FEATURE

LOOKING AT MIND ITSELF: THE MIND OF MEDITATION

With this issue, "Looking at Mind Itself," Bodhi presents the fourth and final installment in its year long consideration of the mind of meditation.

What is this mind? It is the experience of resting in a relaxed and undistracted manner in the present moment. In this moment, shamatha is there in its aspect of calm abiding. Mind is peaceful and remains unwaveringly with its object of meditation. Vipashyana is there in its aspect of clear seeing, or insight. With the support of shamatha and the clarity of vipashyana, the nature of mind is recognized and experienced directly. When we recognize the nature of mind, we are seeing our own wakefulness, our innate wisdom, which is always in the state of freedom. Thus, the mind of meditation, in its complete expression, is the union of shamatha and vipashyana. It is the transcendence of duality and the suffering and conflicts of ordinary, samsaric mind. It is also said that this original state of our mind possesses a luminous, radiant quality that naturally flows outward as compassion and love for all beings. These are the teachings of the Buddha of our age, Shakyamuni Buddha, which continuously benefit beings. Thus, it is with the deepest gratitude that we express our appreciation to our lineage teachers who continue to transmit the wisdom of the Buddha, as well as to the translators and scholars who assist in bringing the profound and practical teachings of the buddhadharma to us all. In Volume 8 of Bodhi, we will celebrate the life and teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, and look at the main lines of transmission of his teachings.

TEACHINGS

The Tradition and Practice of Vipashyana
by Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
When we get a sense of the nonexistence of the self, we might feel afraid. However, there is no need for fear. If the self were to exist, we could be harmed, but since the self does not exist, there is no "I" to be harmed. With the realization that the self does not exist comes great courage, and fear simply disappears.

The Twelve Kinds of Yogic Bliss: Commentary on a Song of Milarepa Sung in Answer to His Students' Question
by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
When you throw a stone into the ocean, it does not return. Similarly, those who have directly realized the selflessness of the individual and the lack of self entity of phenomena and thus have reached the noble ones' grounds do not return to the grounds of ordinary beings or change back into ordinary beings, so they are very blissful.

No Ego
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
As for the mental afflictions, or kleshas, themselves, there is actually nothing to transcend. They are already gone. They come and they go. What we actually have to transform is that which is hanging on to all these kleshas--our habitual tendencies. We have to watch out for the habit of self-clinging.

Reversing Confusion
by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen
Our purpose when practicing analytical meditation is to develop enlightenment, not just academic thinking. Thus, when we analyze whether an object is a single unit, we also must effect a transformation in the mind that is doing that analysis. However, minds cannot immediately be transformed. A slow and relaxed approach is necessary.

Seeing Through Our Useless Grasping
by Karl Brunnholzl
Through Madhyamaka analysis we try to take a closer look at our unquestioned experiences and actions, such as the experience of having a self and of trying to defend it and its territory. In other words, we take time to sit down and run a thorough check on whether our highly subjective and habitual reactions really make any sense.

REGULARS

Society and Environment — The Contemplating Teacher
by Lee Worley
Contemplating implies deep listening, deep hearing, deep questioning...bringing the whole body and mind to bear on the moment. Stripped of the spiritual connotation of the word "contemplative," the contemplating teacher is none other than one who is able to fully attend to the student, the subject, and the moment at hand, warmly and without fear.

Seeds & Sprouts — The Measure of Rice
as retold by Ellen C. Babbitt

The Lives of the Karmapas: The Fifth Karmapa, Deshin Shekpa
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche