Staying power (2)
You've perhaps heard of dhyana (pali: jhana) or meditative absorption, traditionally divided into subtle form and formless, each in a set of four stages. The higher stages of absorption are not necessary for insight practice. However, a firm foundation in shamatha IS necessary to effectively practice insight. To cut a long story short, it's necessary to develop staying ability to the point of attaining actual shamatha, i.e. calm abiding. Depending on one's inclination, further stages of meditative absorption may be pursued, or the acquired ability may be used to penetrate the profound truth. The contrast made between calm and insight (shamatha vs. vipashyana) is often taken to extremes, and normally we find Western practitioners ignoring - or being quite ignorant of - effective shamatha practices. It seems necessary to emphasize that preliminaries and shamatha and vipashyana and enlightenment itself are being attained by people as we speak, typically in that order. Besides developing actual ability to stay undistracted with the unfolding immediate experience, the shamatha training provides a lot of insight into relative dynamics of mind's functioning and the manner of phenomena arising, that is crucial for subsequent probing into the ultimate nature of awareness-and-phenomena.
Irrespective of further details, it is essential to acquire correct understanding and good ability in staying with immediate experience. To that purpose, we can benefit from clear instruction and guidance in distinct stages of development. Thus, we will use the nine stages leading to shamatha, the 10th stage, codified by the great Indian master Arya Asanga in his works Shravakabhumi, Abhidharmasamuccaya and Mahayanasutralankara. Those more familiar with Theravada tradition, may find similar instructions in Vishudhimagga, the work of master-scholar Buddhagosa.
Previous to entering explicit shamatha training, one should abide by reasonable ethical standards, complete the preliminary training, receive-and-contemplate the teachings concerning the human birth, impermanence, and dependent arising, in order to develop a resolution to purify one's awareness and develop an ability to remain undistracted. *Various schools propose different preliminaries, but purifying the motivation and developing a deep yearning for awakening is common to all schools.
As to resolution, in Abhidharma we find a group of five determining factors, that function as ascertaining conditions, stabilizing the mind on its way to awakening. These are directly related to meditative cultivation: (1) interest or aspiration (skt. chanda), the wish to obtain a desired quality; (2) strong interest or determination (skt. adhimoksha), the conviction, confidence and certainty concerning the desired quality; (3) mindfulness or remembering (skt. smrti) which protects against forgetfulness and distraction; (4) strong concentration (skt. samadhi), the ability to establish and maintain attention to an intended object; and (5) wisdom (skt. prajna), the discerning of faults and virtues, and the dispelling of doubts regarding the nature of awareness-and-phenomena. The first three factors provide a basis for shamatha, identified here with the fourth factor, samadhi. (For the Abhidharma context, see "Mind and mental factors" by A. Berzin)
The nine stages leading to actual staying power can be subdivided in beginning stages (one to four), intermediate stages (five to seven), and advanced stages (eight to ten). As we move through them, we'll make reference to several methods and objects used in meditation, such as mindfulness of breathing, or moondisk visualization, or the natural state. While each of these methods may be pursued through the stages, because they are increasingly challenging, they may also be used in sequence - each one to upgrade the previous one. Some traditions employ dozens of exercises and techniques to develop good shamatha in the context of intensive training. For an urban practitioner, however, more than 3 or 4 methods might present a source of confusion and cause unfocused practice, as each method and object require some familiarization, and that requires effort and time. Let us, then, start with considering the four beginning stages.
(*If you need a modern, hands-on practical manual, please purchase "The Attention Revolution" by B. Alan Wallace, an excellent guide through the nine stages. If you're interested in further reading at this point, see "A Guide to Shamatha Meditation" by Thrangu Rinpoche.)
To be continued...
Irrespective of further details, it is essential to acquire correct understanding and good ability in staying with immediate experience. To that purpose, we can benefit from clear instruction and guidance in distinct stages of development. Thus, we will use the nine stages leading to shamatha, the 10th stage, codified by the great Indian master Arya Asanga in his works Shravakabhumi, Abhidharmasamuccaya and Mahayanasutralankara. Those more familiar with Theravada tradition, may find similar instructions in Vishudhimagga, the work of master-scholar Buddhagosa.
Previous to entering explicit shamatha training, one should abide by reasonable ethical standards, complete the preliminary training, receive-and-contemplate the teachings concerning the human birth, impermanence, and dependent arising, in order to develop a resolution to purify one's awareness and develop an ability to remain undistracted. *Various schools propose different preliminaries, but purifying the motivation and developing a deep yearning for awakening is common to all schools.
As to resolution, in Abhidharma we find a group of five determining factors, that function as ascertaining conditions, stabilizing the mind on its way to awakening. These are directly related to meditative cultivation: (1) interest or aspiration (skt. chanda), the wish to obtain a desired quality; (2) strong interest or determination (skt. adhimoksha), the conviction, confidence and certainty concerning the desired quality; (3) mindfulness or remembering (skt. smrti) which protects against forgetfulness and distraction; (4) strong concentration (skt. samadhi), the ability to establish and maintain attention to an intended object; and (5) wisdom (skt. prajna), the discerning of faults and virtues, and the dispelling of doubts regarding the nature of awareness-and-phenomena. The first three factors provide a basis for shamatha, identified here with the fourth factor, samadhi. (For the Abhidharma context, see "Mind and mental factors" by A. Berzin)
The nine stages leading to actual staying power can be subdivided in beginning stages (one to four), intermediate stages (five to seven), and advanced stages (eight to ten). As we move through them, we'll make reference to several methods and objects used in meditation, such as mindfulness of breathing, or moondisk visualization, or the natural state. While each of these methods may be pursued through the stages, because they are increasingly challenging, they may also be used in sequence - each one to upgrade the previous one. Some traditions employ dozens of exercises and techniques to develop good shamatha in the context of intensive training. For an urban practitioner, however, more than 3 or 4 methods might present a source of confusion and cause unfocused practice, as each method and object require some familiarization, and that requires effort and time. Let us, then, start with considering the four beginning stages.
(*If you need a modern, hands-on practical manual, please purchase "The Attention Revolution" by B. Alan Wallace, an excellent guide through the nine stages. If you're interested in further reading at this point, see "A Guide to Shamatha Meditation" by Thrangu Rinpoche.)
To be continued...
Labels: buddhism, meditation, shamatha
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