{"id":2312,"date":"2020-03-24T12:59:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T02:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=2312"},"modified":"2020-03-24T12:59:09","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T02:59:09","slug":"vipashyana-meditation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/vipashyana-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Vipashyana Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you return home exhausted after a long day of hard\nwork, you are usually very ready to take a break from that work and simply\nrest. If you have been engaged in particularly arduous physical labor, such as construction,\ncleaning, or even exercising on a treadmill, then you will naturally feel\nextremely tired. When you have reached the very peak of your exertion, when you\nhave expended every ounce of energy you have, you reach a point where you\nsimply take a deep breath and sit down. When you allow yourself to wholly let\ngo and relax in that moment, your mind becomes completely nonconceptual<\/em>.\nYou do not have a thought in your head; body and mind start to calm down and\nloosen up, and yet you are not distracted. There is a sense of being fully\npresent and appreciating that moment. That experience of resting after hard\nwork, along with the relief that accompanies it, is given as an analogy for the\nbardo of meditation<\/em>. (1) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bardo of meditation<\/em> in Padmasambhava\u2019s teaching\nis connected to the experience of vipashyana<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vipashyana<\/em> means \u201cclear seeing,\u201d or \u201csuperior\ninsight,\u201d and what is being seen at this point is the nature of mind<\/em>,\nthat is, the nature of ordinary mind<\/em>, our naked awareness<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, vipashyana<\/em> refers to the insight that directly\nrealizes this nature of mind. This is sometimes expressed as \u201cinsight into\nemptiness,\u201d and this superior realization relates to the emptiness of both\nself and other<\/em>, or mind and its phenomena<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key point in vipashyana<\/em> meditation is, therefore,\nawareness<\/em><\/strong>. What is awareness? It is simply a state of mind that\nis not distracted from the present moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we bring the mind to rest in its own state, in its own\nnature, without distraction, then we are in a state of awareness of the\npresent moment<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of our outer circumstances or inner state of\nmind, if we are present within the very experience of nowness, if we are fully\nexperiencing the moment, then that is non-distraction. That is awareness. That\nis meditation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, awareness<\/strong><\/em>, non-distraction<\/strong><\/em> and meditation<\/strong><\/em> are one and the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vipashyana<\/em> meditation in the Vajrayana (2) sense\nbegins with the practice of meditation on emptiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we practice from this perspective, the object upon\nwhich we focus is the nature of mind itself<\/em>, its aspect of clear\nemptiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in order to be able to rest our mind in this way,\nwe must rely on the ground of shamatha<\/em>, (3) or calm abiding meditation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are well trained in shamatha<\/em>, then we can place\nour mind on any object\u2014a pebble, an image of the Buddha or the sky\u2014and it will\nrest there unwaveringly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the mind of shamatha<\/em> has two aspects: it is not\nonly calm, but also it abides wherever it is placed. Once we have developed\nthis skill, we will also be able to rest our mind in the state of emptiness, in\nwhich there is no tangible focal object. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without shamatha<\/em>, there is no possibility of developing\nvipashyana<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if we do not go on to develop vipashyana<\/em>,\nthen our shamatha<\/em> cannot help us very much. While it will calm our mind,\nit cannot ultimately cut through and eradicate our disturbing emotions. Only\nthe superior insight of vipashyana can do that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a classic example of the relationship between the two, shamatha<\/em>\nis compared to a pond, and vipashyana<\/em> to the flowers that grow in and\nbeautify the pond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great yogi Milarepa said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Not being attached to the pond of shamatha<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the flower of vipashyana<\/em> bloom.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, vipashyana<\/em>, which cuts both suffering<\/em>\nand the causes of suffering<\/em>, is seen as the more essential aspect of\nmeditation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to understand that the bardo of\nmeditation<\/em> is where we train our minds to deal with the challenges and\nopportunities of the transitional experiences of all six bardo states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are not<\/em> simply trying to have a good meditation\nsession or to become a calm person. We are not<\/em> only working to improve\nour conditions or psychological state in the bardo of this life. The benefit of\nour training goes far beyond that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you view your training here as the means to acquire the\ntools and precious possessions you will carry with you wherever you go\u2014even in\nyour journey beyond this life\u2014then you are hearing the message of Padmasambhava\nand the lineage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The message is clear: to recognize the nature of your mind\nis to possess the key to liberation. All the trainings we undertake in the\nbardo of meditation lead to this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the explanations of the meditations can be detailed\nand lengthy, it is possible to lose sight of the larger context in which they\nare presented. It is therefore essential to remind ourselves of the connection\nbetween our trainings in<\/em> vipashyana<\/em> and our journey through\nthe bardos<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever bardo we may be passing through, it is transcended\nwhen we wake from our confusion and recognize the nature of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) Bardo \u2013 The bardos<\/em>, or intermediate states, are\npopularly understood to be the realms between death and rebirth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bardo<\/em> is translated as \u201cintermediate,\u201d \u201cinterval\u201d or\n\u201cin-between\u201d state. In one sense, it refers to the experience of the present\nmoment; in another, it refers to an experience of certain duration of time,\nmarked by a clear beginning, a sense of continuity and distinct end. In the\nlatter sense, six bardos<\/em> are taught: the natural bardo of this life, the\nbardo of dream, the bardo of meditation, the painful bardo of dying, the\nluminous bardo of dharma-ta, and the karmic bardo of becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural bardo of this life<\/em>: The interval between our\nbirth and the moment we meet with the condition that will cause our death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bardo of dream<\/em>: The interval between falling asleep\nand re-awakening, in which one experiences the arising of dream appearances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bardo of meditation<\/em>: The interval in which one\u2019s mind\nis resting in a state of meditative absorption, or samadhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Painful bardo of dying<\/em>: Interval between the moment\none meets with the condition that will cause one\u2019s death and the actual moment\nof one\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luminous bardo of dharmata<\/em>: The interval that begins\nimmediately following the moment of death and ends when we enter the bardo of\nbecoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karmic bardo of becoming<\/em>: The interval that begins\nafter the luminous bardo of dharmata and ends when we enter the womb of our\nfuture parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) Vajrayana: In context, may be understood as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinayana<\/em> (\u201clesser vehicle\u201d): Includes the first two yanas<\/em>,\nor stages of the general Buddhist path, the Shravakayana and\nPratyekabuddhayana, whose fruition is individual liberation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahayana<\/em> (\u201cGreat Vehicle\u201d): Also called the Bodhisattvayana<\/em>,\nit is the teachings and practice of the second and third turnings of the wheel\nof dharma taught by Buddha Shakyamuni. It is characterized by its dual emphasis\non compassion<\/em>, which desires the liberation from suffering of all\nbeings, and wisdom<\/em>, which perceives the true nature of phenomena.\nThrough entering and riding this vehicle, one brings all sentient beings to the\nstate of complete enlightenment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vajrayana<\/em>: The tantric teachings of the Mahayana. It\nis the short path that utilizes a variety of methods that take the results of\nawakening as the path. Also called Secret Mantra or the resultant vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) Shamatha: Tranquility meditation. Its aspects are\nmindfulness (recollection of the object of meditation) and alertness (continuity\nof mindfulness). Shama<\/em> means \u201ccalm,\u201d and tha<\/em> is \u201cabiding\u201d: so\nshamatha means \u201ccalm abiding.\u201d It is thus called since distraction towards\nobjects such as form and so on has been calmed, and the mind abides\none-pointedly in whichever samadhi<\/em> one is practicing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ponlop, Dzogchen. Mind Beyond Death . Shambhala\nPublications. Kindle Edition.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSource:\nPonlop, Dzogchen. Mind Beyond Death<\/em>. Shambhala Publications. Kindle\nEdition.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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