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Meditation: some pitfalls and some ways to overcome them

Khen Rinpoche

Nyoshul @ Terton Sogyal Trust

The beginning of the adventure

As I write these few words to talk about the practice of meditation, I remember my efforts when I started meditating. In particular, I remember accurately, sitting on a red cushion in a beautiful Tibetan temple in the Dordogne. An extraordinary atmosphere emanated from this place: the paintings of Buddhas and deities (including a large representation of Mahakala terrible rolling eyes!), Photographs of teachers, the miraculous stories about those exceptional people, in the presence these places one of these great lamas, decorations responsible symbols, mysterious darkness of this place, the smell of incense prégnant, etc.. Everything in the environment expresses the unique and sacred tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Everything, even the circumstances that led me here, I felt part of a mystical story, an incredible breakthrough beyond what common sense accept as the "reality."

Yet, sitting and meditating, trying to practice the instructions I had read and received, I thought if I had been sitting in the Paris metro without specifically trying to meditate, completely caught up in daily life as usual, my mind would have been exactly the same. I was distracted, running mentally right and left, embedded in fiction completely disconnected from reality (and inspiring character of the place where I was also seemed to cause, after a moment, thoughts increasingly delusional). In short, everything went exactly the opposite of what I wanted very strongly. I wanted to feel better, feel some relaxation, if not feel any something "special" which announces the birth of a new personality, coming off like a dead skin, confusion and suffering of my former self. Frustrated by the lack of promising new sensations, I tried to apply the instructions with more energy, concentrating intently on the breath. I hoped that thus the painful distraction would vigorously dismissed. Following this resolution, I had to quickly put an end to my meditation session I was so focused on the breath that I could hardly breathe.

All this sounds perhaps so familiar to those who began to ponder, especially during their first attempts.

Deception waiting

One might call this kind of experience frustrating, disappointing, but as Chogyam Trungpa said: "Disappointment is the best vehicle that can be used on the path of Dharma. It invalidates the existence of our ego and its dreams. " . Indeed, deception compels us to go beyond the ego, the seizure of a fictional self that we are mistaken for ourselves, in ignorance of our true nature. Disappointment has often caused the expectations and prejudices, expressed or not, we have in different areas, here the spiritual path and meditation.

For me, this frustration led me to ask how I planned my practice, and made me understand the importance of the study. Indeed, the understanding of some key points of the Dzogchen tradition, such as Sogyal Rinpoche and other masters teach, freed my meditation traps in which she could have shut themselves up. The meditation experience is beyond words and disqualify their claim to want to enter the Real, but it is nonetheless true that the precious words ( a tradition of 2500 years) we guide to the experience. These lessons provide instructions, "know how" and the complete vision of what meditation. They are not a theory anymore, but the direct realization of the masters of the lineage. Therefore the study is a necessary support to practice: it illuminates and deepens it.

In what follows, I intend to share with readers some modest discoveries I made in the study, which greatly helped me in my practice. I intend to leave the expectations and prejudices common among those new to meditation practice and put some points compared with the lessons. So it's not here a systematic explanation meditation. For this, I refer you to the works cited at the end of the text.

Sight

There are several ways to approach meditation. The most common way is to consider it as a technique. A technique that is expected of well-being and mental and even enlightenment! But first a technique. As you learn to drive and use a computer, we learn to meditate. One might call this cultural attitude: we do not belong to any company where you spend a lot of time inventing and mastering new technologies? Why not add to our range of what our well being inside?

It seems there is something inevitable in this approach, but it lacks a bit of perspective on what the deeper meaning of meditation. To use expression traditional, one might say that lack of sight. Or view. The teachings speak of View, Meditation and Action. Sight is the deep understanding of what our true nature, meditation is to experience repeated Vision, and Action is a continuation of Meditation in everyday life. As we can see the view above, and gives meaning to meditation. Without it, there is no meditation in the full sense of the term, but just a technique, whose meaning and scope are limited.

Sogyal Rinpoche says: " Meditation aims to awaken in us the sky-like nature of our mind, we" introduce "what we really are : Our unchanging pure awareness that underlies all of life and death " . This quote gives us a glimpse of what the essence of the spirit, shows us that can not be reduced to thoughts and emotions that are just the look uncertain and vacillating. We can say that this view is revolutionary as it offers a new and liberating about what we are. Meditation is a way to discover oneself and oneself in the reality of this view. We do not have to create something new, but to discover what is already there. This more to lose than to win: Nothing to gain, because such large and bright is ours unconditionally. It is to lose the illusions that prevent us from recognizing it. The practice of meditation is more about letting go of that effort. As such, trying too hard to meditate can be an obstacle to meditation. Expect too much experience that meets our expectations of meditation is an obstacle. Meditation leads us to reconciliation with our true being, this process can be accomplished on the basis of voluntarism.

Sogyal Rinpoche @ Terton Sogyal Trust

The attention or tension?

In our efforts to meditate, we focus (on the breath, an image, etc.). sometimes with too much intensity (and the tension s prompt in our practice), and other times not enough (and so are all sorts of distractions that come to visit us). The error is reduced to a form of meditation and concentration. The lessons have things a little differently and it is to balance between attention and relaxation, " One of the greatest masters of Tibetan women, Ma Chik Lap Dron said:" Vigilance, alertness, but also relaxation, relaxation. This is a crucial point for Sight in meditation. "Awaken your vigilance, but at the same time be relaxed, so relaxed in fact you do not even attach to the idea of relaxation . "Attention is the antidote to distraction. Attention connects us to our reality, but it is not an objective in itself. This is the error that can be sometimes, and this concentration is too high, then produces the effects described above. The focus enables the trigger to develop. This is because our mind ceases to be like monkeys jumping from branch agitated mental lianas in a certain emotional trigger can occur. We stop to look to all kinds of external objects and Inland, we are more connected to yourself, the mind becomes more open and relaxed because then the thoughts and emotions appear to be what they are thoughts and emotions and not reality. This relaxation has a quality of presence to everything that rises. This is not a moron relaxation, a dip in the dark. Seen, attention and relaxation are mutually supportive. If we add the vigilance, which verifies that the attention remains focused on its purpose, we have the three basic elements of meditation.

With or without thoughts?

When you start to think, one would expect to have fewer thoughts and that our mind becomes more calm. Attached to this goal, we practice keeping in mind the ruthless elimination of thoughts and the establishment of an inner calm that no more moves can not come mentally challenged. This attitude is not surprising, because we may have been Meditation leads to a feeling of weariness caused by the propensity to proliferate in our thoughts constantly waving us without giving us any rest. But teachers say that such a project is not reasonable. And experience shows that when we meditate, we often have many thoughts. Does that mean we do not meditate correctly? "Nothing is less true . As the Tibetan saying goes: "It's a tall order to try the meat without bones and tea leaves without. "Until you have a spirit, thoughts and emotions rise." Thoughts and emotions are the natural expression of the mind and meditation is not to suppress this movement. We often compare it to the relationship between waves and the ocean waves (thoughts and emotions) comes from the ocean (the spirit) and return. This flow is natural. In meditation, we do not seek to repress the rising of the spirit, but we do not follow either. Was allowed to rise that rises without seizure of any kind. Thus one learns how to friendship with his own mind, thus ceasing to see thoughts and emotions a threat to our composure.

A virtuous circle

Our meditation is not separate from everything that surrounds it. If we orient our lives constantly in the direction of stress, speed and aggression, it will be difficult, when you sit on the cushion, to do meditation. The tension of our life will be perpetuated in our practice. If after practicing just one returns to "normal" then this meditation has been nothing but a temporary relaxation before returning for another round of frantic ride. That's why teachers insist on the need for integration: " I can not overemphasize this point: the reason for the interest and the entire purpose of the practice of meditation are of integrate it in action. Violence and tensions, challenges and distractions of modern life make this integration more urgent and necessary. . In this regard, it may be useful to recall a traditional teachings that describe the way as the practice of the threefold training: discipline, meditation and wisdom. This order, we will see, is very significant.

Most teachers came to teach in the West began with a particular emphasis on meditation. The reasons are obvious to us who are so enamored of freedom, discipline does not appear immediately as a way desirable or even feasible. Moreover, our minds overloaded with concepts can make wisdom an empty shell: just a fascinating new series of concepts with which to play, without being processed at all by this manipulation of new and exotic ideas. Moreover, our history has made us skeptical of any new dogmas, ideas, beliefs, and even wisdom. That is why to meditation is the gateway to learning: it gives us to discover, through personal experience, the truth that stands in our hearts. This is not to believe blindly, but to check the validity of teaching through experience.

These insights can lead us to reassess the importance and value of our lives. This is where discipline plays its role. It is to do what is appropriate. According Sogyal Rinpoche " This amounts, in this age of extreme complexity, simplify our lives . Simplify our lives, because scatter in many activities, then sit down to meditate before leaving for other entertainment let not really in the process of meditation accomplished. Simplifying our daily life, cons, is a stabilizing factor for our meditation. How can we hope to file the spirit, if it continues to shake it elsewhere? The discipline thus allows the development of meditation, which in turn allows the wisdom of growing up. By unwinding the tension and the blindness of the mind and meditation releases may expressed in the form of wisdom. This is where the study took place in the view (see above). Through meditation, it unfolds with depth and clarity. And the cycle continues: the wisdom nourishes and inspires discipline, etc. .. The practitioner knowing more about our own mind is more able to enforce discipline so clever. We see there is a virtuous circle, a liberating dynamic at the heart of the spiritual path.

For practicing-you one ?

A difficulty which may also occur in meditation is being very focused on our own experience. There is always a judge us for everything that happens (in meditation or elsewhere for that matter) that evaluates while taking central reference the idea of me: Does this like me or not ? Do I win something or not to do that? Are what I meditates well? Is my meditation is good or not? Etc.. Indeed, it seems clear it is for us to meditate. Who else? It is we who draw benefits and nobody else. If this attitude seems a priori quite logical, the fact remains that it blocks the process of meditation. What is meditation that is our true and profound beyond all fixings egotistical, the sky beyond the clouds. If we meditate on me with as constant point of reference, how can we achieve what is beyond the infinite?

Hence the importance of the motivation that governs our practice of meditation. Teachings encourage us to examine our motivation before starting a practice session. Examine our motivation is to say, be realistic about the state of our mind at this point in time: it can be confusing, open, selfish, a bit inspired, excited, etc.. Regardless, there is no decision to be made here: this is just be aware of what happens in us. Then we extend this reasoning to all beings, wishing them the ultimate happiness of enlightenment, what we can express this famous prayer:

"By the power and truth of this practice,

May all beings enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness;

May they be free from suffering and causes of suffering;

May they never be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering;

May they remain in the great equanimity,

which is free from attachment and aversion. "

In acting to make our reasoning more and larger it changes the whole perspective outset: there is more time rehearsing for his own welfare in the short term, but its action is mixed with that of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who work tirelessly to benefit beings. The central point of reference not only itself but the infinity of animate beings, and referred no longer a simple well-being temporary but total enlightenment. The way to start the practice is a very powerful way to break free of our habits and connecting with the vastness of our true nature innate. This nature, all living beings as we have and yet do not recognize they suffer a thousand miseries. Imagine how the drop? How to design to realize the nature of the mind which is the common heritage of all beings without thinking only of himself alone?

Similarly, when we finish practice we offer for the ultimate good of all beings. When we practice we maintain the view (see above). It speaks of the three noble principles: motivation, Sight and dédicace.Le great master Khenpo in Tibetan Nyoshul said "To achieve complete enlightenment, the more it is not necessary but would be less insufficient. " These three principles make the difference between a meditation that brings instant relaxation, and a real spiritual practice.

do more than make

In conclusion, we could say that meditation is more about being than doing. Be with yourself, be who you are, be what is at this given time. Just be. There is no time to do something, not even to take action which would be meditation. It is both very natural and quite unusual, as we have become accustomed to involve ourselves in the end, in action in the outdoors and have lost sight of the heart of our being.

At this point, I must remember that this text does not purport to represent a complete meditation. For this you can see the following works:

- Sogyal Rinpoche The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying , Le Livre de Poche.

I quoted extensively in this text. It presents a comprehensive overview not only meditation but also the entire spiritual path.

- Mingyur Rinpoche happiness of meditation , Le Livre de Poche.

It presents meditation by putting it in connection with recent scientific discoveries on brain function.

- Chögyam Trungpa, Practice of Tibetan way , Seuil.

The author, one of the first lamas to be taught in the West, this uncompromising way, by removing many illusions that Westerners often feed on the spiritual path.

Damien Brohon