{"id":2025,"date":"2020-03-09T14:12:20","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T04:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=2025"},"modified":"2020-03-15T18:42:41","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T08:42:41","slug":"three-stages-of-the-path","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Stages of the Path"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stage of Study<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The stage of study involves activities such as listening to\nteachings, attending classes, and the reading and discussion of texts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this stage, we initially develop a conceptual understanding<\/em> of mind\u2019s ultimate nature<\/strong>, as well as its relative appearances<\/em> \u2013 our confused thoughts and disturbing emotions. We hear how these appearances cloud the mind and conceal that nature from our direct perception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, we study cause and effect to learn\ntheoretically how these delusive appearances are produced and how they are\npacified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage of Contemplation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The stage of contemplation consists of training in analytical meditation<\/em>, in which we begin to work directly with relative appearances<\/em><\/strong>. By applying our intellect to an examination of mind, we learn to see those appearances with greater precision and clarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the point in our path where we begin to penetrate\nthe solidity of our thoughts and emotions and glimpse the pure nature of mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage of Meditation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, in the stage of meditation, we let go of our conceptual examination and simply rest our mind in a state of one-pointed meditative concentration<\/em>, or samadhi<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this time, we experience a cessation of our usual\nagitated state of mind and can rest peacefully in the present moment. This is\nthe beginning of our journey of meditation, which leads finally to the\nculmination of transcendental knowledge \u2013 the complete realization of the\nnature of mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This stage is accomplished in two phases. First one trains\nin the preliminary practices known as the \u201cfour foundations,\u201d and then one\nengages in the actual practice of calm abiding, or shamatha<\/em>, meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we progress through the three stages, we gain an\never-deepening knowledge of the full reality of mind<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Ponlop, Dzogchen. Mind Beyond Death<\/em>. Shambhala Publications. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Reflection:
As we progress through the three stages [study, contemplation, meditation], we gain an ever-deepening knowledge of the full reality of mind<\/em>.
(Dzogchen Ponlop) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stage of Study The stage of study involves activities such as listening to teachings, attending classes, and the reading and discussion of texts. In this stage, we initially develop a conceptual understanding of mind\u2019s ultimate nature, as well as its …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":""},"yoast_head":"\nThree Stages of the Path - End-of-Life Reflections<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three Stages of the Path - End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stage of Study The stage of study involves activities such as listening to teachings, attending classes, and the reading and discussion of texts. In this stage, we initially develop a conceptual understanding of mind\u2019s ultimate nature, as well as its … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-03-15T08:42:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0886-ed-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/\",\"name\":\"End-of-Life Reflections\",\"description\":\"Reflections on dying and death from a Buddhist view\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0886-ed-1024x768.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0886-ed-1024x768.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/\",\"name\":\"Three Stages of the Path - End-of-Life Reflections\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-09T04:12:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-15T08:42:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Three Stages of the Path\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Three Stages of the Path - End-of-Life Reflections","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Three Stages of the Path - End-of-Life Reflections","og_description":"Stage of Study The stage of study involves activities such as listening to teachings, attending classes, and the reading and discussion of texts. In this stage, we initially develop a conceptual understanding of mind\u2019s ultimate nature, as well as its … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/","og_site_name":"End-of-Life Reflections","article_modified_time":"2020-03-15T08:42:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0886-ed-1024x768.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/","name":"End-of-Life Reflections","description":"Reflections on dying and death from a Buddhist view","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0886-ed-1024x768.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG_0886-ed-1024x768.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/","name":"Three Stages of the Path - End-of-Life Reflections","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2020-03-09T04:12:20+00:00","dateModified":"2020-03-15T08:42:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/three-stages-of-the-path\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Three Stages of the Path"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2025"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2025"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2198,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2025\/revisions\/2198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}