Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 140-minute session, Khensur Rinpoche maps all nine mental abidings of calm abiding step by step, continuing the series on the three higher trainings. He names each stage — from “setting the mind,” where the visualised Buddha-image holds for only moments, to “setting in equipoise,” where the mind rests effortlessly — and links each to one of six powers and four modes of mental engagement. Memorable analogies carry the instruction: mindfulness as a rope tethering a horse, introspection as a spy watching the mind’s condition. Rinpoche closes with the fruits of full attainment — physical lightness and mental bliss — illustrated by a story of early earth-dwellers who flew and lived off meditative stabilization. A Q&A addresses visualization distance, correcting laxity and excitement, and whether retreat is required.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 13 Eye of A 1989 02 21.mp3
UUID: 3a07f2d9-3084-4a63-a158-b6d6a49d51ff
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Opening the Eye of Awareness 1988-1989 (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1989-02-21
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 140.0 minutes
Words: ~6,760
So initially we have to adjust our motivation such that we’re going to practice. In order to practice the Dharma we must listen to the teachings, but with the motivation that we’re going to listen to these teachings in order to attain complete, peerless Buddhahood whereby we’ll be enabled to establish all sentient beings equal to space in complete happiness and bliss. So in cultivating the path, meditating on the way to actualize the realizations necessary along the spiritual path, It’s necessary to engage in three principal paths and those are the paths of ethics, the paths of meditative stabilization or calm abiding, and the path of wisdom or emptiness. And these latter three are referred to as the three higher trainings. The higher training, ethics, meditative stabilization and wisdom.
So initially in seeking to abandon cyclic existence and whereby to attain liberation and the attainment of Buddhahood, the practices are subsumed within these three practices or these three paths. So we’ve already we finished the explanation of the first path, that is the path of ethics, now we’re engaging the explanation of the second, that is the path for developing meditative stabilization. So mainly we are concerned in in progressing spiritually, removing all the various faults from the mind and developing all the necessary excellent qualities. So in developing the mind in this way, that is removing the various faults and developing the qualities, we have to engage in meditation and all like to meditate, don’t we? So in meditation, engaging in meditation, we need an object of observation.
We need a basis in meditation. We simply can’t space out and just let our mind go blank. We need some, just as when we’re shooting a bow and arrow, we need a target to aim at, to hit. And likewise in meditation, we need an object of observation or basis of meditation. So generally, the object of meditation can be any type of object, any object that we desire.
It can be, for example, emptiness or selflessness or we can take the body of a Buddha, the image of a Buddha of meditation, as an object for developing meditation. But here, we’re going to specifically speak in terms in developing meditation in terms of taking as a basis object of observation the body of a Buddha, the image of a Buddha. So now we’re taking up the method of cultivating calm abiding. In Sanskrit, Samatha. So in English as in Tibetan, there’s two words, calm abiding.
In Tibetan, it’s shine, calm abiding. So when we talk about calm, we mean what do we mean by these two words, calm abiding? Calm is the pacification of distraction to external objects. The pacification or the calming of distractions to external objects. When we say abiding, we mean to single mindedly or single pointedly resting the mind on the object of meditation.
We abide or rest the mind on an object single pointedly. So we have this is what we mean when we talk about calm abiding or Samādhi. So last time in discussing the development of the achieving of calm abiding, we explained the system as presented in Maitreya’s Discrimination of the Middle and Extremes in which he presents the five faults and the eight antidotes to these five faults in achieving calm abiding. Then Maitreya presents two different methods of progressing in achieving calm abiding. One as presented was discussed previously in discrimination of the middle and extremes and the other is according to his other text which is called Ornament for Great Vehicle Sutras.
So in accordance with the method set out in ornament for the Great Vehicle Sutras. There are set up nine mental abidings, nine mental levels or nine mental abidings which we must pass through and progressing to achieve calm abiding. And these nine mental abidings are achieved by way of the six powers through making use of the four mental applications. So there’s nine methods or nine mental abidings, are nine mental levels which we pass through by means of the six powers, making use of four mental engagements, four mental engagements. The six powers are applied through the four types of mental engagements.
So the first mental abiding is called setting the mind. So the first of these nine mental abidings is the setting the mind. And this involves initially taking the object of observation. In this case, we’re going to use as our example, as basis for illustration, the image of a Buddha. And we examine the image very closely.
Know, it’s complete all its characteristics where everything is positioned, all its features, like for example the head bump, the crown protrusion on his head, the way he’s holding his hands, the way the robe is laid across his body, the way his legs are positioned. We note all these features with our eye, observing it closely with our eyes. But the process of meditation is not something which is done visually with the eyes. It’s something which is engaged in by the mental consciousness. So once we’ve actually observed closely all the features of the object, then we want to cause this to appear to our mental consciousness.
Then we’re seeking to have this arise to our mental consciousness and resting our mind on that object, appearing to our mental consciousness. So we are able to attain this first mental abiding through first of the six powers. The first of the six powers is the power of hearing. And this refers to the fact that in order to actually develop abiding, initially we have to listen to a teaching on the methods of developing calm abiding. The teacher explains from perhaps a text or his own experience how one goes about observing the object and how one goes through the development of it.
So initially, we attain the first mental abiding by the power of hearing the teaching on how proceed with developing mental calm abiding. So at this initial stage of the first mental abiding, setting the mind, our mind is like a flag blowing in the breeze. They’re flapping back and forth. Know, we get the perhaps we get the image for just an instant and then we lose it. Our mind is distracted to something else.
Our mind is not able to stay remain on the object for very long at all. We’re continually losing the object altogether. So initially, our mind is not able to abide on the object for long at all. We’re going to continue to lose the object, but we have to we should sensitive to whether we’ve lost the object or not. And coming to know that we’ve lost the object, again using the mental consciousness, paying attention to whether the object is being lost.
Call to mind again the appearance of the object. Again and again with the strength of your mind, calling the image the appearance of the image to your mind, your mental consciousness, again and again and again. And this process is the way we actually develop the second of the nine mental abidings that is to say continuous setting. So the second of the nine mental abidings is continuous setting that is a process of again and again and again bringing to mind the image of the object of observation. So in the first mental abiding, we were only able to remain on the object for a short time.
Our mind could only rest on the object, abide with the object for a short time, perhaps five minutes. At the second mental abiding, the continuous setting, we now have lengthened that ability to remain on the object for perhaps between ten to fifteen minutes. Then, but in such a situation perhaps we’re able to abide on the object for ten to fifteen minutes, but again we lose the object. So again we have to use this using our attention and the force of our mind, recall the appearance of the image and again abide on the object. Again, ten to fifteen minutes and we lose the object.
So again and again, again returning to the object again even though we’re lengthening the period of time we’re able to remain or abide on the object. And this is termed the third mental abiding which is called resetting. We’re able to hold the object, we lose the object but only after ten or fifteen minutes and then we reset the object, we call it back again. In attaining the third mental abiding, resetting, we lost the object after ten or fifteen minutes, and again we reset. We do this through the second of the six powers, the power of thinking.
The power of thinking of what the object is. And by that means we gain the third mental abiding which is resetting. So, yeah, I made a mistake. One attains the second mental abiding by means of the second power, which is the power of thinking. Okay?
I said the third. One attains the first mental abiding by the power of hearing, attains the second mental abiding by the power of thinking. And attain the third mental abiding that is resetting by the third of the six powers. That is the power of mindfulness. And when we talk about mindfulness, mindfulness also in memory, recollection.
You know, whatever we talk about, our various work that we do, we’re able to hold it in our mind. That is the factor of non forgetfulness, not forgetting what we’re doing, what we’re talking about. And it’s as if this power of mindfulness is as if rope we tie a horse with a rope so it’s not able to get away. And likewise, we’re using the rope of mindfulness to tie the object so to help our mind not to be distracted so we don’t lose the object. So at this point, we make use of of the first of the four mental applications, the four mental engagements.
The first is forcible engagement, forcible engagement. This is for example, if we were listening to someone speaking, we could just simply listen in a very relaxed manner as if very passively or then on the other hand, we can listen very intently, very actively. And this is what we’re talking about when we talk when we mean forceful engagement. We’re engaging the object again in a very forceful manner, a very assertive manner. So at the third mental abiding(s), due to this forcible engagement and the power of mindfulness, able to not lose the object of observation, of meditation.
in dependence upon these two factors of forcible engagement and the power of mindfulness, that even though our mind might scatter, we’re able to collect it down and to make it very subtle. And having developed this ability to even though it might scatter, be spread out, we’re able to collect it and develop a very subtle mind, then this is an indication of having developed a fourth mental abiding that is close setting, close setting. Now having attained the fourth mental abiding close setting, we no longer lose the object of meditation. We’re able to hold we’re definitely able to hold the object. And this is attained through the power of introspection and sometimes introspection sometimes is called awareness, the power of awareness or introspection.
At this time there arises the So it’s at this level that there arises the faults of excitement and laxity. When we talk about laxity, at this point, you know, we’ve collected our mind in. We’ve collected our mind within. And so due to this collecting the mind within, there arises the danger of laxity and this is where the object is no longer clear and there is possibility of as if we’re asleep. laxity, there is it’s like a fogginess.
The object is not clear and then it can degenerate into sleep. So I think when I talked about the danger of laxity and excitement, I think at this point, if I may correct my translation, to lethargy or sometimes called mental dullness. It’s rough, very coarse. laxity is very subtle. So at this point, it’s very coarse.
So use the term lethargy or mental dullness. And this is the quality where the object no longer becomes clear, becomes very foggy and it’s almost as if one could fall asleep. So this is very coarse and this is referred to as lethargy or mental dullness. Then we have to apply the fourth of these six powers that is the power of introspection or awareness. And this awareness, introspection is like a spy.
You know, it’s investigating what the nature, how the object is appearing, whether the object is there or not and whether how clear the object is not, what is the condition of the mind. This is like in the case of the police when they come to a scene of a crime, they investigate, they ask questions, look around to see the situation. Likewise, this factor of introspection or awareness is made use of to inspect or investigate what is the the object clear? Is it being held properly? So mental factor this introspection is a mental factor which we use throughout practice, you know, for examining what is the condition of the body, what is the condition of the mind, what is the body doing, what is the mind engaged in productive types of thinking, is it engaged in destructive types of thinking.
So this mental factor is the same we’re using throughout our practice, but here we’re using in our meditation the power of introspection. So during our meditation session when we have the object of observation, are inspecting it. There’s the factor of mind which is inspecting whether the mind is experiencing laxity, lethargy, excitement, distraction. What is the state of the mind? And this factor which is making this inspection is awareness or introspection, the power of introspection.
So if we use an example of how we make use of introspection or awareness in our meditation, if two people were walking down a path together, then mainly they would be concerned or watching the path itself where they’re going. But part of their attention, part of their mind, they would be looking out the corner of their eye at their friend, what their friend is, what is happening, the appearance of their friend’s face for example, just watching our friend. So this in the same way, the main part of our mind is engaged in the object, abiding on the object of meditation, but a part of our mind is inspecting how the mind is engaged and what is the state of the mind. So it’s the same way that these two friends mostly the mind is concerned with watching the path, but part of it, their attention is concerned with watching their friend out of the corner of their eye. So having developed the So having developed this factor of that is to say the power of introspection which is able to act as an antidote by means of the awareness of whether laxity or lethargy or excitement or distraction are present, then when this factor is cultivated where we have attained the fifth of the nine levels of abiding that is the disciplining, the mental level, the mental abiding of disciplining, which is the fifth of these nine.
We attain the fifth mental abiding disciplining through the power of being able to be aware, through the power of inspection, which is the ability to be aware of whether coarse, you know, whether I use the term lethargy and another term for coarse excitement, I use the term distraction, whether lethargy or distraction are present. And then we attained, again using the power of introspection, we attain the sixth mental level abiding which is called pacifying. The sixth mental abiding is called pacifying. And this is again attained through the power of introspection when we’re able to ascertain whether subtle, both of these subtly, we call those laxity and excitement. So when they’re in a gross state, we call them on one side lethargy or sometimes called coarse mental dullness.
When it’s in a subtle state, we call it laxity, sometimes called subtle mental dullness. When they’re in a gross state on the other side, we call it distraction. And when it’s in a subtle state, we call it excitement. So, when we’re able to discern by the power of introspection whether laxity and excitement are present, then we attain the sixth. By that power, we attain the sixth mental abiding which is called pacifying.
Is that somewhat clear? So in attaining the sixth mental abiding that is pacifying, This is attained when through the power of introspection. Whenever the mind is distracted to an external object, this is through the force of attachment, we’re able to, through the power of our awareness or introspection, block or cause the mind to pacify. Pacify is distraction to an outer object and the mind remains abiding on the internal object, then we have obtained this sixth mental abiding of pacifying. So, due to the force of attachment, the mind is being drawn out outside itself and due to the power of introspection or awareness, due to its power, we’re able to pacify that tendency to be distracted.
Having done that, the mind is pacified and rests on the internal object of meditation. Then we have attained the sixth mental abiding of pacifying. So, then at the sixth mental abiding, at the level of abiding of pacifying, we develop the power of effort which is the fifth of these six powers, the power of effort. And by this means, the moment that the mind of attachment arises, that immediately without the mind even becoming distracted to an external object due to the power of mindfulness, through the power of effort, it’s immediately pacified. Mind is brought back in even before it’s distracted simply by when one becomes aware that the mind of attachment is arising and therefore there’s a possibility of being distracted to an external object through the power of the development of this power of effort, then even this the mind cannot even begin to be distracted to an external object.
And having done this, by the power of effort, we attain the seventh of the nine mental abidings which is thorough pacifying. Now the mind is thoroughly pacified. So this is very complicated, isn’t it? You know, we have the nine mental abidings which are attained through the six powers using the four applications or engagements and we have to put these all together somehow. So from the third mental abiding through the seventh, the mind is abiding or resting upon the object well.
But still during this period, there is always the arrival of the is intermittent arising of the faults of laxity and excitement. And these interrupt the continuity of the meditative stabilization. So there’s always these interruptions, you know. We have this continuum of abiding we’re resting on the object. We have a continuum of mental moments abiding on the object.
But this continuum is always being interrupted by excitement or So there’s always this interrupted quality to our abiding on the object even though we’re abiding on it very well. So we make use during this period of the mental engagement, the second of the four mental engagements which is called interrupted engagement. And this is the manner in which we are gauging the object. We engage the object in an interrupted manner. So it’s called interrupted engagement.
So applying, developing So mental abiding three-seven, there is moments of interruption due to the force of laxity and excitement. Through developing fully, so we’ve developed fully the power of introspection and effort and now we’re developing the power of effort and we attain the seventh mental abiding through the power of effort. When we’re able to develop this mental effort even more to the point when there is no interrupted moments abiding on the object. That is we develop a single pointed placement upon the object where there are no interruptions. This is attained to continuing developing the power of effort.
So, it’s attained again. The eighth mental level is attained through the power of effort. There is this is called the eighth mental abiding. It’s called making one pointed, making one pointed. The mind single pointedly abides upon the object without any interruptions at this time.
So eighth mental abiding of making one pointed. Mind, due the power of effort, there is no interruption whatsoever in the continuum of our meditative stabilization. The mind remains single pointedly abiding on the object of meditation. It’s a continuum. There’s no interruption.
And for this reason, the manner of engaging the object is said to be in a manner of uninterrupted engagement. Uninterrupted engagement. All factors of laxity and excitement have been pacified. So we’ve attained the we’re on the eighth mental abiding, making one pointed. And now there are we attain that through the power of effort and now there are no interruptions due to the faults of laxity or excitement.
And we now, for example, of you do certain prayers or recitations again and again, perhaps you do these for many years, and they become almost automatic. They become a habit. We don’t even have to make any effort. We just begin and they just kind of flow. It becomes effortless.
So likewise, we now, through the power of familiarity, this is the fifth of the five powers, the power of familiarity. We can we now before we had to make effort in engaging the objects, now we engage the object effortlessly. It’s almost automatically just calling to mind and the object is we’re able to abide on the object without any effort whatsoever. Therefore, this is attained to the fifth of the five powers, the power of familiarity. So, at this point, we’re able to abide on the object without any force, without any effort.
You know, before we had to apply effort to hold our mind to the object. At this point, it comes automatically, naturally. We naturally abide on the object. Then Then that’s a [unclear]. So it’s through the power of familiarity that we attain this ninth of the nine mental abidings.
That is the setting in equipoise, setting in equipoise, but through this power of familiarity. And it’s as if you know, if you have memorized a text, if you memorized a verse, for example, some people remember she was using the example, I go for refuge to the Buddha Dharma and the Sangha and this verse of going for refuge. And we just have to start it and people are so familiar with it or habituated to it that it comes it just kind of flows automatically. Just beginning it, then it flows out automatically and they can look around and they can do all kinds of other work. Their mind can think about other things while this is kind of flowing on effortlessly.
So it’s just a matter of just the initially beginning and then it just goes by itself in manner of speaking. So here the manner of engaging the object on the ninth mental abiding(s) is effortless. Therefore it’s called effortless engagement. The manner of engaging the object is called effortless engagement. Previously when we had been talking about the antidotes to the fault of laziness, we said there were four antidotes.
And they were they were? Faith, effort, faith, inspiration, faith, aspiration, effort, plant. Faith, aspiration, effort, and plant. These are the four antidotes to the first fault of laziness. And we talk about plant.
It is that in proceeding in our meditation, having attained the ninth mental abiding of sitting in equipoise, one then goes on to develop a mental and physical pliancy, a subtle pliancy, which is a mental and physical bliss. Develops a special mental and physical bliss. So when we’re able to attain this special pliancy of physical and mental bliss, you know generally when we engage in meditation, it’s very difficult for us. Our mind is very unserviceable. It’s not very flexible.
It’s not very serviceable. But here, we’ve developed the ability, the serviceability of mind where we can engage in an object without any difficulty whatsoever. Our mind is happy. It’s in bliss. However much we want to abide on that object, we can remain on that object.
If we want to remain on the object five or six days, the mind can simply rest on the object in complete bliss without any effort. And this is what is referred to as the pliancy of mind or the serviceability of mind is associated with the mental and physical bliss. So the analogy is used where the our mind initially is very tough. It’s like iron, like a blacksmith when he’s working with iron. Initially the iron is very unworkable, so he beats it.
Pounds on him. And he makes it and it gets it to the place where it’s quite workable. You know, it’s very flexible. Likewise, in the same way initially our minds are very tough. They’re unserviceable.
They have no plant. They have no flexibility. But at this, when we actually develop this mental and physical bliss, then the mind is very flexible. It can be worked in any way. We can direct it in any way.
Do anything we want with it. It’s very pliant. Flexible. So initially for most of us our minds are very tough. They’re very coarse.
When we try to do any work with it we have difficulty. We try to attend to some type of mental work and our mind just don’t stay with it. It’s difficult to even begin, but then it won’t even stay with it very long and automatically wants to do something else. But when we develop this serviceability of mind, then we get to the point where we can do whatever we want with our mind. We focus on any object that we wish for as long as we wish.
Our mind is without any effort, without any work, without any difficulty. Bear in mind, it becomes very much like a mountain. It’s stable as a mountain. Mountain isn’t easily moved. The mountain is extremely stable.
Likewise, our mind can rest on any object. Can point it in any direction. We can remain in any place for as long as we like. And this development of this serviceability of mind is associated with bliss. And this when this bliss arises, then we have achieved mental pliancy.
So having developed this mental pliancy, associated with this mental bliss, we go into develop a physical pliancy, a physical bliss. And this becomes, just as likewise in the case of ourselves, our bodies are usually very coarse, inflexible. But here, our body becomes very serviceable. We know we can do whatever we want with our body. We can put it in any position we want and remain in that position.
It becomes very light. It becomes very blissful. It’s, you know, generally when we meditate, we have a lot of difficulties with our body. But here we can remain in that position for as long as we want and we have no problems. The body feels as if it could fly in the air up in space.
It’s the experience of lightness, serviceability, flexibility, pliancy, and this is associated with bliss. When one has attained the bliss associated with mental and physical pliancy, then this is the accomplishment of calm abiding. So, most of us, we feel a great heaviness in our body. This is because we have to this heaviness we feel is brought about by having to eat coarse foods. As much as we eat that much, we feel heavy.
But when we attain calm abiding, then we can live off meditative stabilization. And so, attaining this calm abiding, we don’t have to have this heavy feeling of the body because we don’t have to eat all this food which brings about this heavy feeling. So it’s said that the first people who inhabited the world were able to live off meditative stabilization and flew in the air. So, you know, in the beginning of the world there was this water, great water, and then the wind came and from this the earth due to this action of the wind the earth arose. And this earth was extremely good.
It had a very sweet taste. It tasted like honey and the stones were all gold and they were like butter. And these inhabitants of the earth, they began to they found this earth very delicious. So they started eating the soil and it became heavier and they got to the place where they couldn’t fly anymore. Of the world were born, were spontaneously born.
Are four ways that beings can be born. They can be born from womb, womb birth, egg birth, birth from heat, and spontaneously born. So these initial inhabitants of the earth were descended from gods. They were able to fly in the air and they lived off meditative stabilization. They had bodies which radiated out light like the sun and the moon.
Need to have mothers and fathers since they were born spontaneously. But eventually over time they began to eat the earth and they began to become more and more coarse. They were unable to fly and it became heavier just much like us we are now. So, if we’re able to accomplish calm abiding, there’s tremendous benefits to be derived from it. For example, we’re able to have physical and mental bliss.
We can uninterruptedly practice, engage in our various practices that the afflicted emotions are not able to manifest themselves. So there have been many practitioners who have attained calm abiding and if we receive a very good teaching on calm abiding and make effort, then it’s said that we can attain it in six months. So the Buddha, out of his kindness, supplied us with all the various tools, the things we need to progress by which to develop our mind. But the problem these days are a few that the really good practitioners are very rare. And this is one of the reasons for this is that so few have developed calm abiding.
So it’s much like parents who have gone through a lot of trouble preparing food for the child, have a lot of affection for their child, and so they really go to a lot of bother, a lot of trouble preparing a very nice meal for their child. And they serve the food to the child and just as the child is about to eat, The child decides, Oh, I don’t want it. And you know in this way, not wanting the food. This way you know all the food is of no benefit whatsoever. And you know what would we think of such a child who acted in this way?
Maybe a naughty child. On the contrary, the child not only forwent this, if the child had forgone this delicious meal that the parents had gone through so much trouble to prepare, on the contrary, ate poison and died, then So in this sets of circumstances when the child spurned the efforts of the parents in preparing this delicious nutritious food and rather than doing that eat poison and die, then there’s no fault on the parent’s side. The parents did up from their side all that they could thinking to benefit the child, thinking to make it happy and to give it nutritional food. So from their part, there’s no fault. They have done nothing wrong.
Likewise, the Buddha has set out this banquet of his teachings by which we are able to practice and bring ourselves happiness. And if from our side if we were to forego this banquet of the teachings and not to engage in any practices, but on the contrary engage in very destructive types of actions, then there is no fault on the Buddha side, but there’s tremendous fault on our side. And having foregone the great happiness that we could have attained, but in fact we simply die in continued suffering, then it would be a cause for great regret. So the Buddha is likened to an affectionate mother father and is simply trying to benefit her child or his child. Whether we practice or not is very much up to us and whether we occur loss or not is very much to us.
Comparatively perhaps, we’re listening to the teachings and in comparison to perhaps those who aren’t even bothering to listen to teachings, we can think that we’re doing something we are in fact doing something very worthwhile. But we can also look to those who are actually engaging in very powerful types of practice and perhaps with respect to them, perhaps we are poor quality in what we’re doing. But perhaps in comparison to others, we’re doing something very great. To others, we’re doing something very poor quality. So, even in this life, if we can, perhaps we aren’t able to carry on vast types of practices, magnificent types of practices.
But if we can develop faith and listen to the teachings, reflect upon them, then this is really a wonderful way to make use of this life. So I think in this world those who make effort, who strive toward the great vehicle, who listen to teachings on the great vehicle, who reflect upon the qualities of the great vehicle, there are extremely few people in the world who have these qualities. And if we think about this, even this single fact, then we can understand what great positive potential that we have and what wonderful minds that we must possess. So in this life if we can listen to the teachings, if we can reflect on them, and though we might not be able to carry on magnificent types of, vast types of practices, still we can make prayers that in the future that we’re able to do this in future lives. We can make the prayers that just as the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas carry on these unimaginable types of practices that I would like to be able to do this in the future.
Such types of prayers are extremely important, these aspirations to be able to continue one’s practice that though now we simply perhaps are engaging in listening and reflecting, but if we engage in these prayers then we can carry on our practice uninterruptedly in the future. It’s like climbing a ladder that we have to step on one rung at a time and that we can progress in this way spiritually without any interruption, without any interruption, in dependence upon aspiring to carry on greater and greater practices just as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have done in the past. So if you have some questions. Somebody speak. Meditation.
Meditation. Meditation. I don’t know the word for that. Through the power of developing calm abiding, one can levitate or fly in the air. I take that those mean the same thing.
Then you won’t need an airplane. No, but he hasn’t meditated, cultivated, he hasn’t cultivated the nine mental abidings, therefore he hasn’t attained the calm abiding. What do mean while you’re meditating or just in general? Why you’re meditating in calm abiding? So yeah, I mean just having attained calm abiding then of course you would have, you’d be aware of your body but when you were actually engaging in a meditative equipoise, actually meditating, at that time you wouldn’t be aware of your body.
That’s similar similar So, yeah, there are many different parts, facets to the mind. Example, there’s virtuous and non virtuous, but even within a virtuous state of mind, there are still many factors which are active in the mind, many different factors which are active at point, at that time. K. What? So in general, talk about mind.
Mind technically means a primary mind and it’s associated with many mental factors. For example, mindfulness is a mental factor which associates itself with a primary consciousness or mind. So there are many mental factors which are associated with any type of main mind. Primary? Any different mental factors?
We talked about the five omnipresent factor, the five object determinant factors. So there are many mental factors associated simultaneously. So we described it before as if in an office situation where you have your main employee and then around there there are many other assistants. And this is like the mind and mental factors. If you don’t eat, it’s okay.
So having to attain calm abiding by eating food, your calm abiding doesn’t degenerate. Is that kind of what you’re getting? Energy. Can I use the word nutrition? The second question.
Yeah. The energy comes from meditative stabilization. So you get older? Yes. You become old?
You become old. You become old. So those beings who have tamed, calm abiding, who have a body, they still breathe. It’s disqualifying. So in physical bliss, it’s not actually bliss.
It’s lightness and plant, flexibility of the body. This what they’re referring to. They’re not actual bliss. To go and retreat. Mean attain the nine mental?
To attain Shinne, do you have to go and retreat? To attain calm abiding, you have to go in retreat? So there’s no reason why you can’t train in pliancy of body, though you might, without going into retreat, you probably couldn’t attain full calm abiding without going to retreat, still working if you were to every evening to meditate well or in the morning meditate well, then you could progress but more than that, you would be creating dispositions or planting seeds whereby in the future you could attain calm abiding very quickly. The dependence upon having this disposition or this latency of seeds and when you actually did try to achieve it, you would achieve it very So you would have to look at your particular situation, how much time you could spend in meditation. When you aren’t working, you don’t have to do any activities not to waste your time but to make use of it productively and engage in meditation even if it’s only ten or fifteen minutes.
And this is quite, it’s very useful. But however much time would depend upon your particular case, what are the things that you have to do in your daily life. It says that the only time that we shouldn’t meditate are at sunrise, sunset, noon and midnight. At these times there time malevolent spirits which are active and that they look for those who are engaged in spiritual practices and seek to interfere with their practice. And the the [unclear].
So the distance which is to be visualized is one arm span. So it should be approximately one arm length away. If it’s visualized too low, then this will give rise to laxity. If it’s visualized too high, then this will give rise to excitement. So it has to be in middle position.
And the size of the object is in accordance to whatever you’re familiar with, whatever works for you. It’s probably better if it’s not too big. Initially, you you look at the figure, the image, and inspect it very well, look at it very well. And then you cease looking at it with the eyes, and then you imagine it with the mind. It’s not a matter of looking at it with the eyes any longer.
So it should be excitement were to you develop excitement and then it wouldn’t do it. If you were to simply lower the object, the visualized object, then there’s the danger of laxity arising. And then if laxity arises and you think, Well, I’ll raise the object, then there’s the danger of excitement arising. So it should be at a middle level. This is not the way to correct for these faults.
When you reach Kama is there a higher state of mind, just in general? So even having attained calm abiding, you still have a long journey ahead of you. You have to go on to attain special insight and then all the various paths and grounds of the bodhisattva to Buddhism. So there are many non Buddhists who attained calm abiding, Samādhi. We’ve all attained calm abiding before, but now we’ve degenerated.