According to the Buddhas teaching all sentient beings desire happiness and do
not want to experience suffering and human beings are no exception. According to
the Buddhist teachings although human beings are superior to other sentient
creatures in terms of intelligence none the less, they do not have proper
insight into themselves. We do not know how to achieve happiness or how to
overcome our suffering. Even though our basic desire or drive is to experience
happiness, which we are constantly seeking , the manner in which we seek our
happiness is misguided, due to our lack of understanding, our ignorance. This is
because we think that happiness is achieved only when we are able to satisfy all
our desires, that happiness is intertwined with satisfying our desires, our
craving. This is a misconception, however, according to the Buddhist teachings.
When we equate happiness with the satisfaction of desires we become involved in
the attempt to satisfy one desire after another and this is an endless process.
All desires cannot be satisfied, it is impossible practically and cannot be
done. Therefore we engage in this futile task of trying to satisfy all desire
and this is totally self defeating, as the happiness we are trying to attain to
cannot be reached by this means.
According to the teachings we have to look
at the whole thing from another angle. We have to look at how we can achieve
happiness in a way that does not lead to further dissatisfaction or further
experience of suffering. If we try to satisfy all our desires, instead of this
leading to happiness, this leads to increase of suffering. Because of craving
and attachment whatever we try to attain in order to satisfy our desires can
become overwhelming, and can take over our lives, whatever the objects of our
desires are. For example, if one becomes totally attached to one's friends,
one's relatives or one's children then one becomes totally dependent upon their
love and affection.
From a Buddhist point of view what needs to be done is
not to try to satisfy every single desire but rather to try to contain craving
and to try to overcome attachment. There is a big difference between ridding
oneself of desire and overcoming or ridding oneself of craving. Many people
think that according to Buddhist teachings we have eventually to give up all
desires. It is not the giving up of desire however so much as dealing with
craving, which desire gives rise to and the attachment which comes from craving
which needs to be overcome. In order to overcome these we need to have some kind
of method. Even if we recognise that craving is a problemn and that attachment
gives rise to problems and perpetuates our suffering and dissatisfaction, there
has to be a method we can use in order to overcome those problems.
In
Buddha¼s teachings the method to overcome attachment and craving is the practice
of meditation. There are two types of meditation: Meditation of tranquillity and
meditation of insight. Meditation of tranquillity is used in order to settle the
mind, to pacify the mind. If any of you have tried to meditate you would have
noticed how hard it is for the mind to be calm, how difficult it is for the mind
to be focused and attentive. So first of all one needs to learn how to rest the
mind which helps somewhat to stabilise the mind. Once one has learned how to
stabilise the mind through the practice of tranquillity meditation then one
engages in what is called the practice of insight. Having stabilised the mind it
is possible to clear the mind of defilements and of various cognitive
distortions, through engaging in analysis. So through this, one can try to
understand the nature of the self and the nature of the mind, how delusions and
attachment arise and how craving comes about.
Before one can try to gain
insight into the workings of the mind it is important to learn how to let the
mind rest, how to cultivate a focused mind . In the Buddhist tradition we use
two different kinds of meditation in order to overcome two different types of
obscuration. One is the obscuration of emotional conflict associated with
craving and attachment (and so on). The other is the obscuration of cognitive
distortions which is associated with the ignorance or lack of insight into the
nature of our mind. We have this innate tendency to think that there is a self,
that there is something called immutable self, which is unchanging, permanent
(and so on). Through the practice of meditation of insight, we come gradually to
realise that this belief is just a mental construct. When we engage in the
practice of vipashyana or insight meditation, we are observing sensations in the
body and mental processes going on in the mind; what we perceive, what we
experience, thoughts coming and going, concepts arising and subsiding, emotions
arising and dissipating. We do not experience something else apart from all
that. We do not experience something separate and underlying, or above our
feelings or emotions or the various things we remember or think about in terms
of the future or the past. There is nothing that we can experience which we can
say is the self, as being completely separate from all these things.
So
gradually through reflection on ourselves and on the mind, we begin to gain some
insight into what is called selflessness or 'anatman' in Sanskrit. This does not
mean that one realizes that there is no such thing as self at all. What one
realizes is that the innate tendency to think that a self is something simple,
indivisible and irreduceable, something that is permanent and unchanging, is
revealed as a mental construct. That does not mean one ceases to function as an
individual, as a person because a person or an individual is made up of many
different factors, physical and mental. This innate tendency to think that there
is 'me' who is the bearer of all these attributes is encouraged because normally
we say 'my' body, 'my' feelings, 'my' emotions, 'my' memory. All the while we
are thinking that all these things are something that belong to åme¼. That 'me'
is something separate from all these things.
When we engage in the practice
of insight meditation we realise that there is no 'me' apart from all that.
Because if you ask the question, „What is me? If I'm not my body, my feelings,
my memory, my emotions, then what is me?¾ Then you say, „I don't know¾ and
that's why the Buddhists say that sort of self,that sort of 'me' does not exist
and this is called 'anatman' or selflessness. From that realisation then it is
possible to become less greedy, less selfish, less egotistical and less
emotionally charged. Because when one realises that there is no underlying
unchanging entity called self, then there is less need for one to feel defensive
and show aggression or feel jealous or indulge in all kinds of like feelings
such as pride (etc). This discovery opens up possibilities in terms of relating
to others, in terms of opening up to others and also of developing compassion
and so on.
Thus from a Buddhist point of view one needs to engage in the two
types of practice; for stabilizing the mind and then for gaining insight. One
without the other is not profitable. If one tries to practice meditation of
insight without practising tranquillity meditation, when the mind is not settled
enough and focused enough to be able to think clearly then it is difficult to
obtain insight. Likewise, if one engages only in tranquillity/shamatha
meditation and not in the practise of insight/vipashyana, then one might be able
to develop gradually an ability to practice meditation in a way which brings
about a more stable, harmonious, peaceful mind without many disturbing thoughts
arising but according to Buddhism without insight that type of meditation is
also limited. It might relieve a person of tension, anxiety or emotional
upheaval (etc), but such mental agitations are only temporarily pushed aside or
superseded. The essential nature of the emotions, the essential nature of the
mind, the essential nature of the self, these are not dealt with. Just
practising meditation in order to settle the mind so it is not so distracted or
restless has a very limited use. So these two, the practice of insight and
practice of tranquillity meditation must go together.
Through these two
different types of practice one can gain insight into the nature of the mind,
insight into the nature of the self, then one can become enlightened. That is
the aim of a Buddhist practitioner, to become enlightened. When one becomes
enlightened according to Buddhism, when we talk about overcoming suffering and
attaining happiness etc, what one attains is mental tranquillity and mental
peace. This does not mean that an enlightened person has overcome suffering
altogether but because of the transformation that has taken place in the
attitude of that individual then the suffering that exists in the world is
experienced differently, related to differently and handled differently. The
person has more ability to deal with it but that does not mean that an
enlightened person has overcome all suffering, but there is a sense in which
such a person has overcome all mental suffering and that is the goal of Buddhist
practice.
The Buddhist teachings, which are called the Dharma, are normally
compared to the medicine, the Buddha, who is regarded as the teacher and founder
of Buddhism, as the doctor and the people who practice and assimilate the
teachings are seen as the patients. The reason for this is that, according to
the Buddha, the sense of sanity or mental integration is not to be understood in
relation to being able to function properly in society; so that one is not seen
as weird, or that one is not causing a lot of damage to society and oneself,
because of certain mental problems such as psychosis or other forms of mental
breakdown. Actually, even this whole idea of conforming to what everybody
believes in, is a form of madness, it is a form of mental affliction.
To
practice the Dharma, to use the Dharma as medicine, one has, in a sense, to go
against the wisdom of commonsense or to go against the beliefs of mass
psychology. Just because everybody says this is true or this is how one should
go about doing things, does not make it true or correct. As we know, until very
recently, until modern science told us differently, some people thought that the
earth was flat but now we know that is not true. Many people assume that if a
large number of people believe in something then it must be true but there is no
reason or basis for that assumption.
To practice the Dharma means to rise
above that way of thinking. For example our tendency when it comes to looking
for happiness, is to want to satisfy all desires, rather than to look for the
source of unhappiness or suffering properly. There is a common sort of belief
that the main thing to do in life is to seek happiness and avoid suffering; that
as long as we can eliminate and eradicate all kinds and all forms of dislikes
and increase our pleasure then we will have happiness. This belief is a grave
mistake.
In Buddhism the teachings and practice are used in order to gain
insight into how we become influenced by certain presuppositions, certain ways
of thinking, that are common to all human beings. Such as the belief in a
permanent immutable self (etc). So the practice of meditation is done in order
to make us realise what sort of delusions we indulge in; both in terms of
emotional reactions to things and also in terms of what sort of beliefs and what
sort of presuppositions we have.
When we do meditation we just simply pay
attention to what is going on in our mind, we do not react either positively or
negatively, we do not place any judgements; either in terms of saying this is
good or this is bad,but we simply pay attention to what arises in the mind. If
we pay attention and suspend our judgements, if we just simply observe, then it
is possible gradually to overcome our presuppositions. If we continue to
evaluate what is happening during meditation then we will still be using our
familiar categories of thought to relate to our meditative experiences. So we
say "Oh this experience is good because of this, that and the other thing¾, and
„that experience is bad because of this and that¾, but if we allow ourselves
just to observe simply what is happening during meditation then it is possible
to have insight.
When we have insight we realise something new. We cannot
gain insight if we are constantly trying to fit fresh experiences into familiar
categories of thought, familiar ways of thinking. Our familiar ways of thinking
are totally non-dharmic; they might be common sense or they might be widely held
beliefs or whatever but they are just mental constructions nonetheless .
So
in meditation we simply observe whatever arises either in terms of emotions or
thoughts. If we have positive emotions we do not think this is a good thing, and
if we have negative emotions arising in our mind, we do not say to ourselves,
this is a bad thing. If we have varieties of mental images arising in the mind,
for example, images of the Buddha or Jesus or any number of things, we do not
say, "Oh this is good, must be some kind of portent, some kind of spiritual
attainment or realisation," or if we are thinking about other things, for
example about sex or this or that, then we do not say, "Oh, this is bad, I am
wasting my time, I¼m supposed to be meditating and I am thinking about these
things." We use whatever arises in the mind as a part of meditation. From a
Buddhist point of view, with the practice of meditation, the idea is not to
suppress thoughts, not to get rid of mental images, mental impressions etc, but
the idea is to use these very mental processes as part of meditation. According
to Buddhism, thoughts and ideas, concepts and emotions that arise in the mind,
are not enemies of meditation. If there is an enemy to meditation it is lack of
attention. As long as we are aware of what is going on in the mind then we are
in the meditative state. To be in the meditative state does not necessarily mean
being in a mental vacuum, of not having any experience. As one Buddhist master
said, "you can achieve that if you ask somebody to knock you over the head, you
do not have to do meditation for that."
If you want to be in the meditative
state what you have to do is to be attentive and to take notice. When we do
that, what happens is that we start to see that everything that we experience
during meditation is transient, impermanent and ephemeral. This insight is very
important. Normally when people hear that Buddhism teaches about impermanence,
they say "I know that, I know everything is impermanent, that¼s nothing new."
When we do the practise of meditation, and actually observe and experience our
emotions and thoughts, coming and going, then we have a direct experience of
impermanence on an existential level. There is a big difference between really
knowing and experiencing impermanence, to simply understanding intellectually
what impermanence is. Everybody, to a certain degree, understands that
everything is impermanent, but how do they react to situations that happen in
their particular lives?. For example, if a person loses their job or their
partner leaves, or some other crisis occurs, they may well not say," I can
accept this because everything changes and is impermanent." The person may be
completely outraged or hurt or depressed or feel suicidal etc.
Through the
practise of meditation it is possible to understand impermanence first hand. We
become less serious about what happens in our lives, and we can develop a sense
of detachment. Which is not to say that we become indifferent, It is possible
for one to let things be, and not always try to create some form of false
security, to be able to work with the whole idea of things being impermanent,
transient and so on.
Hindrances in Meditation
When we meditate we need to be aware of
certain hindrances or obstacles in meditation. There are five different kinds of
hindrances:
Craving
The first is the hindrance of craving. This is important
because it is normally translated as desire, but I think that is a bad
translation. If we obliterate desire then we will not be able to function as
human beings. It is impossible to overcome desire, but it is possible to
overcome craving. For somebody who has no desire whatsoever there is no point in
doing anything, for example, why get out of bed in the morning, why not just lie
there? I think people do not understand that difference. It is possible and it
is important to overcome craving, because craving causes all kinds of mental
afflictions.
As long as there is craving, then we develop attachment, greed
and all kinds of things, whereby our mind is robbed of its peace. In meditation
we can see the same thing happen, even with our spiritual aspirations. We may
crave a nice, peaceful state during meditation,. and if we have an experience
like that, then we may want to cling on to it, we may not want to let go of it.
If it is not there we may get worried, we may get frustrated and think we are
not making progress etc. etc.
So from a Buddhist point of view we should be
aware of craving, both in terms of material things, as well as pursuits and
aspirations. Trungpa Rinpoche, for example, calls it spiritual materialism, if a
sense of attachment or craving comes in. Even if we are doing something
spiritual it becomes contaminated and polluted by all kinds of our emotional
afflictions.
Aggression
The second hindrance is, ill will or aggression. That
tendency to think that whatever is pleasurable is something that we should
pursue and cultivate. All the little irritating things, even the very simple and
very basic irritating discomforts are something to be avoided at all costs, we
must reject them. We must avoid pain as much as possible, and pursue pleasure as
much as possible, at all times in any place.
This has to be dealt with during
meditation. When we meditate we do not try to run away from irritating things.
You know, it is not a very comfortable position to be sitting, it is much more
comfortable to lie on your back. When we sit we get pains in our knees, our
back, our shoulders. Instead of trying to will this pain away, or trying to
change our position, always shifting and always trying to make ourselves a
little bit more comfortable all the time, we try to deal with that pain. Getting
angry and agitated, thinking "this stupid body of mine it can't sit properly, my
knees are not flexible enough, I can't do lotus position," (or whatever thoughts
come in,) is not important, What is important, is to deal with those little
irritations, so that one is not always trying to run away from pain and
discomfort. And the same thing with the mind, whatever happens in the
mind.
If there are a lot of disturbing thoughts coming up during meditation,
we do not react to them with a sense of anger or frustration, but we stay with
them and work with them. That is what happens in meditation. As we begin to sit
with our physical discomfort and our mental irritation, gradually we discover
that it is workable. Actually, trying to be with irritations and discomfort
makes the whole thing more pleasant. Always trying to run away from them, one
has no level of tolerance at all, and any little thing can irritate you . I mean
one might look at everything as being something annoying or irritating or
upsetting or whatever. So in meditation we can deal with that.
Stupor
The next in the list is, stupor. So when we meditate, a
lot of the time we feel drowsy, we feel sleepy, there is no sense of mental
clarity and the mind is sort of foggy. Even though the mind is not agitated,
nonetheless there is no sense of mental clarity. We need to be aware of that
during meditation. The way to deal with that is to straighten ones position and
pay more attention to the shoulders, chest, and the position of the head. If
this persists try to get some fresh air, and it is sometimes useful to have a
wet towel or something that one can use in order to wash ones face with etc. It
is also recommended not to eat too much. And so basically one tries to increase
the sense of alertness during meditation.
Agitation
The other obstacle or hindrance that arises during
meditation is mental agitation, which comes from worries and all kinds of what
Trungpa Rinpoche calls subconscious gossip. So in meditation we are thinking
about doing the shopping, or thinking about cooking, or all kinds of little
things that come up. We have to be aware of those mental agitations. When they
arise we try to pay more attention to the lower parts of the body, the position
of our legs, buttocks and abdomen, so that the general attention is moved to the
lower portion of the body. Also we generate a sense of being grounded and being
earthy.
Sceptical Doubt
The last obstacle or hindrance is what is called
sceptical doubt. Which means that as human beings it is very difficult for us to
develop trust or confidence, either in people, or what we do. Sometimes this
sort of sceptical doubt can become extreme; whereby it is almost impossible to
trust anyone or to believe in anything we do. If that happens, even when we
meditate, we may start wondering what benefit there might be. One might start to
think, "how do I know meditation works, how do I know that sitting like this is
not just wasting time? Maybe I should be doing something else, maybe I should be
jogging instead, I mean that might be more beneficial than just sitting here
doing nothing." All kinds of doubts and uncertainties may arise which would
disturb the mind, and also take enthusiasm away in the practice of meditation.
So those five hindrances are the main hindrances, of course as we know there are, (I mean if you have been doing meditation) all kinds of hindrances. But the five main hindrances are something that are persistent, and something that we are all familiar with. When we practise meditation we have to be aware of them at all times, so that we do not become victimised by them, and yield to them, and get carried away and loose focus and attention.
So when we meditate, first we try to make use of mindfulness in order to
develop concentration. Then from the practise of mindfulness we gradually try to
develop awareness. Mindfulness is called 'Dranpa' in Tibetan, which literally
means something like recollection. What that means is that at the beginning,
when we are learning how to meditate we have to try to remember the object of
meditation. Whatever it is, the breath or some kind of object that we have in
front of us, on which we can focus and concentrate; we use that object to anchor
our mind so that it does not wander. The idea of mindfulness is to always
remember to go back to the object of meditation, and not allow ones mind to
wander. If we do that properly, if our mind becomes more stable, less restless,
and if we develop a certain amount of concentration, then it becomes easier to
develop awareness. Awareness is different from mindfulness insofar as, when we
are aware, we are not deliberately trying to go back to the object of
meditation. It is a way of being, one is not actually involved in any kind of
deliberate attempt to settle the mind, or trying to go back to the object of
meditation, but simply being aware of whatever is occurring in the mind.
So
it is awareness that gives rise to insight. In Tibetan awareness is called "She
Zhin", "She" means, "to be aware, to be conscious," "Zhin" means,
"continuously." So one is continuously aware of what is going on. So mindfulness
and awareness are quite different. The object of meditation is to gradually
transform mindfulness into awareness. And then awareness would lead to the
development of insight, which is actually the final goal of the practice of
meditation.