The application of this Meditation is from the Book of the Tibetian Book of Living & Dying, By Sogyal Rinpoche.
Three Methods of Meditation
The Buddha taught 84,000 different ways to tame and pacify the negative emotions, and in Buddhism there are countless methods of meditation. I have found three meditation techniques that are particulary effective in the modern world and that anyone can practice and benefit from. They are using object, reciting a mantrea, and “watching” the breath.
1. Using an Object
The first time is the rest the mind lightly on an object.
You can use an object of natural beauty that invokes a spealial feeling of inspiration for you, such as a flower or crystal. But something that embodies the truth, such as an image of the Buddha or christ, or particularly your master, is even more powerful. Your master is your living link with the truth; and because of your personal connection to your master, just seeing his or her face connects to the inspiration and truth of your own nature.
Many people have found a particular connection with the picture of the statue of Padmasambhava called ” Looks Like Me,” which was made from life and blessed by him the eight century in Tibet.
Padmasambhava, by the enormous power of his spiritual personality, brought the teaching of Buddha to Tibet. He is known as the “second Buddha” and affectionately called ” Guru Rinpoche” meaning ” Precious Master,” by the Tibetan people. Digo Khyentse Rinpoche said: ” There have been many incredible and incomparable masters from the nobel land of India and Tibet, the land of Snows, yet of them all, the one who has the greatest compassion and blessings toward beings in this difficult age is Padmasambhava, who embodies the compassion and wisdom of all the buddhas.
One of his qualities is that he has the power to give his blessing instantly to whoever prays to him, and whatever we may pray for, he has the power to grant our wish immediately.”
Inspired by this, fix a copy of ths picture at your eye level and lightly set your attention on his face, especially on the gaze of his eyes. There is a deep stillness in the immediacy of that gaze, which almost bursts out of the photograph to carry you into a state of awareness without clinging, the state of meditation. Then leave your mind quietly, at peace, with Padmasambhava.
2. Reciting a Mantra
A second technique, used a great deal in Tibetan Buddhism (and also in Sufism, Orthodox Christianity, and Hinduism) is uniting the mind with the sound of a mantra. The definition of mantra is “that which protects the mind.” That which protects the mind from negativity, or that which protects you from your own mind, is called mantra.
When you are nervous, disconnected, or emotionally fragile, chanting or reciting a mantra inspiringly can change the state of your mind completely by transforming its energy and atmosphere. How is this possible? Mantra is the essence of sound, and the embodiment of the truth in the form of sound.
Each syllable is impregnated with spiritual power, condenses a spiritual truth, and vibrates with the blessing of the speech of the buddhas. It is also said that the mind rides on the subtle energy of the breath, the prana, which moves through and purifies the subtle channels of the body. So when you chant a mantra, you are charging your breath and energy with the energy fo the mantra, and so working directly on your mind and subtle body.
The mantra I recommend to my students is OM AH HUM VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUM (Tibetans say: Om Ah Hung Benza Guru Pema Siddhi Hung), which is the mantra of Padmasambhava, the mantra of all the buddhas, masters, and realized beings, and so uniquely powerful for peace, for healing, for tranformation, and for protection in this violent, chaotic age. Recite the mantra quietly, with deep attention and let your breath, the mantra, and your awareness become slowly one. Or chant it in an inspiring way, and rest in the profound silence that sometimes follows.
Even after a lifetime of being familiar with the practice, I am still sometimes astonished by the power of mantra. A few years ago, I was conducting a workshop fro three hundred people in Lyons, France, mostly housewives and therapists. I had been teaching all day, but they seemed really to want to make the most of their time with me and kept on asking me questions, relentlessly, one after another. By the end of the afternoon I was completely drained, and a dull and heavy atmosphere had descended over the whole room.
So I chanted a mantra, this mantra I have taught you here. I was amazed by the effect: In a few moments I felt all my energy was restored, the atmosphere around us was transformed, and the whole audience seemed once again bright and enchanting. I have had experiences like this time and time again, so I know it is not just an occasional “miracle”!
Link: Explaining the Benefits and Advantages of the Vajra Guru Mantra
By the great tertön Karma Lingpa (14th century)
3. “Watching” the Breath
The third method is very ancient and found in all schools of Buddhism. It is to rest your attention, lightly and mindfully on the breath.
Breath is life, the basic and most fundamental expression of our life. In Judaism ruah, “breath” means the spirit of God that infuses the creation; in Christianity also there is a profound link between the Holy Spirit, without which nothing could have life, and the breath. In the teaching of Buddha , the breath, or prana in Sanskrit, is said to be ” the vehicle of the mind” because it is the prana that makes our mind move. So when you calm the mind by working skillfully with the breath, you are simultaneously and automatically taming and training the mind. Haven’t we all experienced how relaxing it can be, when life becomes stressful, to be alone for a few minutes and just breathe, in and out, deeply and quietly? even such a simple exercise can help us a great deal.
So when you meditate, breathe naturally, just as you always do. Focus you awareness lightly on the out-breath. When you breath out, just flow out with the out-breath. Each time you breathe out, you are letting go and releasing all your grasping.
Imagine your breathe disolving into the all-prevading expanse of truth. Each time you breath out and before you breathe in again, you will find that there will be a natural gap, as the grasping disolves.
Rest in that gap, in that open space. And when, naturally, you breathe in, dont focus especially on the in-breath but go on resting your mind in the gap that has opened up.
When you are practicing, it’s important not to get involved in mental commentary, analysis, or internal gossip. Do not mistake the running commentary in your mind (”Now I’m breathing in, now I’m breathing out”) for mindfulness; what is important is pure presence.
Dont concentrate too much on the breath. What is very important, the masters always advise, is not to fixate while practicing the concentration of Calm Abiding. That’s why they recommend you place about 25 percent of your attention on mindfulness of the breath. But then, as you will discover, mindfulness alone is not enough. While you are supposed to be watching the breath, after only one or two minutes you can find yourself playing in a football game or starring in your own film.
So another 25 percent should be devoted to a continous and watchful awareness, one that oversees and checks whether you are still mindful of the breath. The remaining 50 percent of your attention is left abiding, spaciously.
As you become more mindful of your breathing, you will find that you become more and more present, gather all your scattered aspects back into yourself, and become whole. Rather than “watching” the breath, let yourself gradually indentify with it, as you were becoming it. Slowly the breath, the breather, and the breathing become one; duality and separation dissolve.
You will find that this very simple process of mindfulness filters your thoughts and emotions. Then, as if you were shedding an old skin, something is peeled off and freed.
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