Calm abiding meditation is also practiced by non Buddhist. Buddhists have different ways of practice calm abiding meditation such as the Theravada way of practice the Mahayana way of practice and the Vajrayana way of practice. Generally in the Theravada way of practicing calm abiding meditation Buddha is often used as the object of meditation.
When we use Buddha as the object of meditation, we should not visualise the object to be too big or too small. Normally it is about an inch and it has to be brilliant, very bright and heavy. Always remember that when you meditate using Buddha or any meditative deity as the object of meditation, you are not supposed to visualise a flat image or a picture or any form in solid or liquid. You have to visualise it three dimensional, a celestial being, radiant and uncontaminated. Even when you visualise the image, even in a glimpse of your meditation, you have to feel the energy of blessing.
In normal circumstance we just look at the picture and we visualise as it is, which is not quite right. One should read first, view and understand the quality of the image or the object of meditation. When you carefully read the gesture of the one head with two arms sitting in the cross legged position it is different from what you just see in the picture. For beginners it may be difficult to see the quality, but when you concentrate to read and understand the quality of the image and visualise on it you will notice the difference.
Coming back to the calm abiding meditation, when you meditate, you should sit comfortably in the seven limb position and visualise the image of Buddha in front of you, about an inch in size, heavy radiant and emanating bright light. The distance of the object from you is about the length of your body and the height is at level of your forehead or a little higher in fine.
While meditating we often encounter the difficulties of having the object of meditation to stay and remain focused. The reason why we are unable to focus our mind and allow it to wander is because we do not know the full quality of our object of meditation. Once we know the quality of Buddha’s mind, the quality of his speech and the quality of his body, then we can bring out the whole quality of Buddha’s body, speech and mind. As you visualise and try to highlight those qualities your time will be absorbed into it by your concentration leaving no time for your mind to wander. Our mind wander because we do not fully know the qualities of the body, speech and mind of the object of meditation. Because of that we have to bring our mind back again and again.
Normally the greatest obstacles facing in our calm abiding meditation are two things. We get mental excitement for mental wandering or agitation and mental sinking. These are the two major obstacles apart from many minor things like we cannot remember, we forget easily or our mind take for granted that we know everything. The major obstacles are the mental wandering and mental sinking. Because of that our mind cannot stay focused. If we go to a formal practice, we will know that such things happen because at times it is due to our lack of merit to try to practice at different level. The gateway to meditation are the four practices.
Firstly, is the 100,000 prostration. This will help to purify the negativities of our body. Once we purify the negativities of our body, our body is then ready to meditate. Right now we cannot properly meditate because when we sit down, we have problems, such as back problem, knee problem and head problem. All these problem arise because of our lack of merit. So when we do the 100,000 prostration or any form of purification such as having done good work through our body, our body is purified and merits are accumulated.
Secondly, is the 100,000 Vajrasattva recitation. This will help to purify the negativities of our speech and will accumulate merits of our speech. The recitation of mantras and prayers will also purify the negativities plus accumulating merits of our speech.
Thirdly, is the Mandala offering. Mandala offering is also to accumulate merits and of course the refuge cames together with it. When we do prostration, we also take refuge.
So the 100,000 refuge, 100,000 prostration, 100,000 Mandala offering, 100,000 Vajrasattva recitation are four preliminary practices which are known as gateway to meditation. Once having been through this, one is ready with the body, speech and mind to help one to accumulate the amount of merits needed to focus.
The two major obstacles of calm abiding meditation are mental laxity, like we do not have enough merit, so we feel lazy and ended up snoring, not able to see the object of meditation in our mind. The second is mental wandering which normally happens, through hatred and desire which are the 2 occurrence causing mental excitement Hatred do not often happens but the obstacles of attachment and desire often cause our mind to wander.
The practice of contentment is therefore necessary to overcome attachment and desire. Be happy with what you have and less attachment. We have to be very mindful of these two obstacles when doing meditation.
Sit down and meditate on a one to one with the image of Buddha in front. The reason of meditating in calm abiding is to achieve the meditative insight by focusing your mind deeply at one point and over a long period of time you will gain the insight wisdom. This is of course if you have achieve a higher level but for ordinary level we call the insight. That insight or meditative insight can be used to overcome anything. Normally in higher practice it is used to overcome desire, hatred and especially impermanence. The wisdom realizing emptiness, or insight realising emptiness is a weapon to counter anything especially impermanence. The insight plus realising emptiness will overcome the root of samsara. A person having achieved such insight can easily focus anything and practice anywhere. The reason why Buddhist use the Buddha as object of meditation is because if one has no proper motivation, there is a great danger of misusing that insight.
You may have heard of a story in China or somewhere, a great meditator who did not use the image of Buddha as the object of meditation but instead something else like a stone or flower. After a long period of meditation be gained the insight. He was meditating under a tree and obviously there are birds flying around. Getting upset he looked at the bird. Because he had gained the insight and when he looked directly at the bird the bird got burnt. His focus is so concentrated and the power is so strong that it burns the bird. He had achieved the wisdom and misused it. If we do not have a proper object of meditation there is a danger of misusing it. For this reason, Buddhist use the higher beings as object of meditation or taking refuge so that there is no danger of being misused.
It is strictly used for the benefit of one self, then family, then friends, society and others. In order to bring happiness within oneself or others, it has to start from self. First you have to visualise yourself then slowly expand. In the tantric practice there are three different kinds of motivation in mind enlightenment. They are the shepherd mind enlightenment the captain mind enlightenment and the king mind enlightenment. Some of the bodhisattvas or practitioners practice like a shepherd mind enlightenment. Shepherd is the one looking after the sheep. Some practitioners practice like a shepherd, making sure that all the sheeps will reach a safe place first and they will follow to make sure no one is left behind. Some bodhisattvas or practitioners ensure that all sentient beings reach enlightenment first, then they will follow and such practice is called the shepherd mind of enlightenment. The second is the captain mind of enlightenment. Captain is the one sailing the ship or boat. He sails through the ocean of samsara together with his crew and together they reach the other shore safely. Some bodhisattvas practice to reach enlightenment together with all the sentient beings and this is called captain mind enlightenment. The third is called the king mind of enlightenment. The king is the ruler of a country. The only way to bring benefit to all the people is to become a king so that you can help anyone you want. Some practitioners practice that way by first getting out of samsara then help all sentient beings. They overcome all obstacles and achieve enlightenment then bring benefit to all sentient beings and helping them to reach enlightenment. Such practice is called the king mind of enlightenment.
Which of the tree methods of mind enlightenment do you think is higher or make sense? In Tibet, normally the king mind of enlightenment makes more sense. An example to explain why it is more sensible is, if both of us fell into a swamp, I am unable to help my friend out. If I do want to try, both of us will only sink further and die. Therefore it is better for me to get out of the swamp safely first. Once I am at a safe place, I will be able to help my friend out of the swamp.
If we want to bring peace and happiness to others, we have to transform ourselves into better persons first and show it to others. Similarly in meditation, first is one self then family, then friends, then society and environment. That is the way to expand in meditation. Meditation on calm abiding is to help us to focus and to realise the insight to overcome first one’s own mental affliction or delusion. Only when one self is purified, can one help others.
Let us meditate for a few minutes together.
(This Dharma Talk was given by Lama Phuntsho on 11th Oct 2009 at Sakyamuni Dharma Centre, PJ, Malaysia)
[Note:This teaching had been transcripts by Bro H P Lim]
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