Developing in the Practice
When a person meditates over a period of time and has certain things coming
up, it is often uncertain whether these things should be regarded as obstacles
or as insights. At such times the person would normally approach a spiritual
friend, or teacher, for clarification. However, since you may not be able to
see a lama on a frequent basis, and since I am confident you will meditate diligently
and consistently, I would like to say just a little about the things that could
come up and how to relate to them.
The first point to remember is that it is excellent if you are able to meditate
for a long period of time, such as one long session or several sessions every
day. The longer and more frequent, the better. It is a process of training.
If you cannot do that because of your responsibilities and pressures, then devoting
at least some time every day is very important. In other words, doing the meditation
practice consistently is extremely important for making the practice really
effective and bringing you directly toward the experience of the possible benefits.
It may be that some days you are able to meditate for a long period of time,
and on other days for only a short time. Nevertheless, doing the practice consistently
is very important, so always keep this in mind.
In formal meditation practice, it is important to always be on the safe side
and not to have hesitation and expectation, or hopes and fears. Simply do what
you have to do, and follow the techniques. Nothing drastic is going to happen
immediately, anyway. If you indulge in all sorts of anticipation, expectation,
and imaginings, you will simply be giving yourself a lot of feedback.
Through the practice alone, nothing drastic will happen. Yet as we continue
to meditate consistently, over a period of time, certain experiences are possible.
Sometimes as we meditate, we might get to the point where we are having so many
thoughts and distractions that we feel discouraged and think the meditation
has gone bad somewhere. It may seem some terrible obstacles have arisen, something
has gotten twisted around, or some change has occurred in the chemistry of our
being. Sometimes this happens when a person is at the edge of some realization.
When it happens, we should simply disregard this kind of experience and just
keep going with the technique.
At other times, the experience could be the opposite: very tranquil, absolutely
peaceful and harmonious. A person could even get the idea that "If there
is really some state of non-thought, maybe this is it, and now I have experienced
it! I am really experiencing it! I have achieved it!" A person could get
into that kind of excitement and get attached to the idea of having achieved
realization. However, this is not the genuine achievement we seek. It is really
quite fleeting, not a consistent or sustainable experience. The next day or
even a moment afterward, it will not be there. A true realization achievement
is not that unstable, so again, in the event of this happening, simply disregard
it and keep going with the technique. Just be aware of the whole experience.
Another possibility is experiencing an incredible sense of lightness. This is
not anything that would happen right away, or in any particular order, but you
may be in a state where you really have to check on whether or not you are there--checking
back to your feelings and body. You have heard talk about insubstantiality and
emptiness and begin to think "Maybe this is something of that! Maybe I
am beginning to have some realization of the truth of insubstantiality or of
emptiness!" Once again, do not fixate on this experience or "buy into
it" by giving it a great deal of significance. Simply remain aware, and
observe these k
inds of experiences.
Taken from a transcript of a teaching given at KTD. This transcript is available in its entirety from Namse Bangdzo Bookstore.