Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. “The elephant tied to a post” — mind as elephant, mindfulness as rope, object as post — opens this 46-minute session from Geshe Pema Tsering’s 2003 calm abiding retreat. After surveying meditation objects (the Bönpo letter A, the Buddha’s form, one’s root lama), he unpacks mindfulness’s three features: distinguishing the object, retaining it, and guarding against distraction. The heart of the session is the five-faults framework: Geshe Pema Tsering works through coarse and subtle sinking, stressing that subtle sinking can be mistaken for genuine concentration — examining the breath is given as the test — then treats agitation as the mind’s opposite tendency. Introspection, calibrated like a lute string, is the antidote to both. The session closes with the Vasubandhu parrot story as encouragement to keep listening even when full understanding comes later.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 02 2003 10 18 Calm Abiding.mp3
UUID: 8829d94c-b650-41da-b2ea-a145c9182b25
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Calm Abiding Retreat (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2003-10-18
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.7 minutes
Words: ~2,938
So for the elephant, the elephant is like the mind. The pillar or the post is like the object of our concentration, and the rope is like mindfulness holding the elephant of the mind to that particular pillar or post. So while the mind, while the elephant is tied to the pillar, also we need like a type of insight or a type of wisdom, which prompts us to continue to hold or continue to fix ourselves to that particular object that we’re seeking to, which is the instruction itself that we’re seeking not to forget. So that type of wisdom is a little bit like the stick or the hook that is used in order to remind the elephant to continue to remain there, held to that post. So whatever the object is or the instruction is that one is seeking to hold is okay.
One can hold any particular object as the object of meditation. And here, there are many different objects that are used. For instance, non Buddhists or sadhus, etcetera, they may use a rock or a piece of wood or a combination of those things tied up together or any particular object that is made up and then contemplated. In Tibet, the Bönpos would often use the letter A in Tibetan as the object of meditation. And also the type of mind which establishes calm abiding is not sense awareness like the eye awareness.
It has to be mental awareness. It’s not possible to establish calm abiding through sense awareness. Also, Asaṇga says that he’s heard that in India there are some sadhus and so forth that focus on the horns of a cow in order to establish calm abiding. So, these things are practice. In fact, it’s not an object of sense awareness that will One can establish calm abiding as a sensory It has to be an object of mental awareness for calm abiding to be established.
And there are many of these objects that differ from non-Buddhist to Buddhist. Buddhists especially, in accordance with the advice given by Lama Tsongkhapa, are recommended to take as their object the statue of the Buddha or the form of a Buddha because there’s a special blessing that arises through taking the form of a Buddha as the object for one’s attainment of calm abiding. Also, there’s a system whereby one reflects on the form of one’s own root guru, root lama, in front of one, for instance, at the height of one’s eyes or at the height of one’s heart or navel and so forth. And by visualizing in that way, then it’s possible also to attain calm abiding. And in fact, there’s many different methods by which calm abiding can be practiced and established.
And the result of that practice is the same. It’s the establishment of calm abiding. So really what we need is something that’s easy and comfortable for ourselves, an object, something that appeals to us as an object, and then to engage properly in the practice. Yep. So then in establishing a particular object or a particular instruction, the meaning of obstruction, of instruction is that particular object, such as the image of a Buddha, then we should simply hold to that object, not change it for something else, and tie our awareness to that particular object.
And then we guard against the mind then sinking from that object or scattering or being or through agitation, losing the object. We should guard ourselves against that and simply hold to that particular object without changing it. Object. Once we’ve settled on the object itself, then we shouldn’t decrease the size of it, make it smaller, or increase it, make it larger, and so forth. We should just hold to the initial size of the object that we’ve settled on.
So here, in fact, again, the antidote or the application that we apply in order to prevent loss of the object or forgetting the instruction is mindfulness. And the meaning of mindfulness itself is just not forgetting the object. And with this type of mindfulness, there are three features. So this mindfulness itself has three features or three properties. And the first is distinguishing its object.
So here it means that having first looked at the object with our eye awareness and so forth and become familiar with the object, then we take that particular object and hold it. Then the second feature there is the ability to hold then to that object that’s been decided on and through which familiarity has been established. So this type of retention is actually not forgetting the aspect of the object and holding that clearly and vividly as possible. Then the third one there is the function of mindfulness. And the function here is to prevent the mind being distracted, to hold the mind similar to the previous.
It is to prevent distraction, prevent losing the object, being distracted from the object is the function here of mindfulness. So by applying those three features of mindfulness, then it’s possible to have a clear vision of the object and to retain that and hold it clearly. Initially, hold the object clearly, but if these three features are not maintained, then the fault of agitation or sinking manifest. So having established the object of mindfulness, then if we’re not able to successfully apply the three features of mindfulness. So then if we’re not able to successfully apply the three types three features of mindfulness, then sinking and agitation will arise.
Also, a type of dullness manifests, which also prevents one from correctly holding the object, the instruction. And this dullness is a little bit like darkness, which prevents us from seeing the existence of a thief in the room who could take our belongings and so forth. So these three potentially can arise. That is agitation. So here, this type of dullness is something reasonably subtle.
Especially when one is engaging in the practice of calm abiding, then it’s a type of state that arises, especially when one’s feeling tired or perhaps about to fall into sleep, where one is losing clarity in relation to the object. And it’s a subtle state. It arises, but then it can be recognized, in the practice of calm abiding. This type of this state of dullness is either neutral or non virtuous. It’s not a virtuous state. Does everyone understand here the meaning of dullness as stated?
Of course, everyone is So as everyone is meditating, they are probably aware of the arising. For instance, you know, as we’re meditating and, you know, we start to get this heavy sensation and we’re probably about to fall asleep, at this point, the dullness is manifested for us. Everyone’s aware of that. True? So here, So here So here, sinking actually has two types.
It’s subtle and coarse. So this type of sinking or this type of dullness is either subtle or coarse. When it’s coarse, one has the image in front of one, but there’s no clarity to the image. The image is not lost, but clarity has been lost. So then we have this subtle type of dullness, which also arises.
And here, in fact, the object is retained and there is clarity also retained to the object, but the sharpness of the clarity is lost. When one has both clarity and the object but no sharpness of clarity, then that is subtle dullness. So there is a danger because at the time of subtle dullness that both clarity and the object are retained, that one may think that one has achieved calm abiding. But one hasn’t because one has lost the sharpness of the object. So, in fact, here what we need is to overcome this subtle dullness, which means overcoming this lack of sharpness.
Even though we have, for instance, the object and we have the clarity, we need also a means to overcome this lack of sharpness. And this is done through developing this clarity or this special clarity in relation to the object, or lucidity in relation to the actual object itself. So here, practices are then recommended for how we establish this sharpness of the object. And, for instance, as it’s said in the text, at such a time that the image’s stability or the abundance of the object is firm, the dullness that arises in relation, the lack of sharpness that arises acts as a cause for subtle dullness. But the intense clarity is achieved in dependence on a particular meditation device.
So at this time when So this time, it’s subtle dullness. Not that we’re actually working with the object itself. It’s actually at this time, in order to overcome this subtle dullness or sinking, then one needs to engage the mind itself, not the object of the mind, but work, in fact, with the mind itself in order to overcome it. So here, it’s noted that subtle dullness and single pointed concentration may both have clarity and stability. Thus, it can be difficult to tell the difference between what is single pointed concentration and what is subtle dullness or subtle sinking.
So, in fact, because of the similarity between subtle dullness and single pointed concentration, they must be differentiated. There is a danger of mistaking subtle dullness again for concentration, but since it’s not concentration, it cannot act as a basis for the path and the means by which realizations are developed. So these need to be differentiated. So at this stage, in order to deal with this situation of differentiating subtle dullness from actual concentration, and one actually examines the breath And for instance, air may have stopped flowing through our nostrils at this stage, and your mind may remain stable for a whole day, but you have not merely built up calm abiding but subtle dullness. Even in fact, the breathing may stop.
By, therefore, examining the breath, and it’s possible to determine whether one has achieved calm abiding or, in fact, has achieved subtle dullness and so forth, There are methods here mentioned by which we can differentiate those two states. Then progressing to the next point here, which is agitation or excitement, which is the second part of the third of the five faults. And here it’s stated in the text by Asaṇga, what is excitement or what is agitation? It is a disturbed aspect of the mind, a form of attachment led astray by attractive objects. It functions to interrupt calm abiding.
So this is the other aspect that would tend to distract us from the object. Either the mind sinks from the object in experiencing a state of dullness where the mind sinks below the object, or one is agitated, in a sense, above the object or away from the object through excitement or agitation. So here, dealing now with agitation. So an example here of agitation is, for instance, at the point of going to sleep at night, we can have many thoughts, vivid thoughts and so forth, that arise for us. And this is an example of a type of excitement or agitation that may arise also in meditation.
So also there’s another type of state called or a type of state which elaborates or which is similar to agitation. So this type of elaborate elaboration or elaborating mind or a mind that lacks focus should be distinguished from the mind of agitation or excitement. For instance, we can become unfocused through an unpleasant object such as an enemy and so forth. And at that time we undergo some discomfort, mental distress. But this is not the same as the agitation that occurs in developing calm abiding.
So here, in fact, there is a distinguish there is a difference between lack of focus and excitement. And in fact, as it’s said, while meditating on calm abiding, we can become unfocused on some virtuous object such as generosity and ethics and so forth. But agitation can never be virtuous or take it doesn’t take a virtuous object because it is non virtuous. And the reason it’s non virtuous is that it’s one of the twenty proximate afflictive mental factors. And so therefore, is non virtuous.
So therefore, it’s distinguished from this lack of focus which can take a virtuous object. Still, both of these can lack a focus here, or this proliferating mind and agitation, both equally affect the development or restrict, prevent the development of calm abiding. Even though both of these lack of focus or this proliferation of mental states and also agitation affect the arrival of calm abiding, still here the proliferation or this lack of focus is not mentioned because it doesn’t affect Those states are less in number than agitation. States of agitation are much more, especially in this practice of attaining calm abiding, than our lack of focus or proliferating states of mind. So, therefore, they’re not mentioned here as separate from agitation.
So here, firstly, had mindfulness, which was the antidote to forgetting the instruction or forgetting the object. Then once we have established the mind and the object, then the problems of sinking or dullness and agitation arise. And we’ve dealt with sinking, what happens with sinking or dullness and the gross and subtle states of that, then also agitation, which is almost a lifting of the mind from the object. And that also is associated with this unfocused state or this proliferating state of mind which takes various objects. The antidote then for both sinking and agitation is introspection.
And this introspection is associated with wisdom. So then when they arise, when both sinking and agitation arise, then the fourth fault is not applying the antidote when they arise. Sinking and agitation of the third fault that are mentioned are the five faults. When they arise, then we need to apply introspection to examining whether they’ve arisen or not within the mind, within the mental continuum. When they arise, we should actually apply the antidotes to them in order to overcome them.
Non application is the fourth fault and application is the antidote to the fourth fault. Application, therefore, of the antidotes to non application. So here, introspection is a little bit like examining to see whether an enemy is coming and being aware and vigilant to see if an enemy is approaching. So here, if an enemy is seen to be approaching, then one applies the antidotes that will conquer the enemy or render the enemy harmless and so forth. So that’s a type of application.
Also, as one is meditating and one is vigilant, applies vigilance to see whether an enemy is approaching, that is the enemy of sinking and agitation. If the enemy is approaching, then one applies the antidote to overcome those particular enemies. If they’re not approaching, then one doesn’t apply the antidote. One abides evenly in equanimity. If one too rigorously holds to vigilance at that stage, then there’s a danger that the mind becomes agitated.
So one has got to ease off at that point so that agitation is not generated. So it’s a little bit like playing a stringed instrument, like a lute or something like that, that in fact, if it’s strung too tightly, then the sound is too sharp. It’s not very pleasant. If it’s strung too loosely, then also it’s flat and so forth. So one needs to keep an even, a proper tension on the strings in order to get a pleasant sound.
Similarly here, one needs an even type of application in order to avoid the generation of agitation and sinking and so forth. So tonight, we’ve just covered this section on the five faults and the eight applications. So, in fact, here we’ve covered this section in the Bodhisattvabhūmi on this text by Maitreya, which states abandoning the five faults and cultivating the eight applications. So in this presentation, it’s, of course, it’s a brief we’ve only done a brief presentation, so not everything will be understood straight away. And here it’s understood that, of course, one won’t be able to understand all of the subtle points straight away.
But still, in going through this, we lay down imprints for eventually coming to a clear understanding of the subject matter. And also, because initially we contemplated bodhicitta as our motivation for engaging in the teachings, listening to the teachings, contemplating the teachings, and so forth, then our actions will have a good result because of that. And in fact, the importance of listening again and again to these types of instruction is exemplified by the story of the master Vasubandhu who composed Abhidharmakośa, composed by Vasubandhu. And he used to recite this particular text. And while he was reciting it, this bird, which is something like a parrot, similar to a parrot, used to come and listen.
And the bird itself had an interest in the text, like the sound of the text, and would listen very attentively. And later on the bird died and was reborn and became a student of Vasubandhu. And when it came to this particular text, it had very ready understanding of the meaning of the text because it had paid attention and, you know, to the words previously when it was a bird. So similar for us that by listening and reflecting on this subject matter, it will become easier in future. We lay down imprints to gain a clear understanding in future.
So if anyone has any questions. That, in fact, is not an actual meditation on calm abiding. It’s like a preliminary.