the refuge field is that to to bless the continuum, once once continuum and to be able to generate the realizations of this calm abiding meditations. And at the same time, this is what one should imagine that the the one’s count is making this request and at the same time, one is making the request too.
So so at that time, if if one is able, then one can also visualize the rest of the sentient beings, all sentient beings like that of the beings of the hell or the lower realms and the being the beings of the god’s realms and the human human beings. All all all of those sentient beings in the form of human and imagine that all of them are in the form of human and making this request at the same time one one is making. And so and then through the request like imagining that these three lights, white, red, and blue coming down to one sub and all other beings around. And that which purifies all the negativities that one have accumulated in one’s past life and negative action that one have accumulated at present, imagine that oneself and all others since being negativity has been completely purified. So so then finally, like, refuge objects, whatever you visualize in the space before you, dissolves into light and that light dissolves into the guru that one have visualized at the crown.
So so then the the crown refuge objects that Edward Edward was sitting on the lotus throne. From that, another, let’s say, replica of that a huge object appears and dissolves into one. So then like that replica coming into one and dissolving into one, oneself also and imagining that same thing with all other sentient beings around. And when it dissolves into oneself and all other sentient beings, imagining at that time all all of those sentient beings and oneself have achieved the state Buddha. That is whatever refuge object you have visualized at your crown.
If it’s like Buddha Śākyamūni, then they all reach the state of Buddha. If it’s Jesus, then they all achieve the state of Jesus. And thinking this has a great significance. So so then after that, again, another replica of Buddha that is wanna visualize one crown, a small one appears from that and which the size of your thumb on the space before you and that’s what you visualize. So one, whether it’s in that, I would say this level which is on the level of your eyebrow or if not then you can visualize that image of the Buddha on the level of your navel.
So one has to focus one of these like whether it’s on this level or that level or that replica dissolving into oneself and oneself arising in the form of Buddha Śākyamūni and then focusing on that. So or or you could add also, if you have visualized the refuge object as the Jesus at the crown, Then from that, a replica appears and that goes up to this level, the level of your eyebrow. And then focus on that and use that as an object of your meditation or on the level of your navel or that dissolves into oneself and oneself appear in that form and focus on that. So, during these visualizations serves two purposes? So so beside that, like, one can use other objects like as is as is explained before, like stones or different sticks.
So, or either one can use the objects of meditations which are those five objects of meditation that is explained in sūtra? So, the five objects are known as kyaba. Pervasive objects. And then like object of the wise one. And object that purifies behaviors.
And then object that which purifies delusions. Sorry. The first one, the pervasive objects that is referring to the emptiness or the selflessness that pervades all emptiness, or the selflessness. So the object of the wise one, So which is like the four noble truths. The what do you call the interdependence, interdependence and the rest is the explain, I would say, the object of the wise one.