Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 44-minute teaching, Geshe Nawang Dhargyey walks through the nine-stage progression of single-pointed concentration, the foundational meditation technique in Buddhist practice. He begins by describing the necessary conditions—a quiet location with five specific features—and choosing a Buddha image as the focus object, which accrues merit while sharpening attention. Stages one through four establish stability: placing the distracted mind on the object, maintaining continuity, developing continuous focus, and preventing distraction through strong mindfulness. Stages five and six address the subtle obstacles of laxity and agitation, respectively, requiring precise calibration of mental effort—neither too tight nor too loose, like the strings of a musical instrument. Stages seven through nine bring increasing spontaneity until, after physical and mental bliss arise, the meditator achieves true calm abiding. Geshe then introduces the complementary higher training in wisdom: understanding emptiness of inherent existence. Through analysis and direct examination—searching for an inherently existing “I” and finding it cannot be located—one undermines the ignorant grasping that fuels all defilements and rebirth. The talk ends with practical advice to observe the mind during moments of sadness or elation, an accessible gateway to recognising the unfindability of a truly existing self.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 04 CE 1985 05 07.mp3
UUID: b58e36b3-91e2-4105-a3ba-19fd66250214
Teacher: Geshe Nawang Dhargyey
Collection: The Nature of Cyclic Existence (Geshe Nawang Dhargyey)
Date: 1985-05-07
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 44.0 minutes
Words: ~3,499
Single pointed concentration offers a mental stillness or calm abiding of mental stillness of mind on object can be achieved in a place in a solitude or in quiet place which fulfills five kind of features or characteristics. Then that being as a kind of a one sentence explanation regarding the choice of a place where one can accomplish single point concentration. Next is object of concentration, object on what we should focus in order to develop single pointed or single-minded as some say. Concentration and now of course you can achieve concentration on by choosing anything but it’s always advisable and advantageous at the same time to choose the image of a Buddha as an object of a concentration. It has two advantages in precise focusing on it by focusing on it one also the merit of remembering Buddha accrues to one.
After one has chosen the image of the enlightened being the Buddha as an object of concentration, then must observe physical postures rather. Now in order to accomplish a single point concentration, one must go pass through nine placements or nine settings of mind on the object of concentration one must pass through nine stages only after which one will achieve single pointed concentration. The first stage or the first is placing the mind on object of focus it’s called setting the mind setting the mind so for arresting agitated mind outward going mind and so for putting it putting it on the chosen object of concentration. And now this month during first stage is placed through force on the object of our concentration naturally the mind which is given to someone wandering wandering from place to place will not at all dwell or stay on object of concentration except for two seconds. So here because the mind goes remains on object concentration just for a while and then gets distracted again one has to bring it back and place on the object concentration because it happens frequently so one has to keep one must keep on bringing it back on the object concentration The second stage is called continual setting with some degree of continuity of concentration.
And now because the mind is disciplined to some extent through the training in the first stage, now if the mind can remain single pointedly on the object of concentration for about ten to fifteen minutes and because of now the concentration can can have certain degree of continuity. If one practices these kind of instructions, one can definitely improve one’s stability of the mind on object concentration just as if people work hard and then they naturally progress materially. Similarly, if we work hard then we can certainly achieve single-minded concentration. Now the third stage is called replacing literally it says patching, patch like concentration but it has been translated as replacing the mind during the third stage duration of concentration can be like from twenty to thirty minutes and there are many who say they want to practice concentration and I think they must know these. Now the fourth stage is called close placement or close setting.
During the fourth stage called the close setting and now the practitioner will never lose the object of concentration which means so the mind will not get distracted and abandon the object of meditation and wander. It’s because the power of mindfulness of the object of concentration has been fully developed like young boys and girls have developed all physical strength and like that during the fourth stage the strength of mindfulness is developed to the fullest extent. Therefore concentration whether one is going achieve or not depends whether one has developed the power or the strength of mindfulness and if only our mind remains stabilized or if we achieve stability of the mind on the object meditation and then at least temporarily this will help overcome excessive or strong and gross attachment we have to different things. The fifth setting is called subdued or setting through subduing the mind. During the fifth stage the person has achieved or the practitioner has achieved quite a handsome degree of concentration but now this handsome degree of concentration can be marred and spoiled by imperceptible inertia of mind.
The mind remaining on the object of concentration but without any sense of much awareness got dull. Remaining there but is is there quite dull on object of concentration without being aware of the clarity of or without without the clarity of the object of concentration. And now because subtle laxity or subtle kind of inertia of mind develops during the fifth stage even while the mind remains there but it’s kind of insensitive to the object of a concentration and as a result of which now the person, the practitioner, needs to cultivate or apply his sense of introspection or alertness. Introspection is a portion of the mind which checks, which inspects or spies whether laxity or inertia is creeping in in one’s meditation and thus whether the inertia is developing or not can only be understood by the practitioner himself. No one from outside can tell it.
Now with regard to laxity or inertia or dullness, there are two types, gross and subtle. It is easy to identify occurrence of gross dullness or laxity in one’s concentration during the fifth stage. Gross laxity appears when there is stability of the mind on object concentration without clarity of the object appearing to it. So that is the degree of disturbance caused. So meditation being spoiled by gross laxity.
Now subtle one is hard to identify because of this many have been deceived and cheated by the subtle kind of laxity and many thought that their concentration affected by subtle laxity as real single pointed concentration, a great mistake. Now the reason why they think this kind of concentration attacked or disturbed by subtle laxity is mistaken for real concentration because during the fifth stage there is both or there are both stability as well as clarity These are there. Although there are stability as well as clarity but not intense or total clarity something is lacking in terms of clarity so that is very hard to notice and therefore this is the disturbance caused by subtle laxity After introspection has detected disturbance caused by gross or subtle laxity or dullness of the mind and then these types of laxity or dullness must be removed by applying the appropriate antidotes. The sixth mental the sixth stage is called pacified setting or pacified placing. Now during the sixth stage called the pacified pacified setting or placing one’s concentration is vulnerable to disturbances caused by agitation, two types of agitation gross agitation and subtle agitation.
The gross agitation. Subtle one is hard to identify. The subtle one is hard to identify because it’s like the water flowing underneath the ice. Yet one can understand, even knows that there is stability as well as clarity but to a part of the mind concentrating on the mind trying to concentrate single pointed on the object meditation an attractive object nearly appears not actually appearing but tends to appear is about to appear to it and to disturb still the single pointed concentration so that is the degree of a concentration being disturbed by subtle agitation of the mind or excitement of the mind. In in doing or in achieving single pointed concentration, one must be very sensitive to one’s meditation and if one thinks that if I relax the mind a bit too much it will cause laxity or it’ll give rise to laxity then one has to tighten the concentration or one has to tighten the attention and if one thinks that I’m bit tightening the mind too much then understanding that too much tightening will cause agitation and excitement then one has to relax it a bit so thus there should be optimum concentration, optimum tightness not too loose not too tight, optimum attention or tightness of concentration just as you know the strings of musical instruments.
If they’re too tight or too loose the sound produced but that instrument is not at all pleasant. Where if the tightness is just exact precise, what’s optimum, then a beautiful sound the music can be played and then people will sway down to the tune of that music. Similarly, if the tightness of attention or concentration is optimum or required, then it is conducive to developing single pointed concentration. Now the seventh stage is called Nampar Shiva which means thoroughly pacified setting or intensely pacified or thoroughly pacified and during the seventh stage now it’s very unlikely that one’s concentration can be disturbed by either by types of laxity or two types of excitement even if they do disturb. Such disturbing factors can be easily removed by making a little effort in removing them.
This eighth stage is called single pointed setting and during the eighth stage called the single pointed setting the person, the practitioner, all that the practitioner needs to do is to just make a little inducement to concentrate once he makes a little effort to concentrate to begin to concentrate on the object of an object then so he can concentrate single pointedly for hours at a stretch without the slightest disturbance. Now the ninth stage is called spontaneous setting or spontaneous placing. Here concentration is effortless or spontaneous. During the ninth stage a person would have achieved what is called single pointed concentration of a mind of a being in the desire realm yet he hasn’t achieved what is called the real or the full fledged calm abiding or mental quiescence. He must go on.
He still must practice single pointedly, you know, concentration or he must still must concentrate single pointedly. Now after he keeps on single pointedly even after achieving the single pointed concentration of a mind of a being in the desire realm, to make it clear that way, at the end of such a prolonged concentration if he achieves what what are called physical suppleness and mental suppleness and in other words physical and mental ecstasies then there is the point of having achieved real or the fully fledged mental quiescence or calm abiding. And now if after prolonged meditation at the end of ninth stage, ninth mental place or setting if he experiences extraordinary physical bliss and mental bliss. Like in terms of physical bliss, ever long he may meditate practice virtues and meditate instead of experiencing tiredness he always keeps on experiencing bliss and ecstasy and then his mind his body becomes so supple so workable so serviceable to virtuous practices. In terms of a mind mental ecstasy has reference to a mind so clear that it developed the confidence that it can count every particle of the great earth and also however long it may meditate on as one contemplates and practices virtue instead of getting tired it grows extremely ecstatic so that whenever these things happen doing single-pointed concentration such a person has achieved the real or the fully fledged mental quiescence or calm abiding.
That is called the higher training in concentration, this is called training in the higher concentration which is a means to get rid of subtle disturbance to realize various end results and then achieve single pointed concentration or single pointed mind. I’m not sure if you could keep in this mind this can be quite handy while trying to develop single pointed concentration. Now the next training is a higher training in or training in higher wisdom. Training in higher wisdom refers to training and development of wisdom, higher wisdom, understanding, emptiness of inherent or true or independent existence of all things in the entire universe. Now emptiness is very important although we may not understand emptiness now but we should never give up effort in developing that wisdom understanding emptiness because without understanding emptiness then however long one may engage in a virtuous practice so these virtuous practices can only be good enough to ensure a happy rebirth within the bounds of world existence but these virtuous practices can never become means to achieve a liberation.
Now regarding training in the higher wisdom, I’m going to talk about tomorrow night. In the meanwhile, please come to understand a little bit introduction to this. Now in order to understand emptiness of inherent existence or to develop the wisdom understanding emptiness of inherent existence, empty of what we must understand. Empty of true or inherent inherent existence. There was no such thing, there has been no such thing since time immemorial like true existence or inherent existence.
It’s just that we have unfortunate misconception of imagining that things did or do have true or inherent or objective existence now if following that misconception that things have true or inherent existence, if they do have inherent existence then if we look for such inherent existence must be foundable. If things are in existence they are thereafter findable. Similarly, if true existence is there, it should be findable. But when you look for, analyze whether that true existence is there or not, a true existence of a thing is there or not, then we end up not finding it or we do not find it at the end of analysis. Just look for yourself for instance.
So I or your person so we have the misconception that I or the person exists from its own side and now try to look for tonight where the I is from top to bottom and as look for an I which is inherent existing from its own side and try to look for it from top to bottom tonight so you will not find that eye. And that very un findability of eye is that is the indication that eye does not exist from its own side. So does it mean then that I does not exist at all? I does exist although not inherently but nominally because I exist then we say I go to the park tomorrow’s week and I’m going to the park and so on. This validity of functions I perform is indication that there is a nominally existing I.
For tonight, try to try to look for. When people have neurosis and some kind of uptight feelings that I’m not well, I’m running short of money, I’m corrupt, my husband is not so kind to me and my wife is nagging and so on. So then this strong sense of I that I am not well, everything is going wrong with me. Then at such a time, try to look for, try to examine where that I actually is and because try to look for that eye which is so sad so miserable because of these circumstances and if you try to look for that eye it can be a great assistance, good help, great aid in overcoming your self depression, your self sadness because when you try to look for that sadness, miserable eye, it disappears. Now, like on the television screen, on on the screen, on the empty white screen on the cinema halls.
And when scenes are projected on the on this screen, then whatever is whatever seems projected, people riding car, so fighting, killing, shooting, and so on. Everything is there performing various functions and affecting your mood at the same time. Yet the screen of the television or the cinema hall is empty of such real things taking place. It’s just that these are projected by the screen is empty for these things really taken on them or on it. Similarly, when conventionally or nominally and the conventional conventional truths appear to us, then the appearance of con conventional truth causes us to lose or makes or causes us to believe that appearances of real appearance of things existing from the outside.
But when we try to look for whether these conventional truths appearing to us, whether they have a concrete inherent existence then you know we fail to find inherent quality inherent existence. It’s just that our misconception has labeled inherent existence on the non inherent existing things. Thus, just as we fail to find real on the screen, similarly we will fail to find really truly existing things on the conventional truths. And such a thing is called emptiness of true existence. And therefore, awareness of true existence is very important.
Wisdom understanding emptiness of true existence is very important because this wisdom will cut through the misconception of the ignorance that things have true existence. When that ignorance is cut through then all other ills so that’s like a panacea to all other ills to all other delusions other delusions and naturally subside therefore praising Buddha by way of appreciating his teachings and emptiness is the real praise say great Nāgārjuna and Tsongkhapa. Otherwise if one one were to praise Buddha saying that how what glorious physical qualities you have glorious physical speech quality of speech and mind you have a mental quality you have they said that these are not real befitting qualities of praises but praising Buddha by remembering Buddha by giving teachings and emptiness, if one wants to praise the Buddha, then they say it’s a real praise. People in the world know quite clearly that things are screen and so the scenes projected on the television are not real at all, you know, scenes projected on television are not there on the television screen but watching television yet is one of the greatest past times and people in the world spent quite a lot of their time watching it and then you know going after it knowing that although it takes it takes a great portion of their precious time.
Similarly although things from the outside do not have true or inherent existence or objective existence but they are quite deluded in that we have the misconception to exaggerate existence in converting nominal existence into true existence and it’s because of this misconception that all other afflictions arise, that attachment, aversion. I’ll stop here tonight and we’ll talk about the rest of explanations concerning higher training and wisdom tomorrow night. Again I’m asking yourself advising it would be nice if you can remember some of the teachings because I have tried my best to explain to you some of the key things key teachings know keeping in mind that you don’t have teachers coming to you frequently. I will stop the teachings here and then I will say again you know thanks very much indeed for listening to the talk very attentively and then good night and sleep well and then have sweet dreams and so on. But please do take time to examine I or a person or your person normally the person’s under extreme circumstances of happiness and sadness to the misconceived inherent existent I one gains a more clear picture of a misconceived inherent existence of eye and sees that moment and then try to look for where is that kind of eye and try to examine it from top to bottom where does such an inherently vividly existing eye live, in which part of one’s body does it live.
And that’s what’s important to keep in mind is that there isn’t a single phenomenon in the entire universe of imperfect and perfect universe there isn’t a single entity which bears analysis which can stand the test of analysis examining whether it exists truly or not. Yet on the nominal level, everything exists. And when we are carefree, when we are not analytic but know, carefree, then everything exists. And just as everything exists, everything perform is able to perform affecting one’s well But when such a thing is examined whether it has true existence or not, then it cannot bear the test of analysis or examining its true existing nature and some come to me that there is no I and there is no actions, there are no possible paths and results but they are going too far and they are on the point of falling into nihilism and there’s an antidote for someone going to a highly realized master in the not so distant past, the master who was called Dromtönpa, an extremely realized master, and someone went to him crying and weeping and crying saying that I don’t find myself, where am I and there is no path and then the master said, oh, so there’s no I and there’s no path the man said there’s no I master what should I do and then master who is that clown before me?
And then you know, this silence him and you know, that’s how things don’t exist. Things disappear. You know, the true nature or true existence quality of things disappear when it’s looked for or examined. So in fact these are some key explanations for understanding emptiness.