Podcasts by Fall 2013 Shamatha and the Bodhisattva Way of Life

92 Merging Mind With Space and the Final Aphorisms of the Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Before the silent meditation, Alan mentions a few points about Bodichitta. After the silent meditation, we go back to the last few aphorisms of the Lo-Jong. We finish the Seven Point Mind Training...

91 Merging Mind With Space and How to Apply the Teachings in Daily Life from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Before the session's meditation, Alan raises the issue of retreat and expedition for after the retreat is over. After the meditation, there are a few questions about the relevance of doing short-t...

90 Ultimate and relative bodhicitta and point seven of seven point mind training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Meditation front loading: The porousness of the mind. It is possible that influences can go both into and out from the mind. Like when praying to your guru and getting a response. Does the respons...

88 Ultimate and Relative Bodhicitta Meditation and the Seventh Point from Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

From the seventh point of Atisha's mind training: 'Adopt the three principle causes' These causes are: 1. Following a qualified mentor - Alan told the story of the first person to encounter the Bu...

87 Merging Mind with Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

This practice is a variation for shamatha without a sign. The method this morning being balancing earth with sky: shamatha with support, with quasi support and without support. Alan taught more on...

86 Aspirational Meditation from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan begins with two quotes from William James regarding aspiration. The guided meditation is on developing your personal aspirations and the causes to fulfill them. Discussion of Aspiring Bodhici...

84 The Practices of Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Tonight the meditation is front loaded by looking at two ways we can view the adversity that will no doubt effect us and those we see as belonging to us. Firstly, non lucidly with relative bodhich...

83 Return to Merging the Mind with Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

In this short session Alan front loads our week of meditation practice speaking of how we can rollback the layers of conceptual overlay to conceptual and then primal mentation - the first raw sens...

82 Meditation on two bodhicittas and Pledges of the Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Tonight we return to the meditation on the two bodhicittas. Before the silent meditation, Alan give a short preamble on the importance of motivation for one's practice. Once one engages in any vir...

80 Shamatha Without a Sign, Lucid Dreaming and The Pledges of the Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The session starts with a silent meditation on the two Bodhichittas. After the meditation, Alan talks about ultimate and relative bodhichitta and their connection. Next, we go to the subject of lu...

79 Shamatha Without a Sign from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The session starts with a short explanation of today's meditation (silent meditation, not recorded), a variation of Shamatha without a sign as taught by Padmasambhava. After the meditation, Alan t...

78 Ultimate and Relative Bodichitta and the sixth point from Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The two bodhicittas may seem incompatible, if there is not someone really there, then how to feel compassion? From the other side, when seeing someone in anguish, it seems so real. This is falling...

77 Shamatha without a sign from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

From the substrate, which is in the nature of delusion, a stirring of karmic energies eventually leads to the full elaboration of conceptual designation, everything crystallising in its place with...

76 Ultimate and Relative Bodhicitta and the fifth point from Atisha's text, 7 Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Before the meditation Alan discusses from which perspective you can do the tong-len practice - from your ordinary self or from the platform of Avolokishrvara. Alan explains how shamatha can be dev...

75 Shamatha without a sign from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

For the practices of awareness of awareness, Alan begins by saying to release your awareness into space with no object, then let awareness of beginning ware be most explicit. Then begin the oscill...

74 Ultimate and relative Bodhicitta from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Meditation – continue as described yesterday with one meditation on ultimate Bodhicitta and one on relative Bodhicitta. Continuation of the discussion on transmuting the death process. If have hab...

73 Awareness of awareness from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We lock onto an object, reify it and then attachment or aversion arises. The discovery model allows the mind to heal itself by doing nothing but maintaining cognizance. Discussion of blessings ari...

72 The Mahayana teaching on transferring consciousness is precisely these five powers... from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan again front loads the meditation by comparing Atisha's Lam Rim texts and Seven Point Mind Training text and the role of discursive meditation in both. We can be encouraged that although Ultim...

71 Return to Awarness of Awareness or Shamatha Without a Sign from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan front loads this session by looking at the difference between this practice and Dzogchen - grasping - and looks at how practice is ideally couched in a supportive way of life. After the medit...

70 Practice of the stage of generation of Avalokiteshvara from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Today's evening session begins with the continuation of the discussion on the power of prayer and blessings. Alan gives a few examples of how blessings work and their possible bandwidth and draws ...

68 The Positive and Negative Aspects of Modern Science and the Future of Contemplative Inquiry in All Religions from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Before the guided meditation, Dr. Wallace comments on Malala, a 16 year old girl from Pakistan, who currently fights for the right of education for women amidst Taliban death threats against her. ...

67 Settling the Mind in Its Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Before the meditation, Dr. Wallace starts with a prelude to the meditation of settling the mind in its natural state. The focus should now be on the ongoing flow of mindfulness, whether thoughts a...

64 Ultimate and Relative Bodhicitta meditation and the 'power of prayer' from the text from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Silent meditation on relative and ultimate Bodhicitta (not recorded) at 6:08. Fourth point of the text 'To synthesise the essence of this practical guidance, apply yourself to the five powers', th...

63 Settling the mind in its natural state and the 9 stage of shamatha from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Focus simply on the observation of the so call objective appearances that appear in the space of the mind. When we have difficulty doing this practice, the way to counter is to learn to relax more...

62 Meditation uniting ultimate and relative Bodhicitta from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Meditate for half the session on shamatha without a sign – probing right into where you think the observer is – this can lead to ultimate Bodhicitta. Spend the second half of the session on Tongle...

61 Settling the mind in its natural state from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

What makes us so vulnerable to suffering? We identify so closely with the body and mind. This meditation starts to put some distance as you roll back from the environment, roll back from your body...

60 Whatever you encounter immediately apply it to meditation from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Here Alan continues the Lojong text and addresses how we can eliminate the tug of war between dharma and our everyday life by transforming everything into dharma. We look at different ways of view...

59 Return to Settling the Mind from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We return to this practice also known as Appearances and Awareness as the Path. Alan reminds us to examine the essential nature of the thought arising rather than the content or referent and discu...

58 Tong Len meditation and The Seven Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We begin the evening session with a silent Tong Len meditation by focusing on a person, group of people, or other sentient beings - those who come to mind. The session is briefly introduced by Ala...

56 Continuation of commentary of "Scientific View" from 17th Century (Thomas Sprat) to nowadays from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

After el short introduction, we go into a silent meditation session on the three spaces. Right after the meditation, we go back to the theme of the "spirits". Alan talks about how scientific studi...

55 Mindfulness of Breathing from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The morning session starts with a footnote on the subject of yesterday's evening session, i.e. spirits. Then we continue with a silent meditation on mindfulness of breathing (not recorded). After ...

54 Three spaces meditation and the four practices from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Again returning to the three space meditation, this time front loaded with a readings from the B?hiya Sutta and instruction from Sera Khandro Dewé Dorje, an accomplished yogini. Also references to...

53 Mindfulness of Breathing: Asanga's method from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

As in the three fold space meditation, where we are trying to view space from the perspective of rigpa, here in Asanga's method we are trying to attend to the object from the perspective of the su...

52 Seven Point Mind Training - four kayas and meditation on inner and outer space of mind from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Line from Seven Point Mind Training - 'By meditating on delusive appearances as the four kayas, emptiness is the unsurpassed protection'. Alan gives an analogy of lucid dreaming and the 'waking st...

51 Mindfulness of Breathing from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan discusses the Theravada classical approach of attending to the sensations and the tip of the nostrils, as described by Buddhagosa. Although the Buddha did not teach this specific technique, w...

50 Three spaces meditation from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan starts the session by describing his first interview with His Holiness on the topic of pride in one’s dharma knowledge. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche presented three approaches to learning and prac...

49 Mindfulness of breathing - rise and fall of the breath at the abdomen from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We go right into meditation on the rise and fall of the breath at the abdomen. Burmese method to stabilize the mind. Stage 2 of Shamatha is reached when you can stabilize your mind for up to a min...

48 The Intersection of Emptiness and Lojong from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Here we look at how an understanding of emptiness informs the Lojong teachings with a meditation asking questions designed to help us understand the origin, location and destination of the mind. Kn...

47 Return to Mindfulness of Breathing and Excitation from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We return to Mindfulness of Breathing after Alan cautions us to avoid putting pressure on ourselves to try harder. Relaxing rather than pushing down is prescribed and Alan suggests the infirmary o...

46 Tong Len practice and kindness of difficult people from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We begin the evening session with the practice of Tong Len, focusing on gratitude towards all those people in our lives who enabled our physical survival, then those who helped us on our spiritual...

44 Tong Len Meditation and Mental Afflictions from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The session starts with the Tong Len meditation. After the guided meditation, we go back to the aphorism "Blame everything on the culprit", using a verse of Shantideva (chapter 4, verse 34 of the ...

43 Merging the Mind with Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We immediately go into the guided meditation. After the meditation, merging the mind with space, Alan shares and comments on various quotes from Asanga and Tsongkhapa on the implosion of the five ...

42 Tong Len Meditation and Self Centeredness from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Straight into meditation and then unpacking "Blame everything on one culprit" aphorism from the seven point mind training. Here the one culprit is self grasping. There are two reasons we suffer, s...

41 Merging Mind with Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Two points about this practice. Like riding a bicycle, once we are in the flow we don't need to remember to push with our left left leg, then our right leg and so on. Similarly once we are in a st...

40 Tong Len Meditation and third point of Atisha's seven point mind training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Straight into Tong Len meditation. Begin on the 3rd point of Atisha's 7 point mind training. A story about Dontonpa - 'give up all attachment to this life, and make you mind Dharma'. From the text...

39 Merging Mind with Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The end of the explanation of shamatha without a sign by Padmasambava in the 14th century, the very last line is 'bring your mind to space and leave it there'. Dujong Lingpa's mind treasure in the...

38 Loving Kindness to Oneself from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Discussion of Jesus taking on all the suffering and sins of others on the cross. Two views – Jesus suffering on the cross and Gnostic vision in which he is laughing and joyful. May both be true wi...

37 Merging the Mind with External Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Intent of Samantabhadra – Placement exam – different practices for those of superior, middling and inferior faculties. Those with supreme faculties hear teachings and experience the direct crossin...

36 Three Objects: Three Poisons: Three Roots of Virtue from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan explains equanimity and how we can use this Lo Jong text to transform each moment of our waking life into Dharma practice. He gives practical examples of how we can confront the afflictions o...

35 Merging the Mind with External Space from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan introduces this last of four Shamata practices with concise instructions from two traditions. He then talks briefly on Tummo and Prana. Questions: - How are imprints stored in the substrate c...

34 Tong Len practice and Loving-kindness commentary from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We begin the afternoon session with Tonglen meditation. After the session, Alan explains the second component of Tonglen, which is loving-kindness. Alan explains how loving-kindness is often compa...

32 Tong Len Practice and commentary from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The session continues with the practice of Tong Len. Before the meditation, Dr. Wallace talks about related issues, such as the meaning of intent to other people with compassion and loving-kindnes...

31 Shamatha Without a Sign from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Dr. Wallace continues with the text from Panchen Lozang Chokyi Gyaltsen. He explains that the movement of awareness is caused by grasping. The object of mindfulness in this practice (awareness of ...

30 Tong Len practice and commentary from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The classic, developmental approach is to alternate between ultimate and conventional bodhicitta. It is so important to balance the cultivation of ultimate truth with development of the heart. Ano...

29 Shamatha Without a Sign - Panchen Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan introduces a complementary approach to this practice, which is an ingenious integration between settling the mind in its natural state and shamatha without a sign. The root text is Panchen Lo...

28 Shamatha Without a Sign and text, up to the end of Ultimate Bodhicitta from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan goes straight into the meditation practice. Alan states that 'settling the mind in its natural state' and 'Shamatha without a sign' are notorious for catalysing karma. Alan defines 'nyam' and...

27 Shamatha Without a Sign - Padmasambhava instructions from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan goes straight into the practice. He reads Padmasambhava's instructions direct from text with a little commentary. Alan gives Padmasambhava's concluding paragraph, 'summing it up'. He explains...

26 Shamatha Without a Sign - Releasing the mind in a state of non-grasping from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

“The essential nature of the path is resting in the substrate” the ultimate substrate: the union of ultimate nature of reality (dharmata) and ultimate nature of the mind (citta). Vajra Essence – P...

25 Shamatha Without a Sign - Concentrating and Releasing from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

From Padmasambava – Natural Liberation Place your mind in its natural state. Alternate between observing who is concentrating inwardly and who is releasing. What is the very agent that releases th...

23 Shamatha Without a Sign from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan introduces us to this practice also known as Awareness of Awareness, practiced by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism by reading us Padmasambava's Instructions. Here it is said the view aris...

22 Settling the mind in its natural state and pristine awarness from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Before the final (silent) meditation session on settling the mind in its natural state, Alan compares this mode of Shamatha with Vipassana (four applications of mindfulness). While settling the mi...

21 Settling the mind in its natural state and gentle vase breathing from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Today is the last day in the cycle of settling the mind in its natural state. Before the practice, Alan introduces one complimentary practice called gentle vase breathing to be used along the sett...

20 Settling the Mind in Its Natural State and Unborn Awareness from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The guided meditation is settling the mind in its natural state. Before this meditation starts, Dr. Wallace points out the two types of vividness (qualitative and temporal) and the continuity of s...

18 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

What is the object of mindfulness in the practice of settling the mind in it's natural state? Most people don't get it, it's good to know what you are attending to because your words are guiding y...

15 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Prefaced with brief elusion to the third of those four thoughts that turn the mind about - focusing on the reality of suffering. Why do we have to suffer at all? This deepest dimension of sufferin...

14 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The essence of the practice of settling the mind in its natural state is as a translation of the Tibetan, not distracted – no grasping. The Tibetan term for awareness is rigpa – loss of awareness ...

13 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Our usual mode of thinking is obsessive because of an involuntary flow of thoughts. It is compulsive because our attention is drawn in by the thoughts and delusional because we think whatever we a...

12 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Alan explains how the natural state differs from the habitual state of mind. This practice "melts the ice" of our habitually configured consciousness to get to the substrate consciousness. To assi...

11 Settling the Mind in it's Natural State from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

In this next practice "Setting the mind in it's Natural State" we withdraw our attention from the space of the body and observe the state of the mind and the mental events occuring within. Here we...

10 Mindfulness of breathing from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

This afternoon we complete the cycle of mindfulness of breathing. Before we go into the final practice, Alan addresses one of the participant's question about experiencing tingling/vibrating sensa...

08 Mindfulness of Breathing from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The third phase of mindfulness of breathing is discussed before entering into the guided meditation. This third phase is a classical Theravada method in which the focus is directed to the tactile ...

06 Mindfulness of breathing and Death and Impermanence from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We return to mindfulness of breathing, with a gradual and persistent cultivation of stability, which is really getting the mind to calm down. Maintian a continuity of attention, a flow of mindfuln...

05 Mindfulness of breathing - phase two from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Normally sustained focus comes at the cost of relaxation, we concentrate by contraction. This is exactly what is not done here. The balance is to increase the stability of attention, which entails...

04 Mindfulness of breathing and Precious Human Rebirth from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Balance of learning how to unwind the body and mind so they are at ease, allowing yourself this freedom, whilst still maintaining the clarity. That's a skill! Recognising that we are free for the ...

03 Gratitude for recognising dukha and settling Body Speech and Mind in its natural state from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Being grateful for that feeling of ill at ease. If the mind feels just fine, the is no incentive for pursuing anything other than hedonic well-being. There would be no incentive for pursuing a spi...

02 Motivation and Seven-Point Mind Training from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Guided meditation to take stock of each person’s specific and unique reasons for coming here. Four fold vision quest to answer these four questions: What is your own unique vision of a meaningful ...

89 Merging Mind with Space from 2013-10-24T13:21:44

Silent session, followed by one question regarding the origin of people within a lucid dream. They all stem from the substrate consciousness. Even when lucid, they are not puppets on your string...

85 Merging the mind with space from 2013-10-23T09:51:54

As you merge the mind with space, maintain a flow of knowing of the sheer absence of thought. It is a knowing of emptiness that can lead to an open expanse.

Meditation starts at: 6:40 (...

81 Shamatha without a sign from 2013-10-20T18:02:14

This morning we have our last silent meditation in the second cycle of Shamatha without a sign. Alan gives a short preamble, stressing the importance of having contentment in once's practice: kn...

69 Settling the mind in its natural state from 2013-10-13T12:43:24

This morning we start with the last session in the second cycle of settling the mind in its natural state. Alan gives a short preamble before we go into a silent meditation emphasizing the utter...

66 Ultimate and Relative Bodhicitta meditation and scientific evidence from 2013-10-10T19:48:44

Silent meditation session and then a continuation of yesterday's theme related to the 'power of prayer'. "We don't believe in anything without sufficient evidence". That's the creed of scientist...

65 Settling the mind in its natural state and achieving Shamatha from 2013-10-10T12:42:44

We revisit an important facet of settling the mind in its natural state: to observe not so much the objective appearances to the mind, but the subjective impulses to the mind. This is not as eas...

57 Mindfulness of breathing and the sixth stage ofthe Shamatha path from 2013-10-06T08:36:58

The morning session starts with a silent meditation on mindfulness of breathing of our preferred mode (not recorded). After the meditation, stage six of the Shamatha path is commented, which is:...

45 Merging mind with space and the importance of a genuine path (marga) from 2013-09-29T08:44:16

We start today's morning session with the last (silent) meditation in the cycle of merging mind with space. After the meditation, Alan gives a big-picture context of the path (marga) in Mahayana...

35 Merging the Mind with External Space from 2013-09-23T11:02:42

Alan introduces this last of four Shamata practices with concise instructions from two traditions. He then talks briefly on Tummo and Prana.

Questions:
- How are imprints stored i...

33 Shamatha without a sign from 2013-09-22T08:26:17

Today is the last day of the cycle of the Shamatha without a sign. Before the morning meditation, Alan reads instructions from Penchen Rinpoche, where he explains that whenever thoughts arise, w...

24 Shamatha Without a Sign from 2013-09-17T08:20:48

Alan continues "taking off another layer" and assisting us to overcome our addiction to doing and trying in this meditation. He gives an analogy of a car in neutral gear. Not going forward or ba...

19 Settling the Mind in Its Natural State from 2013-09-13T11:13:35

Dr. Wallace makes a presentation on the four sequential modes of mindfulness as one evolves on the path of Shamata: (a) Single pointed mindfulness, (b) Manifest mindfulness, (c) Absence of mindf...

17 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2013-09-12T19:40:34

Observer participance: In the practice of settling the mind in its natural state, awareness is in the space of the mind entangled with what we are observing, so it is bound to have an affect. Th...

16 Settling the Mind in its Natural State from 2013-09-12T16:17:38

Note: We had a problem with the computer while recording and could only recover the session from a weaker source. Hence we kindly ask you to bear with us. Thank you.

Alan prefaced the me...

09 Mindfulness of Breathing ' from 2013-09-08T08:46:12

Before the morning meditation, Alan raises a question: what makes a practice Dharma? Is, for example, mindfulness of breathing Dharma in and of itself or is there something else necessary to mak...

07 Mindfulness of Breathing from 2013-09-07T08:32:40

We immediately start with a meditation session. After the guided meditation, a question comes up about the role of pain in meditation, based on a comment from an abbot who claimed that pain is a...

01 Settling the Body, Speech and Mind in its Natural State from 2013-09-04T15:40:31

Moving right into the foundational practice of settling the body, speech and mind in its natural state. Learning how to breathe – to let the respiration flow naturally without being forced or r...

00 Welcome and introduction to the retreat from 2013-09-03T16:06:10

Alan welcomes the participants at the Thanyapura MindCenter and explains some of the groundrules for the 8-week Fall 2013 retreat. Alan begins by presenting some logistics followed by the conten...