Day six: morning

Prayers to Buddha Shakyamuni and to Manjusri.

(Q): I have difficulties in relaxing my eyes, as there is always tension.

(A): When you are trying to concentrate, don't give pressure to the head. Some people conceive the brain to be the mind. But it is not the brain that thinks. To feel that the brain is thinking is just a habit. Tibetans do not have this same habit. Instead, they feel that it is their heart that is doing the thinking. They think with their hearts. Either way is still a just a habit.

When you concentrate, don't pressure your brain. Mind is empty, so focus on the breath. The tension actually comes from your applying pressure to the brain, so try to reduce that habit. As to self-awareness, it comes neither from the brain, nor the heart. Don't place your focus in either. Rather, try to keep your awareness while allowing the mind to rest in the mind.

(Q): When concentrating in Shi'nay on breathing and counting, there are a lot of thoughts running parallel to it, or happening at the same time. Is that normal, and does it go away?

(A): That's normal. It is the reason why in the beginning one should concentrate only for a short time. I have emphasized this point repeatedly. By keeping the sessions short, you will be able to prevent the parallel thoughts. It is easier to maintain the concentration for a short count of five rather than a longer count. If you continuously count for ten minutes, then for sure, you will not be able to control your mind throughout. To gradually build up a good habit of concentration is the way to develop concentration. Concentrate for a short time, and before the mind gets tired, take a brief rest. In this way, you will be able to prevent the thinking.

(Q): When reciting mantras, does one need to hold the mala in the left hand and skip the Buddha-pearl while completing the turn of the mala?

(A): It's good to hold the mala in the left hand. And if you already have the concept that the centre bead is the Buddha's head, then you won't want to put your finger on it.

Actually, to regard the bead as the Buddha's head came from hearsay, a bit of an old wives' tale. It probably came about from a practice called the Dorje Phamo, where one imagines that each bead of the mala means something. Then people over-stretched the idea and spread it like a rumor. In Tibet, the centre bead is called a term meaning captain. That bead is considered the captain of the other beads. In this context then, it does not matter if you press, or touch it. However, because you already think it the Buddha's head, then don't press your thumb on it. Just continue to do as you have been doing thus far.

(Q): When I do Shi'nay meditation and my mind gets relaxed, then I always have the tendency to go more up, and more wide, and to go more into space.

(A): No, here it is very important to maintain the concentration on counting. Don't make more visions here.

(Q): It is not a vision. It is just a tendency to always look more up.

(A): Don't do that. Just keep as usual.

(Q): When I breathe in, it is sometimes difficult to breathe down when pressing the stomach in. Sometimes it gets a little bit tense.

(A): No, the breathing actually makes you feel more comfortable. But don't breathe down too hard. If you do, then it comes from your own worry, created by you, that you are not doing so well. It makes you want to put more pressure there. Then it is uncomfortable, isn't it? Take in the stomach. The abdomen is slightly out, and then press down. This way is more comfortable, and more supportive of the sitting posture.

(Q): I have read many teachings about the importance of breathing naturally. But when I do, I have more the impression that I am controlling my breath.

(A): Yes, you should control your breath here. You are using the breathing as your object of concentration. Also, one should breathe gently, and keep a longer vision of the breath. Visualize it like a tiny white rainbow. The visual is to enable you to concentrate properly. Gently, you inhale and exhale a long breath. This will make the mind more relaxed, and clearer.

(Q): In the Pujas, there is the dissolving phase where the Buddha dissolves into oneself. Should one do this phase of the meditation and still be very much concentrated on the breath?

(A): These are two different kinds of meditations. The Shi'nay meditation where we are concentrating on the breath and counting each breath is one type of meditation. The various Sadhana practices following the meditation texts, where the Buddha dissolves into oneself, Chenrezig for example, are an entirely different type of meditation.

(Q): Do I count the breath during the dissolving phase in the practice on Chenrezig – as when I feel that my mind becomes active then I concentrate on the breath?

(A): When you are doing the Sadhana practice, then you are not doing the breath-counting practice. You don't do the two together. Are you doing that?

How can you concentrate on the breath when you are visualizing on Chenrezig, or reciting the mantra?

Suppose you are doing the Chenrezig practice. You visualize Chenrezig. Then you recite the mantra, and concentrate on Om Mani Padme Hung. After, during the completion stage, you visualize that the body absorbs the lotus moon seat, and then the body is absorbed by itself. That is the procedure.

(Q): I did not count then, but just concentrate on the breath.

(A): After the dissolving, when you are into the Dzogrim phase of the practice, you can then concentrate on the breath. In other words, when the Sadhana part of the practice is finished, then you can focus on the breath. That would be good. But don't do the two practices together.

(Q): When we are practicing Shi'nay and Prostrations, is it possible that our mind will react with some strange emotions because of this re-education?

(A): Mind is empty. In an empty mind, you can learn everything comfortably. If it were not empty then every time you learn something new, it'd be like adding more things to the mind, like packing many things into a suitcase, compressing them. If you regard your mind as a substantial thing, then of course, when you add the many, many things into it, it just might bust. However, because mind is empty, there is no problem. You can change the concepts any way you'd like.

Don't think of your mind as a machine. Many westerners regard mind like an electronic device, isn't that true? You think that when you are thinking, you are sending something from your brain. You think that is how your thinking works. That concept is your habit now, inaccurate as it may be with respect to the nature of mind. There is no transmission of energy involved when you are learning something, neither is there anything that is absorbed by your mind. Thinking, or learning does not happen like that with the mind.

Mind is unobstructed, very spacious and very clear. In that clarity, you will know everything. There is nothing in mind that you can specifically identify as a form of light, or as magnetic energy that could be recharged. This is very important to know.

(Q): I have practiced Shi'nay for a long time now, and I did practice as you advised about counting the breaths. I also know another technique where one just looks at the sensation of the breath at the tip of the nose where it comes in and out. However, both techniques did not work very well for me. Instead, I can count the breath very well when I concentrate on the movements of the belly. However, you told us that it is not correct to do so. Still I wonder what is wrong with this technique? When I concentrate on this in and out movement of my belly, my mind gets really calm. But now it seems that I am doing something wrong.

(A): To concentrate on the belly is not recommended. You may get some feeling but it is just your feeling. However, it will not create the real concentration power. Moreover, to concentrate on some sensation is very, very wrong. The sensation will soon become an artificial sensation, and that is not good. You must follow the technique as I've taught in the last few days. You will derive two benefits from it: it gives positive stimulation to the body system and it trains your mind to keep the concentration. The focus on the belly, and other sensations, I think, are found in the Hindu traditions.

(Q): From the Theravada, Arya Khema.

(A): I think it is a westernized Theravada then. There are many westernized Theravada and Hinduism.

Here in the West, people attend seminars everywhere. They also read all kinds of books and they listen to everything. Then, they mix everything together. This is how people get very confused by the various Dharma subjects. It is better to follow properly. If you bring all kinds of concepts into the Dharma, you will be totally confused.

Rightly, it is the Dharma that could clear up the confusion of sentient beings. But if you read all kinds of Dharma books and bring all the concepts together all at once, then you are in effect, creating extra confusion – Dharma confusion.

In the Theravada, the Bodhisattvayana, and the Vajrayana, the one and same principle of Shi'nay is taught. True, there are varieties of Shi'nay but none subscribe to building up sensations, or belly moving. This form of Shi'nay has never existed in the Buddha's teachings. You may feel calm, but it is not the true calm. It will never reduce the thoughts. Moreover, the result of Shi'nay does not depend on what you feel at one moment. Your temporarily feeling comfortable or not does not attest to the success of Shi'nay, or to the lack of it. The evidence of Shi'nay achievement comes through your achieving freedom of mind as I taught in the last few days – total freedom, that's the result of Shi'nay.

(Q): From my experience, this is a kind of concept, and then you have experiences and sensations. For me, the way to deal with this feeling is just to let go, to recognize there is a concept, there is a sensation, and to go beyond it. There is a kind of clinging, or identification with the sensational experience.

(A): No, it depends on which meditation you are doing. If you are doing the mindfulness meditation, then you concentrate only on mind. You are ever mindful of the view that a thought has no shape, size, etc. Any thought that arises then you implement that view on it. This is the analytical way where you examine every thought – whether it has a color, or shape, where does the thought come from, and where it goes. You simply examine each thought.

There is another way, and it is resting the mind. Any thought that appears, you are aware of it. That's all. But it is a different meditation.

Right now, we are training the mind by Shi'nay. While you are concentrating on your breath and counting, you are aware of any thought that arises. Be aware of any rising thought, and do not follow it. Simply come back to the point of focus. That's all. You don't have to apply the view of the nature of thoughts. Do not analyze. And do not develop any sensation, or whatever other experience during Shi'nay. If you do, then your mind is not concentrating. Instead, your mind is going after the sensation. In like manner, when your mind holds on to the different concepts, you are in effect making your mind busy.

Shi'nay is training your mind, and the result depends on how much, and how long you can keep at that level. Later, you will develop the habit of mind where you can remain at one level. Shi'nay means maintaining peace. Shi' means peace, where there are no thoughts. And nay means to maintain or to remain. Therefore, Shi'nay means to remain in the peace, this is what you are training yourself to do. You train your mind to be able to remain at one level without thinking of anything else. Concepts, and sensations are all distractions. Everything that you can think up, is a distraction during Shi'nay. This is very important for you to understand.

(Q): Do we breathe down until the navel, or until a place under the navel?

(A): You should not concentrate on the center of the navel. This is again, I think, borrowed from the Vajrayogini practice, or Tummo practice. You should not apply these kinds of visualizations here.

There is now so much confusion with respect to Dharma practice. As I said earlier, by putting together everything you have heard or read, you will not be successful. You have to go through a systematic program of practice.

Here, to press the breath down slightly is just a technique in order to keep the right posture. You should neither visualize, nor concentrate on anything in the area of the navel. You are not to do any yoga here.

(Q): I would like to do a retreat in the Bodhi Path center for one week. What practice would you advise?

(A): For an individual retreat, you should follow a systematic program. This means that as a beginner, you should do Shi'nay. You have to train your mind, and Shi'nay is especially good for that.

As well, you do Prostrations to the 35 Buddhas. It is a very good practice to do in the morning. For the rest of the day, you practice Shi'nay. It is still too early yet to do the yidam practice of Chenrezig.

However, for your personal practice, you can do a Chenrezig-Guru Yoga practice of Thangtong Gyalpo. It is a practice where you visualize Chenrezig on top of your head and you supplicate him. After, you dissolve with him. If you do a retreat, then you do this Chenrezig supplication practice in the afternoon, or evening. In general, you can always carry on with this Chenrezig-Guru Yoga, or Chenrezig-Lama Naljor of the lineage of Thangtong Gyalpo. You supplicate Chenrezig to bless you. This is very good for you. The blessing of Chenrezig will ripen your mind, and you need this blessing.

The Mahamudra practitioners in the Kagyu meditation centers in the Himalayas do the Ngöndro Prostrations many, many times. Not only one hundred thousand times, but two hundred, three hundred, four hundred thousand times. Some do a million times prostrations. They then become more successful in meditation.

Many of you must have done Ngöndro in the past, which is good. By doing the recitations and prostrations to the 35 Buddhas one hundred thousand times, you will, in effect, be refilling whatever you had done before. The practice will activate all your merits. Therefore, it is really worthwhile to do them one hundred thousand times.

After that, you will do the Mandala to the 35 Buddhas.

Until you have achieved the results of Shi'nay, you have to carry on with it. Without Shi'nay, you can never develop Lhakthong, or insight meditation. Without Lhakthong, you will never attain enlightenment. Why? Lhakthong is the laser that can ignite the ignorance. Laser power! (This is just a metaphor, so please do not take the words literally.) Lhakthong meditation wakes up your mind from your ignorance. Without it, you can never attain enlightenment. Lhakthong depends on Shi'nay, and enlightenment depends on Lhakthong. Therefore, Shi'nay is very important.