Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 47-minute session, Khensur Rinpoche works through the three faults that derail calm abiding — sluggishness, sinking, and scattering — with clinical precision. He distinguishes gross sinking (object retained but unclear) from subtle sinking (object clear but the mind’s grip too loose), and introduces the three qualities genuine concentration requires: abiding, clarity, and strength, illustrated by a rosary held just firmly enough. A striking historical note follows: before Tsongkhapa corrected the understanding, meditators who could suspend their breathing for days still lacked true calm abiding for want of that third quality. Scattering is then defined as the mind pulled away by attachment to pleasant objects, with careful distinctions drawn between gross, subtle, and the less-disruptive wandering. The session closes with the reminder that calm abiding becomes Buddhist practice only when grounded in renunciation and bodhicitta.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 07 CA 1994 06.mp3
UUID: d1787a13-0402-4403-8d80-2a51b06314e0
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Calm Abiding Retreat (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1994 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.9 minutes
Words: ~2,730
This sinking, scattering are the next faults, and they are looking at, their other, what’s similar kinds, also sluggishness. So sinking and scattering, sluggishness, although the three are inclusive to sinking and scattering. When these happen, first thing would be important. Already earlier, one should have recognized these faults. One should have identified these faults that may creep into one’s meditation and practice because if these faults already already slip past one’s mindfulness and into one’s meditation then it is too late for that session and during that period it is too late.
It is like a case where one has not recognized who amongst the crowd are or would be thieves, and once the thief already has gone past your vigilance, it’s too late. They’ve already stolen and taken away the things. So it is important at this stage first to identify what and how these are, the sinking, scattering, sluggishness. Now in the list here of the third types of faults, there are the list of sinking, scattering, and sluggishness as well. But of course it is that the main faults here are the sinking and scattering.
And it seems sluggishness is listed along with those two from the point of view that it is sluggishness which brings about the fault of sinking. Although sluggishness in itself does not directly hinder a practitioner from losing the object of focus and being distracted in the sense being distracted and being away from the object of focus, but it leads the practitioner’s mind into sinking. And that’s why it is counted in the list. What sluggishness is? It is where one feels one’s body and mind is heavy, and mentally one’s mind as if feels like falling about to sleep.
In that way, it is unwholesome unwholesome state of mind and non virtuous state of mind. To put into context, it would mean when one does meditation one would stop feeling physically heavy, mentally, dozing off to sleep about. Yeah. So that sort of feeling. When there is this sluggishness, it leads to the mind to become thinking, drowning, sinking.
So it is the one which produces sinking. So it is important to recognize that sinking would come about in that way of firstly the mind being sluggish and therefore it is important to early beforehand be applied in means to have the mind not becoming sluggish and so forth. And regarding sinking itself how it happens is when one’s mind is with mindfulness retaining the object of focus, it slowly becomes where the object is still retained by a certain degree of mindfulness but the object seems obscured, not appearing very clear, bit of obscuration and then that means this sinking is creeping into one’s focus, the sinking is creeping into one’s concentration and when that happens where although mind with mindfulness is remaining on the object but it is still the object doesn’t appear clearly, then that is called gross sinking. And to put it in another way of looking at, it is there is abiding part, but there’s no clarity, meaning where the mind abides on the focused object, but there’s no clarity of the appearing of the object to the mind.
That is the gross sinking where there is abiding part of the concentration, but there’s no clarity part of the concentration. And now if the mind with mindfulness is remaining on the focused object in that way if it has abiding part of it as well the object does appear clear to the mind but if the mind somehow has become loose with regards to being focused on the object and through that way if there is no strength then it is an indication one is with subtle sinking. So subtle sinking is the sinking difficult to recognize that there is this fault. So that is subtle sinking.
And to put it in more clear terms, it becomes there is abiding and clarity part of the mind but there is no strength of actual clarity of the object with the mind meaning the concentration. That is subtle sinking. If the mind has the abiding and clarity, but if it is a little bit loose, then that is subtle sinking. And in that way, it is where the object is not not that firmly, not that strongly retained by the mindfulness and if that happens one needs to apply the strengthening of holding, strengthening of retention over the object by mindfulness but it should not be too tight or too strong retention but neither should it be too loose. So just the right moderate hold or retention. Basically, one would need the mind abiding on the focused object, therefore abiding part, and the object appearing clear to the focus or concentration, therefore the appearing part, the clarity part.
It does seem that one needs to have just the right balance of focus where the mind is just right balancedly abiding on the object and the clarity of the object being focused is also just the right balance. This point seems important because if the mind is too intensely focused on the object, in that way, if the abiding part is too strong, then that to lead to sinking. That would bring about sinking. So there in the requirements we find three parts, the clarity, abiding, and the right strength. These three put into example can approximately be seen as with the case of rosary.
If we pick up a rosary, just merely holding it would be the abiding part. And although holding it’s not that loose, It’s not that loosely held. Sorry, although holding it’s not tightly held that is the appearing or the clarity part and yet again, it is not too loose. That is the strength part. So abiding clarity and the strength.
And then other example given is in the case of faith in a newly acquainted lama, where there is faith which is abiding part, but there is presently not that strong faith. So that is clarity part. But later on by one’s association with the teacher, the lama, by oneself, if one happen to find more and more excellent qualities and kindness and also through hearing from others, one finds similar virtues, excellent qualities and kindness, then there will be a time that faith previously, which was there but not that strong, would very become so intense, and that part would become the strength part. So like with the case of abiding clarity and strength, we can say faith can have those three phases or those three parts. And that’s exactly how the example fits.
In a way, it is the experience in the mind how they develop that there happens in the case of the fate in the teacher that there are those three phases. First, there is a fate, but it’s still not that intense. And later on it becomes intense. Likewise here it is in the state of mind that how it develops that there would be abiding clarity and strength part of the concentration being focused on the object. By the same token, we can see it is very much these three things are very much something we need to experience ourselves to actually relate how these three what it means.
Because verbally, if we are to explain, may not or not make that much sense, but in actual developing of them in our mind how that happens, then it can be relatable in these three parts. These three, abiding clarity and strength, need not or should not be seen from the perspective of the object of focus. Instead, they are to be seen from the point of the mind itself, which is doing the concentration. Say, the qualification of these three does not cannot be explained in terms of the object of focus here, say, with the Buddha. Instead, at least the very mind which is focusing where firstly there will be the achievement of abiding, and then the object would appear clearly, the clarity part, and then the two would become moderately just the right balance of strength and clarity.
And that is the strength part. Prior to Je Tsongkhapa’s time, even in Tibet, there were misunderstandings about what actually is or what is valid toward the genuine calm abiding one achieves. Because early prior to his time, it was widely believed that as long as one’s calm abiding meditation has achieved clarity and abiding then one has achieved calm abiding. And but now looking from our clarified explanation, we would find that actually was wasn’t actual calm abiding, that was still by lacking strength that was actual meditation with subtle sinking still involved. But at that time by having clarity and abiding part of one’s concentration, the practitioners were even able on physiological level to have no breathing in and out through nostril and remain externally not breathing at all for a couple of days.
They still achieve that through having a meditation and just having a clarity and abiding path. But later on, Je Tsongkhapa explains that that actually was not a genuine calm abiding. So you now are quite, what’s called, informed about that there are such faults which one may still have after a while on meditation on calm abiding. And it is now clear that although one may have clarity and abiding, but if there is no strength, but just the right strength, then indicates it is imperfect, that there still are gross and subtle sinkings. And in that way, from our side, we now are quite fortunate to be able to have this recognition, this identification and through that way, we now all need to be prepared that we don’t let such faults or hindrances of such gross and subtle sinking hinder our attaining of calm abiding. Now the next fault is scattering.
The next fault is scattering or distraction. By this, what it means is there is explanation about it from teacher Ārya Asaṇga in his writing, Shiksha Samucchaya, Compendium of Trainings, where scattering is described as mind following delightful object, and through that way, the mind unpeaceful, and it is a disruption to one’s calm abiding achievement. The commentary to that would be this thing, scattering or distraction is the mind which goes outward away from the object of focus. How it goes outward away from object of focus is because it follows something pleasant or delightful object and that pleasant or delightful object can be a thing, a sentient being, or any other objects. And being pulled away by it, one’s mind gets scattered, not concentrating on the object of focus.
So it is the attachment following a delightful object which causes the mind to distract away. By nature, scattering belongs to attachment. As function, scattering makes one’s mind unpeaceful, and it disrupts one’s calm abiding achievement. Regarding how it makes one’s mind unpeaceful, well, there is normally, even in social convention, we have used language. We use the same word scattery scattery.
Scattery for a mischievous child, saying, oh, this child is very scattery. And that by very nature of the child being so rebellious and scattery, we we can see there’s no peace in the state of that child’s mind, always in lack of being restful and so forth. Similarly, we use the same description for horses. If it’s untamed horse, we would say, oh, it’s very scattery. So in the sense, in this sense, like a very wild horse.
Yes. And that’s how it would fit. In our hometown, we have some people who are called extremely wild, unruly, extremely unruly. So those were the people who would rob people, cheat, beat other people, and so forth. Regarding the last bit of the description of scattering, it says it is disruptive to calm abiding achievement.
What that would mean is obviously, it if there is a scattering scattering scattering with one’s meditation, then that would hinder one from attaining calm abiding. Here it is. There is yet one type of state of mind or thought called wandering. And it would be asked, wouldn’t wandering also become a hindrance to calm abiding? Well, here in the instruction, it is maintained.
Wandering does not become a hindrance. It is scattering, which becomes a hindrance. By wandering, it means the mind which thinks about wanting to harm someone one is not in good terms with, so called enemy. And wandering could also be where while one is in the session meditating on calm abiding, one may be thinking of doing other practices such as doing generosity, being practicing patience and so forth. In a way, and because of that we can say our wandering can be a non virtuous type and it can also be virtuous type.
But the point still remains valid that they are not hindrances to calm abiding achievement. Of course, by nature, if one’s mind wanders to wholesome or unwholesome direction, that itself is a hindrance, making the mind wander, making the mind distracted from the object of focus. To that extent, yes, we can accept that it is a hindrance. But the reason why it is not classified as a fault for calm abiding is because compared with scattering it is not that disruptive a hindrance because wandering comes and goes. It doesn’t last that long whereas scattering does actually last, and it is very disruptive to calm abiding.
Also attachment, which is the cause and which by nature is the scattering, is something which so often and so inseparably as ordinary being comes about in our state of mind again and again. And in that way, it is difficult to repel away and so forth. And that’s why it is included in the faults. And regarding scattering, wondering what the difference in the English would be, I mean, that’s nothing to worry about. The same problem is in the original languages.
As long as they are defined by the commentary as it was, then we need to be satisfied with that. And it is a very clear commentary. And then we should stop here for today. Scattering, again, is of two types, gross and subtle. And gross scattering is the scattering where the object of focus is lost and the mind has gone away, at gaze somewhere else.
That’s gross scattering. Subtle scattering is where the object of focus is still retained by the mind, the concentration. But what happens is only a portion of one’s mind is engaged in retaining, in being focused, in being concentrating on the object. But one part of one’s mind sneaks away. So that’s where the laughter was sneaking away.
One part of one’s mind sneaks away, engaging and thinking about something else, some other things, and so forth. And that’s subtle thinking subtle scattering. Sorry. Oh, yeah. That’s DTH allergies.
You know? We shall swap here for today. Doctor or two in the country. Yeah. Doctor, what?
So we shall have no questions for today, and we’ll stop stop here and in the following sessions and so forth you can think about these points and do discussions and meditate on them. In the morning when you do your more meditation, it would be necessary to include meditation on renunciation, definite exit, and on bodhicitta. Because through these two combination, if one asphalt then meditates on calm abiding, then it becomes Buddhist calm abiding in the sense it becomes a calm abiding practice definitely contributing to oneself becoming a Buddha and enlightened being. Otherwise, Otherwise, in the absence of other two requirement, simple or just calm abiding practice itself is nothing to be what’s called thought of as a big deal because it was also a practice practice found in the classical non-Buddhist disciplines and they also achieved that but the motive and the direction of what it is used for there is a big difference between the two. In that way, when one does practices through such way, it would be helpful by way of definite emergence, way of renunciation one would be able to overcome attachment.
If one overcomes attachment there will be no scattering disrupting one’s practice and if one’s practice on bodhicitta becomes good then there will be no sinking disrupting one’s practice. So it is possible through these two one can have good and sooner achievement of calm abiding.