Turning The Mind Into An Ally

TURNING
THE MIND
INTO AN
ALLY
Sak
y
on
g
Mipham
RIVERHEAD BOOKS
New York
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Traditional verses on p. 213 translated by the Nalanda
Translation Committee. Used by permission.
Copyright 2003 by Mpham J. Mukpo
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First Riverhead hardcover edition: Januar 2003
First Riverhead trade paperback edition: Januar 2004
Riverhead trade paperback ISBN: 1-57322-345-X
The Librar of Congress has catalogued the Riverhead
hardcover edition as follows:
Sakyong Mpham Rinpoche, date.
Turning the mind into an ally / Sakyong Mpham.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-57322-206-2
1. Meditation-Buddhism. 2. Spiritual life
Buddhism. 1. Title
BQ5612 .S24 2003 2002067961
294.3'4435-dc21
Printed in the United States of America
10 q R 7
h h 4
To my father and mothe r
CHOGYAM T R UNGPA RINPOCH E
and
LADY KUNCHOK PALDEN
1L1J!`JJLJJJ`
! am grateIuI to the Vidadhara Chgam Jrungpa
Kinpoche mIather, mteacher, andmbestIriend,
!is !oIiness LiIgo Khentse Kinpoche Ior guiding
andinspiringmethrough chaIenging times, !is !oIi-
ness Ienor Kinpoche Ior his totaI support and bIess-
ings, Khenpo âmdroI Ior his teaching and visdom,
and Lama IegaI, Loppn !echung, and Loppn
Gavang Iortheir support and enthusiasm. Jhanks to
Lavid Schneider Ior his originaI encouragement,
SamueIerchoIzandJonathanGreenIortheiradvice,
Joe SpieIerIorheIping mein the process, Am !ertz
Ior her vision, energ, and patience, and Iema Ch-
drn Ior her Iorevord. !or their Iriendship and sup-
port, thanks to Lucas LaIe, NoII NcCue, Judith
CutIav, and!ose JaIor. ! aIsoetendappreciationto
aI the peopIe vho have transcribed and edited m
taIks overtheears.
!ortheirgenerosianddaring, !thankNarkut-
Ier, VeIIs Christie, JeII Cohn and Jane Carpenter
Cohn, êaI Greenberg, James and Sharon !oagIand,
and in particuIar, Am ajakian, vho oIIered me her
hometovorkinvhenever !vantedto. !appreciatethe
personaI support oI LougIas Anderson, arj oce,
Lavidrovn, Linah rovn, Lavid Cook, Susan
Lreier, Lavid LIIerton, Jesse Grimes, Kichard !art-
man, Kevin !oagIand, ôeI NcLeIIan, Joe Nauricio,
JohnSennhauser, KenSussman,andNarkJhorpe.
NostoIaI, !vanttothankLmiIoverandLIiz-
abeth NonsonIortheirtireIess, endIesshours oIheIp-
ing, Nark Ntousek Ior his good intention and hard
vork, JuIes LevinsonIorhis advice
, insight, continu-
ous support, andencouragement, andAdam LobeIIor
his encouragement and enthusiasm. !or auspicious
coincidence, mgratitude to LmiI !iIburn SeII. Ve
metattherighttimein therightpIace,andvithoutthis
connectionthebookvouIdnothavemateriaIized.
L!JJJJJ`
Foreword by Pera Chodron
Preface
One
V!Y NLL ! JAJ L !
! . Jhe !ock andtheIover
2 . evIdermentand SuIIerng
5. IeaceIuIAbdng
Tw o
J !L A !J C
I LAC L I L LY A ! L ! ^G
Xl
XVll
5
24
4. Jakng Cur Seat 5/
5. NndIuInessandAvareness 4
6. !ov toGathera ScatteredNnd 5d
/. JheVrtues oIoredom /6
d. Lazness d4
. orgettngthe !nstructons ! U2
! U. ôt Joo Jght, ôt Joo Loose ! U6
! ! . ^ne Stages oIJranngtheNnd ! ! 4
Tbree
J I !^! ^G J !L N! ^L
! ^J C A^ AL LY
! 2. JurnngtheNnd ! 2
! 5. Jhe Jo oIeng !uman ! 5d
! 4. Jhe Inchangng Jruth oI Change ! 46
! 5. rstVe Get CId ! 5 !
! 6. AndJhenVe Le ! 54
! /. Samsara and !arma ! 5d
! d. Jumpng ntothe !eart oIthe uddha ! 65
Four
VA!!! C ! ! ^ J !L VC!L L
! . !ousngNotvaton
2U. Vsdom andLmptness
2 ! . VarrorntheVorId
Appendixes
! /
! d/
! /
A. Preparing to Practice 2 ! 5
B. The Posture of Meditation 225
C. Instructions for Contemplative Meditation 22/
Resources 22
!JJ`!JJ
! hrst met Sakong Npham Knpoche ears ago n
ouIder, CoIorado, through hs Iather, m teacher
Chgam Jrungpa Knpoche. !e and the Sakong's
mother, Lad !unchok IaIden, vere among the sur-
vvors oIa reIugee group that had narrovI escaped
Irom Jbetto !nda n !5. Jrungpa Knpoche, vho
hadbeenthesupremeab6otoItheSurmangmonaster-
es, vasdescendedIromthevarrorkng Gesar, ahs-
torcaIIigurevhosapvotaIsourceoIthe Shambhaa
teachngs. eIore Sakong Npham vas born, hs
Iatherpredctedthathe
vouId be avejspecaI chId,

that hs earI ears vouId be dIIicuIt, and that he
vouId emerge as a great teacher. !e then requested
thatLad!unchokbIesstherunbornsonbmaknga
pIgrmage toaIIthe sacred uddhst stes throughout
!nda. Vhen she reached odhgaa, the pIace oI
Xl
FOREWORD,
the uddha's enIightenment, the Sakong apparentI
decided to arrive. !e vas born at this hoIiest oIud-
dhistsitesinLecember!62.
Luring his earIiestears, Sakong Nipham Iived
vith his mother in Jibetan reIugee viIIages in north-
vest !ndia. !is Iather sentIorhim toj oin him in the
Vestattheage oIeight. Vhen Sakong Niphamvas
a teenager, ! became his meditation instructor at
Jrungpa Kinpoche's request. Looking back, ! reaIize
that m teacher vas purposeI deepening m bond
vithhis son. Lvejveek!vouIdmeetviththe Sak-
ongtodiscuss his meditation. A|ter onIaIevmonths,
hovever, ! reaIizedthat our roIes had reversed. Jhe
oungSakongvasnovinstructing me. JhereIation-
ship that vas set in motion back then has onI deep-
ened over theears. At the same time, !'ve vatched
a somevhat reticent outh grov into a courageous,
conhdent,andviseteachervhois oIenormousbeneIit
tohismanstudentsthroughoutthevorId.
!n !/ Jrungpa Kinpoche privateI empovered
theSakongashisheirandbegantoguideandinstruct
him even more cIoseI than beIore. Cn a da shortI
beIore this event, Kinpoche said to me, You aren't
goingtomakemsonintoamonk,areou! ecause !
havevejdiIIerentpIansIorhim. "
Jhese pIans began to come to compIete Iruition
aIter Jrungpa Kinpoche died in !d/, vhen Sakong
xu
FOREWORD
Npham took over Ieadership oI his Iather's Sham-
bhaIa uddhist communi. Later he vas recognized
b !is !oIiness Ienor Kinpoche as the rebirth oIthe
nineteenth-centut meditation master and schoIar
Npham Jam ang Gatso, one oIthe most renovned
teachersinJibetanuddhism.Atthesametimehevas
enthronedas the Sakong (earthprotector"), head oI
the ShambhaIaIineage.
Aterears oI training vith his Iather as veII as
undergoing a Vestern education, the Sakong nov
returned to Asia to Iurther deepen his meditation
and studies under the tuteIage oI !is !oIiness LiIgo
!hentseKinpocheand!is!oIiness IenorKinpoche,
tvo oI the greatest Jibetan uddhist masters. !t is
remarkabIetomehovnaturaIitvasIorhimtostartto
speak Jibetan again and to step 6ack intothe Jibetan
vaoIthinking. Cne da ! asked him h
_
vitvasthat
his grasp oIthe most proIound, oIten etremeI diIh-
cuItuddhistteachings came soeasItohim. !esaid,
VeII, it seems soIamiIiar, asiI!'mjustrememberingit
aII. "!econtinuestotraveIto!ndiaevetear. !esas
thathe'sneverhappierthanvhenhe'sdoingthisstud.
!ere ve have ateachervith a remarkabIe abiIi
to digest the traditionaI Jibetan uddhist teachings
thoroughIand compIeteIandthenpresentthemina
va that speaks directI to the hearts and needs oI
Vestern peopIe. Noreover, his enthusiasm Ior doing
xiii
FOREWORD
this is contagious. As one vho is nov compIeteI at
home in both the Vestern and Jibetan mind-sets, he
easiIandspo
taneousIservesas abridge.
!n2UU1 SakongNiphamvisitedJibetIortheIirst
time, vhere he vas greeted b thousands oI peopIe,
not onI as the current Sakong and the rebirth oI
Npham,butaIsoasIivingprooIoIthevitaIioIud-
dhism, returning to the pIace that his Iather had IeIt.
!ugeaudiencesgatheredtohearhisteachings.
Jhis book is the ideaI net step in Sakong
Nipham's j ourne, as it introduces him to a vorId
soreIinneedoIthetradrtionaImind-trainingpractices
he presents. JhebeauoIhisapproachisthatitj oins
tvostreamsoIteachings. uddhismandShambhaIa, a
spirituaI varriors hip grounded in reaIization oI basic
goodness. !ere Sakong Nipham oIIers detaiIed in-
structionsIorbuiIdingacourageousmindthroughthe
practice oI sitting meditation, the natura seat oIthe
varrorbodhisattva. AskiIIedequestrian,hecompares
the vhoIe process to taming a viId horse. !e gener-
ousI incIudes descriptions oIthe obstacIes ve might
encounterin suchrigorousvork, aIongvith the anti-
dotes traditionaIIprescribedb theIineage oIJibetan
and !ndianmeditators.
!naddition, Sakong Npham instructs the reader
incontempIativemeditation,vhichsharpensourinsight
and deveIops ourvisdom. ContempIationprovides the
XlV
FOREWORD
condtonsIorj otoepandasvereazethenatureoI
reaI. !epIacespartcuIaremphassonthepractceoI
rousing bodbibi ta avakened heart an enIghtened
strateg through vhch ve begn to eperence our
greatvarrorsprt.
!ts dIhcuItto beIeve thatthe bo ! met soman
ears ago s the euberant a
d poverIuI teacher !
stud vth toda. Yet there s one thng that remans
the same hs radant, somevhat mschevous smIe.
VhenthatoungmansmIedatme, !nstantIIeItIove
andaproIoundbondvthhm aIoveandconnecton
that ! have IeIt eversnce.Jhathsteachngsare IinaII
avaIabIe to avder audence svonderIuI. Jhat the
vII beneIit aI vho read them, ! have no doubt. ! am
deIghted that ths book makes so avaIabIe the cIear
and precse vsdom oI m heart-Irend and precous
teacher, SakongNphamKnpoche.
Pem Cbb"r bi
xv
JJ1LJ
Nan oIthepeopIe that ! meet as ! teach throughout
thevorIdare questioningvhat it means tobe content
and happ. So man IeeI that ve've somehov van-
deredIromourroots,Iromsomethingvejbasictoour
hearts and minds. Jhe ramiIications oIthis vandering
are Iar-reaching, maniIesting in pschoIogica pain,
acts oIaggression, and consistent conIusion about the
nature oI reai. or man oI us, IiIe is not Ieading
tovard avakening. !n the Shambhaa uddhist tradi-
tion,vecaIthis situationthedarkage. "
!t is in such times that ve turn to spirituaI teach-
ings. Ve tj to Iind somethingthat can heIp us. ut
taking aspirituaIpath isn't meant to bejust ava to
deaIvithhardtimes. oIIovingaspirituaIpathishov
ve avaken to our unique and precious pover as
humans. !tcanbeanaturava oIIiIeinaIIsituations,
xvii
PREFACE
notjustavatoIeeIbetter.VeaIIhaveseedsinside us
thatve vouIdIike to nourish, vhich isvhveearn
Iordeepermeaningin ourIives.
Vhen ! 'm teaching, peopIe oIten askmequestions
in hopes oIhearingsome esoteric truth. Jhe seem to
vant me toteIIthem asecret. utthemosthndamen-
taIsecret !knovisrootedinsomethingthatveaIread
possessbasicgoodness. !nspite oItheetremehard-
ship and crueI ve see happening throughout the
vorId, the basis oIeverthing is compIeteI pure and
good. Curheart and mindare inherentI avake. Jhis
basicgoodnessisaquaIioIcompIetevhoIesomeness.
!
incIudes evejthing. ut beIore ve can begin the

adventure oI transIorming ourseIves into avakened
peopIemuch Iess the adventure oI Iiving our Iives
vithtruej oandhappiness~ve need todiscoverthis
secret Ior ourseIves. Jhenvehave the reaIpossibiIi
oIcuItivating courage,Iromvhichve canradiateIove
andcompassiontoothers.
N Iather, Chgam Jrungpavhovas aso m
teachervas a pioneer in introducing Jibetan ud-
dhismintheVest. !eaIsointroducedtheteachings oI
ShambhaIa, aIegendaj enIightened socie. Jhe hrst
kingoIShambhaIareceivedteachingsdirectIIromthe
ud
_
ha. Jhe storgoesthatevejonein thekingdom
oIShambhaIa then began to practice meditation and
care Ior others b generating Iove and compassion.
xviii
PREFACE
ShambhaIabecmeapeaceIuI, prosperouspIacevhere
ruIersandsubj ectsaIikevereviseandkind.
ô one reaII knovs vhether the kingdom oI
ShambhaIastiIIeists. utiIvethink oIit as the root
oI vakeIuIness and briIIiant sani that Iives vithin
each oIus, it stiII has the possibiIi to upIiIt us, both
personaII and as a socie. Jhe va ve reach this
kingdom is b disc overing basic goodness Ior our-
seIves. Jhen ve can cuItivate Iove and compassion.
Jhehrststepistotrainourmindsthroughmeditation.
ordeaingviththerigors oIIiIe, themindoImedita-
tionisavonderIuIaII.
xix
One
WHY
MEDITATE?
One
The Rock and
the Flower
Nan oIusare sIaves toour minds. Cur ovn mindis
ourvorst enem. Vetrto Iocus, and ourmindvan-
dersoII.Vetrtokeep stressatba, butaniekeeps
us avake atnight.Vetrtobe goodtothepeopIeve
Iove, but then ve Iorget and put ourseIves Lrst. ^d
vhenvevanttochangeourIiIe,vediveintospirituaI
practice and eect to see quick resuIts, o
I to Iose
Iocus aherthehonemoonhasvornoII. Vereturnto
our state oI beviIderment. Ve're IeIt IeeIing heIpIess
anddiscouraged.
!tseemsveaIIagreethattrainingthebodthrough
eercise, diet, and reIaation is a good idea, but vh
don'tve thinkabouttraining our mind!Vorkingvith
ourmindandemotionaIstatescanheIpusinanactiv-
iinvhichve engage, vhetherit's sports or business
orstud~or areIigiouspath. ! 've beenridingmostoI
SAKYONG MIPHAM
mIiIe, Ior eampIe, and ! Iove horses. Vhenridinga
horse,ouhavetobeavakeandavareoIvhatouare
doing each moment. Jhe horse is aIive and epecting
communication, and ou have to be sensitive to its
mood. JospaceoutcouIdbedangerous.
Cncevhen!vas staingvithIriendsinCoIorado,
!tookone oImIavorite horses, !ock, onatraiIride
throughsomebackcountj. !hadridden!ockbeIore,
most in the arena. !e vas vej inteIIigent, but he
didntknovhovtovaIkatraiI. Jhisvas anevsitua-
tion. ! vas Ieadingthe group, andthat aIso made him
aIittIe nervous. ! coaed him over certain rocks and
shiItedmveighttoindicatetohimtogoaroundcer-
tainothers,buthekeptstumbIing.
VecametoanarrovpaceinthetraiI. Cnone side
vasasteepshaIeciIIandontheother,aIongdropinto
ariver. !ockstoppedandvaitedIormdirection.Ve
both knev that one vrong move vouId pIummet us
into the river beIov. ! guided him tovard the gorge,
subtIshihingmveighttovardthehighvaIIoIshae.
!thoughtthatiIhe sIipped, ! couIdjump oIIand save
mseII.
Jhe moment ! shiIted, !ock stopped coId and
cranedhisheadaroundtoIookatme. !ekneveactI
vhat ! vas doing. !couIdteIIthat he vas shockedand
hurtthat ! vas pIanningtoabandonhim. Jhe Iook in
hisee said, Youandmetogether, right! " Seeinghov
4
THE ROCK AND THE FLOWER
terrmed hevas, ! shiIted m veight back. !e svung
his head Iorvard in reIieIand ve negotiated the traiI
togethervithnoprobIems.
Cn that ride, !ock and ! created a snergistic
bond, avordIess rapport. !t's that kind oIconnection
that ! think ve can aI have vith our ovn minds. !n
dhamatha meditation~peaceIuI abiding"~ ve train
our minds in stabiIi, cIari, and strength. Jhrough
this most basic Iorm oIsitting meditation, ve discover
that ve can abide peaceIuII. !noving our naturaI
peaceisthe basisIoranspirituaIpath~ thebeginning
andthegroundIor anone courageous enoughto seek
true happiness. !t is the Iirst step to becoming a
buddha,vhichiteraII meansavakenedone. "VeaII
have the potentia to avaken hom the sIeep oIigno-
rancetothetruthoIreaIi.
Jraining our mind through peaceb abiding, ve
cancreateanaIIiancethataIovsustoactuaIuseour
mind, rather than be usedb it. Jhis is apractice that
anonecando. AIthoughithasitsrootsinuddhism,it
is a compIement toan spirituaItradition. !Ive vant
toundoouronbevIdermentand suIIeringand beoI
benehttoothersandthe pIanet,ve'regoingtohave to
be responsibIe IorIearningvhat our ovn mind is and
hovitvorks,nomattervhatbeIieIsvehoId. Cnceve
see hov our mind vorks, ve see hov our IIe vorks,
too. Jhatchangesus.
5
SAKYONG MI PHAM
Jhat's the point oItaIkingabout mind and medita-
tion.JhemoreveunderstandaboutourseIvesandhov
our mind vorks, the more the mind can vork. Jhe
Jibetanfdu rungwa means thatthe mindis IunctionaI.
N Iather used to sometimes transIate this as vork-
abIe. " !t means thatve can train the mind tovork in
ordertouseittodosomethingparticuIar. oreampIe,
iIvevanttogeneratecompassionandIove,that'svork.
Jhere is an oId sangthat bringing uddhism to
a nev cuIture is Iike bringing a IIover and a rock
together. Jhe IIover represents thepotentiaIIor com-
passionandvisdom, cIariandjotobIossomin our
IiIe. Jhe rock represents the soIidi oIa beviIdered
mind. !Ivevantthe overtotakerootandgrov, ve
havetovorktocreatetherightconditions. Jhevato
dothis~bothasindivduaIs andas peopIeinacuIture
invhichtheattainmentoIpersonaIcomIortsometimes
seems to be the highest standard~ is to soIten up our
hearts, our minds, our Iives. Jrue happiness is aIvas
avaiIabIe tous, but Lrstve have tocreate the envron-
mentIorittoourish.
Vemighthave adeep aspirationtosIovdovn, to
bemorecompassionate,tobeIearIess,toIivevithcon-
hdenceanddignip,butve'reoItennotabIetoaccom-
pIish these things because ve're so set in our vas.
Curminds seem soineibIe.Ve've beentouched b
the soItness oIthe IIover, but ve haven't Iigured out
6
THE ROCK AND THE FLOWER
hovtomakeapIaceIor t.VemaIeeIthatourabI
toIoveorIeeIcompassonsImted, mdthatthat'sjust
thevathngsare.
Jhe probIem Ior most oIus sthat ve'retngto
grov aoveronarock. Jhegardenhasn'tbeentIIed
properI. Ve haven't traned our mnds. !t doesn't
vork to just throv some seeds on top oI the hard
groundandthenhopeIortheoverstogrov.Vehave
to prepare the ground, vhchrequres eIIort. rst ve
have to move the rocks md hoe the veeds. Jhen ve
havetosoItenuptheearthandcreatencetopsoI.Jhs
s vhatve're dong b Iearnng topeacehIIabde n
sttngmedtaton. creatngthe spaceIor ourgardento
grov. Jhen ve can cuItvate quaItes that viII aIIov
ustoIve our Ives nIuIIbIoom.
A soce oIhard and nebIe mnds s a soce
that s ncapabIe oInurturng the overs oIIove and
compasson. Jhssthe source oIthedarkage.Vetend
to queston ourgoodness and our vsdom. Vhenve
questonthesethngs,ve begntouse seemngImore
convenentvastodeaIvthourprobIems. VeareIess
read to use Iove andcompasson, moreread touse
aggresson. So ve have to contnuousI remnd our-
seIves oI basc goodness. !Ive vant to heIp aIIevate
suIIerng on our pIanet, those oIusvhocan make our
mnds pIabIe mustpIant a Iover on the rock. Jhs s
hovvecancreateasocebasedonthe energveget
7
SAKYONG MI PHAM
Irom experiencing our ovn basic goodness. !n Jibet
vecaIIthis energLungta, vindhorse. "
!ti simportanttoIookatvhatactuaIIvorks,vhat
inspires peopIe to meditate, to stud, and to put the
teachin
g
s into eIIect. As a IiIeIong student oImedita-
tion, ! have adeeprespectIor itspro|undias aspiri-
tuaIpath. ! am interested invhatpeopIecanreaIIuse
intheirIiIe,andhovtopreparepeopIetotruhearthe
potenc and depth oIvhat an enIightened being Iike
the uddhahastosa. !amgrate|uItomteachers Ior
passing these teachings on to me, and grate|uI Ior the
chancetosharethemvithou.
JheteachingsareaIvas avaiIabIe, Iikearadiosig-
naIintheair. utastudentneedstoIearnhovtotune
in to that signaI, and hov to sta tuned in. Ve can
begin the process oI persona deveIopment nov b
incIuding short periods oI meditation as part oI our
everda Iivcs. JiIIing the ground oI our ovn minds
through meditation is hov ve begin to create a com-
munigarden. !ndoing soveare heIping tocreate a
nev cuIture, a cuIture that can thrive in the modern
vorI
j
and can at the same time support our human
j ourneyin an upiItedandj oousva. Such acuIture
is. socie. Lnightened socie is
v !herockviIImeet.
8
Two
Bewilderment and
Suffering
N Iather and mother vere born n Jbet, but ! vas
born n !nda and ddn't vsit mparents' native Iand
untI 2UU. Vhen ! vas n Jbet, ! traveIed through
some oIthe mostvast, spacous, and beautIuI Iand n
thevorId. CurcaravanoIIand-crusersdrovethrough
remotevaIIes surroundedb endIessmountanranges.
ormrIe aIter mIe ve vouId pass nosgn oIcvIza-
ton.Jherevere, oIcourse,nobathrooms, sovevouId
stop toreIeve ourseIve
aIongtheside oItheroad. ô
matter hov isoIated ve thought ve vere, someone
vouId aIvas come vaIkng around the bend. Jhen
another person vouId come cIose to check out ths
strangegroupoItraveIers nhsvaIIe. thetmeve
stood there Ior more than a mnute, the equvaIent oI
a vhoIe vIIage vouId have gathered, Iaughng and
9
SAKYONG MIPHAM
smIng and starng nto our vehcIes. ! vondered
vhere the vere comng Irom and vhere the vere
gong. !vouIdthnk, ArethebornIrom the earth! "
IrobabI the vere just headng Ior another herd oI
aks or a dstant monastej, or smpI movng to a
varmerpIace.Jheeachhadadestnaton.
Jhe smpIcoIthatenvronmentmade tsocIear
that ths s vhat most oIus are dong. traveIng Irom
one pIaceto another, searchngIoraIastnghappness.
Jhere's aneIementoIemptnessthatvekeeppngto
assuage.VevanttohndsomethngthatIeeIsgoodand
makes sense, somethng soId that ve can use as a
permanent reIerence pont. Vsdom mght teII usthat
ve're seekngsomethngvevon'teverIind,etpartoI
the reasonve keep Iookng s that ve've never qute
been satshed. Lven vhen ve IeeI great happness,
there'saquaIoIntangbI, asIve'resqueeznga
vatermeIon seed. Yet da n and da out, ear aher
ear, and, accordng totradtonaI uddhsm, IIetme
aherIIetme,vedon'tthnkbeondaccompIshngthe
mmedatedesretohndthemssngpece, theonethat
vIIbrngusreaIhappness.
Snce !'mauddhst,theuddhasm roIemodeI
Ior anenIghtenedbeng. !evasastrongpersonvth
aheaIthsenseoIseII~acarng, cIear-mndedndvd-
uaI n harmon vth hmseIIand hs envronment. !e
savhovmuchsuIIerngvaspresentnthevorId,and
10
BEWILDERMENT AND SUFFERING
hevantedtoheIp. AterIoIIovngmandIIerentspr-
tuaIpaths, he deveIopedthestrength, conIidence, and
motvaton that he neededtomedtate and rest nvs-
dom. Jhs s hov he avoke tothe deepestmeanng oI
reaI and vas abIe endIessI to heIp others do the
same. !e vas a bodhsattva varrorone vho cuIt-
vates compassonandvsdom, vhohasthe courageto
IveIromtheopenheart. !sj ourneshovsusthatve
toocanarouse ouropen heartsas ava toreaIze the
meanngoIbengIuIIhuman.
Jhe uddhavasbornaprnce. ecause heseemed
tohaveasprtuaIbent, hsIatherdecdedearIonthat
tvouId be betterIorhmnottogettoo curous about
the vorId outsde the vaIIs oI the paIace. !e ddn't
vant hs onI son gong out toseek hs sprtuaI Ior-
tune, vhch vas a popuIar thng to do n !nda back
then. SothekngkeptthevorIdvthntheroaIvaIIs
hummng vth aII knds oI entertanment, actvtes,
andsensuaIdeIghts.Jhe uddhagrevupvthever-
thngheneeded,aIIvthnthevaIIs oIhsovnprvate
vorId. Vhen he vas oIder, there vere dancng grIs
andIateravIeandbab. oraIongtme, heddn'tget
toknovthevorIdbeondthevaIIs. utthen one da
he rode out vth a servant and sav sck eopIe, oId
peopIe, dead peopIe, and a vanderng ascetc. Jhs
compIetel_ changed hs vev. ôIonger couId he Ive
tosmp[take deIghtntheentertanmentsoItheroaI
II
SAKYONG MI PHAM
vorId,vherehisIatherhadmanagedtokeephomhm
theIacts oIIIe. !sIather'svorstIears cametrue, and
the uddhaIeItthe kngdom mmedateI. Lssatshed
vthmantannganIIuson, hevantedtounderstand
hsIIeandIIetseII.JustIketheuddha,mostoIus
aIso vouId Ike to Iearn some basc truth about our
Ives and get a bgger perspectve about vhat's gong
on. 1hepathoImedtattonoIIersusthspossbI.
Vhat the uddhasavsthatIIe smarkedbIour
quaItes: mpermanence, suIIerng, seIessness, and
peace. !e sav thatve keep buttng our headsaganst
ths basc reaI and t hurts. Ve suIIer because ve
vant IIe to be dIIerent Irom vhat t s. Ve suIIer
becausevetrto make pIeasurabIe vhat spanIuI, to
make soId vhat s ud, to make
permanent vhat s
aIvas changng. Jhe uddhasav thatvetrtomake
ourseIves nto somethng reaI and unchangng v
en
our |undamentaI state oIbengsuncondtonaII open
and ungraspabIe seIIess. Ve dscover ths noton oI
seIessness n medtaton, vhere ve Iearn to zoom
ava Irom our thoughts and emotons and become
IamIar vth these basc Iacts oI IIe. cceptng the
mpermanence and seIessness oI our estence, ve
vL stop suIIerng and reaIze peace. Jhat, n a nut-
sheII, svhatthe uddha taught. !tsoundssmpIe.Yet
nstead oI reIang nto ths eIementaI truth, ve keep
searchng around the net corer and never gettng
12
qute vhat ve vant. !n uddhst Ianguage, that s
knovn as damara. !n Jbetm, the vord s khorwa,
vhchmeans crcuIar. "
Samsara s a crce oI suIIerng, Ike a vheeI that
endess goes around and around. Ve are spnnng
our vhees. Ve keep ookngIorsomethng to be dI-
Ierent. êt tme ve v be happ. Jhs reatonshp
ddn'tvorkout~butthenetonev. Jhsrestaurant
sn't that good~ but the net tem on the menu mght
reaI do t Ior me. N Iast medtaton sesson vasn't
great,andthe one beIorethatvasn'tgreatether~but
ths one'srea gongtobe dIIerent. Cnethngkeeps
Ieadng to another, and nstead oI the smpc and
happness ve desre, ve on IeeI more burdened b
our ves. !nstead oI reIang nto the basc goodness
that connects us vth ever other Ivng beng, ve
suIIer the ness oIseparaton, vhch s just atrck oI
ourmnds.
Jhe uddha sad, Jrue suIIerng s the nature oI
samsara. "Vemanot even see the suIIerngn ourIe,
part|_becauseve'vebecomesoaccustomedtot. utI
ve Iook beneath the surIace, ve'I seethat suIIerng s
percoIatngthroughkeanundergoundrver.Vhether
ve acknovedge t or not, ve sensethat t's there and
mantanamentavgancetokeepoursevesoccuped
nanattempttoavodt. Cverandoveraganvecome
upvthschemestooutsmartsamsara.Lventhoughve
SAKYONG MI PHAM
knovthatnothngchangesthebasccharacteroIsam-
sara,vekeeptngtomaketvorkout. Jhs shgh-
mantenancepIeasure. !t'svhatkeeps us onthevheeI.
!t's hov ve keep ttng to make samsara vork. Ve
thnk, !knov t's endess. ! knov t's panIuI. ! knov
vhatou're sang. ! beeveou. ut! 'vegotjust one
more thng, just one tte thng. " Ve can go to the
grave satng ths. Jhats samsara. Justone more" s
thebndngIactoroItheccIeoIsuIIerng.
Jhe uddha vas an astronaut vho traveIed nto
space and sav that suIIerng s a crce. Ve sa just
onemore"becausevedon'tsee ttheva uddhadd.
Ve'reundertheIusonthatve'removngnastraght
ne.Yetjustasthe LarthseemsBatasongasve'reon
t, ve thnkve'revaIkngnastraghtInevhcnactu-
aIIve're stucknacrceoIsuIIerng.
^d thought certanIIees Ike an objectve reaI-
, ths crcIe oI suIIerng s just a state oI mnd. or
eampIe, ve mghtthnk oIavoentpartoIa bg c
as samsarc. "!Ithe uddhavere n thatpIace, hov-
ever, he voudn't eperence t that va at aII. !e
vouId eperence t just as t s, vthout the 6ter oI
judgmentoropnon. !t'sourmndthat'ssamsarc.SuI-
Ierngsthe stateoImndthatregardstseIas reaI. Ve
canspendour vhoeIIe tngto createasoId,astng
seII. Vecmspend ourvhoeIeIookngoutsde our-
sevesIor somethngtoreect ths deIuson oIsoId,
14
to be as reaI and Iasting as ve vish ourseIves to be.
Search though ve viII, it's impossibe to hnd vhat
doesn't eist, and the perpetua search causes suIIer-
ing. Jhe uddhasavthereaithatve're bevidered
and suIIering because ve take ourseIves so seriousI.
Ve haven't seenthe openradiance oIbasic goodness,
ournaturastate.
JheIactisthatvhatappearstousas asoidreaIi
isactuainastate oIcontinuous Iu. Jhevord is a
continuous state oIu. Jhe house thatvegrevupin
isnotthe same houseanmore. JhemotherandIather
that ve knev vhen ve vere chidren are phsicaII
diIIerentnov. Vhere is ourhrstbicce! At one time,
itseemedsoreaI. LverthingisaIvas comingtogether
andIaIIingapart, anditdoesn't seemtopose aprobIem
Ior anone but us. Spring knovs hov to be summer
and autumn Ieaves knov hov to IaII dovn. Coming
together andIaIIingapartisthe movement oItime, the
movement oIIiIe. Jhis is as obvious as ourovn Iace,
andetve imagine our seIIas soIid andunchangng.
Ve stick up Ior it, ve pr
tect it. Ve IeeI angrvhen

someonechaIIengestheopinionsvehoIddear.IIsome-
thingdoesn'tgoourva, veIeeIinsuIted.Vhensome-
thinginterruptsourroutine,veIeeIasenseoIIoss. Ve
trtovardoIIsignsoIaging.
Jhe uddha said, I'm not going to teII ou one
va or another, but iIou are reaI, then vhere are
15
SAKYONG MI PHAM
ou!AndiIthevorIdisreaI,thenvhereisit! " !nud-
dhismvetaIkaboutemptinessbecausevhenve start
toinvestigate that seII, ve can't hndanthing soIid or
substantiaI. Jhere'sa.eMe oIseII~ashadov.Vehave
eesandvisuaIconsciousness thatisasenseoIme. "
Ve havetouchandIeeIing~ thati sasenseoIme. " Ve
have memories, thoughts, actions, and speech, aII add-
inguptoasense oIme. " VehaveabodmdthepIea-
sure and pain that come vith that, and those things
are me, "too. Jhis sense oIseIIis mentaIIIabricated,
dehned b outer conditions. Ve sa, ! don't IeeI Iike
mseIItoda. " ut vhen ve IookIorthis seIIthat ve
vmttoIeeI Iike vhere is it! Jhe sameistrueIor the
vorIdaround us. Ve IeeIthat everthing is just as it
appears. Yet iI ve Iook beneath the surIace, ve hnd
thatouruniverseisnotquiteas stabIeas itseems. Jhe
things outthere"changejustasmuchasvedo.
Vith this kind oIpractice and inquisitiveness, an
enIightenedbeingIiketheuddhaIearnstoIookatthe
Iandscape oI IiIe in a cIear, unbiased va. Vhen he
begantoteach, the uddhavas justreportinghis ob-
servations: Jhis is vhat ! see about hovthings are. "
!e vasn't presenting an particuIar vievpoint. !e
vasn'tpreaching dogma, he vas pointing outreaIi.
Saing that impermanence is a uddhist beIieI is Iike
saing that uddhists beIieve vater is vet. Jhe ud-
dhadidn'tcreateimpermanence or seIessness, suIIer-
16
_
g orpeace,the uddhajustsavreai, noticed hov
it vorks, and acknovedged it Ior the rest oI us. Ve
canspendourentireiIetjingtocreateasoidseI, but
ve von't be abe tomake it stick. Cnce ve rea into
this simpetruth,ve cangobeondbevidermentand
suIIering.
I recent had an amusing eperrence vith a
Jibetan ama Iriend. !e had just arrived in the Vest
Ior the hrst time, and I vas having Iun shoving him
diIIerent aspects oI our cuture. !e's a earned man,
but vhen it came to his adventure in discovering the
vas oI the Vest, he vas vej innocent. I took him
to see the Iim The Gr inch, thinking that athough he
coudn't understand a the diaogue, ateast itvoud
be coorIu and entertaining Ior him, and he voud
enjothespeciaeIIects.
Ve vatched thc movie and he seemed to ike it.
êrvard, I asked him iIhe understood it. !e said,
Just one question. Vhat is Christmas! " I ansvered
that it's the hoida ceebrating the birth oI Jesus
Christ. JhenhesaidinavejrespectIutoneoIvoice,
If
So, that green monke in the movie vas Jesus
Chrst!"
Ihadagoodaugh overthat, especia because he
vas beingsorespect|u. Ireaizedthatas bizarreashis
question sounded, it vas genuine. I asked, Vh do
outhinkthat! "
1 7
SAKYONG MIPHAM
VeII, he Iiveu in a cave inthe mountainsanu he

hauaroughtimeintheleginning,anuthenthings got
letter,anuintheenuitaIIseemeugoou.
In Tilet, many oIthe historicaI anu mythicaI hoIy
peopIe Iive in caves anu are eccentric. There is a
Iamous saintIike yogi nameu Îarepa vho Iiveu ina
caveinthemountains. Hehau aIIkinusoIauventures
anuovercameincreuilIeolstacIesthroughmeuitation.
Ouring his years inthe cave, he Iiveu onnettIe soup
much oI the time, anu it is saiu that his skin turneu
green. In auuitIon, Tiletan mythoIog has it that
humansarepartIyuescenueuIrommonkeys.
NIrienuvaspuIIingtogetheruiIIerentiueasIrom
hisexperiencetouravhisstrangeconcIusion. Hevas
making a Ieap Irom his cuIture into ours. Anu oI
course, i
seemsalsuru tousthatanyonevouIuthink
thatthe Crinchvas JesusChrist.Its]ustasalsuruto
thinkvehaveaseII.YetvespenuourIivescIingingto
animginariuenticollIeu together Irom uiIIerent
thoughts anu concepts, tring to keep it happy, anu
that is vhy ve suIIer. This isnt a sin, its an ancient
halitpejetuateulyourleviIuereuminus.
TheleviIuereuminuisIikeaviIuhorse.Itrunsavay
vhenvettohnuit,shiesvhenvetjtoapproachit.
IIvehnuavaytoriueit,ittakesoIIviththelitinits
18
teeth anu ltnaIIy throvs us right into the mud. Ve
thinkthattheonIyvaytosteauyitistogiveitvhatit
vants.VespenusomuchoIourenergtingtosat-
isandentertainthisviIuhorseoIaminu.
TheleviIuereuminuisveaklecauseitiscontinu-
aIIyuistracteu.Itsuistracteulytheoverriuingneeuto
maintain the comIort oI me. Itis meuitating onuis-
cursiveness anu seII-alsojtion anu that Ieaus to suI-
Iering, lecause the leviIuereu minu cant go leyonu
itseIVhenuiIhcuIarises,itsunalIetocope. Vhen
theunexpecteuoccurs, itreac
s Irom the Iimiteu per-

spectiveoIvantingtostayhappyinasmaIIpIace.SoiI
vere threateneu, ve strike out vith anger. II some-
louy has something ve vant, automaticaIIy ve IeeI
]eaIous. IIveseesomethingveIike,veIeeIdesire.Ve
mightnot question these responses~not evenask, Is
itvorthgetting angralout?Vh
tmakesushappy
anu vhat makes us sau come uovn to voIatiIe outer
conuitions, circumstances that are constantIy chang-
ing.ThisauusuptoleviIuermentanusuIIeringIorus.
Vithanuntraineuminu,veII IivemostuaysoIour
Iives at the mercy oI our moous. Vaking up in the
morning is Iike gamlIing. Vhat minu uiu I enu up
vithtouay? Isit theirritateu minu, thehappy minu,
the anxiousminu, the angrminu, the compassionate
minu,ortheIovingminu?NostoIthetimeveleIieve
that the minu-set ve have is vho ve are anu ve Iive
19
SAKYONG MI PHAM
ouruay Iromit.Ve meuitateonit.Veuont question
it.VhethervevakeupIeeIingureauorexcitementor
]ustIeeIingsIeepy, thepropeIIingmotivationissimpIy
vantingthingstogoveIIIor''me.
TheresapIaceletveenEarthanuNarsthatscien-
tistscaIIthe CoIuiIocks zone. ItsapIacethatsnottoo
hot, not too coIu, lutjUt riht--a pIace vhere IiIe
couIuconceivalIylesupporteu.NanyoIusIiveIrom
the motivation to keep ourseIves in such a zone. Ve
spenu our Iives constructing a personaI CoIuiIocks
zonevhereoursoIiusenseoIseIIIeeIscomIortalIeanu
protecteu. Everthings ]ust hov ve Iike it, anu ve
vorktokeepitthatvay.
Perpetuating this zone invoIves vorring. Nany
uiIIerentaspectsoIourIiIemustaIigninoruerIorusto
lehappy. II they uont come together, vere going to
suIIer. ur minu chevson hope anu Iear lecause its
unalIetoreIax.VereaIraiuoIvhatviIIhappeniIve
Ioosen ourgriponourseIves. SovecontinuaIIy spina
veloIconcepts, leIieIs, opinions, anumoousthatve
iuenti[ as ''me. Its Iike a cIoseu-circuit TV Vere
aIvays sure oIvhere ve are; theresnotmucheIse to
leknovn;nothingviIIeverreaIIytouchus.Vevork
touravinvhatviIImakeushappy,IenuoIIvhatever
causes pain, anu pretmuch ignore the rest. This is
vhatmostoIusconsiuerpIeasure.VecreateacomIort
20
zonelaseuonthemotivation I]ustvanttogetly. I
caIIthisthehaveaniceuayapproach.
As a motivation Ior Iiving our Iives, have a nice
uayisverconhning. Itkeepsustrappeuinuissatis-
Iaction, seII-invoIvement, anu Iear. Ve IeeI ueIensive
anu cIaustropholic. Ve are running on speeu, neeu,
anugreeu.AnuveareoItenmovingsoquickIythatve
uontevennoticethatvehatc amotivation. Thatsense
oI oppression is maintaineu ly our leviIuereu, un-
traineuminu.ItsaII-pervasive,ueep,asiIvereuream-
ing.ThisissuIIering.
Thereisa uiIIerent approach to ourIives.Vecan
vake up to our enIighteneu quaIities. unconuitionaI
Ioveanucompassion;uninhiliteu,totaIeasevithour-
seIves; a cIear anu sharp minu. In oruer to open our
courageous varrior heart, hovever, ve hrst have to
unuerstanu the nature oI our leviIuerment. Vhats
goingoninsamsara,thiscycIicaIexistencethatentraps
us? Irom the Buuuhist point oI viev, veve createu
ourovnsiuation. VereoperatingoutoIalasicanu
halituaImisunuerstanuing. Eventhoughvereuream-
ing,vethinkverereaI. NomattervhatveuotohoIu
ourseIves together, the truth is that ve are aIvays
IaIIingapart. As soonas ve vashourcar, itrains. So
vhatarevegoingtouoaloutit?TheBuuuhasuggests
that rather than resist samsara, compIain alout it, or
21
SAKYONG MIPHAM
keep ting to outsmart it, ve take a goou Iong Iook
anusay,Ietsligureoutvhatshappeninghere.
Vehave to unuerstanu thesuIIeringoIourleviI-
uereu minu anu ueciue that veve hau enough oI it.
VerenoteeinghomthevorIu.Rather,vererecog-
nizingtheureamIike quaIioIexistenceanunotluy-
ing into itor ourseIvesas haru anu reaI. nce ve
unuerstanuthepIayoIimpermanenceanuseIessness,
ve can take ourseIves Iess seriousIy anu en]oy IiIe
muchmore.II,IiketheBuuuha,veverealIetoseethe
emp anu Iuminous nature oI reaIi, veu vake up
Iromourureaminasnap.TrueIilerationisIiIevithout
theiIIusionoImeoryou.
JustIikethe Buuuha,hovever,vehavetogoona
]ourney leIorevecanseereaIisocIearIy. The]our-
neyleginsvithunuerstanuingvhyvesuIIer.Vehave
to recognize thelasicIanuscapevereIivingin. IIour
goaI in IiIe is to give me a goou time, it vont vork
out. Vhy? Because the Iay oItheIanuislirth, aging,
sickness, anu ueath. Thats the game pIan Ior me.
Auvithinthat,vehavepIeasurethatkeepschanging
intopain. TheresnopermanenceorstaliIihere,nor
isthereasoIiuseII. Oeathcomes,oItenvithoutvarn-
ing. Ve suIIer vhen ve spenu our Iives uenying the
lasictruthoIourexistence.
urhumanIivesareexceeuingIypreciouslecause
theyoIIerusthepossiliIioIJiscoveringourinherent
22
avakeness.IikepicturesveseeoItheBuuuha,avake"
is shimmering, rauiant, uiu, anu primoruiaIIy pure.
Its vhat vere maue oI, anu it connects us aII. Vhat
IiesletveenusariuthejoyoIthislasicgoounessisthe
trickourleviIuereuminuskeeppIaying.Neuitationis
hovve
nraveItheiIIusion.
ItsltnetotakepIeasure,toenjoygoouIoou,anuto
IistentoleautiIuImusic.Becomingcuriousalouthov
vesuIIeruoesntmeanthatvecannoIongerenjoyeat-
ing ice cream. But once ve legin to unuerstanu the
leviIuermentoIouru
traineuminu,vevontIookto
theicecreamanusay,Thatshappiness."VeIIreaIize
t
attheminu canlehappyuevoiuoIicecream.VeII
reaIizethattheminuiscontentanuhappylynature.
23
Three
Pe aceful Abiding
Even though the leviIuereu minu is untraineu, it is
aIreauymeuitating, vhetherveknovitornot.Neui-
tationis thenaturaIprocessoIlecomingIamiIiarvith
an ol]ect ly repeateuIy pIacing our minus upon it.
Vhatever vere uoing, ve aIvays have a viev; vere
avayspIacingourminuononeol]ectoranother. Ior
exampIe, vhen ve get up in the morning anu vere
anxious alout something, axie lecomesour viev
Iorthe uay. Vhataloutme?VhenviII I getvhat I
vant?Theol]ectoIourmeuitationisme.
In peaceIuI aliuing, ve grounu our minu in the
presentmoment.VepIaceourminuonthelreathanu
practicekeepingitthere.Venoticevhenthoughtsanu
emotionsuistractus,anutrainincontinuaIIyreturning
our minu to thelreath. This is hovve shiIouraIIe-
giance Irom the leviIuereu minu that causes its ovn
24
PEACEFUL ABIDING
suIIering
to theminuthat is stalIe, cIear, anu strong.

VerocIaimouruesiretouiscoverthisminuoIstaliI-
i, cIari, anustrengthlyIemni
gtorestinourovn
peace.
TurningtheminuintoanaIIyisamatteroIIearning
to see ourseIves as ve are. ruinariI ve ]ust_ cant
hanuIe the naturaI ]oy oI our minu, so ve enu up
churningupintenseemotions.Theseemotionskeepus
trappeu in suIIering. In peaceIuI aliuing ve legin to
seehovtheminuvorks.
PeaceIuI aliuing uescriles the minu as it natu-
raI[ is. The voru peace teIIs the vhoIe stoj. The
humanminuislynature]oyous,caIm, anuvejcIear.
In shamatha meuitation ve arent creating a peaceIuI
state- vereIettingourminuleas itistoleginvith.
ThisuoesntmeanthatverepeacefaIIignoringthings.
It means that the minu is alIe to le in itseII vithout
constantIyIeaving.
Irom a Buuuhist point oI vev, human leings
arentintrinsicaIIaggressive;veareinherentIypeace-
IuI. This is sometimes haru to leIieve. Vhen vere
angjor upset, our untraineu minu lecomes leIIiger-
entanuve routineIy strike out at others. Veimagine
thatreactingaggressiveIytotheol]ectoI ouremotion
viIIresoIveourpain.Throughouthistojvehaveuseu
this approachoveranuoveragain. Strikingoutvhen
vereinpainiscIemIyonevayveperpetuatemisej.
25
SAKYONG MI PHAM
Vthatraineuminu,astalIeminu,aminuvithaIarger
motivationthaitsovncomIort, ve hnuanothervay
tovorkviththeuiIhcuItiesoIuaiIyIiIe.Vhenverein
a uiIhcuIt situation, ve maintain our seat. Insteau oI
perpetuatingmisejlyactingoutaggression,veIearn
tousetheroughspotstosparkthecouragetoproceeu
on our journey. EventuaIIy ve may actuaIIy le alIe
toturn the minu oI anger into theenergoI Iove anu
compassion.
ButltrstveIearnhovtoaliuepeaceIuIIy.IIvecan
rememler vhat the voru dhamatha means, ve can
aIvaysuseitasareIerencepoint.Vecansay, "Vhatis
this meuitation that Im uoing? It is caIm, peaceIuI
aliuing. Atthe same time veIIlegintosee that our
minuisaIvaysaliuingsomevhere~notnecessmiIyin
itspeaceIuInaturaIstate.Perhapsitsaliuinginirrita-
tion, anger,jeaIousy. SeeingaIIoIthisishovvelegin
tountagIeourleviIuerment.
VereaccustomeutoIivingaIiIelaseuonrunning
aIter our viIu minu, a minu that is continuaIIgiving
lirthtothoughtsanuemotions.Itsnotthattheresany-
thinginherentIyvrongviththoughtsanuemotions~
inIact,thepointoImakingourminuanaIIyisthatve
can legin to uirect them Ior leneht. Through peace-
IuIIyaliuingvelegintoseeouremotionsatvork.Ve
legin to see that ve have to vork vith these intense
emotions lecause iI ve uont, theyB grov. nce they
26
PEACEFUL ABIDING
grov,veactonthem.Vhenveactonthem,theycre-
ateourenvironment.
Neuitationshovshovuiscursivethoughts Ieauto
emotions-irritation,anxie,passion,aggression,jeaI-
ousy, priue, greeu~vhich Ieau to suIIering. Ior ex-
ampIe,thepersonsittingnexttoyouonthelushas a
reaIIyIancy COpIayer.IirstyoureintrigueulyaIIthe
leIIsanuvhistIes.Then,leIoreyouknovit,youvant
onejustIikeit,eventhoughyourovnpIayervasper-
IectIy auequate tvo minutes ago. You vere sitting
there peaceIuIIy, anu nov youre a voIcano oI uesire.
ntopoIthat, yourejeaIousoIthistotaIstrangerIor
having something you vant. You vere enjoying the
riue,anunov,aIevthoughtsIater,youremiseralIe.
ReactingtoemotioncreatesIurtherreactionsIater.
Vere pIanning a vacation vith a Irienu anu uisagree
alout vhat uay to Ieave. ur Irienu is agj, vhich
makesusangj, vhichmakeshimangrier, anuleIore
ve knov it, our trip is uovn theurain. Beinguiscur-
sivemightIeeIgoou,justasIoouvereaIIergictotastes
goou,lutaIerveeatit,vesuIIer.
Neuitation is a vej personaI joucey. SimpIy ly
leing conscious oI the present moment so ve can
grounu ourseIves in it, ve reIax our sense oI seII anu
legin totune in toreaIi as itis. Ve legin toreaIize
vhatveuontknov,anuvelecomecurious.Vhatis
truIyvaIiu?VhatisthetruthoImyexperience?IIve
27
SAKYONG MIPHAM
Iiveu intheviIuerness,veuolservenaturespatterns
arounu us. the activi oI the lirus anu animaIs, the
lehavioroI theveather, anuchangesinthepIantIiIe.
êravhiIe, veule intimateviththeenvironment.
VemightlealIetopreuictvhenvinteriscominganu
vhetheritvouIuleIongorshort. SimiIarIy,inpeace-
IuI aliuing ve can legin to olserve anu unuerstau
our thought patterns. Ve can vatch hov our minu
veaves Irom one iuea to another, one emotion to
aother. Vecansee hov it Ialricates acomIortzone.
Vecaseehovitvantstotakeaction.Vecalegin
to unuerstanu its course vithout]uuging it. Ve ]ust
notice the internaI environment anu lecome IamiIiar
vithit.
êrvevespentsometimevatchingthoughtsanu
emotions come anu go, ve legin to see them cIearIy.
They no Ionger have the pover to uestaliIize us,
lecause veseehovephemeraItheyare. Thenvecan
actuaIIy legintochangeourpatterns, auin uoing so,
changeourvhoIeenvironment.Buttoreapthisleneht
requiresconsistentpractice.
nce ve estalIish a reguIar practice, our IiIe can
IeeI Iike its unuergoing ama]or upheavaI. Neuitating
isanevvayoIIookingatthings.VehavetoleviIIing
to change. Vhen ve legin to tame the movement oI
ourminu,itaIIectseverthingeIse. ItsIikerenovating.
once you start, its haru to stop. Ior exampIe, at
28
PEACEFUL ABIDING
Shamlhaa Nountain Center, vhere I teach evej
summer,ourmeuitationhaIIvasgettingoIuanuIunky,
so ve luiIt a nev one. Then ly contrast, the kitchen
Iookeu smaII anu oIu, so ve neeueu to luiIu a nev
kitchen,too.
In leginning to meuitate, you might see things
alout yourseIIthatyouuont Iike, soits importantto
ask yourseII iI youre viIIing to change. BeIore ou
consiuerenteringaspirituaIpath,youhavetoleginly
Iookingatthelasicgrounu.BeIoreyouevensituovn,
ask yourseII these questions: Oo I actuaIIy vat to
lecomealetterperson?OoIreaIIyvanttovorkvith
myminu?VerenottaIkingaloutlecomingagoouy-
goouy. Vere saying that ve can choose to lecome
stronger, kinuer, viser, anu more Iocuseu. Ve can
lecomemoreintunevithhovthingsare.OovereaII
vanttouothat?
The notion oI meuitation is vejsimpIe. Ve sIov
uovnanu legintoIook atthepatternoIourIiIe. Ve
havetostartviththeminu,thenthelouyIoIIovs.This
isnottosaythatoncevestartmeuitating, everthing
viII vork out anu veII have no prolIems. VeII stiII
haveuisagreementsvithIrienus anuIamiIy,veIIstiII
getpmkingtickets,veBstiIImissllights,veIIstiIIlurn
thetoastonoccasion.Neuitationuoesnttakeustothe
enu oI the rainlov~it opens the possiliIioI com-
pIeteIyemlouyingourenIighteneuquaIitieslymaking
29
SAKYONG MIPHAM
our minu an aIIy. Vhen ve meuitate, vere training
ourseIves to see our veak points anu strengthen our
ositiveones.VereaIteringourlasicperception.Vere
leginning to change hov ve reIate tothevorIulut
notIorceIuIIy.
nce ve start reaII
y Iooking at the minu, ve see
some eIements oI hov it vorks. Ior one, the minu is
aIvayspIacingitseIIonsomething. Ithastouothisin
oruer to knov vhats going on. CeneraIIy ve ingrain
thetenuencytoIoIIovuistractionsvhichistheoppo-
site oI staliIizing the minu. Nayle the minu pIaces
itseIIontheiueaoIuinner. Thenvethinkaloutvhats
in thereIrigerator. Then ve think alout a restaurant.
Thenvethinkaloutvhatveuveartotherestaurant.
ThenvethinkaloutluyingnevcIothes. Theminuis
continuaIIy pIacing itseII, usuaIIy Ior onIy a Iev sec-
onusatatime. Thatisthecaseevenvhenverethink-
ingsystematicaIIyaloutomething,suchasapIan.
Iorinstace,iIImgoingIromNevYorktoP
ris,
IthinkalouthovIamgoingtouothat.VhatuayviII
Illy,atvhattime?ViIIIgetIrequent-lliermiIes?Hov
IongviIIittake?ThenvhereviII I go?AnuvhoviII
I see vhen I get there? II ve Iook at our minu as its
pIanning, veII see that letveen aII those pIanning
thoughts, other thoughtsare arising. AIthough it may
seemasiIverehavingastreamoIthoughtsaloutour
vacation, iI ve Iook cIoseIy, veII see that the minu is
30
PEACEFUL ABIDING
continuousIlouncing lack anu Iorth letveen many
thoughts~ It IeeIs varm in here, shaII I open a vin-
uov? I vonuervhats Ior Iunch. Is there timetopick
something up at the grocejstore leIore the meeting
thisaIernoon?Butsincelrt oIthethoughtsarealout
thetrip,vesay,h,IampIanningmyvacation.
SomethingeIseveIIseevhenvelegintoIook at
ourminucareIuIIyisthatveuont reaIIy perceivesev-
eraIthingsatonce, vecanonIyperceiveonething ata
time.Tjitout. It IeeIs as iI veheartheliru anu see
thesunshineatthesametime,lutintermsoItheactuaI
experience,theminuismovingIromoneperceptionto
another. IIverethinkingaloutvhat ve are cooking
Ioruinner,veIIhaveconsecutivethoughtsaloutit,in
letveen, our minu pIacesitseIIon otherthings many
times over. The memoj oI a pIeasant telephone
encounter earIier in the uay pops up, ve notice that
someonehasvasheuthelreakIastuishes, veIikethis
track on the CO anu vevonuervhossinging. II ve
IookcIoseIyatourminu, veseethatitaIvayslehaves
thisvay.
II ve have enough simiIar thoughts, ve caII it a
stream oI consciousness, a stream oI thought. Hov-
ever,thecurrentoItheminuisaIvayslluctuating.The
minu veaves an iIIusion oI soIiui ly putting things
together, its actuaII going lack anu Iorth. At the
leginning oI peaceIuI aliuing ve uiscover vhat the
31
SAKYONG MIPHAM
minuislyuravingitin.VeuothislysittingstiIIanu
traininginhoIuingittosomethingIormorethanaIev
seconus.RepeateuIylringingitlacktothelreathmay
IeeI unnaturaI at the leginning, Iike having to hoIu a
chiIutokeephimIromsquirming.ButiIvekeepuoing
it, at some point ve legin to see that unuerneath the
uistraction anuleviIuerment, somethingeIs is going
on. Ve legin to see the minus unuerIying stiIIness.
There is inteIIigence, theres some kinu oI staliIi,
theressomekinuoIstrength.Velegintoseehovthe
uiscursivenessoIthoughtsauemotionskeepsusIrom
experiencingthesenaturaIquaIitiesoItheminu.
InpeaceIuIaliuingveusethepresentmomentasa
reIerencepointIorreIatingtoourminu anu overcom-
ingitsviIunessauuiscursiveness.Vhenvesituovn
tomeuitate,theressomuchgoingoninourminuthat
its easy to get Iost. Ve vanuer arounu in this uense
jungIe, notknovingvhereveare going. Thepresent
moment anu the lreath are Iike a hiIItop in the uis-
tance. Ve keep our eyes on it as ve vaIk tovaru it.
VeneeutogettothehiIItop, cIimlit,anuIookarounu
sothatvecanltgureoutvhereveare.
Returningour minu to thelreath is hovveIearn
toleminuIuIanu avme. Its Iike giving achiIu apet.
caringIoraIivingcreatureteachesusresponsiliIianu
Ioving-kinuness. Vhen ve grov up, ve can express
vhat vehaveIearneu toothers. In the same vay, ve
52
PEACEFUL ABIDING
areusingthe lreath as a vehicIe tolringus intothe
presentmoment.
Vhen I vasoung, I traineu IaIcons. I vouIu use
tinypiecesoImeatas areIerencepoint. AteravhiIe,
vhenever I lIev a vhistIe the liru vouIu lly over to
takethemeatIrommyhanu. ItvaschaIIengingvork,
since the lirus naturaI tenuency is not to trust a
human. Training them Ior man months in captivi
taught me the vaIue oI accepting smaII improvements
uay ly uay. êr the trust vas there, I couIu reIease
theliru intotheviIu. That vas themoment oItruth.
vhen IlIevthevhistIe, vouIu thelirureturntomy
hanu? ThisisvejmuchIikehovvetrainourminus
to return to the lreath in peaceIuI aliuing. It takes
patience.
VhenveexperienceamomentoIpeaceIuIIaliu-
ing,itseemssoIar-out. urminuisnoIongeruriIting,
thinking alouta miIIionthings. The sun comes up or
a leautiIuI lreeze comes aIong anu aII oI a suuuen
ve IeeIthelreeze anu e are compIeteIy in tune. Ve
think, ''Thats a vejspirituaI experience. Its a reIi-
gious experience. At Ieast vorth a poem, or a Ietter
home. But aII thats happening is that Ior a moment
vereintunevithourminu. urminuispresentanu
harmonious. BeIore, veveresolusy anu leviIuereu
that ve uiunt even notice the lreeze. ur minu
couIunt even stay put Iong enough to vatch the sun
33
S A' KYONG MIPHAM
comeup,vhichtakestvoanuahaIIminutes.Novve
can keep it in one pIace Iong enough to acknovIeuge
anu appreciate our surrounuings. Nov ve are reaII
here. In Iact, leinginthepresentmomentisoruina,
itsthepointoIleinghuman.
IearningtolepresentIorthemomentisthelegin-
ning oI the spirituaIpath. By sitting stiII anu training
ourminu toleviththelreath, velegin toreIaxour
uiscursiveness.VeseehovtheminucreatesoursoIiu
sense oI seII anu legin to uiscover the minus naturaI
state oI leing. Vith this experience, ve can cuItivate
ourgaruen. TheoversoIIove,compassion, anuvis-
uomgrauuaIItakeover,anu theveeusoIanger,jeaI-
ousy, anu seII-invoIvementhaveIess anu Iess roomto
grov. InpeaceFIaliuingvelecomeIamiIiarviththe
grounu oI lasic goouness. This is hov ve turn the
minuintoanaIIy.
54
Two
THE ART O F
P EAC E F U L LY
AB I DI N G
Four
Taking Our Se at
Vhen I vas a teenager, I vouIu sometimes go on
retreatvithmyIather.noneretreatmypracticecon-
sisteuoIIoursessionsoIsittingmeuitationperuay.Ny
IathervouIuaIvayssneakintomymeuitationroomat
the leginning oI my session to see iI I vasleginning
properIy. I useu to think, "Vhy uoesnt he sneak in
uuringthemiuuIeoImysession,toseeiIImmaintain-
ingmypractice? êra vhiIe I reaIizeu thathe vas
interesteuinhovIvastakingmyseat.Hevasvatch-
ingtoseeiIIhautheappropriateattituuetovarutrain-
ing my minu. The minu is the king anu queen. Ve
approach our meuitation seat asiI it vere a throne in
thecenteroIourIiIe.
There are many statues anu paintings oI the Buu-
uha inmeuitation posture. TheseleautiIuIIyiIIustrate
hov the posture is uesigneu to aIov naturaIstrength
57
S AKYONG MIPHAM
anugrounueunessvithsomekinuoIopennessanuuig-
ni. By taking an upright sitting posture, ve enalIe
the louy toreIax anu theminuto le avake. You can
use uiIIerent postures Ior meuitation, lut unuer orui-
na circumstances, sitting on either a cushion or a
chairislest. IIyoureunalIetosit, itispossilIetouo
thistechniquevhiIevakingorstanuingoreven[ing
uovn. Hovever, the most eIhcient posture Ior this
practiceissitting.
Vhen you sit uovn, tae a laIanceu, grounueu
posturetoaIIovtheenerginthecenteroIyourlouy
tomoveIreeI. IIyoureonacushion,sitvithyourIegs
IooseIy crosseu. II youre in a chair, keep your Iegs
uncrosseuanuyourIeetatontheoor.Imaginethata
string attacheu to the top oI your heau is puIIing you
upright. Iet your organs, muscIes, anu lones settIe
arounu your erect spine, Iike a coat IaIIing arounu a
hanger.YourvertelraeshouIuIeeIasthoughthey are
stackeuIikegoIucoins,aIIovingIorthenaturaIcurva-
tureoIthespine.
Vhen Ivasyoung, IvouIu sitarounu comparing
lattIe scars vith a Irienu oI mine vho vas aIso an
incarnateIama.AincarnateIamaisaninuiviuuaIvho
purposeIy takes a relirth in a recognizeu Iineage oI
teachers+noruertocontinuevorkingIorthelenehtoI
others.IntheTiletantrauition,thisinvoIvesintensive,
highIuiscipIineutraining.Nytutoruseutopinchme
58
TAKING OUR SEAT
orusealamloosvitch,lutmyIrienustutorvasmore
extreme. He taught his charge to hoIu his meuitation
posture ly making him sit Ior hours on a rock sur-
rounueu ly thorn lushes. II he moveu, heu le stuck
viththorns.AIthoughitsounusharsh, itvaseIIective
inteachinghimtositvestiUanuupright.
The reason these tutors put so much emphasis on
sittingupstraightisthatsIouchingimpairsthelreath-
ing, vhich uirectIy aIIects the minu. II you sIump,
youIIlestruggIingvithuiscomIortinyourlouyatthe
sametimethatyouretringtotrainyourminu.Vat
you vant to le uoing is the opposite. synchronizing
yourloJyanuminu.
AIter you vork vith getting your spine straight,
pIaceyourhanusonyourthighs.TheshouIuntrestso
IarIorvaruthatitleginstopuUyourshouIuersuovn,
nor so Iar lack thatthe shouIuers contract anu pinch
the spine. The hngers are cIose anu reIaxeu-not
spreauoutinagrip,asiIyoucantIetyourseIIgo.
TuckyourchininanureIaxyour]av.Thetongueis
aIso reIaxeu, the tip resting against your upper teeth.
Your mouth is ever so sIight| open. Your gaze is
uovnvaruviththeeyeIiushaIIshut.IIthegazetakes
intoomuch,itviIIleharutoaliuepeaceIuIIy. nthe
otherhanu,cIosingtheeyescompIeteImightencour-
age youtoIaUasIeep ortovithuravyourminu hom
thetechnique. IIyourminuIeeIsremoveuanuinsuIar,
59
S AKYONG MIP HAM
intense anu uark, t raising the gaze anu aIloving
morespaceintoyourpractice.TheeyesarentIook
ng,
ly the vay, the eyes ]ust see. It is the same vith
sounuve arent Iistening, lut ve uo hear. In other
vorus,ve'renotIocusingvithoursenses.
The ltrststepoIthemeuitationtechniqueispIace-
ment. pIacing our minu on the ol]ect oI meuitation.
neoIthe TiletanvorusIormeuitationisgom, vhich
means''tolecomeIamiIiarvith.Inmeuitationveare
introuuceu to an ol]ect anu lecome IamiIiar vith it.
Ve couIu use any ol]ect a pellIe, a ame, or the
louy.urusuaIol]ectoImeuitationanutheminuis
aIvaysmeuitatingonsomethingisme.
In peaceFI aliuing, the ol]ect is the simpIe act oI
lreathing.ThelreathrepresentsleingaIiveintheim-
meuiacyoIthemoment.PIacingtheminuonthelreath
anu returning to it again anu again is the essence oI
shamatha. Through resting theminuonthelreathve
stay present, avake, anu minuIuI. PIacement means
staying vith the IeeIing oI thelreathing. The ov oI
thelreathsoothesthe minu anu aIIovsIorsteauiness
anureIaxation.ItaIsoreuucesuiscursiveness.
Thisisoruinalreathing;nothingisexaggerateu.
Ve]ustlreathe. II youre having a haru time stang
vith thelreathspacing out or Iosing track letveen
lreathing out anu lreathing incounting the in- anu
out-cycIes oI the lreath can le a heIpIuI remeuy to
40
TAKING OUR SEAT
lringyourseIIlackto Iocus.Velreathe in, anuthen
out ~one.Inanuthenout -two. IIyouusethismethou,
countsevenortwen-onelreathsanuthenstartover.
II you lecome uistracteu anu Iose count, start over
againatone.nceyouaremoreIocuseu,youcanurop
thecounting.
Becoming IamiIiar vith the sultIe rhythms oI the
lreath is part oI the naturaI ueveIopmentoI peaceIuI
aliuing.VerepIacing theminu onthevhoIe lreath,
anuittakestimetoIeeIvhatthatis.Vemightuiscover
thatthelreathitseIIisnotassoIiuasourconceptoIthe
lreath. Ve might see that the voru breath uescriles
somethingthatisnotsomuchoneentiasaseriesoI
events. Air enters through the nostriIs, the aluomen
expanus,anuthelreathreststhereIoramoment.Then
the uiaphragm contracts anu the lreath Ieaves the
Iungs,gentIyexitsthenostriIs,anuuissoIvesintospace.
Lsingthelreathasourol]ectoImeuitationisve
goou lecause the air moving in anu out aIIovs us to
have some kinu oIsteauinessincontrast vith ouruis-
cursiveness.ItaIsoaIIovsustoreIax.Thatisthevirtue
oI the lreathing. Through pIacing our minu on this
process, ve reIax our vhoIe leing. Tensions legin to
uissoIve.ThelreathingsoothestheminuanuaIIovsit
torest. Asour thoughts sIovuovnanu vesettIe into
ourseIves,theuivisionletweenminuanulouyIessens.
VestarttoIeeIourheartleating.VesensetheovoI
41
S AKYONG MIPHAM
ourlIoou.VecanaImostIeeIourlones.Velecomea
vhoIeleing,vithasynchronizeulouyanuminu.
But that's not aII that's happening. As ve sit anu
pIaceourminuonthelreath,thenaturaIpIayIuInessoI
theminucontinuaIIarises.ThemovementoIthoughts
anu emotions uistracts us. Ve tenu to get Iost in the
oou. Ve're thinking alout hovinteresting it is that
ve'reltnaIIymeuitating, anuvonuervhatour Irienus
viIIthink. Ve're thinkingaloutvhereve parkeu the
car. Ve're thinking alout hov goou a cookie vouIu
taste rightnov. Ve're thinking that ve're sIeepy anu
couIuuseacupoIcoIIee. ThesethoughtsareIittIesto-
riesve'reteIIing ourseIves. Nost oIthemconcernthe
pastanuIuture,notthepresent.
VemaylecomesveptavayIoravhiIeanuIorget
that the lreath not the thoughts anu emotions is
the ol]ect oI our meuitation. The technique at this
point is that vhen ve notice that ve're thinking, ve
acknovIeugeit.VecanIaleIiti vevish Thinking.
Vhether ve IaleI it or not, vhen ve notice it, ve
lring our minus lack to the lreath. In acknovIeug-
ing thoughts, ve're recognizing the movement oI the
minu,theviIunessoItheleviIuereuminu.Ve'retrain-
ing in avareness oI vho ve are as human leings.
Ve'retraininginleingunuistracteuanuIocuseu.Ve're
traininginleingIuIIypresentIorourIives.
42
TAKING OUR SEAT
Ior exampIe, vere hoIuing a sturuy anu reIaxeu
posture anu have pIaceu our minu on the lreath.Ve
reIaintothelreathinganuareinthemiustoIpeace-
FIIyrestingourminuvhenathoughtpopsupIhope
Iuonthuvetocookagaintonight.Vyuoesntanyone
eIsecookuinner? Imthe onIone inthehousevhos
reaII vorking anymore. Vho uo they think I am,
Superman?urpeaceIuIaliuinghasleenooueuly
a current oIthinking thatisalout tolecome an emo-
tionaI torrent. At some point, ve see this. h! Im
thinking.AcknovIeuging it, veaIIovthe thought to
uissipate, anuve returntothelreath.VereaIize that
novve are practicing meuitation, so itisnotthetime
tothinkaloutthosethingsluttosimpIpayattention
toourlreathing.Ve reIocusour attentionanusay to
ourseIves,NovIampI
cingmyminuonthelreath.
BeginningtomeuitateisIikeIearninghovtoriuea
horse. ve have to Iearn to laIance.Vere Iearning to
laIancevorkingviththelreath,sittingupstraight,anu
recognizing, acknovIeuging, anu reIeasing thoughts.
Ve IeeI Iike ve shouIu le alIe to uo this right avay,
lut meuitation is reIativeIy suLtIe, anu getting it aII
cooruinateu takes some time. As vere Iearning to
peaceFII aliue, veII le IaIing uovn, getting up,
IaIIinguovn,gettingup.ItsimportanttolegentIeanu
aIIov a lit oI a grace periou. VeII tenu to hoIu our
45
S AKYONG MI PHAM
minu too tight. Vere sitting there, a thought arises,
anu ve think, "h| Thoughts are lau. Ve lecome
irritateu tring to ueaI vith the thought, so ve over-
reactanu squashit. Yetatthisstageacertainamount
oIthinkingisinevitalIe.
EventuaIIvelegintoreaIizethattelreathitseII
issoothing. Veen]oy thelreath. ItsnotsomesortoI
nasreminuertovorkharuer.VeresimpIlreathing
inanuout. ItsasiIvereuiscoveringIorthehrsttime
thatvearelreathinghumanleings.Thenvemightgo
throughaperiouoI meuitationvhereve reaIize, ''Ny
goouness, my heart has to leat anu my lIoou has to
ovinoruerIormetostayaIive |Vereexperiencing
our physicaI louy. Vere ueveIoping the aliIi to
checkinviththatvelasicquaIioIvhoveare.Ve
mightevenexperienceaIeveIoIIearvhenveseehov
tenuousitaIIis.
VeneeuprecisiontoappIythetechniqueanulring
ourminuslacktothelreath.Itssaiuthatgreatmeui-
tatorslecomesocentereuthattheycanIeeItheirlIoou
ov. They can actuaIIy sense theatomicIeveI oItheir
ceIIuIar structure. Ve neeu gentIeness to keep the
process neutraI anu Iight-hanueu. Ve uont neeu to
anaIze or ]uuge a thought vhen it arises-or ]uuge
ourseIves Ior having it. The contents oI the thought,
vhether its alout the IootlaII game or our ueepest,
uarkestsecret, areneithergoounor lau. Athoughtis
44
TAKING OUR SEAT
]ustathought. ChastisingourseIvesIorthinkingisaIso
]ustathought. Sothe instruction istoseethethought
asauistractionanucomelacktothelreath.Thiskinu
oIgentIenessmakesIoraheaIthymeuitationpractice.
ne oI the main olstacIes to thoroughIy en]oying
meuitation is aches anu pains. ur knees throl, our
lackaches, ourshouIuersIeeItight. ThepossiliIioI
painisenoughoIaueterrenttokeepsomepeopIeIrom
practicing in the hrst pIace. I ohen encounter peopIe
vho assume that the meuitation posture is supposeu
tolepainIuI.ThatsunIortunate,lecauseitismeantto
IeeI goou. BouiIy pain is not a manuatoaspect oI
meuitation. PeaceFI aliuing is not restricteu to our
emotionaI state; meuitation reIaxes our vhoIe leing,
vhichoIcourseincIuuesthelouy.
SincevemaynotleaccustomeutosittingstiIIIor
IongperiousoItimevithoutleingheIuuplychairsor
piIIovs, hovever, vehavetolegentIevithourseIves.
ThereisaprocessoIgettinguseutotheposture.Vest-
ernersoItenltnutheiueaoIsittingoncushionsuaunt-
ing, lecause vere notuseu to sitting on the oor. In
Tilet anu other Asian countries, ovever, peopIe
arent comIortalIe sitting in chairs. HaIFay through
a lanquet once, I noticeu that Shilata Sensei, my
Japanese archeteacher, hau given upsitting Vest-
ernsIe,uravinghisIegsintoacross-Ieggeuposition
onhischair.Vhethervesitinachairoronacushion,
45
S AKYONG MI PHAM
the important point is to reaIize that louiIy pain can
anushouIulesootheuasvepractice.Inoruertomake
the]ourneyoImeuitation,vehavetoincIuueourlouy
in our practice anu aIIov it to Ioosen up as the minu
reIaxes.
nce veve settIeu into our posture, ve make a
cIear anu precise leginning to our practice. Its not
necessatouothisvithagongoraleII,thevayBuu-
uhists trauitionaI| uo, you can ]ust say to yourseII
something Iike, "N ov I viII legin to vork vith my
minuanuueveIoppeaceIuIaliuing.
YoucanstartlysittingIortenminutesonceauay.
II you vanttomake your session Ionger, expanu it to
tvenminutes. IIyouvanttositmorethanonce, t
sanuviching your uay letveen one session in the
morning anu one in the evening. II you cant practice
eveuay, choose three orIour uaysaveek Ior prac-
tice anu stay vith this scheuuIe. II youre temporariI
lusierthanusuaI~vorking onaligpro]ector taking
exams, Ior exampIe -au]ust your sitting scheuuIe
accoruingIanustickvithit.Consistencyisimportant.
(See Appenuix A, ''Preparing to Practice, Ior auui-
tionaIinIormation.)
At the enu oIyour session tnotto]ust]ump up
anu rush lack into your uaiIy activities. En]oy the
space that has leen createu ly your meuitation, anu
arise. Perhaps youII IeeIaIittIemoreIresh, cIear,anu
46
TAKING OUR SEAT
peaceFIthanleIoreyoustarteu.InuaiIyIiIe,youuont
havetocaroveranyparticuIartechnique. Oonteat,
urink, or vaIk Iike a zomlie. You can]ust reIax, anu
perhaps continue to aIIov your u
uerstanuing to
ueepen.VithaminuIesslusyviththoughtsanuchat-
ter, youve createu heIpIuI space vithin yourseII to
carIorvaruinto your uay.YouIIlinu iteasierto le
present loth in terms oI perceiving vhats happening
arounu you anu aIso in communicating more cIearI
vithothers.ItIIleeasiertoseethoughtsanuemotions
Iortheuistractionsthattheyare.
The instruction is reaIIy pret simpIe: vhen you
Ioseyourminu,comelack.Vhenthehorserunsavay
vith you, lring itlacktothe traiI. BepIayIuIinthis.
Experiment vith tuning into your sense perceptions,
IorexampIe,tolringthehorseunuercontroI.rprac-
ticestraighteningyourposturevhenyouseethatyour
minu has gone viIu. Practice meeting the eyes oI the
personyourevithanureaII Iisteningtovhattheyre
sayinginsteauoIpreIalricatingyourresponseasthey
speak. Lse the minuIuIness anu avareness that you
ueveIopeu onthecushion tostayinthe sauuIe oIyour
IiIe. ThenseeiIyoucanappreciatetheseIruitsoIprac-
ticevithoutexpectationorattachment.
AsmeuitationlecomespartoIyourIiIe,youmight
encounter olstacIesanuquestions. It'sheIpIuItohave
the support oI more experienceu practitioners vho
47
SAKYONG MIPHAM
have come Iace-to-Iace vith simiIarissues.A meuita-
tioninstructorcangiveyoutipsonaspectsoIpractice
thatyoultnuuiIltcuIt. TaIkingaloutyourexperiences
vith someone eIse anu leing part oI a co
mmunioI
IeIIovmeuitatorscanleatremenuoussupport. Inthe
lackoIthislook isaIistoIresourcesthatmightheIp
youinIocatingameuitationinstructor.
48
Fire
Mindfulne s s and
Awarene s s
Themoreconsistencyvithvhichvepracticelringing
our minu lack to the lreath, the more ve knov that
lasicstaliIiviUletherevhenvesituovntomeui-
tate.HovarevegoingtohoIutheminutothelreath!
Just ly taking our seat, veve got the viIu horse
sauuIeu.urtooIsintrainingitareminuFIness,trenpa,
anu avareness, rheh in, presentIy knoving. The
pover oI minuIuIness is that ve can ]ust lring our
minulacktothelreath;thepoveroIavarenessisthat
ve knov vhen to uo it. Avareness knovs vhen the
horsehasloIteu,anutelIsminuIuInesstolringitlack.
Bringing our minus lack to the lreath sounus
simpIe, lut vhen ve start to practice it, ve discover
thatitsquitetheopposite.VeresothoroughItraineu
inIoIIovingourthoughtsthatourminuIuInessisveak.
49
S AKYONG MIPHAM
ur avareness isnt too strong, either. At the legin-
ning, its haru Ior us to see vhere ve are anu vhat
vereuoing.
Thegoounevs is that minuFIness anu avareness
are intrinsic aspects oI the minu not something Ior-
eignthatveretringtolringin. înuIuInessisvhat
veuseto hoIu ourminustoanyol]ect thelreath, a
rock, or a lananaanu avareness is the inteIIigence
thatteIIsusvhatvereuoing.AvarenessisvhatteIIs
usthatthephoneisringing.VhenveansvertheteIe-
phone,itsminuluInessthathoIusustothevoiceatthe
otherenuIongenoughtoknovthatourmotheriscaII-
ing. So in meuitating properI, vere strengthening
aspects oI our minu that are aIreauy there. Its Iike
vorking out. In ueveIoping minuFIness anu avare-
ness, theminuleginstoIeeIitsstrengthanuitsaliIi
tosimpIlepresent. Veleginto getagIimpseoIthe
minusnaturaIstaliIi.
Vhen I ltrst starteu veight training, I couIu IiI
onIyaIittIelit.Butvitheverepetition,IvasluiIuing
my strength. I uiunt lecome strong Irom IiIing one
massiveveightatonce,lutIrornuoingrepetitionscon-
sistentIanureguIarIanuluiIuingstrengthovertime.
This is exactI hov ve strengthen minuIuIness anu
avarenessthroughconsistentanureguIarpractice.
A velegintomeuitate,vhatveexperiencemostis
themovementoItheviIu-horseminu. VereIoIIoving
50
MINDFULNES S AND AWARENES S
thelreathanu-vhoa|-thehorsehasgoneoIIthetraI
anuvereIostinthelushes,alouttogooveracIiII.That
aliIito noticevhereve are isavareness.Iike aspy
ontheIookoutIortroulIe,itaIertsminuFInesstocome
anu uo its ]ol. Sitting taU in
he sauuIe vith the reins

hrmIinhanu, velringthehorselack to thetraiI. In
syncvith the horse Iora moment, veIeeI tremenuous
energanucIari. ThisisapoverF
[
experience.Iora
momentourminucanreIaxanuexpanuout.
Then vhoa|the staIIions caught the scent oI
mare. Hes leengaUoping up a hiII Ior some uistance
leIore avareness kicks in anu teUs us that vere no
Ionger on the traiI. ur minu has uriIeu Irom the
lreath. Vere thinking alout the lest vay to make a
saIau, or careFIIy revieving theIastmovievesav. II
veIet ourseIvessit there anu think, ve areingraining
uiscursiveness. Hov uo ve lring ourseIves lack to
the lreath? Time to appIy minuIuIness. êuitation is
proactive.
înuIuInesshasthreequaIities.IamiIiari,remem-
lering, anu nonuistraction. OeveIoping these three
quaIitiesishovveIearn toriue our viIu-horse minu.
Thelreathisamechanismveusetopracticecentering
ourminuinthepresentmoment.Veleginlyusingit
tolecomeIamiIiarviththeminusnaturaIstaliIi.
Athrstverenotsurevhatthelreathis,anusome-
timesverenotalIeto recognize thepresentmoment,
51
S AKYONG MIPHAM
either. Oistractions keep puIIing usavay. AIter some
practice vere alIe to recognize a thought, Iet it go,
come lack, anu le present. Sometimes ve IeeI that
there is nothing to come lack to, so ve uont stay
arounu Ior Iong. Ve say, Nothing interesting here,
might a veII golackto Tasmania-orvhereverve
thought
ve vere leIore. II ve uont lecome IamiIiar

viththeinherentstaliIioItheminu,therevontever
leanythinginterestingaloutcominglacktothepres-
entmoment.VeII]ustlehoIuingonlyourlingernaiIs
lecausevethinkvehaveto.VeknovthatacknovI-
euging, recognizing, anu reIeasing thoughts reuuces
uiscursiveness, lut ve aIso neeu positive reasons Ior
cominglacktothelreath.
Thisis thevirtueoIIamiIiari. ncevereIaxanu
get into the movement anu rhythm oI the lreath, the
present moment anu the lreathlecome veIamiIiar.
uruistractionsanuuiscursivenessarenoIongerquite
so
seuuctive. By training our horse consistentI, ve

lecomeintimatevithhovitIeeIstolepeaceFII
Y
riu-
ingthetraiI.Veuratherrturntothepresentmoment
thanchaseathought,lecauseverelecomingIamiIiar
viththestaliIioIourminuanuveen]oyit.ItsreIax-
ing anu comIortalIe to rest there, Iike going to our
roomtoleaIonevhenthehouseisFIIoIpeopIe.
TheseconuaspectoI minuFIness isrememlering.
RememleringhasanunstuuieuquaIi,IikenotIorget-
52
MINDFULNESS AND AWARENESS
ting our ovn Iace. It means vere so steauy in our
minuIuIness that ve aIvays knov vhat vere uoing
inthe present moment; vere aIvaysrememlering to
hoIu our minu to the lreath. II vere caught up in
thought, vereIorgettingthatveremeuitating.Vhen
vere repIaying Iast nightshockey game in our heau,
veveIostourminuIuIness.RememleringisIikeleing
in Iove. Vherever you go, yourIover is aIvays inthe
continuum oI your minu. Youre aIvays conscious oI
vhoyourIoveris, vhere yourIover is, anuvhatyour
Iovermightleuoing.
Inleginningmeuitationve experience the move-
ment oI the viIu minu. As ve ueveIop minuIuIness,
lecoming IamiIiar vith the lreath anu rememlering
toreturn,velinaIIysettIeintothiscontinuousstateoI
not Iorgetting. It takes reguIar practice. BeIore, the
minuvasscattereu. AsitstaliIizes, itsnaturaIaspects
arise. It has more energ to le vhere it is-vhich is
minuFIness-anu to knov vhatitsuoing-vhich is
avareness. The staliIi proviues a continuum that
lecomesaIounuationIorluiIuingstrength.
Ve seethisstrengthinthethiruaspectoIminuIuI-
ness, vhich isnonuistraction. As ve ueveIop nonuis-
traction, vepIacetheminuonthelreathanuitstays.
Though its haru to imagine vhen ve hrst legin to
meuitate, iIvestickvithourpractice, ourminusten-
uencytoyIikeahorseoutoIthegateviIIuisappear.
55
SAKYONG MI PHAM
The minus naturaI staliIi anu strength viII sh
e
throughany potentiaI uistractionoruiscursiveness. It
sees, it hears, it smeIIs, it thinks, it IeeIs -lut it no
IongerchasesviIuIyahertheseperceptions.ItnoIonger
]umps arounu. Vith the mentaI Irequency no Ionger
vilratingvithmovement, veexperiencethenaturaIIy
evenanuimmovalIequaIioItheminu.
Vhen youre training a horse, at hrst youhave to
kick it to make it go Ieh. Iater aII you have to uo is
make one IittIe ltnger gesture anu the horse immeui-
ateIy uoes vhat you vant. Youre in tune vith each
other,anutheresasenseoIcompIeteharmony.Riuing
uoesntexhaustyou-]ustasmeuitatingvontexhaust
you.nceyouueveIopthisrapportviththehorse,you
canIethereinsgo.ThehorseviIInaturaIIyveeravay
Iromlranches;itviIIsIovuovniIitsuangerous.Vith
meuitationvereueveIopingthesamekinuoIrapport
anuunuerstanuing vithour minu. nce veve tameu
ourminu,itstaysinthepresentmoment.
VhenvehaveueveIopeutheeIementsoIIamiIiar-
i, rememlering, anu nonuistraction, ve can say ve
aretruIyminuIuI. urminuIuInessismature.Vehave
vinuhorse-an upIiIteu IeeIing oI uiscipIine anu
ueIight. Ve're no Ionger so uistracteuthat vhen ve
lringourseIveslacktothelreath,vehavetohoIuon
Ior uear IiIe. Ve can see cIearIy vhat is. This cIari
is alIe to perceive phenomena vej uirectIy. Vhat
54
MINDFULNESS AND AWARENESS
usuaIIy hides it is the discursive activi oI thoughts
andemotions.Asthechatterleginstodissipate,cIari
hasanopportunitoarise.
This quaIi oI the mind IS straightIorvard and
vilrant. Theres notaIotoIthinkinggoingon,andve
perceive vej cIearIy vhat is happening in our lody
and in theenvironment. The mindIeeIsIight -and at
the same time it is not disturled, lecause it is stalIe.
Ve can experience this sam cIarioI mind in mun-
danesituations-vhenthesuncomesoutaIterastorm,
vhenveroIIinthesnovaItertakingasauna.InTilet
peopIe say that it's Iike takinga lath in miIk. I vent
snorkeIingrecentIy,anditvasavervividexperience.
NylodyIeItIightandluoyant,andtherevasapene-
trating cIari to the sunIight shining through the
turquoisevaterontheFshandthecoral
NindIuIness and avareness lring us into such a
space,andasvestaythereIonger,thatspacegetslig-
gerandligger.VehavethealiIitoleintimatevith
the vhoIe environment -our state oI mind and the
quaIi oI our meditation. ur avareness is so keen
that, IikeasheriIIintheViIdVest, itcan seetroulIe
lreving leIore iteven hits the horizon. ôtonIy are
vealIetomaintainourseatandkeepthehorseonthe
traiI,vereaIsoalIetoextendourseIvespanoramicaIIy.
BeIore it even arises, ve can prevent a thought Irom
destaliIizingourmindIuIness. Thisis hovveproIong
55
SAKYONG MI PHAM
thecontinuioIpeaceIuIaLiuing.Atthispointvecan
say, Iam minuIuI oI the horse. I am minuIuI oI my
meuitation.IammindIuIoIthepresentmoment.
IIthecushion,verenoIongerIostinuayureams.
Vere minuIuI oI our Ioou anu it tastes better. Vere
minuIuI oI sounus-music is more leautiIuI. Vere
minuIuIoIthepeopIearounuus-veappreciatethem
more. Ve IeeI more aIive anu enthusiastic alout IiIe,
lecausetheresIessluIIerletveenourseIvesanuvhats
happening. ur minu is a poverIuI aIIy that heIps us
Iocusonvhatveneeu touo.stuuy, pIay sports, cook.
EverthingveuoseemsmoresimpIe,straightIorvaru,
anucIear.
TotaImindIuInessmeansleingcompIeteIy intune,
kinuoIIiketheoIuspirituaI]argonoIleingonevith
something. (Hovever, in Buuuhist terms, there is no
onetolevith.) True minuIuIness isnoseparation
letveenhereanuthere.ItsaIongvayIromthelegin-
ning oI practice, lut ve can certainIy aspire to reach
the point vhere ve can say, I am the lreath, as
opposeu to I knov the lreath. Thesense oIsepara-
tion letveen our minu anu the lreath legins to uis-
soIve. At this stage theres nothing to hoIu on to; ve
transcenu evej reIerence point. TheuuaIisticminu is
uissoIving. Ve experienceunivith the lreath. The
Iess uuaIi ve experience, the Iess ve viII suIIer.
EventuaIIy, our uuaIistic minu exhausts itseII. Ve no
56
MINDFULNESS AND AWARENES S
Ionge
needanol]ectoImeditation.ThenaturaIquaI-
i oI meditation reIaxes into loundIess, unimpeded
Ireedomandspace. TheduaIisticstruggIeisover.This
IS peace.
BeIorevereachthatpointoIunivithspace,the
mindhastolestrong,stalIe,andcIear.Thatsvhyve
meditate.CeneraIIyspeaking, the mind isaIvays out-
sideo
inside itseII-inside in thatitsseII-olsessed,

and outside in that itsaIvaysIeaving. Hovever, ly
deveIoping mindIuIness and avareness, the mind is
leingdravnlacktoitseIIinapositivevay.lysettIing,
it lecomes an aII. Vere compIeteIy in tune and
harmonious vith it, and its a ]oy and a reIieI to le
ourseIves.
57
Six
How to Gather
a Scattered Mind
TheleviIuereu minuspenus muchoIitstimeracing
Irom uistraction to uistraction, Irom sounu to sight to
smeII,IromIeeIingtouesiretouisappointment.Itsina
constantstateoIirtation. nanygivenuay,ourcon-
sciousnessisIragmenteuanuscattereuinaIIuirections.
Yet vhen thunuer shakes the sky, ve're suuuenIy
sharpIy Iocuseu. Iora moment our scattereu minu is
gathereu vhoIe, pIaceuIuIIy onthesounu. Iora spIit
seconuvearecompIeteIymeuitatingonthunuer.
Ve practice peaceIuI aliuing in oruer to cuItivate
that kinu oI one-pointeu attention. It gives us the
potentiaI to have stronger, more Iocuseu access to
vhatever ve're uoing. Ve settIe uovn to practice in
oruertouravinthescattereuenergoItheviIu-horse
minu. Ve're lringing the minu to attention. Vith
minuIuIness anu avareness, ve gentIy anu preciseIy
58
HOW TO GATHER A SCATTERED MIND
prourminuavay lrom lantasies, chatter, anu sultIe
vhispers olthoughts, pIacing it vhoIIy hereanu nov
upon the lreath. Ve uo this lecause our scattereu
minu continuaIIy seuuces us av lrom our staliIi,
cIari,austrength.SovecenterourseIvesmourminu
anu pIace that minu on the lreath. Ve gather it to
grounuourseIvesinaheaIthysenseolseIl-vhoIesome,
laIanceu, conFuent, pIialIe.
Cathering the minu is a grauuaI process. Ve can
imaginetheminus activias circIes olIightrauiating
outvaru. PeaceluI aliuing isIiketaking theuisperseu
59
SAKYONG MI PHAM
Iight anu gathering it into ourseIves. As ve gather it
cIoser, it grovs lrighter. The outermost circIe repre-
sents ouruaiIy IiIe. As ve movein tovaru the center,
ve vork vith uiIIerent IeveIs oI thoughtsIrom the
gross to the sultIe. The Iight grovs grauuaIIy more
Iocuseu. The point in the miuuIe oI the circIe repre-
sents the Iortituue anu cIari that underIie the viIu-
nessoIourscattereuminu.
ShamathapracticeleginsvithgatheringourseIves
at the outermost circIevho ve are in our vorIu.
Sometimes vhen Im instructing chiIuren I say, II Sit
thereanuthinkaloutvho youare. Thinkaloutvhat
youIikeanuvhatyouuontIike.Thinkaloutvhatitis
tolemeananuvhatitistolekinu.VeshouIuuothis
samekinuoIcontempIationleIorepIacingourminuon
the lreath. Perhapsveve neverleIoretakenthetime
to see ourseIves so cIearIy. Naking our minu an aIIy
requiresseII-avareness on eveIeveI. SoaItervesit
uovnanuleIoreveleginpracticingthetechnique,ve
shouIu sIov uovn anu reect on our presence in the
vorIu.VeneeutothinkIoraIevinutesaloutvhat
ve Iike anu vhat ve uont Iike, vhat vere vorrieu
alout, anuvhereinourIivesveIeeIa sense oIreIieI.
This is hov ve cuItivate seII-avareness even at the
outer ring oIour Iives. Having the patience anuhon-
esto le seII-avare isthe lasis oIa heaIthy sense oI
60
seII.VeemlouythisheaIthinessinthemeuitationpos-
ture.grounueu,laIanceu,anureIaxeu.That'svhatve
gatherintheoutercircIeoIshamatha.
VetakeastepintothenextcircIevhenveleginto
appIythetechnique,loIIongthelreathanuacknovI-
euging thoughts a they aise. As nev meuitators,
veIIprolalIylesurpriseu lyhovmany thoughts ve
have.Vhenvetakeourseatsanurestourminusonthe
lreath,thesheervoIumeolthoughtscanleovervheIm-
ing.ThisexperienceissoveIIuocumenteulytheIineage
oImeuitatorsthatit'strauitionahuescrileua avater-
IaII.VeremoreaIIecteulthevoIumeoIvaterrushing
overtheIaIsthanlyourthoughts'varieorintricacies.
Nov ve may think, ((I vasnt this leviIuereu
leIore.NeuitationhasmauemystateoIminuvorse.It
vas supposeu to give me peace, Iileration, anu tran-
quiIi, lut nov Im more ang anu irritateu than
ever. Eitherve'reright,anumeuitationuoesincrease
mentaIactivianual thosepractitionersoverthou-
sanus olyears, vho vere some oI the most lriIIiant
peopIeever,verevrong~ormayle vere]ustrecog-
nizingaIeveIolthoughtanuemotionthatvehaunever
stoppeutonoticelelore.ThisgIimpseolourviIuanu
overheateu minu Irightens us. Neuitation is shoving
usthenatureoItheleast. Thisisvhyittakescourage
topracticepeaceluIaliuing.
61
SAKYONG MI PHAM
At ltrstourpracticerevoIvesarounujustrecogniz-
ing the inuiviuuaI thoughts in the rush. Iinuing the
lreathvithinthetorrentoItho
ghtsmightIeeIimpos-
silIe.Veknovitsheresomevhere,lutvhenveIook
Iorit, vegetIostanuuistracteuly thevaterIaIl This
stage is reaIIy important, vorthy oI appreciation. By
recognizing the viIuess oI our minu, ve legin to
ueveIop synerg vith it. Seeing the torrentiaI rain oI
thoughts is hov ve legin to train thehorse. Ve can
regaruthisasapositiveexperience,eventhoughitmay
not IeeIthat vay. Ve cant possilIy meuitate vithout
havinghrstexperienceutheviIunessoIourminu.
So ve simpIy recognize those thoughts, anu then
verecognizethemagain.Verenoticingthemovement
oIourminu. nceveverecognizeuthem,veleginto
acknovIeuge them in passing. h| A thought | The
point is to le quick anu neutral II ve Iook at the
thought sIovIy, ueIilerateIy, or juugmentaIIy, veII
onIy auu more thoughts to the process. That vont
heIp. A thought has occurreu~it is neither goou nor
lau.RecognizinganuacknovIeuginglringsuslackto
vhereveare,sittingonacushionanutrIng topIace
our minu on the lreath. Vere Iearning hov to cut
throughtheuiscursiveness.
At evestage, shamatha is a practice oInoticing
hov the minu vilrates~hov it creates sto, speeu,
anusoIiui ~anuIearninghovtotuneittothepresent
62
moment. As leginning practitioners, ve're acuteI
avare oI the movement oI the minu. To recognize a
thoughtis to see the minu vilrating. To acknovIeuge
thatve'rethinking sIovs themovementuovn. Vhen
ve recognize the minu's movement, ve reaIize the
possiliIi oI peaceluI aliuing. Vhen the menmI lre-
quenc is no Ionger vilrating vith movement, ve
experience the naturaIIeven anu immovalIe quaIi
oltheminu,ilonIIoramoment.
In gathering our scattereu minu ve legin to uis-
covervhovereaIIarerightnov,justlseeingthat
theveloIthoughts ve soIiuilteu as meisactuaIIa
series oI vilrations. II ve uon't Iearn to see through
thisvel,hovever, ourcontinuaIureamIikelalrication
oI''me"viIIcontinuetoleourmeuitation.VecouIule
enveIopeuinitlorourvhoIeIile. BeIievingthatthought
patterns are a soIiu seIlis the source olour leviIuer-
ment anu sullering. Seeing through this simpIe mis-
unuerstanuingistheleginningolenIightenment.
ThemeuimtiontechniqueengenuerscIarilecause
inrecognizing,acknovIeuging,anureIeasingthoughts,
ve reaIize that the minu's movement isn't me. Ve
uon'thavetocIingtoitasiIitvereaIiIeraIt. Ve'IIstiII
le here even ilve Iet go. ReIeasing the thoughts anu
returning to the lreath gives us a sense olspace anu
reIiel. In that instant ve are grounueu, so to speak,
lecause ve can see ourseIves as separate Irom our
63
SAKYONG MI PHAM
thoughts anu emotons. Theresustanceletveenour-
seIvesanuourthoughts.
Neutaton aIIovs us to reIax our grp on
/I "
me
lecauseverealIetoseethethoughtsnotsomuchas
our personaI uent, lut more as the eIIects oI the
speeuoIourmnu.Veganperspectve.Vecanseethe
thoughtscome anu go. VerenotsoImteuly them.
SuuuenIy everthng IaIIs nto pIace. Ve mght have
spentourentreIIe -anumanyIIetmesover,accoru-
ng to the Buuuhst teachngs -uent[ng vth the
movementoIourmnu. NovmnuIuInessanu avare-
ne
ss present us vththerevoIutonar opportunto

olservethatmovementvthoutlengsveptntot.
ItremnusmeoIrock cImlng. IIyou hoIutghtto
the rock, your Iorearms Iock up anu you cant move.
Theresa paraIyzeu quaI. ButIyoumakesomeus-
tance leneen yourseII anu the rock ly reIaxng anu
Ieannglack, your muscIes lecomeexlIeanuvork-
alIe.YoucanmakeyourvayaIongtherockasveIIas
see vhere youre gong. In the same vay, ly puttng
ustance letveen ourseIves anu our thoughts, our
mnus lecome more pIalIeanu vehavemorecIar
aloutoururectonnIIe.
nce ve get the hang oIacknovIeugng thoughts
anupIacngourmnusonthelreath,vetakeastepn
tovaruthecenteroIthecrcIe. Herevemghtmeetthe
64
luII-lIovn fantasy. A lantasy is a ver Iarge thouglt
that has the pover to take us lar, lar avay lrom the
presentmoment. ItsIikeastorthatveteIIourseIves,
amoviethatverun,asoapoperathaturavsusinanu
putsus inatrance. Becauseitspotentanualsorling,
veu sometimes rather leIieve a lantasy than reaIi.
Lnuer its speII, ve uont even rememler that vere
meuitating.
Ioncehauastuuentvhovasinathree-yearcalin
retreat. At the enu oloneyem, I vent to his calinto
uiscuss his meuitation. He toIu me alout some olhis
experiences-various insights anu images hau come
up-anuhehauseveraIquestionslorme.Heventinto
passionate uetaiI alout some olhis iueas. He seemeu
to vant me to conFrm his experience. I Iisteneu anu
assureu him that I lounu his reveIations interesting.
Vithout sayingthat hevas rightorvrong, I encour-
ageuhimtokeeppracticing.
Aye
rIater Ipaiuhimanothervisit. This timehe

vascaImer,morereIaxeu.Alouttheexperiences heu
shareuvithmelelore,hesaiumatter-ol-lactIy, h, I
uroppeuaIIthat. I reaIizeuitvas]ustagiantthought.
ItIasteualoutayear, anuinthepastlev months Ive
|ustseenitlorvhatitvasanuIetitgo. ItleItIikeuis-
persing a cIouu. He seemeumuch more at easevith
himseIl, as i heumauean importantanu courageous
65
SAKYONG MI PHAM
uiscover.Anuhehau.thoughtscanIastIoraIongtime
leIore ve recognize them, lut iI ve keep practicing,
vevnIseethemIorvhattheyare.
IIvereIantasizing alout going on a IonghoIiuay
canoeing onthe Amazon River, vecanseetheIoIiage
anutastevhatveregoingtoeatatthenextmeaI,lut
itmaytakeavejIongtimetonoticevhatvereuoing
vith our minus. Vhen ve legin to meuitate, ve can
consiuerourseIvesveII-traineuiI vere]ustalIetosee
thatvereIantasizing, eveniIverecaughtupIormost
oI a meuitation session. Sooner or Iater ve see hov
Iantasy alout Ioou, sex, revenge, vho saiu vhat to
vhom, orvhat veregoing to uovhen vere Fnisheu
practicinghasthe povertotakeoverour minu. Ve
legintoseehovIantasycancontinuaIIykeepusIrom
thepresentmoment,hovitsteaIsouraliIitoIocus,
tomoveIorvaruinourtraining.AttheenuoItheses-
sion,vecanaskourseIves,HovmuchoIthetimevas
I actuaIIy here? Hov many countries anu hov many
peopIeuiuIvisit?AgreatueaIoIthesessionviIIhave
leen alout ueaIing vith those viIu, vej intricate
thoughts.VeusethetechniqueoIhoIuingourminuto
the lreath to heIp steauy us enough to ueaI vith the
viIuthoughts. Iearning to recognize the Iantasy anu
reIeaseourseIvesIromitishovveluiIuupsomekinu
oIstrength.
66
The instruction Ior vorking vith a Iantasy is ]ust
IiketheinstructionIorvorkingvithanyotherthought.
As soon as ve notice this kinu oI uistraction taking
pIace, ve acknovIeuge it as thinking anu kiss it
goou-lye.We havetosaygoou-lyetothatverpotent
thoughtthatmighthoIuaIItheangervevecookeuup,
oraIIthe sexuaI energ, oraIIthe insecuri. StiII, ve
acknovIeugeitaureturntothelreathiIvecan.
Sometimesits]ustaskingtoomuchoIourseIvesto
le that precise. HoIuing the minu too tightIy can le
harmIuI. Whenour controI is too tight, the minu viII
loItattheearIiestopportuni. IantasytakesussoIar
avay-having a romantic vacation in Tahiti, lrghting
vithourmotherinanotherstate~ thatvearenteven
avare oI our louy, not to mention the lreath. Suu-
uenIyuroppingavejligthoughtIortheimmeuiacyoI
the lreath can le too harsh. In vorking vith Iarge
thoughts,upsizingtheol]ectoIourmeuitationoIIersa
more gentIe approach. Wecan change the size oIthe
pastureIorthehorse.
ne vay to vorkvithIargethoughts issimpIy to
lringyourseIIlacktotheroomyouresittingin.Trto
remain present in the room anu Iet the environment
grounuyouuntiIyouIeeIyourseIIin yourlouy. Then
reconnectviththelreathing.IItherearesmaIIthoughts
coming up, ve might appreciate them, BeIore, I vas
67
SAKYONG MI PHAM
thinkingaloutleingattheNorthPoIe.NovImvon-
ueringvhatsIoruinner.Thatsanimprovement.Anu
itis:atIeast verehere. IIvehaveacoupIeoIsmaIIer
thoughts,thatsnotaprolIem.VeareatIeastdome what
here.CominglackinstagesanugrauuaIIyre-engaging
the lreath is one oI the most eIIective vays to vork
vithIantasies.
IantasiespIay a IargesupportingroIeinmaintain-
ingthe haveaniceuayapproach.TheyIeeuonhoe
anuIear, vhichcreatesvorj.Veuontneeutospenu
our meuitation vorjing. Vorjing anu anxie Ieau
to stress, anu stress causes suIIering. The suIIering
createulyhopeanuIearroutineIycIouusourpercep-
tionoIvhatishappeninginthepresentmoment.Vere
lusy spinning out lest- anu vorst-case scenartos,
ratherthanreIaxingvhereveare.
urrootIantasyisthat IamreaIanuthattheres
avaytomake mehappy.Thereasonvemeuitate is
toIetthatIantasyunravel^teravhiIe,venoticethat
muchoIvhatvetooktolereaIanupermanentalout
ourseIves isnt so soIidits a string oI thoughts ve
hoIu together vithtremenuous eIIort. Veve luiIt an
iuenti out oI a thin vel o
concepts. It can le as
simpIe as thinking that veII le happy iI ve ]ust get
vhatvevant.
As veventureintothenextcircIeoIshamatha, ve
encounterstrong emotions. EveninourmosttranquiI,
68
open-mindedstate,itishardtovorkvithemotions.So
hrst ve sIov dovn, lreathe, and staliIize our mind.
ThenvecantakeoneoItvoapproaches.Thehrstone
dependson our aliIito stick vith thetechnique. II
veve deveIoped our practice to the point vhere ve
can]ust lreathe and Iet a strong emotion go, thats
vhatveshouIddo. ReIyingonourstalIemind,vecan
Iet the pover oI our meditation lring us lack to the
lreath,vhichgivesusspace.Thentheemotionlegins
toIoseitsgrip.
TheotherapproachistodismantIetheemotionly
contempIatingit. OismantIingisgroundedinknoving
thatno matter hov soIid the emotion IeeIs, its Ialri-
cated. Evething in the vorId is made oI parts, and
emotion is no diIIerent. The most painIuI, poverIuI
aspectoInegativeemotionsisthattheyseemcompIete
and vhoIe. A thought luiIds into a crescendo caIIed
emotion, vhich ve then emlody. The tight laII oI
hatred,desire,or]eaIousyIeeIssosoIidthatveactuaIIy
IeeIitinourlodyasaIumpinourthroat,arisingvave
oIheat,anachingheart.Vhenverecaughtupinneg-
ativi, itshardtoimaginepenetratingit,crackingits
sheII. II vere caught in hatred, Ior exampIe, it pos-
sessesustotaIIy-lody, speech, andmind. EveniIve
dontactitoutlyshoutingatsomeoneorsIamminga
door,veIetitlurnIikeaviIdhreinourmind,stoking
itviththoughtsoIaggression,thedesiretodoharm.
69
SAKYONG MIPHAM
IetssayvereyinginanairpIane.Inonemoment
the ight attenuant is serving us Ioou anu urink, anu
in the next the airpIane makes a suuuen urop. ne
minute ve
eeI saIe, then Iear is aII there is. Even

thoughthepiIotquickIyregainscontroIoIthepIane,it
takesusaIongtimetoregaincontroIoIourminu.Even
vhen vere saIeIy on the grounu, the Iear is so soIiu
thatveIeeInervousaloutyingagain.
EspeciaIIyas ve ueveIopstaliIianulaIance, ve
legin to see hov our minu Iorms itseII into various
emotions.
AemotionthatIeeIsasligasahousecanleuis-
mantIeu lrick ly lrick. In uismantIing, ve use the
emotion as the ol]ect oI meuitation. Emotion is a
response to something orsomelouy. It isnt premeui-
tateuorIogicaIinanyvay.ThevayuismantIingvorks
is that ve engage the missing eIement. reason. Ve
legin investigating the IeeIing. Vhy am I ]eaIous!
Vhathasmaueme IeeI this vay! Ior a moment ve
restourminuonthesequestionsinsteauoIthelreath.
Themorereasonvehave,1hemoreeIIectiveouraliI-
i to uismantIe viII le. In contempIating the reasons
that our negative emotions have come togetheranu
hov they create pain, suIIering,anuanxieve can
legin to take them apart. Vith reason ve see the
source oIthe emotion. vhat somelouy saiu to us, the
uisappointment oI an expectation ve vere LoIuing.
70
Nayle the reason snt a person, lut an ol]ect -a
charora car or a pece oIcIothng orIoouslehnu
our uesre or hatreu or ]eaIousy. Vhen ve contem-
pIate the emoton, ve legn to see that the person or
ol]ectsnotthereasonIorvhatveIeeI. We 7re therea-
son. The emoton s a creaton oI our mnu. Veve
turneuathoughtntoaseemngIysoIuentanuheIu
ontot.
In ever emotonaI stuaton, theres a sul]ect, an
ol]ect, anu an acton. Ior exampIe, rungn a carn
InuasaIrustratngexperence. TheroausarelareIy
vue enough Ior one car, anu theyre vej lumpy.
Vhen yourestucklehnuasIovtruckthatsspevng
ueseI smoke -as t seems they aII uo~theres evej
reason to vant to pass, lut ts rareIy posslIe. You
lecome olsesseu vth the roau, the truck, anu your
uesre,anuaheravhIeaIIyoucanthnkaloutshov
angjyouare.VhenyouhnaIIypass,youseethatthe
truckurvers]ustapoormantjngtoekeoutaIv-
ng.YourangerIghtensmmeuateIy.
In ths stuaton, the sul]ect s me, the ol]ect s
thetruck,anutheactonslengstucklehnut. The
panoIthestuatonsaIsotheol]ect. Youre angjat
thetruckIorlengvherets,anuatyourseIIIorleng
vhereyouare.YoureaIsoangjatlengstuckntraI-
hc, anu youre angj at leng angj. These are the
componentsoIthsemoton.
71
SAKYONG MI PHAM
As ve think alout these components, the anger
IaIIs apart. The thought uravs us cIoser to the anger,
vhichisimportant.keepingouruistanceIromemotion
has asoIiui[ingeIIect. BycontempIating it, velegin
to veakenitspovertohoIuuscaptive, vhichcreates
space.ThecooInessoIreason-Iookingattheemotion,
questioning vhere it came Irom, seeking the source,
investigating the ol]ect -uissipates the heat oI the
emotion.Velegintovonuervhy veinvest so much
energinthisIeeIingthatvevecreateuvithourovn
minu. The lottom Iine is that everthing comes
together, anu evejthing IaIIs apart. SIovIy veregain
perspective,caIm,composure,anuuigni.Veseethat
thereisnoanger, nouesire, noattachment. urminu
IeeIs Iighter, anu ve can once again pIace it on the
lreath.
SometimesneitherIettinggonoruismantIingvorks.
Vere too traumatizeu to use inteIIigence or Iogic,
or to recognize anu reIease. Vere totaIIy possesseu,
anu contempIating the emotion onIy inames it Iur-
ther. Vere too cIose to the action. Its too soon to
investigate the scene oI the acciuent. In this case ve
neeJtocaImuovnanureIax. Thelestthingmightle
to get invoIveu in a soothing activi. go Ior a vaIk,
take a shover, reau a look, taIk to a Irienu, vatch a
movie. Vhen vere caImer, ve can come lack to the
72
cushion. Knoving vhen ve can meuitate IS honest
meuitation.
In the next circIe oIshamathave meet uiscursive
thoughts or viIuness. These thoughts are uistracting,
lutnotnearIyaspoverIuIoruisruptiveasIantasiesor
strongemotions. Oiscursivenessisthechatterthatcon-
stantIycIuttersourminus,theroutinementaIluzz. Its
maueoIranuom,nonassociateuthoughtsasopposeuto
IuIIyuravn-outstojIines. Eventhoughitsmoreper-
mealIe than Iantasy or strong emotion, this oruinaj
uiscursiveness is aueptatkeepingustrappeuin ''me.
It's IikeaIov-IeveIhumthatolscuresournaturaIcIar-
i. As vemeuitate, vecanlounce lackanuIorthin
ourminualoutvhatsgoingonatschooIorvork,con-
versations ve hau-or vouIu Iike to have -pIans for
the rest oI the uay, anu lasicaIIy stiII le avare that
vere meuitating. ccasionaIIy ve surIace Iromthese
excursionsintothepastanuIuturelyreturningtothe
lreath, lut then themovementoIour minu invitesus
tovanueroIIagain.
OiscursivenessIeeIsIikeippingthroughteIevision
channeIs.anoIumoviehere,sportsthere,asoapopera
oerthere,anunovthenevs.Vemightexperienceit
asthenagginguesiretoscratchournose,orasvonuer-
ing hov many minutes leIore our session'sover. Ois-
cursivenesshasthequaIioIhighvilration,vhichhas
73
SAKYONG MIPHAM
a pecuIiarIy ueauening eIIect. At the enu oI tven
minutesoImeuitationitcanIeaveyouthinking, Vhat
vastbat?
In vorking vith uiscursiveness, ve might le
tempteutoleIooseinourcontroI.Hovever, it'sessen-
tiaItorepeateuIypIaceourminuonthelreath.Recog-
nize the thought, acknovIeuge it, Iet it uissoIve, anu
returntothelreath.ThislreaksuptheriveroIuiscur-
siveness. Oon't think alout vhat kinu oI thought
you'rehaving-]ustseeitIorvhatitis,anupIaceyour
minueIsevhere.Experiencingtheminu'smovementat
thisIeveIismuchoIourtraininginshamatha.Vorking
steauiIy vith viIu chatter in meuitation makes main-
tainingminuIuInessmucheasiertououuringuaiIyIiIe.
In vorking vith uiscursiveness, our practice le-
comes vej precise. This precision takes us to the
innermostcircIeoIpeaceIuIaliuing,vherevelecome
avare oI vejsultIe thoughts arising inour stiIIness.
It'sIikestanuingnexttoaniceu-overmountainstream;
vehearvaterpoppingupintinylullIes.Thethoughts
comethroughIikevhispers. InoursteauyminuIuIness
oIthelreath,aIittIevoicelreaksthrough,A Iuoing
thisright?IIeeIchiIIy.EventhoughthesurIaceisstiII,
thereisanongoingllovoIvatergurgIingleneath.Ve
caIIthese sultIethoughts.
As Iong as ve stay Iocuseuonthelreath, ve can
]ust Iet these thoughts arise anu IaII. SultIe thoughts
74
viII naturaIIy uissoIve. InuuIging these sultIe move-
ments ly giving them any attention at aII tenus to
strengthenthemanuactuaIIycreateuisturlanceinour
minu. At some point, oI course, ve viII have to ueaI
vith them. Butin the earIy stages oI shamatha, ve
luiIu another kinu oI strength ly reIaing into the
lreathing.ThisaIIovsthenaturaIstiIInessoItheminu
toueveIop.ContinuaIIypIacingourminuonthelreath
uecreases the movement oI thoughts, vhich Iurther
caIms the minu. Experiencing the staliIiand]oy oI
our minu lecomes much more appeaIing than Iisten-
ing to ourmentaI chatter. Ve seethat theexperience
oI peaceIuI aliuing is simpIy a grauuaI reuuction oI
thoughts.AtthecenteroIthecircIes,vemeetourminu
aliuinginlasicgoouness.
75
Se ren
The Virtue s of Bor edom
Inthe ShamlhaIacommuni, ve have as part oI our
curricuIum a one-month program in vhich partici-
pantspracticepeaceIuI aliuing aII uay, vith vaIking-
meuitation lreaks anu ShamlhaIa yoga. They take
theirmeaIsintheJapanesemonasticsIecaIIeuo
r
ok i.
This means leing siIent anu meuitating Ior alout
tveIvehoursa uay. AII sorts oIIunny anu interesting
thingshappenoverthecourseoIamonth, lothinsiue
theminuanuvithinthecommunievejthingIrom
Iantasies alout a person sitting across the room to
meuitation-haIIgiggIehts. ThesevavesoIenergare
rellectionsoIpeopIestruggIingvithloreuom.
TheIearoIloreuomoIenkeepspeopIeIrommeui-
tation. I hear it aII thetime, You mean I'm]ust sup-
poseu to sit there uoing nothing? I'II le loreu to
ueath| Ve'reaIraiuthereviIIlenothingtoentertain
76
THE VIRTUES OF BORED OM
us, nothing to hoIu our int
rest. In meuitation, ve're

isoIatingourseIves. IirstveisoIatethelouyinavej
quiet pIace vith as IittIe externaI stimuIation as pos-
silIe.VepIaceitonacushioninavejsimpIeposture.
ThenveisoIateourminu.VepIaceituponthelreath
anupracticekeepingitthere.EventuaIIyvereuucethe
numler oI thoughts. II ve're alIe to sIov uovn anu
aliue in our internaI space, ve'II legin to appreciate
the Iack oIstimuIationin meuitationcompareu to the
chaos oI normaI IiIe. But ve viII le loreu at times,
lecausevevon'taIvaysvanttolevhereveare.
SometimesloreuomheIpsusenjoythesimpIicioI
meuitation.At other times loreuom isa threatto our
practice, a no-man's-Ianu vhere ve'reunalIetoIuIIy
experience peaceIuI aliuing. Being loreu may even
inciteustovaIkavayIromthecushion.
There are severaI kinus oI loreuom. ne kinu oI
loreuom has an unuercurrent oI anxie. Ve're not
aItogether comIortalIe vith ourseIves. Vhen ve sit
uovn to meuitate, ve suuuenIy have no externaI
amusement. ur senses are halituateu to speeu anu
stimuIation.VithoutleingstimuIateu, vehnunovay
tosatis[ourseIves.VeIeeIstircrazy,IikeachiIuvith
nothing touo. The agitation vantstoreachIor some-
thingtohIIthespace.IIveverevaitingattheairport
or the uoctor's oIltce, ve'u reach Ior a magazine, the
ceII phone, or a computer game. But in meuitation
77
SAKYONG MI PHAM
theres nothing to reach Ior. Ve tjto cope ly mak-
ing our ovn entertainment. Insteau oI IoIIoving the
lreath, veIIamuseourseIvesvithaIittIesounuorthe
movements oI an insect.Vatching others meuitate in
Iront oI us can seem as interesting as a IuII-Iength
IeaturehIm.
Another kinu oI loreuom is rooteu in Iear. Vere
aIraiuoIleingIeIaIonevithourseIveslecausevere
notalIetoreIavithourminu.ItsIikesittingnextto
anacquaintanceat a uinnerpar, havinghearu that
hisviIehas]ustIef.himanuthatnoonessupposeuto
knov. Ve IeeI avkvaru anu uncomIortalIe. Vere
vajoIopeningaconversationlecausevereaIraiuoI
vhereitmightIeau.Justso,inmeuitationvereIearIuI
lecauseverenotaccustomeutorestingvithnoactiv-
i. Itstooquiet.Verenotsurevevanttoknovvhat
viIIhappeniIvetotaIIyIetgointothespace.Vevant
to maintain our comIort zone. Vere unalIe to go
ueeper vith ourseIves, andtheres nothing eIse to uo.
TheresuItisIearIuIloreuom.ThisIearcomesIronot
leingalIetoimaginetheminuatpeace.
These hrst tvo kinus oI loreuom contain a sIight
quaIi oI aggression that keeps us Irom practicing
properIy.VevantthingstoleuiIIerentIromhovthey
are. Veve leensittingthereinmedtationvaiting Ior
something to happen or not to happen, anu ve IeeI
angjanu Irustrateuatourpreuicament.Vecantake
78
anotherapproachlyolserngtheloreuomanuIetting
ourseIves taste it compIeteIy. This is a goou vay to
gaugeour progress. Iookhov Iar vevecome. in the
leginningvecouIuntsitstiII,veuiuntIikeourvater-
IaIIoIthoughts,anuvecouIulareIyhghttheconstant
urge to get up anu uo sometling eIse. Ve thought oI
vashingtheuishes,makingIistsoIvhatveneeueuto
uoatvork,anuoIreturningphonecaIIs.urminuvas
sospeeuythatourlouyvantedtogetoIIthecushionto
reIieve the pressure. Nov things move a IittIe more
sIovIy, anutheimpuIsestomoveuontseemasstrong.
VereIaceuviththeloringquaIioImeuitationanuit
makes us vant to quit. II ve uont give in to this
impuIse,veIIlegintoreapthelenehtsoIloreuom.
Ve start to uothis vhen vesettIeinto our lore-
uom. Vere stuck on the cushion vhere nothing is
goingtohappen, anu veknov it, soveleginto]ust
settIein.VemaysinkintoourseIvesanulecomesome-
vhat gIazeu over. The vorIu IeeIs uistant anu Iuzzy.
Perhaps ve uont quite emlrace our practice, lut ve
are alIe to reIax enough to experience the uuIIness
vithout grasping at amusement or pushing avay the
space. Veve legun to accept loreuom as part oIthe
IanuscapeoIpeaceIuIaliuing.Thatsprogress.
Vhatareveloreuvi
hvhenvemeuitate?Itsnot
peaceIuI aliuing, even though meuitation may le the
trigger. VhatverereaIIy loreuvithisourrepetitive
79
SAKYONG MI PHAM
thought patterns. Even though they've lecome pre-
uictalIe anu transparent to us, somehov they keep
arising. Ve see hov ve get hookeu into chasing Ian-
tasiesanuschemesthathaveasmuchsulstanceasIast
nights uream. Ve uiscover that thethought, ''Vhats
IorIunch?nevertastesanythingIikethemeaI.Vesee
thatphiIosophizing aloutpracticecant hoIuacanuIe
toleinggrounueuinthepresentmoment.AIteravhiIe
ourloreuomtakesonaseasoneuquaIi.ItsnoIonger
neeuy; it's spacious, comIortalIe, anu soothing. Ny
Iather caIIed this ''cooI loreuom. This is a lreak-
through.Veveuiscovereu that meuitation isnt going
toIuIhIIourneeuIorentertainmentorIortiourcom-
Iortzone. Inoruertomakethatuiscove, veneeuto
lethoroughIyloreu.
BeingIuIIyloreuvithourvIIuminuanucontinu-
ing to appIy the technique represents the point at
vhichvepersonaIIycommittothepracticeoIpeaceIuI
aliding. Ve seethe tricks ve pIay on ourseIves vith
thoughts,emotions,anuconcepts.AIoIitisloreuom-
ourneeuIorentertainment, ourIearoIourovnaIone-
ness, any uesire ve have to gain something Irom
meuitation. Thisloreuomisnota prolIem. Itinspires
us lecause ve uont IeeI trappeuonthecushion any-
more;veseehovourminuvorksanuveIeeIenthu-
siastic alout ueveIoping an aIIiance ith it. Ve can
reIax. Seeing the process oI minu cIearIy is vhat
80
THE VIRTUES OF BOREDOM
strengthensourcommitmenttopractice. Acertainjoy
ueveIopslecauseverenoIongerresistinganypartoI
theIanuscape.
IrememleronceparticipatinginarituaIthatIasteu
severaIveeksvith His HoIiness OiIgo Khyentse Rin-
poche. Ve vere sitting in a vehot meuitation haII,
IisteningtohimreauIromatextIoralouteIevenhours
a uay. This is caIIeu ''oraI transmission, anu its an
important ceremony. Ve sat cross-Ieggeu on mats
vhiIe voIume aIter voIume vas reau aIouu in such
rapid-hre Tiletan that it vas nearIy impossilIe to
IoIIov. PeopIe hugeteu anu vhispereu, anu some oI
the young monks in the lack got into rice-throving
vars. VeuiuntknovhovIongitvouIutaketoreau
throughthistext,luteachuayvehopeuthenextuay
vouIuletheIast.
ver the course oI alout tvo veeks ve vatcheu
the stack oItexts grauuaIIy grov smaIIer untiI ltnaIIy
onIy one voIume remaineu. Ve vere sure that there
vouIu onIy leonemoreuay oIthe oraI transmission,
anu e vere ecstatic. It vas unlearalIy hot anu
humiu, anu ve haunt hau a uay oII to rest or get to
the store or even vash our cIothes. Ve vere aII so
exhausteu ly the enu oI each uay that veu just IaII
intoleu.
ntheIastuay, veavaiteuthecIosingannounce-
ments.VevereinIorasuqrise.RnpochetoIuusthat
81
SAKYONG MIPHAM
ve vere vejIortunatelecausethe hnaImissingvoI-
umesoIthetexthadleen Iound. Theceremoniesand
thereadingventonIoranotherveekorso, andthere
vasnothingIeItodolutreIaanden]oyleingthere.
Sometimesve]ustcantsettIein. IIloredomstarts
taking its toII vith the resuIt that ve vant to avoid
meditating, ve need to do something to counter that
pattern.Vecanstartlyexperimentingvithourprac-
tice. Ve canIocusondiIIerent aspectsoIthepractice
atdiIIerenttimes. nedayvecanhighIightavareness
oI the posture. Ve IoIIov the lreath and recognize
thoughts, lut ve pay extra attention to the lody. At
anothertimevecanlecomeintimateviththeprocess
oIlreathing. In the next sessionve cansharpenour
aliIito spot thoughts or to cut through a chain oI
discursiveness thats taken us on vacation to the
HimaIayas. Then ve mightIocus on the recognizing
process~on spotting the taiI end oI a thought, Ior
exampIe. Byemphasizing diIIerentcomponentsoIthe
technique, ve are strengthening mindIuIness and
avareness.Icourse,anotheraspectoIthismoliIiin
practice is knoving vhen to return to the simpIe
instructionsandputpreciseIocusonthelreath.
Evejone has days vhen practice is diIhcuIt and
loring. It can heIp to le avare oI our state oI mind
leIore taking our seat. Vhen ve enter a session oI
meditationandcansensethatveretotaIIydistracted,
82
IorexampIe,vemighttjsittingdovnonthecushion
andthinkingavay.VecanthinkaloutvhateverdiIh-
cuI vere Iacing and Iet thethoughts and Iantasies
pIay out. Butve do itvith avareness. ThenaIterten
minutesoIthinking,vepIaceourmindonthelreath.
Sometimes reason and antidotes seem to have no
eIIect. Ouring these periods veneedto dig deepand
hndthestren
8
thtocontinue,orexamineourIiIetosee
iIthepainortheintensiveexperienceinmeditation
stems Irom diIltcuItieseIsevhere. Shamatha is not an
endurancetest,norviIIitsuddenIysoIveaIIourprol-
Iems. But it doesheIp usseehovourprolIems arise,
lecauseittrains usinrecognizing thoughts andemo-
tions. ItaIsotrainsusinIettingthempassvithoutact-
ing onthem.
Even vhen vere lored, ve can vork vith our
minds.ThisheIpsuscopeindaiIyIiIe.Becausepractice
hasenIarged our perspectiveleyond identiingvith
our thoughts and opinions, vere Iess IikeIy to act
Irom a tight, seII-protected space. Ve have more
patience, moretoIerance. VeremorealIetoputour-
seIvesinsomeoneeIsesshoes. Inthisvay,meditation
maturesus.
83
Eight
L.azine s s
Alout tven years ago, my Iather and I visited the
samurai Iineage master Shilata Sensei, my Japanese
archej(kyuo)teacher.Shilata SenseiistheImperiaI
Bov Naker to the emperors oI Japan. His responsi-
liIities incIude perIorming a rituaIized ceremony at a

IamousshrinevherehisIamiIyhasleenmakingoIIer-
ings Ior generations. The year I vas visiting, Senseis
son, heirtotheIamiIy Iineage, vas going to shootthe
ceremoniaI arrovleIoretheshrine. But hehadladIy
cuthishngervhiIemakingalov]ustdaysleIorethe
ceremony,andvasunalIetoshoot.
At alout hve A. M. on the ceremoniaI day I vas
avakenedandtoIdthatIvastoperIormtheceremony
asarepresentativeoItheShamlhaIa BuddhistIineage
andSenseisIamdy. Ithoughttheyvere]oking.VhiIe
I had leen practicing archej Ior many years, I had
84
LAZINESS
noiueahovtoperIormtheeIalorateIychoreographeu
lovsanugesturesinthisparticuIarceremony.
Bythe time I vasreauytogo, Sensei hauaIreauy
heaueu over to the shrine. I couIunt leIieve this vas
happening. I vas going to le the lirst non-Shilata to
makeanoIIeringatthisshrine,anu Ihaunoiueavhat
I vas uoing. Vhen I arriveu, peopIe starteu uressing
meinoIhciaIroles.ItvasIikeleinguresseuIorapIay
vithout knoving my Iines. There vere hunureus oI
uignitaries, spectators, anu photographers out there
vaiting tolegin. I trieu to ask Ior some instructions,
lut no one couIu expIain the vhoIe thing in a hur.
Iueciueu]usttouomylest.
As it turneu out, Sensei hau organizeu things so
that he vouIule myassistant. Hesaiu thatiI I maue
the vrong move, he vouIulethere to vhisper uirec-
tions to me -lut he lareIy knev any EngIish. So ve
vent through the ceremony vith him vhispering
IeI, lov, right, lov. . .move Ian, lov,anu I shot
the rituaI arrov. In the enu it aII vorkeu out, anu I
couIuntleIievethatIhauuoneit.Senseivassohappy
thataIervaru hetook me outtoIunchathis Iavorite
noouIeshop.
The pover oIleing put on the spot Iike this vas
that it took me leyonu the Iimits oI vhat I thought I
couIu uo. Veneeu this samekinuoIchaIIenge inour
practice, lecause our naturaI state Iies leyonu the
85
SAKYONG MI PHAM
reach oIhaie concepiuall kno. The reason e
orksohardiogaiherourminds isineIIecisoecan
relax. BreleasingiheeboIbelieIsandconcepisihai
holdsoursenseoIselIsolid,ere soheningiheground
oI basic goodness so ihai loe and compassion can
break ihrough. IIe mediiaie long enough, ell dis-
coernoshoriageoIobsiaclesioihisprocess.
bsiaclesarehabiiualpaiiernsihaikeepourminds
small, hxed,andsolid. IIeaniourmindsiobesoIi
and pliable, e ill need io kno ho io orkiih
ihem.Thereareouierobsiacleslikelaziness common
laziness, dishearienmeni, andspeedbusness. These
haeihepoeriokeepusIromeerreachingihecush-
ion. Then, onceemakeiiioourseai,ihereareinner
obsiacles such as Iorgeiiing ihe insiruciions, elaiion,
andlaxi.
Likeeedingagarden,deaingiihobsiaclesisan
ongoingaspecioImediiaiion.Vorkingiihihesechal-
lenges on ihe cushion is anoiher ae build conh-
denceandcourageiogoIuriher.VecanbegraieIulIor
obsiacles, because ihe push us Iorard in our prac-
iice. Aierahile ii is een possible io IeelasparkoI
delighihen e see an obsiacle coming up, because
e kno iis an opporiuni io keep sharpening our
minds. The more obsiacles e Iace, ihe more conh-
denceeIeeliodealiihihem.
86
LAZINESS
ne oIthe mostchallenging obstaclesIorabegin-
ningmeditatoris laziness. Lazinesscanbeanobstacle
eenbeIoree reachourseat, because it cankeep us
Irom eergettingthere. The TibetanordIorlaziness
is lw, hich is pronounced lalo. " In an culture,
laziness meanslingasloaspossible. Iziness hasa
drainingquali,asiIereloinliIeIorce.Sometimes
its hard to see it because it Ieels like ho e are. It
encroacheson ourmostintimate ground. ItmaniIests
asanallegiancetocomIort.VemagetplenoIsleep,
buterecompleteluninspired.Vedratherliearound
onacouchatchingteleision,orreadamagazineand
passoutonthelIoor.
I hae a Iriend hos particularl susceptible to
attacks oIbasic laziness. For example, one da hen
eererelaxingtogether, hedecidedtotakeareston
thecouch. Hepoured himselIadrink, placeditonthe
coIIeetable,andthenladononthesoIa.êraIe
minutes oIlingthere, he realizedhedplacedhisglass
ontheIar sideoIthetable, outoIreach. InsteadoIsit-
ting up and picking up his glass, he Iound a clothes
hanger that as edged beteen the cushions and
hooked the leg oIthe coIIee table ith it to drag the
tablecloser. Predictabl, thedrinkIelloIIthetable.Ve
oIten expend much more energ being laz than it
ouldtaketodealithourliIestraightIorardl.
87
SAKYONG MI PHAM
VehaeioundersiandihaiIroma mediiaiiepoini
oI ie, laziness is a pariicular a oI holding ihe
mind. The mindhasiihdran inioiiselI. Iniis more
exiremeersions-henearereaLLy laz-ihehole
orld seems e disiani. Ii seems impossible io do
anihing. Ve Ieel like a snake craling aong ihe
ground. Eethingelse isiniheireeiops, uphighand
Iar aa. IIsomeone sas, Vh don'iou {o some-
ihing! " e Ieel irriiaied and upsei. Ve can'i deal.
Ve're all dug in, like an animal in a hole. Ve're noi
inieresiedinexieriorihings.urmindisencapsulaied
iniiselI.
IIe're Ieeling laz, een iIe someho make ii
io our seai, e'll spend ihe session aoiding ihe basic
iechnique. Ve don'i een hae ihe energ io sii up
siraighi. Ve can'ipraciiceproperl. Veihink, I,usi
don'ianiio do ii. I don'i hae iime. " Vorseei, I
don'ireaIlneediodoii. "Vhaieere'reiellingour-
seles, ai ihe rooi oIlaziness lies aitachmeni. Ve're
aiiachedioihecomIorioIIamiliarIaniasiesanddiscur-
sieihoughis,epreIerihemioiheakeIulqualioI
Iolloingiheinsiruciionsiihprecision.
This paiiern is an obsiacle io mediiaiion. II e
don'i see ii, e can gei siuck in laziness Ior a long
iime -eenears. Ii's especiallinsidious because e
lull
ourseles inio belieing ihai a ceriain amouni

oI ihinking is oka. II e hae a ma,or ihoughi or
88
LAZINESS
dadream, e usuall recognize ii and acknoledge
ii. Bui one oIihe smpioms oIlaziness is ihai e lei
ahole middle range oIihoughis pass. Ve Ieel ihai
ii's ,usi ioo much io mediiaie Ior ihe hole ien
minuies or halI an hour, so e'll use liIieen minuies
io ihink aboui hai a greai iime e had ai lasi
nighispar, orioplaniodas oiing.Veihink, Io
oneknoshai Im doingiihmmind, so I'll use
ihe iime io plan. Then I'll mediiaie Ior he or ien
minuies,usiiomakemselIIeelbeiier. "Iislikegoing
inio a supermarkei ,usi io bu corn on ihe cob and
poiaio chips and ihen andering ihe aisles io look
Ioroiheriiems. Vheneleiourseleshangouiindis-
cursie chaiier, ere andering around snacking in
ourminds. IIealloourselesiohangouiihereIor
long, our hole mediiaiion ill eeniuall consisi oI
middle-range ihoughis ihaiare seemingl noiallihai
harmIul.
Vhenm moihermoedIromIndiaio ihe Lniied
Siaies, sheas amazed b ihe asinessoIoursuper-
markeis and inirigued ball ihe producis aailable.
Vhai mosi surprised herere ihe aisles oIpei Iood.
SheasaliiileshockedaiiheamounioIaiieniionpaid
ioihe culinaneeds oIcais and dogs andihe mone
spenionsaiis|ingihem. InIndia,adogisIoriunaieio
begienleIioerrice. Nan adogin Indiaspendsiis
holeliIeprolingIorIood.
89
SAKYONG MI PHAM
IIe haeaiendencioproIihroughourminds
in mediiaiion, e shouId ieII ourseIes beIore siiiing
donihaie'renoigoingiobeseducedbourdiscur-
sieness. Vhen e hnd ourseIes doing ii, e need
io acknoIedge ihai e're doing someihing besides
mediiaiing, andihaiii isn'ibenehiing ourmediiaiion.
Vehaeio recognize, acknoIedge, andreIeaseihese
middIe-range rhoughis. LnIess ii's a ihoughi Iike, I
smeII smoke. Is ihe house on lire! " e shouIdreiurn
our mind io ihe breaih. The ihoughis, ihe briIIiani
ideas, andihedecisionsiobemadeiIIsiiIIbearound
hene'elinishedediiaiing.
LazinessaIso maniIesis as busness. Speediness is
Iazinessheneuseiiasaaioaoidorkingiih
our minds. Vhen e hrsi begin io mediiaie, e're
enihusiasiicabouirearranging ourprioriiiesarounda
daiI praciice. Vhaie don'i couni onis ihe Iorce oI _
habii. Siaing buscanbeaa ioaoid mediiaiion.
ÎoIasudden, righibeIoreemeaniomediiaie, sud-
denIe needioiendioIiiiIeiasks-aieringpIanis,
brushingourieeih, checkingoure-maiI.IoionIihai,
e need io do ihese iasks righi no. This is speed
Iaziness-beiier knon as procrasiinaiion. This Iorce
canbecomeespeciaIIcompeIIinghenshamaihaprac-
iiceproidesagIimpseoIhonaiuraIIopenandjo-
ous our minds iruI are. Resisiing our on openness
bspinningihesioriesihaikeepusinihecomIorizone
90
LAZINESS
oI''me"isaeoldandell-esiablishedhabiiualpai-
iern. Procrasiinaiion is one a oIchoosing io abide
in disiraciion raiher ihan io relax inio ihe peace oI
ourmind.
Anoiher a e procrasiinaie is b using seem-
ingl orih aciiiiies io aoid mediiaiing. Perhaps
ere een helping animals or oiher people. Een
ihough ihese aciiiiies are benelicial io oihers, i e
aniiomediiaieandereusingihemasanexcusenoi
io, e need io look ai ii clearI b asking, ''!s m
liIeslesupporiingmpraciice!Aremaciiiiiesben-
ehcialiniermsoImediiaiion!"
biousl, mediiaiion can someiimes bediIliculi.
VemaaniiorunaaIrompraciice, runIromihe
cushion,eenrunIromiheordmediiaiion. " Vecan
run as Iar as e like, bui hai e'll discoer is ihai
ihere is no beiier enironmeni ihan mediiaiion in
hichiobuUdihesiabili, clari, andsirengihoIour
mind. Ai ihe same iime, ihe diIlicul oImaking ii io
ihe cushion, ihe diIhcul oI siaing iih ihe iech-
nique,ihediIliculoIabandoningdiscursieness,isni
goingio disappear. Inprocrasiinaiing, ere aoiding
iheoneihingihaireallisgoingiomakeadiIIerencein
our lies. Nediiaiion siabilizes us in our inhereni
poerashumans. IiiniroducesihepossibilioIliing
ourliesinaconiinuallconscious,conhdeni,andbal-
ancedsiaieoImind.
91
SAKYONG MI PHAM
AnoiherkindoIlazinessisdishearienmeni.VeIeel
discouraged,delIaied,orouinumberedbiheobsiacles
ihai arise in our praciice. Ve iake ihem personall.
ur belieIin ihe solidi oI ihe obsiacles gros, and
our belieI in our abili io praciice shrinks. Ve sa,
Ho can I possibl deelop an ongoing mediiaiion
praciice! IIe are alreadmediiaiing, e sa, Ho
can Ipossiblhnishihis session! " BeIoree kno ii,
eIeelhoplessabouimediiaiing.
VhenmIaiherpassedaain I 98, HisHoliness
Oilgo Khenise Rinpoche led ihe iradiiional Iuneral
riies. êrard he recommended ihai e build a
I O8-Iooi iall siupa in ihe Rock Nouniains io com-
memoraie m Iaiher's ears oI ork in iniroducing
Buddhism io Iorih Americaand ieaching mediiaiion
ioVesierners.Asiupaisairadiiional sacredsiruciure
represeniing ihe enlighiened mind oI ihe Buddha.
Building one inoles Iolloing man iniricaie and
preciseiradiiionalspecihcaiions.VeIelislighiloer-
helmedbihe complexioIihe pro,eci, ihe lirsi oI
iismagniiudeinIorihAmerica.Vesiariedbuildingii
in I 988,coniinuingioorkoniieesummer.
Fcheare hadio gaiherall kindsoIresources.
HundredsoIhands-onolunieersere inoled. The
people closesiioihepro,ecihadiodigdeep inioiheir
onresources, spendingcoldiniersandhoisummers
in ihe Rockies oer aihirieen-ear period. Ina sense
92
LAZINESS
e learnedho io build ihe siupaase builiii. The
engineering, ihe consiruciion, ihe linances, and ihe
iradiiional arwork-all oIihese elemenis presenied
dauniingchallenges. Vhaispurredusonasourirusi
ihai ihis smbol oIenlighienmeni ould be oI greai
benehiioeeone. AsihesiupaiookIorm,ourconh-
denceandenergincreased.Vaichingiiriseiniospace
liiilebliiile, e oercame ourdoubiand hesiiaiion.
InihesummeroI 2OOIihesiupaascompleie,ande
held a beauiiIul consecraiion ceremon aiiended b
ihousandsoIpeople.Ve hadencounieredall kinds oI
obsiacles, bui our inspiraiion as an aniidoie io all
oIihem.
The ieachings on obsiacles and aniidoies come
Irom a e long lineage oImediiaiors in India and
Tibei.Vere Ioriunaieihaiihedocumeniedihe diIli-
culiies soell, because eenihoughihe condiiions in
hichepraciicemighidiIIergreailIromiheirs, ihe
obsiacles ihai arise on ihe paih oI mediiaiion hae
neerchanged. Luckil, iheaniidoieshae alsopassed
iheiesioIiimeandspace.
Laziness is a smpiom ihaiee losi conneciion
iihihe courage ihaibroughiusio ihecushioninihe
hrsiplace.Veno longer undersiandhere medi-
iaiing.Ve Ieel slighilihreaienedbleiiinggo oIihe
comIori oIihoughi paiierns. Nediiaiion goes againsi
ihegrain oIhabiisee accumulaiedIoralong, long
95
SAKYONG MI P HAM
iime. Nosi oIihese habiis concern ibe perpeiual cre-
aiionoIme. "Ve're habiiualindeniuredioIabricai-
ingpro,eciions,scenarios,opinions, andsiolinesihai
euseioholdourcreaiioniogeiher.Viihmediiaiionii
canIeelasiIe'reIallingapari. ld habiis cansiariio
looketcomIoriing, becauseiherepresenihoe
ihinke are.Vehndourselesreeriingioingrained
paiierns in order io sirengihen ihai selI-creaied con-
cepi oIme. "Nediiaiion is abouiseeing ihrough ihe
coniried sense oIme" as ihe enlighienedaspecis oI
ihemindreealihemseles. Vehae ioleiihaiIabri-
caiion dissipaie in order io go Iorard, and ii makes
usIeeluneas.
Vhai ihe mediiaiors oI old discoered is ihai ihe
keio success in mediiaiion lies in conneciingiih a
biggerie. The suggesi Iouras inhiche can
inspire ourseles-suppleness, irusi, aspiraiion, and
eIIori.
SuppLenedd
A laz mindisa mmd ihai has become small and hx-
aied. Nediiaiion doesn'i hi in iih our habiiual pai-
ierns, so e resisi ii. A supple mind has man more
possibiliiies because iiis lIexible. Ii doesnilookaiihe
orldIromihe closedssiemoIme, "soii'snolonger
94
LAZINESS
boundbiheconsiriciionsoImainiainingiisoncom-
Iori zone. In TibeianiheordIorihiskindoImindis
dh i njang, meaningihoroughlirained. "ToqualiiiesoI
iheshinjangmindarepliabiliandinieresi.Thismind
is curious. Ii doesn'i Iall inio laziness and ihe oiher
obsiaclesbecauseiiknoshoiosiaopen.Thaisihe
poini oImediiaiion, isni ii! Ve ani io deelop an
open,inieresied,lIexiblemind.Vhenehaeasupple
mind, obsiaclesioourmediiaiiondon'ioccur.
urmindsbecomemoresuppleasedeelopour-
seles on ihe mediiaiion seai. Fchiime e acknol-
edgeaIaniasorihoughi,eresoIieningupourmind
b becoming less bound io concepis and emoiions.
Folloing ihe iechnique Iosiers curiosi insiead oI
dullness, appreciaiion insiead oIdishearienmeni, and
imaginaiioninsieadoIlimiiaiion.
In order io oercome laziness, e need io hae a
relaiielopenmindIromiheebeginning.Veneed
iobecurious,iohaeasenseoIappreciaiionandimag-
inaiion.Veneedioinspireourseles. Forexample,e
mighi noi Ieellike going Iora hike, bui hen aIriend
shosusapiciureoIanamazingmouniain, iis beau
inspiresus, iibreaksihroughourlaziness. BeIore, our
mindasclosednoiheresorkabili.Vererous-
ingindhorsebsiepping ouioIihaisunkensiaieoI
mind. Inihe samea, e canoercomelazinessb
beingopenandimaginaiie.
95
SAKYONG MIPHAM
Trudt
Vhene'e heardiheieachingsandalsoexperienced
iheir irue meaning-ihai io praciice shamaiha is io
abide peaceIull-a ceriain Iaiih deelops. This isn'i
blind Iaiih. Ii's based on our on relaiionship iih
mediiaiion. Ve hae Iaiih in a praciice ihai e'e
experiencedourseles.
VeiakeirusiIromclariandconlidence. Perhaps
a momeni oIclari ishai inspired us io praciice in
ihe lirsi place.Vesaa siaiue oIihe Buddha, reada
book, oreensaaIriendmediiaiing, ande hadan
immediaie sense oI clari aboui aniing io do ihis.
Haingiesiedshamaihaihroughdisciplineandprecise
aiieniion, e knoihaie can irusi ihe iechnique.
Ve'reclearabouihoiiorksbecausee'edone ii
ourseles. Ve'e seen ho siiII, ild, and ra our
mind is. Ve'e had momenis oIpeaceIull abiding.
Vee seen ihaiourmind doesn'ialas haeiobea
nuisance.VeeIeliiheopennessoIourhearis under-
neaih ihe hardness oI habiiual paiiern. Ve're con-
sianilreealuaiingand deepening ourundersianding
oImediiaiion, because ii goesaequickl. This
process builds conhdence. Ve can use ihis irusi io
remindourselesoIheshouldpraciiceeenhen
edon'ianiio.
96
LAZINESS
Inspiraiionisanimmediaielonging, asuddenash
ecanuseiorechargeourbaiieries. Iislikeimagining
a cold glass oI lemonade on a hoi summer da. The
ihoughi oIihe ice, ihe sharp iasie, ihe Irosied glass,
eenihesliceoIlemononiheedgerousesusouioIour
\
sealanchairandinioihekiichenIorreIreshmeni.
In ihe same a, e can use ourlonging Ior ihe
IreshnessoIihemindaieaseiobringusioihecushion,
io bring us io ihe iechnique. Ve remember ihe cool
peacehl place ihai underlies ihe oppressie heai oI
ourbeildermeniand suIIering.Velongio beihere.
Ve irusiihe reIreshingand, oous aspecisoImediia-
iion because ee heard aboui ihem, e'e siudied
ihem, ande'eexperienced ihem. Thisisihesuppori
e need io moe beond dishearienmeni and pro-
crasiinaiion.
Adpiration
Thenexianiidoieisaspiraiion. Aspiraiionisirusiiih
asenseoIdeierminaiion. Ve'redeierminediodiscoer
ouronaakeness.Veaspireiobelikeihe Buddha,
like someone ho has masiered iheir hole being,
someone ho realizes ihe proIound iruih o ihings
as ihe are. Ve'e seen ihe olaiili ol exiernal
97
SAKYONG MIPHAM
condiiions. Vee become dissaiished iih hope and
Iearasaa oIliIe. Ioeaspire io dependonour
onsiabili, clari,andsirengih.
This deierminaiion is sirong enough io oercome
anresisiance.Vhenereonihemediiaiionseaiand
lind ourselesanderinginio laziness, ouraspiraiion
iosohenihehardnessoIourmindishaiinspiresusio
appliheiechnique andgobackioihebreaih. AlIash
oIaniing ourmindio be ai ease in iis on sirengih
canbeenoughiodissipaieourlaziness.
Io oneioldus io seeourselesas real, and ere
ceriainl noi alone in ihis basic misundersianding.
Laziness can be a Iorm oIleiiingblame sink us back
inio beildermeni and suIIering. This culiure ,usi
keepseeoneasleep.Iooneelseismediiaiing.Vh
should I be diIIereni! I ihink Ill,usiaii ii oui Iora
hile. " TheBuddhasas ihaiiIe lookaiiiihaia,
ellbeaiiingIoraelongiime.Ve maneergei
aroundiopraciicing.Vehaeioaccepiresponsibili
IorihesiaieoIouronmind, iidoesniorkioblame
oihers Ior our conIusion orexpeci ihem io encourage
orconlirmus inourpraciice.Vehaeiolookio our-
seles as ihe source oIour on conIusion-and our
onenlighienmeni.
Nediiaiion is like making a Iriend ho gies us
goodadiceabouihoiolieourliIe, hoio handle
ourmind, hoio see ourselesas inirinsicallaake.
98
LAZINESS
Ii has alread begun io uniangle our beildermeni.
Ve'e seenihepoeroImediiaiionioresioreoursan-
i, io resiore our ell-being. Aspiraiion is a deep
desireiogohriher.
Ii's asiIe'reclimbingamouniainandecomeio
aplaceheree'reiiredandindedandeihinke
,usican'igoanIariher.Vesiopioresiandlookback
ioseehoIare'e come. Ve'reamazedbhohigh
e are andhoIare'eclimbed. InTibei, hene
reach a place like ihis, e shoui ihe arrior's c
(Xi k i dO dO, Lha gyeL Lt' Esseniiall ihis means, ''The
ie is iciorious l " The poer oIihe big ie gies
us ihe courage io keep going. Thai's ho aspiraiion
oercomeslaziness.
Effort
IIeihink ihai b simpl geiting ourseles inio ihe
righi posiiion, our mediiaiion ill iake place, e're
rong. Nediiaiion is proaciie. Ve hae io be pari
oIihe process. Thai doesn'i mean grinding ii oui. !i
meansihemindmusibeengaged.
The poer oI ihe engaged mind is ihai ii moes
ioard ihe aci oI mediiaiing. Thai's eIIori. Ii's ihe
opposiieoIlaziness,hichisholdingback. IIedon'i
hae menial eIIori, e're goingio drih aa. Ii iakes
99
SAKYONG MI PHAM
eIIori io pull ourseles oui oIlaziness and gei io our
seai. Ii iakes eIIori io Iollo ihe iechnique correcil.
îhough shamaiha is abiding in peace, ii iakes eIIori
io siabilize our ild mind in thai peace. This energ
comes direcil Irom our irusi and aspiraiion. The
smbioiic relaiionship beieen inspiraiion and eIIori
makesuseagerioengageinmediiaiion.
HisHoliness PenorRinpocheisoneoIiheIegen-
uinemediiaiionieachers siillalieioda. Heisalas
an inspiraiion io me, pariicularl as someone ho
exerishimselIconiinuallIoroihersandhoseemsio
hnd,oand energiniheeIIori. Thisisairue signoI
anaccomplishedmediiaior.
Aier he and man ihousands oI people escaped
IromTibeiinioIndia,ihereereIeplacesIormonks
and nuns io lind Iood and shelier, lei alone coniinue
mediiaiionpraciice. So Penor Rinpoche decidediore-
esiablishhislosimonasieinIndia. Hehadiocleara
,ungleandraisemoneiniinincremenis, buiheeen-
iuall buili ihe monasieiih his on hands. Io,
ii coniinues io gro and ihrie iih ihousands oI
people benehiing. Penor Rinpoche siill orks iire-
lessl, iihmanadminisiraiie,hnancial, andeduca-
iionaIresponsibiliiies.
Oespiie hisconsianiexeriion, he is unaering in
his energ. Hes cheerIul - alas ,oking and iellmg
siories. He is compleielpreseniIora sickandding
100
LAZINESS
person in one moment, and then in the next Ior the
needs oI a oung monk in trouble. He doesnt take
eekends orbreaks, but continuall exhibits this ,o-
ous eIIortdaaherda, lillingpeopleithconhdence.
He once told me that he doesnt or e much,
LiIe is more diIhcult iIouort. Its betterto deal
iththingsasthecomeup. "
He is trul an example oI someone ho applies
eIIort lIuidl. Clearl this doesnt mean that he lies
a quiet, isolated liIe. He is constantl busand Iaced
ithobstacles,butheIacesthemithequanimi, ,o,
and a strong and stable mind. This is meditation in
action.Practicingexertionlikethishelpsustoturnthe
tideoIlazinessinourpracticeandinourdailliIe and
trainsustolieithconlidenceandstrength.
101
Nine
Forge tting the
Ins tructions
The second obsiacle is Iorgeiiing ihe insiruciions.
Vhen e hrsi begin io mediiaie, ere iold ho io
hold our bodies on ihe cushion and ho io hold our
mindioiheob,ecioImediiaiion.Viihmindhlnessand
aareness, e recognize and acknoledge ihoughis
and reiurn our Iocus io ihe breaih. Thais our basic
insiruciion. As soonasihemindleaesihebreaihand
goes elsehere, e hae encouniered ihe obsiacle oI
Iorgeiiing ihe insiruciion. This paiiern rouiinel
blocksiheroadoImediiaiion.
Vhene Iorgeiihe insiruciions, haiere hold-
ingourmindioisdiscursieness.Vereonihecushion
sorappedupinihoughiihaiecanirememberhai
ere supposed io be doing. The insiruciion io sia
preseni seems eak compared io ihe poer oI our
disiraciions. Forgeiiing ihe insiruciions can happen
102
FORGETTING THE INSTRUCTIONS
suddenlorii canhappengraduall, as iIere losing
ourgriponaheayob,eci.Iomaiierhohardei,
e cani sia Iocused on ihe breaih. The iechnique
becomes blur. Ioihinginspirational comesiomind.
Ve can onl remember a couple oI ords. sii, "
breaih, " ihoughi, " mind. "ApartIromihai,ecani
remember anihing. Ioi onl hae e Iorgoiien ihe
simple insiruciions, e mighialso hae Iorgoiien ihe
ie-ihereasoneremediiaiing.
nereasoneIorgeiiheinsiruciions isihaiere
approaching mediiaiion simplemindedl. Ve ihink ii
isniihaicomplicaied-onlapoinioriwoiokeep in
mind. IispossibleIorsimpliciioork, iIere able
io Iollo ihe insiruciions. Hoeer, iih a simple-
minded ie, our mediiaiion becomes eak. Vhen
ere ,usi aiiing Ior ihoughis io pop up like cla
pigeons soe can shooi ihem don, ere Iorgeiiing
ourieandourinieniion.VereIorgeiiingihaiere
here io culiiaie ihe minds naiural siabili, clari,
andsirengih. This isnisimplici, iis lack oIperspec-
iie.Allehaeisiechnique,ee Iorgoiieniherea-
sonsIorIolloing ii. Vee IorgoiienihaiiheieoI
mediaiion is io be one-poinied and spacious. Thais
hoe beginiopuri[ourhabiiualpaiierns and dis-
coer our irue naiure
II ere emploing ihe iech-

niqueiihouiiheie, ihenalloIasudden,e cani
hgure ouihoio doiiai all. uioIrideandlackoI
105
SAKYONG MI PHAM
iime,e maeensiariineniingouronliiilemedi-
iaiioniechnique.
Vhene look aihaiaciuallhappef in mediia-
iion, e see ihai ii isni simple. In Iaci, ihe poer oI
praciice comesIromihedeiailsandihe depih. ihepos-
iure,ihebreaih, iheplacemenioIourmind,iheinien-
iion,andihevie.IIeloseeenoneoIiheseihreads,
iheIabricoIourpraciicecomesunraeledandeIor-
geihaiere doing.
TheaniidoieioIorgeiiingiheinsiruciionsismind-
Iulness in pariicular, remembering. Ve need io
remindourseles coniinuousloIihedeiails. IIoue

Iorgoiien hai oure doing iih our mind, almosi
ineiiablouealsoIorgoiienhaiouredoingiih
ourbod. Siaribrememberingourposiure.Isour
spine siilluprighi!Aourelaxed, orareouholding
iension in our shoulders and arms! Vhai are ou
doing iihourgaze! Simpl checkingourposiure
andsiariingourmediiaiionoerI o Implacing
mmindonihebreaih"canbeihemosidireciaio
inoke ihe insiruciions henoue Iorgoiien in ihe
middleoIasession.
Thereasonepraciiceeedaisihaiiiseasio
siraIromiheie, eethingelseinourliIepullsus
in diIIereni direciions. Ve can regard Iorgeiiing ihe
insiruciions a an iniegralparioIour
praciice. Nind-
Iulnessasananiidoiemeansiolearniiagain.Veneed
104
FORGETTING THE INSTRUCTIONS
iokeeprememberinghaimediiaiionis,hedoii,
andho.Veneedio siudandconiemplaie.Viihoui
haingaclearideaoIhaie're doingandreIreshing
ii regularl, our mediiaiion ill neer be successhl.
VhenerereadameaningIulbook, Ior example, our
iake on ii is oIien compleiel diIIereni Irom ihe hrsi
iime. biousl ihe ords haven'i changed, our
undersiandinghasdeepened.
Io maiter ho eas mediiaiion praciice ma
sound, onceeeiriedii,eseeihaiii'sachallenging
ihing io do. There's an elemeni oI braet inoled
eetiimeeiakeourseai. LeiiinggooIlazinessand
applng ourseles iih mindIulnessiakes courage. Ii
meansihaiveareiIlingioleaeourhabiiualpaiierns
behind andmoe inio neierriiot. Een ihough ihe
oice oIresisiance is ielling us, Forgei aboui ii. Co
do someihing else, " e perseere, because e kno
ihere'snooiheraiomakeourmindanall.Aiacer-
iain poini in our mediiaiion, e kno exacil hai
e're doing. Ve'e burnedihroughenoughIaniasies,
ihoughis, and scenarios ihai e no longer beliee
ihem.VerealizeihaiaIlihease'ekepiourselves
asleephaelednohere. urisdomisripening. Ve
quiie gladl mediiaie, because e see ihaiihere is no
beiieraiodissipaiebeildevmeniandsuIIering.
105
Ten
Not Too Tight,
Not Too Loose
N golI insirucior, Iorrie, sas ihai mosi oI us are
Ii ouigainers, " alas looking io ouier condiiions Ior
success insiead oI creaiing ihe proper condiiions
iihin. He considersgolIagameoIcauseandeIIeciin
hichereboihihecause andiheeIIeci.Vegeimad,
and nomaiterho muche aniio casiblame else-
here,iisehoareioblame.HispoiniisihaibeIore
iakingasngehaeio cenierourseles-recognize
haiere Ieeling and come io inner balance -iIe
ani io make a good shoi. iherise ell be ai ihe
merc oIinnerolaiilias ell as ihe ind bloing
across ihe course. II ere ioo ound up or ioo
reIaxed,ourabiliiomakeiheshoiiscompromised. II
ee siabilized ourseleslirsi, ell naiurallbe able
io make our besi sing . In order io do ihis, e need
aareness. Aareness is ihe abili io kno hai is
106
NOT TOO TIGHT) NOT TOO LOOSE
goingoninourmindaipreseni. Ii'simporianiinmedi-
iaiionasellasingolI.
The poini oIaareness and ihe poini oImediia-
iion,Iorihaimaiier-isioknohai'shappening.Ve
hae io be aake. iherise e IaI inio leiharg,
hichisonesiepaaIromsleep.Viihouiaareness,
mediiaiion ill lead nohere. In ihe hrs siages oI
peaceIulabiding,aarenessacisasasphoaiches
us mediiaie, aleriing mindIulness io bring us back io
ihe breaih hen e sira. For a hile ii mighi be
clumsandinirusie, becausesbeginnerseneedio
beaichingconsianil. Buiasepraciice, aareness
coniinuesio deelop. Themindbecomesmoresiable,
and our abili io kno hai's happening becomes
sironger.AarenessbecomesihesheriIIhocansense
ihaiourmindisabouiio become disiracied andrem-
ed ihe siiuaiion beIore ii een occurs. Ve don'i see
ihe sheriIIrunningaround eetwhere, ejusikno
he's ihere. Because e hae more conhdence, aare-
nessnolongerIeelsinirusie.
NindIulnessandaarenessalsohaerolesasanii-
doies. For insiance, hen e Iace ihe obsiacle oI
Iorgeiting ihe insiruciions, ihe aniidoie is io irigger
ihe remembering aspeci oImindIulness. In ihe same
a, hen Iacing ihe obsiacles oIgo
p
a and ch ingwa,
elaiion and laxi, e're calling on aareness as ihe
aniidoie.
107
SAKYONG MIPHAM
As our praciice deepens, e see iniricaie leels
oIdiscursieness. discursieness iihin Ianiasies, dis-
cursieness iihin emoiions, discursieness iihin
ihoughis, and discursieness iihin discursieness.
Conersel, ihea aarenesscomesinandlooksai
ourmediiaiionalsobecomessubile. Inihebeginningii
as e hard io see ho ihai leel oIsubile mighi
deelop. Bui as iime goes on, because mindIulness
iakeslesseIIori,ehaegreaieraarenessiooersee
ourpraciice.
Encouniering an obsiacle is a signal ihai ere
holdingourmindio someIorm oIdisiraciion. Elaiion
and laxi avise once e hae some siabili in our
praciice.Thearemid-leelroadblocks.Iispossibleio
gei a brieI iasie oI elaiion and laxi in ihe earlier
siages,buibecauseourmindhasiobeellgaiheredin
order io experience ihem Iull, ihese obsiacles are
signsoIprogress.TheindicaieihaiourmindIulnessis
sirongandourmindissiable.Thehorseisalassia-
ing on ihe irail, and no e musiorkiih iis gaii.
ccasionalliisiakingoIIahersomeihingioeai, and
someiimes iis siubbornl spacing oui. Because iis no
longer rearing or boliing, hoeer, e mighi hardl
noiice ihese oiher behaiors. Iis imporiani io ork
iih ihem, ihough, because ii's hoe begin io hnd
ihemiddlegroundoIihebalancedmind-noiooiighi
andnoiiooloose.
108
NOT TOO TIGHT, NOT TOO LOOSE
Inboihelaiionandlaxi,eexperienceihe moe-
menioIihemindihaikeeps us IrombeingIullpres-
eni. In elaiion, e're holding ourmindsoiighiihaiii
beginsiopanic,,usiasahorsedoeshene'rereining
iiinioohard. Inlaxi,e'reholdingourmindsoloose
ihaiiidrihsaa.
In elaiion, e're Iocusediooiighil on ihebreaih.
Viih noarning, ourmind proiesisbsuddenliak-
ingoIIaIiersomeeniicingliiile pleasure. aihoughioI
icecream, pizza,acupoIcoIIee,apleasanipasieeni,
romance, sunshine -ii could be anihing. Suddenl
e'reno l
ngerin charge. The horseis ouioIihe gaie.

Vh pleasure! Aier siabili is esiablished, ii's more
commonIordesireihanaggressioniodisiurbourmed-
iiaiion. Io maiier hai siage oIpraciice e're in, ii
alas Ieels beiier io ani someihing ihan io Ieel
anger,,eaous, orpride.Ve eeniuallarrieaiaplace
hereangerand,ealousandpride no longerarise so
much, buipleasurableliitle desires siillhook us. And
edon'iknoe'rehookeduniilourmindisgone.
Laxi is ihe opposiie oI elaiion. In Tibeian ihe
ordIor laxiis cbina-iheordihai's usedhen
someone's droning. Ii means io sink. " The mind
sinksinioiiselI. urrelaiionshipioihebreaihisloose,
Iuzz, and disiani. Ve lackIreshness and clari. Ve
blank oui. Ve'e losi our iaming poer. Too loose"
ma Ieel as iI e're noi ihinking, bui hai's reall
109
SAKYONG MI PHAM
happenedisihaieedeadenedourmind. Veesup-
pressed ihe minds moemeni. Because ihinking is so
neuroiic, marauding, iedious, and obnoxious, ee
decidediobocoiiii. ThaishailaxiIeelslike. Ve
go io iheexireme oIiingio do noihing, eenihough
ihaisnoipossible ihe mind is alas generaiing and
beinggeneraied.
Vhaishappeninginihaisiaie,henmindnuIlihes
iiselI! ne scenarioisihaiiheihoughisandemoiions
cancel each oiher oui. Anoiher is ihai ere iing
so hard io be mindIul, our mind sinks. Vhen e sii
don,ejusiIallasleep. Thisisconneciediihbore-
dom. Vere Irusiraiedbecauseere usedio consiani
enieriainmeni, and no ihe mind cani een pro-
duce remoiel inieresiing ihoughis. So iis bored
seemingliihmediiaiion,buiaciualliihiiselI.
The aniidoie io boih elaiion and laxi is aare-
ness.Ve hae iolookaihais going oninourmind.
nceaarenesshasioldusihaiereioolooseorioo
iighi,e haeiolearnhoio adjusi. IIihe obsiacleis
elaiion,emighiitrelaxingiheiechnique, giingiia
bii more room. Ve could gie our ouibreaih more
IocusihanourinbreaihsoihaiihemindhasmoreIree-
dom.recouldlighienourIocusonihebreaihalio-
geiher. In ihai space, ihe agiiaiion mighi seiile don
andecangoIorwardiihasirongandclearmediia-
iion. IIiheobsiacleislaxi, eneedioiighienupour
110
praciice.Ve canbringmoreoIourmindioihebreaih-
ing oerall. Ve could Iocus on ihe inbreaih. Ve can
siabilize our posiure. Ve mighi it io perk up b
remoing a laer oI cloihing, opening a indo, or
raisingourgaze.
Anoiher obsiacle isihaiai iimes oIgreaisiabili
iheminddoes noiapplihe aniidoie. Forexample,e
mighibeIeelingrelaxed,sooihed,andconieniiihour
mediiaiion,noirecognizingihaiere inasiaieoIlax-
i. Eetihing Ieels good, ere in agood mood, and
e ihink ee achieed perIeciion. Since e doni
realize ere Iacing an ob
iacle, iishardio appl an

aniidoie. Yeiihe appropriaie aniidoie in suchasiiua-
iionisioappliheaniidoie.
Fuall subile is ihe obsiacle oIacrappling ihe
aniidoie. nce hen I as camping in a beauiiIul
mouniainmeado, someoImneighborsereplang
a radio. Here e vere in a quiei ad peaceIul place,

andiheihoughiihe couldmake ii beiierIadding
one more ihing. This is oerappling ihe aniidoie. Iis
someiimesbesijusiio lei ourpraciicebe. IIe hddle
iih ii ioo much, ell onl be siirring up aierihai
has seitled. TheaniidoieIoroerapplingiheaniidoie
isknonasresiinginequanimi. Inihiscaseiisbesi
ioresiasouare.
ForihousandsoIears, ieachershaeproidedus
iihmaniools, buiiisup io us iolearnhoio use
111
SAKYONG MI PHAM
ihem. Iiiakes experience andmaiuriio beiniimaie
iihiheiniricacies oIourmind.Ve haeiobeableio
see exacil hai is going on. "A, Im noi ,usi dis-
iracied, Imsiuckinelaiion. "Thene canapplsome
praciicaladice. Vorkingiihobsiacleslikelaxiand
elaiionisaprocessoIirialandertor.Eenasourprac-
iice is becoming subiler, ere siill discoering ihe
asioholdourmindioihebreaih.
InIaci, as epraciice shamaiha, mosioIihe iime
ell be learning ho io recognize laxi and elaiion
and ihen oercome ihem bappling ihe appropriaie
aniidoie. Vhen amusician askedihe Buddha ho he
should mediiaie, ihe Buddha asked him, Ho do
ou iune ihe sirings oIour guiiar! " The musician
ansered, Ioiiooiighi, noiiooloose, soiimakesihe
righisound. "TheBuddhasaid, Similarl, oushould
holdour mind in mediiaiion. " Jusi as in plaing a
musical insirumeni, holding ihe mind noi ioo iighi,
noiiooloose"iakespraciice.
Vhen our aareness is et sirong, e can deal
iih obsiacles as ihe arise hile coniinuing io hold
our mind io ihe breaih. As soon as e deieci an ob-
siacle,elirsirelaxourIocusoniheiechnique.Vere
siillapplingii, buiiis noi as clear, crisp, oriighi. Ai
ihesameiime,ereableiodealihhaieerirouble
is arising. Iis like ansering ihe phone hile e're
cooking.
112
Inihisaihemediiaiionconiinuesiihouibeing
inierrupied.Ii'snoiasi esiop,dealiihiheobsiacle,
andcomeback.Thisishoaarenessbeginsioexiend
ihe process oImindIulness. The combinaiionoImind-
Iulnessandaarenessislikealkingacross iheroom
holdingacupIull oIaier. MndIulnessmainiainsihe
properangleanddegreeoIpressure,aarenessmakes
sureihaiiidoesn'ispill.
NindIulness is a helpIul iool, in ihe chaos oIour
dail liIe, e need io be mindIul oIman ihings. Iis
aareness,hoeer, ihaibecomesihebridgebeiween
ihecushionandoureetdaliIe.Vho'spaingaiien-
iioniohoereusingourbod, speech, andmindas
emoeihroughiheda!Aareness.Viihaareness
e can undersiand our conduci in an siiuaiion. Ii's
hoe knoerebeinga,erk andneediobemore
kind. Iis ho e kno e're scared or Iearhor
IearLe. Ii is this knoing quali oI aareness ihai
illuliimaielleadio ihe deelopmenioIour enlighi-
ened mind.
115
ELe ven
Nine Stag,e s of
Tr aining the Mind
Asihelineageolmediiaiors saioniheircushionsand
orkediih iheir minds, ihe saihe same unlold-
ing process nine as ihai ihe mind can be irue io
iis inhereni siabili, clari, and sirengih. In iheir
descripiions olnine siages olirainingihe mind, ihe
leli us signposis olihai process. These guidelines are
helplulbecauseihe mind issoasiihaiilerelehio
ouron deices, ellusualljusinderinihoughi.
Theseninesiagesareamapolihemediiaiieprocess.
Thehrsilour siagesplacemeni, coniinual place-
meni, repeaiedplacemeni, andcloseplacemenihae
io do iih deeloping siabili. Siages he and su
iaming
and paci[ingbae io do iih deeloping

clari. And ihe lasi ihree siagesihoroughlpaci|-
ing, one-poinied, and equanimihae io do iih
buildingsirengih.
114
NINE STAGES OF TRAINING THE MIND
1. Placement
Placingourmindonihebreaihisihehrsiihingedo
in mediiaiion. In ihe momeni oI placing our mind,
ere mouniingihe horse.e puiourIooi in ihe siir-
rupandpullourselesupioihesaddle. IisamaiteroI
iakingourseaiproperl.
This momeni oIplacemeni siaris hene exiraci
ourmind Irom iis engagemeniiih eenis, problems,
ihoughis, and emoiions. Veiake ihai ild and bus
mind and place ii on ihe breaih. Een ihough ere
placingourconsciousness,hichisniphsical, place-
meniIeelsetphsical. Iisas deliberaie as placing a
rockoniopoIaleaI.
InorderIorplacemeniiobesuccessIul,ehaeio
IormallacknoledgeihaiereleitinggooIconcepis,
ihoughis, and emoiions. Io Im placing m mind
uponihebreaih. " Vhaihappensinihaimomeni! ur
aitachmenisare uprooied. IIecaneenaiiempisuch
aihing, our discursieness is greail reduced. Aiihe
sameiime,bplacingiionihebreaih,eregaihering
ihaimindihaisspreadihinalloer.
For beginning mediiaiors ihe hrsi siage is here
elearnhoiobalanceiheIocusonbreaihing,recog-
niiionoIihoughis,andholdingiheposiure. Iisagrace
period during hich e deelop good mediiaiion
habiis. As e coniinue in our praciice, placemeni is
115
SAKYONG MIPHAM
alasihelirsi siep. Iisihaimomeniaiihebeginning
oIeach session hen e recognize and acknoledge
ihaieebegunmediiaiing.Becauseiiesiablishesour
aiiiiude ioard ihe resi oI ihe session, iis ihe mosi
imporiani siage. The momeni oIplacemenigies our
mediiaiionacrisp,cleansiari.IIebegininaagueor
ambiguousa, ihenourmediiaiionillonlconiinue
io be ague and ambiguous. Like placing a domino,
hocareIulle place ourmindin ihehrsisiageill
direcilaIIeciihedeelopmenioIihene.
Aier ihaihrsi momeni, each iimeou choose io
recognize andacknoledgeaihoughiandreiurnour
consciousnessioihebreaih,ourelearningplacemeni.
Iis sucha smallaci, so innocuous, bui iis one oIihe
mosicourageousihingsou can do.Vhenourecog-
nize and release ihaiihoughi, ou can iake pride in
ourselI. Youe oercome laziness. Youe remem-
bered ihe insiruciions. You can Ieel happ coming
back io ihe breaih. Ooni ort ihaioure going io
haeio doiiagainouregoingio doiiihousands oI
iimes.Thaishihisiscalledpraciice.
Eachiimeourememberioplaceourmindonihe
breaih, oure moing Iorward. Jusi b leiiing a
ihoughi go, oure exiraciingourselIIrom concepis,
negaiieemoiions,andbeildermeni.Youreleiiinggo
oIihe neediobeend!esslenieriainedandconsumed.
Youhaeio do ii again and again andagain. Change
116
NINE S TAGES OF TRAINING THE MIND
happens one breaih ai a iime, one ihoughi ai a iime.
Eachiimeou reiurn io ihe breaih,oureiaking one
siep aa Irom addiciion io discursieness and Iear
and one siep Iorward on ihe paih oI enlighienmeni,
beginningiihdeelopingcompassionIorourselI.
Iloegoh.IplaiiheneerIcan.Iomaiterhai
kindoIgaeImhaing,Icanhiionlonebalaiaiime.
Eachballisiheonlball,mmindhasiobeIresheet
ime. IIIihmkoIiheballs IehiiorihebalsIillhii,
Im noi reall hiiiingthu ball. Im onl ingrammg bad
habiis. Iisihe sameiihplacemeni. IIoure noicrisp
andIreshm recognizing andreleasing ihoughis, oure
noireaIlmediiaiing,ouremgrainmgsloppmess.Those
ihoughisillgainpover, and eeniuallouoni be
mediiaiingaiall.Youll]usibeihmkmg.
Recognizing, acknoledging, and releasing a
ihoughiislikereachingiheiopoIamouniain.Iisor-
ihoIihearriorsct, 'Xiki do dorWat ecelebraie
is leaing behind ihe selI-indulgeni Ianiasies ihaiill
rob usoIourliIe unlesseorkiih ihem properl.
Inspiraiion,ie,eIIori,irusi,mindIulness,andaare-
ness supporiusinihis.
The more ere able io gaiher our aiieniion and
Iocus, ihe sironger our mmd becomes, ihe sironger
ihe experience becomes, and ihe sironger ihe resuli
becomes.Ve knoereableioplaceourmindsprop-
erlhene can holdourIocus onihebreaihingIor
117
SAKYONG MIPHAM
roughliwen-one cclesiihouiourmindbecoming
enormousldisiracied.
2. Continual Placement
Placing our mind on ihe breaih is no Iairl eas.
Vee learned io mouni ihe horse, and no e Ieel
comIoriablebeinginihesaddle. Thehorseisalking
alongiheirail.VereexperiencinghoiiIeelsiobeon
ihe breaih, io be coniinuall inpl
cemeni. Vhen dis-

cursienessanddisiraciioniakeusoIIiheirail,band
large ere able io implemeni placemeni io gei back
on. Vhaiallos us io do ihis is Iuriher deelopmeni
oI mindIulness and aareness, lack oI laziness, and
rememberingiheinsiruciions.
AnoiherreasonereableiosuccessIullplaceour
mind on ihe breaihisihaie hae conlidence in ihe
reasonsheremediiaiing.Ve doiiiihenihusiasm
becauseeknoiiillbringuspeace.VeseeiheIutil-
i oIouiside concerns, Ianiasies, ihoughis, and emo-
iions.VerevlingiogieihemupaileasiIoriheperiod
oIourmediiaiionbecausee seeihe benehis oIdoing
so. Placemenihasbecomeareasonableihingiodo.
Vhenresiingourmindonihebreaihingandrelai-
ingioourihoughisiiheasebecomesihenorm,ere
comingio ihe end oIihis siage. A benchmark is ihai
118
ere able io resi ourmindsIorroughl I O8 ccles oI
ihebreaihiihouibeingcaughiindisiraciion.Through
I O8 breaihs -in and oui -e can be mindIul oIihe
breaihing. Alihough e ma experience some dis-
cursieness, ihe ihoughis areni boihersome or large
enoughihaielosemindIulnessandIorgeiihebreaih-
ingaliogeiher.
AiihissiageourmindIulnessandsiabililasionl
solong, ihen ourmind drihs oII. Buihenihe main-
siaoIourpraciiceisihaiecansiaonihebreaihing
IorI O8breaihs,giingourselesalitileiggleroomin
ihaiellbeneiiher compleielsiill norcompleiel
disiracied, ihen e'e graduaied Irom ihe second io
iheihirdsiage,hichisknonasrepeaiedplacemeni.
3. Repeated Placement
VemighiIeellikeehaebeendoingrepeaiedplace-
meni"sinceihebeginning. BuiihelandscapeoImedi-
iaiion is asi, and ihe siages progressiel subile,
becauseihedescribe urexperience,hichbecomes
moreandmorerehned.TheTibeianordIorihissiage
is!n, hichmeansioreiriee,iogaiher,iobringback.
Veelearnedhoioplaceourmindandhoio con-
iinueioplaceourmind,buioccasionallaihoughisiill
breaksouilikeaildhorsegallopingacrossiheplains.
119
SAKYONG MIPHAM
Inihelirsito siagesihishappenedincessanil.Bihe
ihirdsiageiihappensonloccasionall.
Ouring ihe second siage, e learned io en,o ihe
ride.Veredelighiedihaiecansiainihesaddleand
en,oihe scenet. Inihe ihird siagee become more
conhdeni.Buiihehorsesiillhassponianeousmomenis
olexciiemeniandildness. Ioandihen ii rears or
bucksorleaesiheirail.Ve haeiobringiiback.Ve
praciiceoccasionallreirieingii ihroughouiiheihird
siage, andbiheendedoii less andless. urmind-
Iulnessismaiuringiniosiabili.
Ioere ableiolocusonourbreaihing, onbeing
preseni. Vhen ihe mind deparis, iis usuaIl io chase
laniasiesolliitlepleasures,lromloodiobeitereaiher
io romaniic adeniures. This is elaiion. ere holding
our mind ioo iighil. Vere locused on ihe breaih so
hard ihai ihe mind suddenl deparis. As ihis siage
progresses, ihe speed and eIhcienc iih hich e
reiriee our mind increases. Bcomparison, ihe a
e exiracied ourseles lrom ihoughis in earlier siages
looks mess. Someiimes ii as like quicksand- ihe
hardereiriediogeioui,ihemoreeereembroiled.
Buino, because mindlulness is so sirong, ere able
ioremoe ourselesiihprecision. Bihe end olihis
siageeeachieedoneolihemilesionesoIshamaiha
siabili. Mndlulness is so poieni ihai ere able io
remain on ihe breaih iihoui eer being Iull dis-
120
iracied.Aarenessisalsobecomingmoreasiuie.Ve're
beginningiocaichihoughisbeIoreiheoccur.
urmeJiiaiionisn'iasclearandibraniasiicould
be, buiiiIeelsgoodandpeaceIul becausee'e siabi-
lized our minds. Throughoui ihe course oIa session,
ourmind alvas remains in iheiheaieroItnediiaiion.
This is an admirable accomplishmeni. In Tibei ii is
likenedioauliuresoaringhighiniheskoeradead
anima. Thisbirdnoalas keepsiiseeoniheIood.
IimadrihaliiileioiheleIiorrighi,buiiineerloses
sighioIihe Iood. Similarl ourminds ma driIi here
andihere, buineeraaIromihebreaih.
BeIoreiheendoIiheihirdsiage,someiimeseere
preseniIorourpraciiceandsomeiimeseeren'i. Io
e'reihereIoralloIii. Thisis siabili. Iididn'ihappen
because e hii ourseles oer ihe headiih an oerl
simplihed mediiaiion iechnique. Ve achieed ii genil
andpreciselihroughrepeiiiion, consisienc, ie aiti-
iude,inieniion,properposiure,andgoodsurroundings.
4. Clode PLacement
The enitioiheIourihsiage,hichi sknonasclose
placemeni, is marked b nondisiraciion. Ve alas
remaincloseioihebreaih.Thai'sheneknoe'e
crossediheborder.Thisissiabili.Veknoihaieen
121
SA K'Y 0 N G M I P HAM
ihoughihe horseill ander here andihere, ii oni
beleaingiheirail.
urmediiaiionnoiakesonadiIIereniiwisi. Pre-
iouslourmainconcernasnoiiobedisiraciedIrom
ihebreaih.Veereorriedihaiourmindasgoing
io be sucked back inio eedaproblems. Veere
alasonderingiIedbesirongenoughioreiurnio
ihebreaih.Ioere morerelaxed.Vere nolonger
ondering iI e can sia on ihe breaih because e
kno e can. Vere no longer concerned aboui oui-
side inlIuences pulling us aa Irom mediiaiion
becauseeknoiheoni.urconlidenceisheighi-
ened. Ioere concerned aboui ihe quai oIour
mediiaiion-ihe iexiure, ihe experience. BeIore e
ereorriedihaiecouldnigeiacup oIcoIIee,no
e ania mocha cappuccino. Ho cane make our
mindssironger,moreibrani! Thisisournepriori.
Bandlarge,ee oercomeiheobsiaclesoIlazi-
ness and Iorgeiiing ihe insiruciions. These obsiacles
erebadbecauseihekepiusIrommediiaiing.Bihe
endoIihe ihirdsiageandinioihe Iourih siageere
deaIingiihihe obsiacles oIelaiionanJlai. Eiiher
eremehasdisiraciingresulis.Hoeer,sincebno
ere alas remaining ai the scene oI our praciice,
iheseareconsideredgoodproblemsiohae.
In Tibei ere arned ihaiaiihe Iourih siage e
mighibeIool enough io ihinkeeachieedenlighi-
122
enmeni or high realizaiion-ihe mind Ieels so sirong
am siable and good. Because ihe siruggle iih our
mindhasbeenreduced greail, iheresaqualioI, o
andease. BuiiIe en,oihe siabilioIihe mindioo
much, iiillbecomeioorelaxed.Vemighinoireach
ihe oiher siages. Hence ihe obsiacle oI laxi. ur
mindis siablebuinoiclear. Thebirdcanilandonihe
meai, ii ca onlaround ii.Ve need aarenessio
homein,sharpensensibili,pullourmindiniighier.
5. Taming
Een ihough ihe accomplishmenis ai ihe ihird and
Iourih siages are heroic, ihere's Iurther io go. In ihe
liIih siage e're ableioiighienup ourmediiaiion b
bringingin moreclari. Thissiageis knonas iaming
because e begin io experience ihe irue Iruiis oI a
iamedmind, someihingihaiebeganioculiiaielong
agoinihelirsisiage. Taminghereisihe experience oI
fu rungwa, beingableiomake ourmindorkable. In
ihe Iourih siage, e mighi siill Ieel aedbihe Iaci
ihai ee iamed ihe horse. Bui no a sirong, siable,
andclearmindIeelsnaiural. urmindisnoiperIecil
siill.Vesiillhae discursie ihoughis. Buie're Ieel-
ing irue snerg iih ihe horse. Ve're Ieeling har-
mon.Ve'renolongersiruggling.
125
SAKYONG MI PHAM
Theharmonand snergcreaie,o. Airadiiional
I
meiaphor Iorhai e experience ai ihis siage is ihe
delighioIabeedraingneciarIromaoer. Nediia-
iioniasiesgood,,oous. IIoueeerhadahardiime
andihensuddenlIeliihepressureliIi,oumighihae
brieknonsuchblissandliberaiion.
6. Pacifying
The sixih siage is knon as paci[ing. A greai baitle
has iaken place and ihere is iciot. Vere seaied on
ihehorsesureingiheheld.Veknoeeon.Ve
IeeliranquilandibranilikemouniaingreeneaIiera
ihundersiorm. Eeihinghasbeenaieredandener-
gized.Thereisiremendousclari.
Vere siill orking iih a mind ihai is someiimes
iighiandsomeiimesloose. Inourpraciiceesiillhae
io make manliiile ad,usimenis. Bui in making ihese
ad,usimeniserenolongerIraniic, asemighihae
been in ihe lirsi Ie siages. Then ii as quesiionable
ihaieouldeermakeourmindanall, andnoihe
peacee Ieeliells usihaie hae. urmediiaiion is
,oous and clear. Ve begin io experience noi onl
mindsnaiuralharmon, buialsoiisinherenisirengih.
Aiihis siagee also Ieel exciiemeni. Vebegin io
see the possibiliiies oIhai e can accomplish iih
124
our iamed mind. BeIore, ihis relaiionship as a 5ur-
den,5uinoii'sIulloIpossi5iliIies. Theildhorsehas
5eeniamed.
7. ThoroughLy Pacifying
The 5aiile ma5e oer, 5ui ihere are siill aIeliiile
enem soldiers running around in ihe Iorm oI su5ile
ihoughis, mosil a5oui pleasure. Ve ma 5e slighil
aiiachedio hogoodmediiaiionIeels. There are liifle
dualisIic rum5lings. Alihough e kno ihai ihere
noi going io disrupi our mediiaiion, e cani jusi sii
5ack and ignore ihem. In ihoroughl paci[ing, e
don'idispeliheihoughisase didin siageIour. Io
eseduceihem,likesnoIallinginiohre. urmediia-
iion is 5ecoming so sirong ihai hen ihoughis and
emoiions encounieriisheaiihenaiuralldissole.
Remem5eriheaierIall oIihoughise Ieli hen
e hrsi saidon on ihe cushion io iame our minds!
\
Ii's5ecomealakeiihonlaIeliiileripples.
8. One-Pointed
B iheeighih siage, knon asone-poinied, iherem-
nanisoIdiscursienesshaeeaporaied. Ve're siiiing
125
SAKYONG MI PHAM
ihere compleiel aake, clear, and knoing. This is
possi5le5ecauseerenolongerdisiracied. urmedi-
iaiion has deeloped all ihe aiiri5uies oI perIeciion,
hich ishai e ill accomplish ai ihe ninih siage.
TheonldiIIerenceisihaiaiihe5eginningoImediia-
iione siill hae io make a slighi eIIori io oini our
mindinihedireciionoIihe5reaih.
9. Equanimity
ur mediiaiion has come io perIeciion. Vhene sii
done engapeiih ihe5reaihinacompleiellIuid
and sponianeous manner. ur mind s sirong, sia5le,
clear, andjoous.VeIeela compleie senseoIicio.
Ve could mediiaie Ioreer. Een in ihe 5ack oIour
mind, ihere are noiraces oIihoughis. Vere inunion
iihihe preseni momeni. urmind isai oncepeace-
Iul and poerIul, lie a mouniain. Theres a sense oI
equanimi.
This is perIeciion. Like ahnel irained racehorse,
our mind remains moiionless 5ui alie iih energ.
The mind has aciuall gron-in sirengih as ell as
size. Ve Ieel magnanimous, expansie. This is ihe
IruiiionoIpeaceIula5iding. Ioehaeamindihai
isa5leioIocusinanendeaor. VeIeelcenieredand
conhdeni.
126
Three
TU RNIN G THE
MIND INTO
AN AL LY
TweLIe
Turning the Mind
The poer oIpeaceIul abiding isihaie begino see
hoour mind orks. Ve begin io see hoour liIe
orks, ioo. Thai changes us. Vene hrsibegan io
praciice, e mighi hae Ieli as ihough ihoughis and
emoiionsere solid. urmindsereeak. Thoughis
andemoiions seemedoerhelming. Ioe see ihai
ihe'relikemisirisingIromaier.Veseeihaiihoughis
are poerIulbecausee beliee in ihem, so much so
ihaie base our eniire liIe on ihem. Ho e dress,
haieeai,hereelie,andeehingelseaboui
our liIe is a produci oIour ihinking. Vhai ere e
ihinkingheneboughiihis!Vhaiereeihinking
hen e did ihai! Ve begin io see ho our belieI
in ihe solio oI ihoughis has creaied ihis concepi
called me. "Ve see ihai ai ihe basis oIour being is
129
SAKYONG MI P HAM
someihing deeper andmoreopenihanIaniasies, emo-
iions,anddiscursieness.
Io ihoughis doni hae ihepoer oer us ihai
ihedid5eIore.Verenoidisiracied.urmindIulness
and aareness are keen. Through consisienipraciice,
ee gron Iamiliar iih ihe Ieeling oI a Iocused
mind. Vee deeloped ihe sirengih io sia iih ii.
ThissiaieoIclariconnecisusiihreali. Vheiher
ereriiingamasiersihesisorcookingameal,ere
clear a5oui ho e are and hai ere doing. Ve
knoour5asicgoodness. Themindsourall, ande
Ieelholesome andcompleie. IisasiIeesIepiell
and eaien ell, and ere in good surroundings. Ve
haeaheaihsenseoIselI.
ViihahealihsenseoIselIeIeelaiease. Ee-
ihingeneedisalread
`
here.Verecenierediihina
siaieoIconienimeni. Verenoiioohardonourseles,
aiihesameiime,ereiseioouronliiileiricks.Ve
knohoe geislippe. Ve knohenerei-
ing io gei aa iih someihing. Vere comIoria5le
looking ai ourseles honesil. ur mind is open and
supple. Vere 5ecoming inquisiiie 5ecause a hole
rangeoIrealiehadninoiiced5eIoreiscominginio
Iocus. Viihihisopenness, lIexi5ili, andcuriosi, e
5eginioseeceriainiruihsa5ouiiheaihingsare.
TheBuddhaiaughiihaiioakeupIromihedream
oI5eildermeniandsuIIering,elirsineediosiisiill
130
TURNING THE MIND
and iake a deep 5reaih. PeaceIula5iding isihai deep
5reaih, aaiosiripaaihechaosoI5eildermeni
andhndsome5asicsani.BuipeaceIula5idingisonl
ihe 5eginning oI ihe spiriiual ,ourne. Simpl iih-
drainginioihesia5ilioIouronmindscouldiurn
mediiaiion praciice inio ,usi anoiher a io shop Ior
pleasure.Insiead,iihihishealihsenseoIselIecan
look more deepl inio ihe meaning oIour 5eing. Ve
caniakemediaiionhriher5usinginsighi, v i pthyana
in Sanskrii, io relIeci accuraiel on our on experi-
enceandonihe naiureoIexisience.Vecanpoiniour
mind in a ne direciion-aa Irom illusions and
ioardreali.VedoihisihroughihepraciiceoIcon-
iemplaiion.
Inanuishell, iheemoiionse experience all come
donio passion, apgression, and5eildermeni. Viih
peaceIula5idingee5eenorkingmosil iih see-
inghoe'reeiihergraspinghaieani-passion-
orpushingaahaiedoniani -apgression.This
islileclearingiheheldoIinesandihorn5ushes.Io
ehaeasia5le mind ihaiseesclearlihe disiraciions
oIiheseio poerIul Iorces and hasihe sirengih noi
io 5e saed 5 ihem. Vhai ere leh iih is ihe
poeroIignorance,andignoranceisihesourceoIsuI-
Iering. Ignorance is like a deepl rooied eed iih
runners. IIe areniaare oIihe piiIalls oIdelusion,
ho can e deal iih ihem! Ve can dismanile our
131
SAKYONG MIPHAM
illusions5coniemplaiingiherealioIhumanliIeand
our poieniial io aaken ihe mind oI enlighienmeni.
Thisishaiedoinconiemplaiiemediiaiion.
I'e said ihai our 5eildered mind is like a ild
horse.IhaeaehighregardIorhorses.VhenIas
inhighschool, Ispenisomeiimeorkingonaranchin
Vesi Texas. A siallion in ihe disiance on ihe high
plains is a poerIul sighi io 5ehold. Ve doni iame
suchasirongma, esiiccreaiure55eaiingihespiriioui
ii. Insiead, eorkiihiisrapoerandiurn ihai
energ in a ceriain direciion. Vhere do e ani io
iakeihai horse! Vhere doe aniiogoriding! Ve
ani io make a real ,ourne. Ve ani io ride in ihe
meados oI compassion, ihe gardens oI aakened
heari, ihe heldsoIisdom. Thisis ihe essence oIihe
praciiceoIconiemplaiion. elearniodireciiheenerg
oIourmindioardenlighienmeni.
Vhenepraciiceshamaiha,egaiheriheenerg
oIiheind5draingiiin.Vedisempoer5eilder-
meni5recognizingand releasingihoughis andemo-
iions.Iniiiallihoughisareapro5lem5ecausee'reso
disiracied5ihem.Thereapro5lemhenihe5uild
inio sirong emoiions, 5ecause ihe desia5ilize us. In
coniemplaiie mediiaiion, e useihem. uro5,ecioI
mediiaiion is no longer ihe 5reaih. Insiead, e hold
ourmindioaihoughiorasenienceandkeepiiihere,
132
TURNING THE MIND
anduse insighiioundersiandiis meaning. This5rings
ourconcepismoreinuneiihreali.
The Buddha as considered io 5e a renegade
5ecauseheaskedpeopleiolookinihisaaiiheiruih
oIhaiasgoingon. HeleIiuscluesa5ouiihenaiure
oIreali and ho io encourage ihe mind oIenlighi-
enmeni-precious human 5irih, " impermanence, "
deaih, " karma, " samsara, " and aaened heari or
mind."Vhaidoiheseordsreallmean! Hocane
lei ihem peneiraie our 5eing and allo us io irans-
Iorm! Coniemplaiing ihe meaning oI a pariicular
ihoughimoesusIromconcepiioardadireciexperi-
enceoIreali,hichisisdom.
Vecansa 5lue, "5uiuniile seeihecolor5lue,
edonireallknohaiihemeaningis.Vecansa
ihai someihing is hoi, 5uiuniil e iouch ii, e doni
knohai hoi" means. Ve can ialka5oui5ringing
our mind io compassion 5 saing Na all seniieni
5eings5eIreeIromsuIIeringandiherooioIsuIIering, "
5ui uniil e Ieel ihe pain oI oihers, pain" is onl a
ord. Ve hae io crack iis shell io lei iis meaning
inIuseus, seepinioourlies.
In coniemplaiie mediiaiioneare geiiingioihe
inneressenceoIreali.êraceriainpoini,iheords
Iall aa, 5ui ihe meaning sias. Ve are no longer
operaiingIromihe5asisoIconcepi.Thesu5,eci-o5,eci
155
SAKYONG MI PHAM
separaiion isgone. The reali
oIbirih, deaih, imper-

manence, and Iree andell-Iaored human birih has
peneiraied us. Jusi like ihe Buddha aIier he leIi ihe
palace, e'e incorporaiediheirreali.Ve'epicked
iheIruiioIIiheireeandecanlinalldrinkihe, uice.
Thai's ihe poini oIconiemplaiion-hearing, lisiening,
undersianding. Ii puis us in iune iih ihe naiure oI
ihings.
Seeingihroughignorance and realizingihe mean-
1.
ingoIourliesisepreciseork-orkIoramind
ihaiissiable, clear, andsirong. Iiiakespaiienceio do
ihispraciice. AsmIaiherusediosa, ii'slikecombing
ourhairoerandoeragain. Ve'rebecomingIamiliar
iih ihoughis ihai ill shih ihe siream oIour being,
ihedireciionoIourlies-iIeleiiheirmeaningpene-
iraieus.InbecomingIamiliariihloeandcompassion,
karmaandsamsara, ihepreciousnessoIbeinghuman,
iheineiiabilioIdeaih, e irain indiingdeep inio
iheiruihandaakeningourdormaiisdom.
ContempLative Meditation I ndtructiond
SincehaingasiablemindisihegroundoIconiempla-
iion,beginoursessioniihaIeminuiesoIshamaiha.
Then shih our Iocus Irom ihe breaih io a ceriain
ihoughi, inspiraiion, or inieni. Ior example, ou can
134
TURNING THE MIND
saioourselI, IoIamplacingmmindonihepre-
ciousness oIhuman5irih. r I o I amplacing m
mindoniherealioIimpermanence. Thengaiherihe
mind and place ii on ihose ords. Coniemplaiion is
peacehla5idingiihadiIIerenio5,eci, soeehing
ouelearneda5ouishamaihaappliesioihispraciice.
Vhenourecognizeihaioureihinkinga5ouisome-
ihing 5esides ihe o5,eci oI mediiaiion, acknoledge
ihaiouredisiraciedandreiurnioiheihoughioure
coniemplaiing.
In ihis praciice, iheords are ihe gaieaio ihe
meaning.Asouconiinueioplaceourmindonihem,
eeniuall ihe ords Iall aa and iheir meaning or
ibe experience iohich ihereIerill arise. For ex-
ample,oumasiariioIeelourheariopeninga ou
ishihaiour sisier orour5esiIriend5ehapp. In
coniemplaiingimpermanenceordeaih,oumighiIeel
asenseoIgroundlessness.Bresiingourmindinihai
meaning,ihaiIeeling,oure5uildingIamiliariiiha
pariicularIaceioIreali.
Aiiimesoumahndihaiouplaceourmindon
ihe ords andou doni reall Ieelaihing. Jusi con-
iinue resiingour mind on ihe ords. Asour on
relaiionship iih ihose ords deepens, ee
iuall an
experience oIiheir meaning ill arise. Iis someiimes
necessa io reall thik a5oui hai oure doing.
Reiurnioiheordsasiheo5,ecioImediiaiion, andai
135
SAKYONG MIPHAM
ihe same iime, bring in ihoughis, images, and memo-
ries io enrich our coniemplaiion. Someiimes Ill
rememberihe beggars Ie seenin India, Iorexample,
iohelpeokeaIeelingoIcompassion.IIourepraciic-
ing raising ihe mind oIloe, ou ca imagine people
ouknobeingreallhapp. ThiskindoIIocusedand
conirolled ihinking can crack ihe shell oIihe ords
andleiihemeaningcomeihrough.
AiiheendoIoursession, leiihemeaningoIour
mediiaiion become ourie. For example, iIoue
been contemplaiingihe preciousness oIhuman birih,
ihroughoui ihe da ou can lei our mind resi in a
sense oIappreciaiion Ior liIe. You can be ihoroughl
soakedinihemessageoIourconiemplaiion.
TheiopicsiniheIolloing chapiersarehelphlio
coniemplaie ai somepoiniinourpraciice. Theill
help ou ground ourselIin ihe realiiies oIour liIe,
appreciaiehaiouhae, anduiilizeourinsighiiogo
beondiheboundariesoI''me. "Youcanalso use ihese
coniemplaiions as aniidoies iIoure Ieeling a lackoI
courage or iIoure Ieeling disheariened. The ill
gieou inspiraiion. For example, henouIeelihai
ihings are Ialling apari, ou can coniemplaie ihe pre-
ciousnessoIhumanliIeioremindourselIoIhaiou
hae. Vhenou Ieelihaioure making emoiionsand
ihoughis solid, ou can coniemplaie impermanence io
remindourselIihaieetihingisinu.Vhenoure
136
TURNING THE MIND
in ihe ihroes oIa iniense siiuaiion,ou can coniem-
plaie ihe naiure oI sasara insiead oI Ieeling ihai
ou're compleielio blame. Vhenou're inihe grips
oIangerordesire, iicanbehelpIulioconiemplaieand
dismanile ihe emoiion according io ihe insiruciion
gieninChapier6.
Youcanconiemplaie ihese iopicsaiaiime.Firsi
doaliiilesiiiing, andiheniurnourmindioihe con-
iemplaiionoIourchoiceIorienminuiesorso.Aiihe
end oIihe
coniemplaiion, siiIora Ie more minuies.

Oepending on our schedule and ho ihe praciice
Ieels, do one iopic a da, one a eek, or een one a
monih. In an all-da sessionoIpraciice,oucoulddo
oneiopicinihemoringandanoiheriniheahernoon.
For a summa oIinsiruciions Ior coniemplaiie
mediiaiion, seeAppendixC.
137
Thirteen
The Jo
y
of
Be
'
ing Human
In iurning ihe mind inio an all, e are aciiel
encouragingiriue - ca in Tibeian.Ve can ihink oI
iriue as ihe qualiiies oI an enlighiened being, our
enlighienedgeneiicmakeup. Ve arebeingcourageous
likeaarriorinsirengiheningiheseposiiieaspecisoI
ourseles.Theincludeasiablemind, ahealih sense
oIselIgroundedinihe experienceoIbasicgoodness,a
clearievoIiheIacisoIliIe,anuncondiiionallloing
heari,andiheisdomioknoiherighiihingiodoai
all iimes. The mind oI enlighienmeni sees ihings as
iheare. Aenlighienedbeing seesanoncompounded
iruihihai is emp, , oous, and luminous-ihe basic
naiureoIall.VhaiiheBuddhadiscoeredonhis, our-
ne is ihai ere all uliimaiel capable oI seeing ihis
iruihand consciousl rooiing our aciiiiies in ii. ur
poieniialisiobecomeioiallhapp.
138
THE JOY OF BEING HUMAN
Perhaps e ihink oI enlighienmeni as an insiani
iransIormaiion. ne minuie ihe Buddha as siiiing
underihe iree,aregularJoeIrom India, andihe nexi
minuie he oke up as Shakamuni Buddha, ihe
Toiall Blessed ne. Hoeer, ii didn'i happen like
ihai. EnlighienmenivasiheialendoIalongprocess.
The Buddhaas diligeni in iraining and deeloping
his mind. Ii iook exeriion, paiience, and discipline io
iransIormhimselIihisa.
Like spring bulbs dormani undereaih ihe Irozen
earth, ihequaliiies oIiheenlighienedmindneediime
andihe proper condiiions io gro. îhough surpris-
ingandreealingmomenis oIinsighima deepen our
undersianding,ihemindoIenlighienmenidoesn'iopen
in an insiani. These momenis oIinsighi are like ihe
das geiiing armer and longeraiihe end oIinier.
nearmsunndaisn'i going io make ihe oers
bloom, bui as more oIihem occur, e're going io see
signsoIsiemsandleaesandeeniualbuds.Jusiso,
as our momenis oIinsighi accumulaie, ihebegin io
inuence our aciii, e're able io open our hearis.
Ve beginiousehaie'eundersioodinconiempla-
iionio inspire our conduci in ihe orld. The kind oI
insighis e're going io hae and ourabiliio ko
iheirmeaningilldependonihesirengihoImindihai
e'eareadesiablished.
NostoIusconiemplaiehai'smissinginourlies,
139
SAKYONG MI PHAM
as opposedio haie hae. Coniemplaiinghaie
hae opens up our mind io be bigger, less insular. In
coniemplaiingihe,ooIbeinghuman,eIocusonihe
ords, JoIul humanbirih, diIhculiiolind, Iree and
ellIaored. "
Vhen I asoung, I usedioenieriainmselIihis
abeIoreIallingasleep. Inmmindsee Iouldsee
mselIlinginbed.Iouldzoombacklmeacameraio
include m house in m neighborhood in Boulder, in
Colorado,inihe LniiedSiaiesoIAmerica,onihecon-
iineni oIIorih America. Then I ould look ai ihe
planeilikeaglobe, including India,here Ias born,
Tibei, here m Iaiher and moiher ere born, and
Scoiland, here I learned io speak English. Then I
ouldpiciureEarihasabeauiihlbluesphereoaiing
inblackness. I ouldmakeihepiciure bigger, includ-
ingoiherplaneisinoursolarssiemiihihesuninihe
cenier. Themosiamazingihingvasiosee earihdisap-
pearing inio ihe darkness as a speck. Then I ould
imagine ihe ouierplaneis oIihe solassiem. The sun
ould disappear as I imagined all ihe siars in our
gala, hich seemed endless. I ould dissole our
gaainioonesiar,onelighi, and makeihailighie
iin, surroundedboiherlighisinihedarkness,hich
erenisiars, bui galaies. Then Iouldihinkaboui
ho small Ias, andhosirange andonderhliiis
iohaebeenborn.
140
THE J OY OF BEING HUMAN
Eebod e kno as bor. Eeone ve see
asonceabab. Firsiiheerenihere,andihenihe
ere. Ve doni oIien coniemplaie birih-ere ioo
busoringabouimone, Iood,iheaelook,ihe
aoiherpeoplelook,haioiherpeopleareihinking
aboui ihe a e look. Bui birih is a proIound pas-
sage. Seeing a chick pecking iis a oui oIan egg is
moingand poerIul. Eenihough m beingborne
suIIer, birih can happen m such loe, such openness.
Andlikedeaih,birihshosusiheIragilioIliIe.
Iallihe hundreds oImillionsoIsirsandplaneis
,usiiihinouronliiileNilkVa, ihis seems iobe
ihe onloneihaicansupporiliIe. ThescieniihcprooI
ehaeoIliIeelsehereisinaminoacidsandrocks -
noi een in animals, much less human beings. IIe
ihink aboui homanoiherkinds oIbeings are born
here on Earih, iis amazing ihai ere born human.
A iradiiional Buddhisi ieaching on ihe diIhcul oI
obiaining human birih uses ihe image oIa blind ior-
ioise simmingin an oceanihaisas bigas ihe earih,
iih an oxsoke iossing on ihe surIace. nce ee
he hundredearsiheiurilesimsup io ihe surIace.
ThechancesoIobiainingahumanbirihuresaidiobe
assmalasihechancesoIihaiiurile emergingiihiis
headiniheoke.
Ve canihinkabouihoIreee ae inihe human
realm.The Buddhasaiiasthe placeiobe,becausein
141
SAKYONG MI PHAM
ihis ream-iIere luck-e can hearandpraciice
spiriiual ieachings.Ve can discoer ournaiuralsiaie
andhelpoihers discoer iheirs. Eenihoughbeingsm
oiher realms siill hae ihe possibili oI aakened
mind, b and large, iis more diIliculi io culiiaie.
AccordingioiheBuddhisiieachings, insomeoIihese
realms, beings donieenhae bodies. Inoihers, ihe
ihinkihehaeabodbuiihedoni.Therearerealms
inhichbeings suIIerioo muchio eergobeondii.
Therearereamshereihereconsianilioriuredb
heai or cold or sharpness or einess or dess or
brighinessordarkness. Therearerealmsherebeings
are ioiall consumedb)eaous orager. There are
realms here beings are alas hung. In oiher
reams beings doni experience enough suIIering io
inesiigaiereali,iherehaingioomuchIun. These
aregodlikerealmsherebeingslieIoralongiime -
bui noi Ioreer. Theres aso ihe realm oI animals,
here
ignorance rules. Here iheres less possibili oI

realizing aakenedmindbecause al energ goes inio
ingiosiaaie.
ThehabiisoIanimasarepreiIascinaiing. Vhen
Iaichanaiureshoonieleision, Ionder, ''Ooani-
mals eer ihink aboui anihg! IIone beaer has a
biggeriree io munch on, do ihe oihers geiupsei! " In
coniemplaiing ihe human realm, e can ihink aboui
hoanimassuIIer-hoihereusedasbeasisoIbur-
142
den, ho e eai ihem, ho ihe eai each oiher. Ii
seemsihaimosioIiheirliesareierriiorialandchaoiic.
Theresincredibleaggression, siruggle, andIearinihe
animalrealm. IIegocampinginaplacevhereihere
aredangerousanimals,eknohoiiIeelsiohaeio
orabouibeingeaien.
Vell Iaored" means ihai ee been born in a
iime and place here e hae ihe luxu oIhearing,
coniemplaiing, and puiiing inio aciion ieachings ihai
aalen us io our enlighiened mind. Vere relaiiel
healih, e haearooIoerourheadandIoodinour
mouihs. Ve hae Iamil and Iriends. Vee encoun-
ieredsomeonehocanieachushoioirainourmind
andopenourheari. Beingihreaienedbnuclearar,
ierrorism, and global arming is a reminder ihai e
caniiae suchcondiiionsIorgranied.Vere,usiihese
iinulnerablebeingsridingonabluedoiinspace.Yei
someiimeseaciasiIereihe cenieroIiheunierse.
The enlighiened aiernaiie is io appreciaie hov
incrediblrareandprecioushumanliIeis.Theenlighi-
enedaliernaiieisioappreciaieeve
r
th ing. B appreci-
aiinghaieere encounier, e can use ii io hriher
our, ourneoIarriorship.Ve aregoodaseare,and
ii is good as ii is. nce e hae ihis undersianding,
ellseeihaieareliinginasacredorld.
Asaresuli,e canbe, oIul.Vemanoibehapp
al da ee da, bui e oni Ieel so sor Ior
143
SAKYO NG MI PHAM
ourseles. Through appreciaiing ee aspeci oI
humanliIe,e canbeneliioihers. Vene're ingood
healih,e canappreciaieihai.Vhene'reill,ecan
use ihe illness io aaken io ihe preciousness oI our
lies.Ve can appreciaie ihe heaih ihai e hae and
IeelcompassionIoroihershoaremoreill.Eenhen
e'reeill,e canbe curiousand courageous, and
useiiasanopporiuniioinspireoihers.
Vhene're in an kindoIpain, e can use ii io
open our hearis io ihe reai ihai people are aas
suIIering. Painis someihingeeone experiences.Ve
canuseii iogroundusiniheIundamenialiruihoIour
being. Paingies us hrsihad e_eriencebhich io
bekindandgenerousiooihers.Iigiesusdireciaccess
ihrough our empaih io helping oihers. Ve can use
pain io aciiaie compassion. Ve'd like oihers not io
experiencepain, ade canexiendourselesioihem.
Ve canconiemplaieiheords,Na allbeingsbeIree
oIpain. "urdireciexperienceoIpainonlmakesour
ish more poieni. Ii ma een decrease our pain,
becauseiiincreasesour, o. ThisbecomesaonderIul
mediiaiion, io sii ihere and coniemplaie ihe relieIoI
pain and suIIering oIeeone, oIihe hole orld
noi onl because ii changes our aiiiiude ioard our
on pain, bui also because ii's opening our mind oI
enlighienmeni.ThiskindoIpraerisalashealing.
144
IIere maieriallealih, e can appreciaie ihe
poer ii besios on us io help oihers. IIere noi
ealih, e canappreciaieihe simpliciandIreedom
oI ihai. Ve can alas coniemplaie and appreciaie
hai e do hae. In peaceIul abiding e hae ihe
meansbhichioiame ourild-horsemind. Incon-
iemplaiion e hae a a io rouse ihe courage io
direci our mind ioard enlighienmeni. Vhen e
generaie seless loe and compassion, e maniIesi
iremendous poer t help oihers lind Ireedom Irom
ihe beildering and clausirophobic darkness oIsam-
sara.Ve areindeedellIaored.
These are ,usi a Ie ihoughis e mighi coniem-
plaie io Iull e_erience ihe meaning oIourprecious
humanbirih. Asepraciiceiurningourmindioard
an appreciaiionoIour basic siiuaiion, e becomeless
enmeshed in selI-inolemeni. Ii becomes easier io
iune in io ihe simple and ordina pleasures oI our
exisience. urproblemsbecome smaller. Becausee
appreciaiehaiehae,being aie seemsIreshand
good.
145
Fourteen
The Unchanging
Tru th of Change
TheIaceoIimpermanenceisconsianilshoingiiselI.
Vh do e siruggle io hide ii! Vh do e Ieed ihe
circle oIsuIIeringbperpeiuaiingihemih oIperma-
nence!E_eriences,Iriends,relaiionships,possessions,
knoledge-e ork so hard io conince ourseles
ihai ihe ill lasi. Vhen a cup breaks or e Iorgei
someihing or somebod dies or ihe seasons change,
eresurprised.Ve caniquiiebelieeiisoer.
Nosi summers I conduciaprogra ai our reireai
cenier inihe RockNouniains. Ve creaie aorld oI
ienis in ahuge meado-diningieni, mediiaiionieni,
sleepingienis.IisreIreshingiolielikeihis,sincemosi
oIuslieinbuildingsallearround.Aiihebeginning
oIihe summere puiihe ienisup, andai ihe ende
iake ihem don. AIier ihe ienis come don and e
look inioihe meado, ereaas surprised.VeIeel
1 46
THE UNCHANGING TRUTH OF CHANGE
happandsad.Verehappinreeciingbackonhai
occurred during ihe summer, ere sad ihai all ihe
ienisaregone. Iiseemedsoreal.Iomaiierhoman
iimeseedoneii,aiihe end oIeachsummerehae
ihesameIeeling.
This biiierseeiiaste marks our lies. The moie
ends,ourrelaiionshipsover, childre
group. Imper-
manence is alas pounding ai ihe door. I course,
acknoledging impermanence doesni mean e gei
permanence. Iimeanseremoreiniuneiihreali,
e canrela. Ase relinquishouraiiachmeniioper-
manence, pain begins io diminish because ere no
longerIooled.Accepiingimpermanencemeansihaie
spend less energresisiingreali. ursuIIeringhasa
moredireciquai.Vere nolongeringioaoidii.
Veseeihaiimpermanenceisarierihairunsihrough
liIe, noi a rock ihai siands in ihe a. Ve see ihai
becauseeresisiimpermanence,painandsuheringare
consianis. Ve realize ihai pain comes Irom our desire
Iorpermanence.
Coniemplaiion helps us undersiand proIund
iruihs ihaie rarel consider, eenihough ourliIe is
coniained b ihem. Ve coniemplaie ihese iruihs io
bringabouiashiIiinourundersiandingoIreali, our
percepiion oIourliIe. Vhen, duringamediiaiionses-
sion, e hold our mind io the ords Eeihing is
impermaneni, " ihe meaning begins io come ihrough.
147
SAKYONG MI PHAM
Vhen e hae i glimpse oIimpermanence, e hold
our mind io ihai reaizaiion. In ihis a e become
Iamiliar iih a simpl iruih ihai e ma hae oer-
looked.Ve beginiolieourliesiihadeeperunder-
sianding.
Ai ihis e insiani ihe eaiher is changing, our
hairis groing, people are dingandbeingbor, and
ihe earih is shihing on iis ais as ii circles round ihe
sun. Vere groing older. Perhaps our mood has
changed sinceesierda.Iomaiierhoclearihisma
beioourinielleci,eiendiopuiourselesinioairace,
ihinkingihings are permaneni. Vere hpnoiizedinio
ihinking ihe orld is permaneni, ere permaneni,
relaiionships are permaneni, Ieelings are permaneni.
BuialloIiiisimpermaneni.Thisconiemplaiionbrings
us io aebasic leeloIundersianding. Iibrings us
backioihemiddleoIihesaddle.
Vhen Ias eighi, I eIrom Indiaio England. I
had neer been in an arplae beIore. Ase began io
land in London, looking don I sa a orld oIiin
buildings, iin sireeis, and iin cars and irucks. This
delighied me. I couldniaiiIorihe plane io land so
ihai I could drie one oIihose liiile cars. Bui as e
landed,ihailiiileorldsuddenlgreioadulipropor-
iions. Iichanged.
The orld is made oIinhniie moing paris. The
mind produces a seeming coniinui oI eenis and
148
THE UNCHANGING TRUTH OF CHANGE
ideas.Vhaiecallar"isaseriesoIcalamiiiesaris-
ingIrombelieIsandopinions,hicharealassub,eci
io change. Vhai e call peace" is ihe absence oI
aggression,aienuoussiaie.Vheniii
inier, summer
no longerexisis.Veorganize ourliIe aroundihe con-
cepioIasolidselIinasolidorld, eenihoughalloIii
is simpl ideas and Iorms coming in and oui oIexis-
ience, likeihousandsoIsiarsickeringinihenighi. Is
ihereanihingihaiisnoiimpermaneni!
In coniemplaiing impermanence e can consider
haipermanenceouldmean. Permanenceouldbe
akard. Ii ould be an unchanging siiuaiion, iso-
laied in space, unaIIecied b iime or i?e elemenis.
Thereouldbe no beginning and no end, no causes
andcondiiions.EeihingouldlasiIoreer.Thered
be no seasons. Ved neer be born, gro up, Iall in
loe, hae children, groold, ordie. Ved neer eai
becauseed neerbehung.Vecouldni beinrela-
iionshipio aihing else, because ii ould change us.
In coniemplaiing impermanence, e seeihe impossi-
bilioIliIe being anihing oiherihanhaiii is. Ve
beginio lighienup anden,oiheconsianiplaoIlighi
and dark, oI isible and inisible, oI increase and
decrease.
Coniemplaiing impermanence can be a liberaiing
e_erience, one ihai brings boih sobrie and, o. In
essence,e become'less aiiached.Verealizee cani
149
SAKYONG MI P HAM
real hae anihing. Ve hae mone and ihen iis
gone, e hae sadness and ihen iis gone. Io maiier
ho e ani io cling io our loed ones, b naiure
ee relaiionship is a meeiing and a parting. This
doesnimeanehaelessloc. Iimense haeless
hxaiion,lesspain.IimeasehaemoreIreedomand
appreciaiion, because e can relax inio ihe ebb and
ooIliIe.
Lndersianding ihe meaning oI impermanence
maesuslessdesperaiepeople. Iigiesusdigni. Ve
nolongergraspaipleasure,iingiosqueezeouiee
lasi drop. Ve no longer consider pain someihinge
should Iear, den, and aoid. Ve kno ihai ii ill
change. Thisisaesirongdireciionioardopening
ihe mind oI enlighienmeni. Vee learned io look ai
hais in Ironi oIus. Ve don'i hae io keep imiiaiing
a idea oIpermaneni happiness. III ork hard, Im
goingiomakealoioImone, and ihen I'llbehapp. "
Ve see ihaihappinessdoesni come abouiihaia, ii
comesIromculiiaiingihe iriuesihaileadioenlighi-
enmeni. Lliimaiel, iicomesIromisdom,homunder-
siandingiheunchangingiruihoIchange.
150
Fifteen
Fir s t We Ge t Old
In asocieas enamoredoIouih as ours, iiishelphl
ioconiemplaie ihe process oIaging. IIeihinkaboui
ii and undersiand iis place in ourliIe, e can change
our aiiiiude ioard aging. In ihis coniemplaiion e
place our mind on ihe meaningoIiheords ingis
ihenaiureoIihehumancondiiion.Icelebraieii.
Birih is apanIuland onderIul eeni. From ihai
momenion,e age.A achildee_erienceihepains

oI groing, oI noi knoing anihing, oI maing
Iriends in aneIoundorld. As an adolesceni, e go
ihroughihepainsoIpeerpressureandpuber. Ii all
passesequickl. Vhenereoung,eaniiobe
older. Vhen ere older, perhaps e ish e ere
ounger.
Ouring ihe millennium celebraiions, I aiched a
series oIinieries iih people ho had lied Ior a
151
SAKYONG MI P HAM
hundredears or more. Each oIihem as asked, II
oucouldrelieanperiodoIourliIe,henouldii
be! " Iniersall, ihesaidiiouldbeiheirsixiies.Ai
ihai age ihe had maiuri oImind, and ai ihe same
iime ihe siill had a bod ihai could do hai ihe
anted. neoIihemhadsiariedrunningmaraihonsin
hissixiies, anoiherhadiaeninglessons.
Inierms oIculiures, I siraddle io orlds. Inihe
VesieIreiabouiaging.VeIeelold,andesiariaci-
ing old. In Tibei people don'i seem iooras much
abouiaging. Vhen I hearmmoiher and hergenera-
iionoITibeiansialkabouigeiiingold,iheioneiniheir
oice is proud. Te're proud io hae lied so long.
Therecheerhl.Thehaeoungminds.The'recon-
iinuouslcurious, aas learning. neoImIaoriie
Tibeiansaings is EeniIou're going io die iomor-
ro,ou can lear someihingionighi. "Viih ihis aiii-
iudee don'iIeelsoold.
nce hen I as driing home Irom ihe arpori
ii!mmoiherlaieainighi,epassedNcOonald's. I
said, Thai's ihe mosi Iaous resiaurani inAmerica. "
She said, Thaione!"I explanedihaiihere areman
NcOonald's resiauranis and ihai man people don'i
approeoIiheIoodihesere. Shesaidsheaniedio
gie ii ai. Since she mosil eais iradiiional Tibeian
Iood, I didni ihink she ould like ii. Ve iook ihe
drie-ihroughaiNcOonald's, hichasabrand-ne
152
FIRST WE GET OLD
experience Ior her. The hole process amazed her. I
orderedher aburger, adase droeaa, she iook
herhrsibiie. I askedherhoshelikedii. Tomsur-
prise ano horror, she said, ''!i's perIeci ' The meai is
hoi, and ihe bread is soIi. " Ii iurs oui ihai she
doesn'i like man resiauranis in America, bui she
loesNcOonad's.
In coniemplaiing aging, perhapse'll iake a hini
Irom our Tibeian Iriends and en,o and appreciaie
groingold, asopposediodreadingii.Ve donihae
iosqueezealiheliIeouioIourexisienceinanaiiempi
io oercome ihe process oIgeiiing older. Ve can age
iihdigni.A e agee'reiser,moreexperienced,
ehaemoreisdomtooIIeroihers.Ve canmainiain
ourhealihandiialiiihiherighiaciii, Iood,and
mosi oIalI, curiosiaboui liIe. Ve can learn io cele-
braieiheiruihoIagingiihouihidinginihe shados
oIdenialanddiscursieness.
153
Sixteen
And Then We Die
Ve spend mosioIouriimeaoidingdeaih, noiihink-
ing aLoui ii. Vhene do, ii gies us ihe shiers. Ve
mighi Ieel slighil surprised, knocked oII Lalance.
Vere araid oIdeaih, paril Lecause e doni kno
haiill happ
n, paril because ere aIraid oIihe

pain e mighi Ieel hen ii happens. Vhen e peek
inioihedooroIdeaihb coniemplaiingii,iismeaning
Legins io peneiraie us. Cniemplaiingdeaih gies us
sirengih Lecause ii liLeraies our Iear. Soe coniem-
plaieihemeaningoIiheseords. OeaihismIriend,
miruesioIIriends,IoriiisalasaiiingIorme. "
^laroundusliIeanddeaihareperIormingadance
ihaiLringsiexiureioourexisience.OeaihisourIriend
LecauseiigiesusliIe. OeaihdelinesliIe. IIe didni
hae deaih, e mighi noi appreciaie liIe. In ee
154
AND THEN WE DIE
momenioIourliIe,deaihisaiiingIorus. Veregoing
io die. Ve donr kno hen ere going io die, e
doniknohoeregoingiodie.Eeoneekno
isgoingio die -ourparenis, ourIriends, ourchildren,
our peis, people e like, people e doni like, kings
andqueens,headsoIsiaie,moiesiars, rocksiars,rich
people, poorpeople.^lhaeihesameIaie. Thisbod
illbeacorpse.
Viihoui being morbid aboui ii, heneer deaih
presenisiiselIe canconiemplaieii.Ve candiscussii
iihourIriends.IIe come closeiobeinghiibabus,
iIehuriourselesinacaraccideni,iIvegeisick,e
canponderihepermeablemembranebeieenourliIe
and our deaih.Vhensomeonecloseio us dies,e can
ookiniodeaih, quesiiondeaih,andleiiiiransIormus.
Vhaiisdeaihaboui!Visihishappening! " OiIIer-
eni iradiiions explan deaih in diIIereni as. Bui
heneexperienceiherealioIdeaih,iiiouchesour
liIe. Ii presenis usith a deep msie. Nosi oIihe
iime e mighi raiher noi inesiigaie ii. Ven ere
direcilunderiisinuence,ecanbeopenioii, iio
undersiandii.
VenI heardihaimIaiherasgraelill, ii,usi
ouldnisinkinihaiheasprobablgoingiodie. He
as a greaimediiaiion masier and Buddhisi ieacher.
Aier ihe Chinese inaded Tibei, he escaped on Iooi,
155
SAKYONG MIPHAM
leadingihree hundredpeople oerihemouniainsinio
India. He speni man ears oI his liIe planiing ihe
lIoer oIdharma on ihe rock oIIorih America. He
asamasierarrior. IIanone couldeludedeaih, ii
seemed like iiould be him. His deaihouldleae a
hugeholeinmliIeasellasiheliesoImanoihers.
I as sianding righi nexi io him in ihe momeni
henhelinalldied. ThespacebecameepoerIul
and sirong, almosiluminous. Thereere noihoughis
occurring. For das ii as like ihai, as iIrealihad
shiIied. N hole liIe I had heard aboui deaih, had
seenpeoplehoeredingandpeoplehohaddied.
Buim IaihersdeaihsiruckmeinadiIIerenia. His
morialimademerealizem onmoriali. Iimade
merealizeeebodsmoriali. IishookmeouioI
misconcepiions. Ii proIoundl changed m aiiiiude.
Formanmonihs IihoughiabouihoIas goingio
lie ihe resio
I
m liIe. I realized ihai deaih is real. I
musiniasie iime. I became much morededicaiedio
praciiceandsiud. Havingihisiniimaieexperience oI
deaihhelpedmeappreciaiemliIe.
VeoIienconduciourliIeasihoughiisgoingiolasi
Ioreer. Viih ihis aiiiiude, e ani eeihing. The
IacioIdeaihpuisalimiionhaiecanhae,haie
cando.Vedonineedioihinkabouideaihalliheiime,
buiioponderii,ioconiemplaieii,giesusperspeciie
and inspiraiion aboui liing ourliIe. Iialso makes us
156
AND THEN WE DIE
less spoiled. Iimakesuslookaiihebalance oIourliIe
and deiermine hai needs io come hrsi. Vhai is
imporianiio me! Hoshall I use m liIe! Vere able
ioeniersiiuaiionsmoreopenlonceeerelaiediih
deaih. IimakesourloemorepoerIul.
157
Se. renteen
Sams ar a and Karma
Eeihing e experience, all ihe ups and dons oI
our liIe, is Iundameniall encapsulaied in ihe ord
damara. Samsarais aheelihaiis endlesslspinning.
VeihinkihailiIe progressesinasiraighilinepoinied
inihe direciion oIimproemeni, buiinIacie're in a
circleoIillusionihaikeepsusendingup,usiheree
siaried. Karma, ihe aciion oIcauseandeIIeci, is hai
keepsushere. Io maiierhoe are, e're caughi in
ihisprocess.
SamsaraalashasiohaeihelasiordVe ned
onemoreihingio make ushapp. neihIngleadsio
ihenexi, perpeiuaiedbourdesireiohaelinalsaiis-
Iaciion. Bui ihe nexi experience Ieels uneas, ande
siillneedonemoreihing.Veneedioeai,iheneneed
iolisieniomusic,iheneneedioaichamoie,ihen
eneediorelaxinabaih.ThedesireioIeelsaiishedis
158
SAMSARA AND KARMA
a coniinual process ihai dries our lies, and ihe end
resuli is suIIering. Samsarais noi a sin, ii's,usi
hai
ends up happening hen ere drien b negaiie
emoiions.Vhaiendsuphappeningis called suIIering.
From ihe perspeciie oI ihe Buddha, e keep our-
selesonihisheelliIeiimeaIierliIeiime.
ThesuIIeringoIsamsaraexhibiisiiselIinihreepar-
iicularas.ihesuIIeringoIsuIIering,ihesuIIeringoI
change, and all-perasie suIIering. The suIIering oI
suIIeringisebasic. EenbeingborninioihisliIeis
painIul.Vecbecauseehaeioleaeourmoiher's
bod. Then e're broughi inio a orld oI heai and
cold.TosomedegreeespendourholeliIeIorii|ng
ourselesagainsiiheseIundamenialIormsoIsuIIering.
Eiiher e're puiiing onarm cloihes io lighi oIIihe
coldorbuilding sheliersioproieciourselesIromihe
sun. ViihihesuIIeringoIsuIIering, e,usican'ivin.
Ve'relaielorameeiing,elockourkesinihehouse,
e cui our lingeriingio gei back in, ihen e gei
siuckiniraIhc,andhenelinallarrieediscoer
ihaiihe meeiings been cancelled. Thais ihe suIIering
oIsuIIering.
Thenihere'sihesuIIeringoIchange.Vhaieerour
ob,eci oIpleasure, ii changes io pain. Ve experience
ihis kind oIsuIIeringhene Iall in andouoIloe.
Ve experience ii hen e eai a delicious meal ai a
greaineresiauraniandihen seeralhourslaierlinu
159
SAKYONG MIPHAM
ourseles inihebaihroomiih churningboelsanda
siomachache. Ve experience ii hen ihe cloihes e
buare no longerIashionable.Veexperience iihen
ouronbod, hich has been ourconiinual basisIor
pleasure, geis sicl Ialls apari, and nags us iih iis
needs.Thisisihe suIIeringoIchange.
Theihirdkind oIsuIIering is all-perasie suIIer-
ing. IisiemsIromiherealiihainoihingissolid, ihai
eeihing is condiiioned and in lIux. Ai an aiomic
leel, eeihingiscomingandgoingalliheiime. Con-
sciousnessiiselIis cominginandouioIexisiencehun-
dreds oIiimes in ihe snap oIa linger. The orlde
perceie and hoe perceie ii is consianil chang-
ing. All-perasie suIIering is ihe inhereni quali oI
ihis e process. Io maiierhaie hae, e can'i
lighi the consiani uciuaiion and insiabili oI exis-
ience.ThisleeloIinsiabilibringsmenialagiiaiion.
Jhe poini oIconiemplaiing samsara is noi io Ieel
oerhelmed or depressed, bui io ake up io hai
samsara is and siop being Iooled b ii. Then e can
gie up itingio ouiwii samsara. Ve can gie up ihe
aiiiiude ihai one oIour schemesillresuli in perma-
nenipleasure.Ve canrecognizesamsara,riseaboeii,
andemergeIromii. Vheneakeup inihe morning
ecaniellourselesihaieenihoughe'llexperience
suIIeringioda, edon'ineediobedraniniochasing
ouroniailitingioouismartsamsara.
160
SAMSARA AND KARMA
Samsaraisni aplace, iis an aitiiude. Im real and
eehing's Ior me. " Vhen e become aare oIihis
aitiiude andhai creaies ii, e can siart io change ii.
Vhaicreaiessamsaraisihaiekeepitingiogeiplea
sure b engagingmnonvriuousaciivresuliingIrom
beUdermeni,hxaiion,desire,aggression,,ealous, and
pride. ThisleadsnoiiopleasurebuiiosuIIering.
SuIIering is ihe karma oI noniriuous aciivi
.
Karmameans aciion. "InTibeianesaL.Veiendio
simpli[ihednamicoIkarmabsaingihaioneihing
causesanoiher. Hoeer, karmaismorecomplexihan
ihai.Therearemancausesioan oneeIIeci.ThinkoI
allihecondiiionsihaimusiIal inioplace,usiIorusio
drieioork.goodhealih, cloihesioear, aorking
car,noaccidenisonihea, knoinghereiheoIlice
is.VaieerhappensisiheresulioImancausesand
condiiions.Vhogreihe applee eai! Vhopicked
ii! Vho deliered ii io ihe groce siore! Karma
makesiheorldgoround.
Ve allaniiobehapp. IooneanisiosuIIer. So
ihe poini oIconiemplaiing karma isio look aihai
causesandcondiiionscomeiogeiherioproducehappi-
ness,andhaicausesandcondiiionscomeiogeiherio
producesuIIering. Thenecanpoiniourseles inihe
direciionoIhappiness.
If ere engaged in aggression and greed Ior ihe
urpose o|makingourliIebeiter, iheendresuliillbe
161
SAKYONG MIPHAM
pain.IIihaipainleadsioIuriherangerand, ealous, e
shouldni be surprised, ii's ,usi karma in aciion. Con-
versel, aciions based on vriues such as compassion,
kindness, loe, paiience, and nonaiiachmeni lead io
happiness. These are considered iriues because ihe
eleaieihemindaboenegaiieemoiions.Forexample,
iIepraciicenonaggressionheneIeelirriiaiediih
our spouse, insiead oI aggraaiing ihe siiuaiion iih
anger, e can resole our diIIerences peaceIull and
mainiain harmon. Eenihough our paiiencemanoi
be compleiel Iree oI selI-inieresi, noneiheless aciing
iihiriueiakesusioardihemindoIenlighienmeni.
Bexercisingiriuee'll eeniuall discoer sellIess-
ness, empiiness, and luminosi. Aciing Irom iriue
leadsiovriue, hichleadsiohappiness.
II e plani peaches, e're alas going io gei
peaches. IIe plani pears, e're alas going io gei
pears. Karma orks in ,usi ihis a. II ou plani
nonvriue -mqca -ou gei suIIering. II ou plani
iriue-ca-ougeihappiness.IIve'reusingsirong
negaiie emoiions io geihaieani, andhaie
aniis happiness, ii's neergoing ioork. ThereIore
e need io coniemplaie our inieniions and aciions.
Coniemplaiing samsara and karma sirengihens our
inieniion io poini our liIe aa Irom suIIering and
ioardiruehappiness.
162
Eighteen
Jumping into the
He ar t of the Budd,ha
Vhen e coniemplaie impermanence, illness, aging,
deaih-andalliheoiheraspecisoIourprecioushuman
birih, e see ho hxaied e are, ho sirong-illed
andienacious ee been aboui ourersion oIreali.
Iis clear ihaiihis hxaiion has causedus suIIeringand
pain. ihe more selI-inoled e are, ihe more anger,
]ealous, pride, andoiheriraumaiicemotionse hae.
Vheneer e seek more selI-saiisIaciion, e end up
iih more suIIering, Irom minorio exireme. In ee
case ihe suIIering resulis Irom some kind oI sellish
inieni. Ve see ihai ee acied ihis a because e
iook our emoiions, concepis, and ihoughis io be rea.
ThroughihepoeroIourmediiaiion,ealsoseeihai
ihese emoiions are Iundameniallillusoand emp.
Vee sai ihrough hours oIbeing angand hours oI
165
SAKYONG MIPHAM
beingdesirous andaiiheendiiasalllikeadream. Ii
becomes cleariousihaiihissimplemisundersianding
isorkingagainsiourhappinessandell-being.
This is ,usi hai e need io open ihe mind oI
enlighienmeni. clear insighi inio ihe dnamics oIbe-
ildermeniandsuIIering. Ve hae io undersiandihe
naiureoIsuIIeringandiheoriginoIsuIIering.ncee
do ihis, ee goi ihe perspeciie oI an enlighiened
being, hich gies us aindoio iheorld. Vesee
ihaieeoneanisiobehapp, ,usilikeus,andihai
oiher beings alsoarecreaiingairemendousamounioI
pain and suIIering based on illuso experiences ihai
theiakeiobe real. Ve beginioIeelagenuine empa-
ihiih ihe suIIeringihe're experiencing. Veani
iheirsuIIeringiocease.
ThisisihebirihoIcompassion.Compassionenlarges
ourheari. TheTibeianordIorcompassionisnyigje.
Nying means essence, or heari. Je means lord, noble.
Compassion is haing ihe mind oI ihe noble heari.
Those oIihe noble-hearted Iamil arearriorbodhi-
saitas,hohaesuperiorieandinieniionbecause
iheirhearis are big and courageous. Theaniio do
someihingabouioiherssuhering.
Compassiongies rise io loe. Loe isiheishIor
oihers io be happ, Ior ihem io accomplish haieer
iheir mind desires-heiherii's maierial ormenial -
haieer ihe ish Ior in order io be Iulhlled. This
164
JUMPIN
'
G INTO THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA
loe and compassion is called hodhihita, aakened
heari, " because a mind ihai is enlighiened naiurall
and uncondiiionallcares Ior ihe elIare oIoihers. In
Tibeibodhichiitais calledchangchup demo Ve caniake
ihis io mean, Lniil all beings achiee ihe leel oIa
buddha, IillbecourageousinorkingIorihehappi-
ness oIoihers. " This expresses ihe moiiaiion oIihe
bodhisaiia arrior, one ho os io deelop his
enlighienedmindinorderiohelpoihers.
Vhai ihe Buddha discoered is ihai e all hae
bodhichiita, ripe Ior nourisheni. Viihin ihe beil-
deringmaelsirom oIihoughis and emoiions ihai keep
oursenseoIselIsolid, eachoIusalreadhasiheseeds
oI loe and compassion. Bodhichiita is ihe radiani
heari ihai is consianil and naiurall, iihoui selI-
consciousness,generaiingloeandcompassionIorihe
benehioIoihers. Iis asiream oIloe and compassion
ihaiconnecisusall,iihouihxaiionoraitachmeni. Ii
has aiendersadnessio ii,likeaoundihairemains
eiernallexposed. Iisouriruenaiure. Culiiaiingihis
qualiillsohenourIuiurebecause,gieniheproper
condiiions, ihe enlighined mind ill blossom like a
1oer. Vhen ihis happens, e ill be in snc iih
hoihingsreallare.
The mind oIenlighienmeni emerges heneer e
hnd ourseles ishing Ior someone elses happiness
iihouianiing anihing in reiurn. Bodhichiitais as
1 65
SAKYONG MIPHAM
big as ihai seless momeni hen a pareni ould do
anihing io hee a chilu oIsuIIering. Hoeer, ii can
also be expressed in liitle as, such as ishing ihai
someonecouldhaesomeIoodioeaiordoelliniheir
examorork.ThaimomenioIdelighiandcareisbod-
hichiita.Iiisourinhereniaakenesspeekingouilikea
, eel sponianeous arising Irom our open heari. Ii's
ourirue ealih, ablessingihai is alas aailable. Ii
canarise anhereinihemiddle oIan argumeni, in
ihemiddleoIreadingabook, inihemiddleoIaalk
heneereIeeliheishiohelpachild,ananimal,an
old person, aIrienduncondiiional, iih no expec-
iaiions.IialsoarisesiniheIeelingoIcompassion,hen
eaniihepainoIoihersihecuioniheirlinger,ihe
cancerihesuIIeriosiop.
Throughoui our lies eve experienced bdhi-
chiita, bui in a eeiinga. Someiimes e Ieel asi
uncondiiional compassion or loebui ihen ii Iades,
likeihe suncomingandgoing, orashooiingsiar. Iiis
eibrani, buiii dissipaies quickl. Ii Ieels like an
anomal because e're noi used io ii. Ii mighi hae
popped iis head oui, bui e squashed ii back. Ve
didn'i hae space Ior ihis iender, open, courageous
arriorheariiogro, becauseihereasonlroomIor
me"m concerns, mishes.Io ihai our minds
aresoIier,morepliable,ihenaiuraljooIourbeingcan
expand. Inconiemplaiingbodhichiiia, e'reiingio
166
JUMPING INTO THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA
moldourmindioihepoinihere exiendinguncondi-
iionallove and compassion is ourmainsia, ourbasic
moiiaiion.
To deelop bodhichiiia inoles a Indamenial
changeoIaiiiiude.Thepoiniisiograduallchangeihe
ob,ecioIourmediiaiionIrom ourseles io oihers. ur
mindhasbeensousedioIacinginardihaiiiUliake
a iransIormaiion Ior ii io Iace ouiward. In Iaci, our
holeexisiencehasbeeniurnedinard, soii isgoing
ioiake somemassagingioiurniiaround. This shihis
sparkedb seeingihaiihehabiioIalasihinkingoI
ourselesonlkeepsusunhapp. To exiendourseles
iooihersisiherouieioiruehappiness.
ThepoinioIihispraciiceisihaibIeelingiheloe
andcompassione hae, e canmake ii bigger, iih
iheaspiraiionihaieeniuall, ,usilikeihe Buddha, e
illbeableioexiendouropenhearisioardeeone
emeei.Todoihai,eneediopraciicerousingbodhi-
chiiiaregularl.
As iih all coniemplaiions, rousing bodhichiiia
depends on a sirong and siable mind. Viih peaceIul
abidingasourbase,ecanbringaIeelingioourhearis
and keep ii ihere iihoui disiraciion. In iurn, as e
coniemplaie compassion and loe, e are sirengihen-
ingourmindIulness. Firsie Ieeliheloe orcompas-
sionehaenoIorsomeonecloseious. Ve saiuraie
ourselesinihisIeelingandihengraduallexpandour
167
SAKYONG MIPHAM
circle io include acquainiances, neuiral" people, irri-
iaiingpeople, and eeniuallall seniieni beings. Viih
culiiaiion, ihis mind oIbodhichiiiaill arise sponia-
neousliihhomeereencounier.
Vebeginourconiemplaiionbresiinginiheopen
heldoIequanimi. Viihihisaiiiiude,ereleiiinggo
oIhxedideasoIenemndIriend,hichis ourusual
a oIdiiding up ihc orld. Ve iend io hae e
sirongopinionsabouihoe loeandhoe doni,
usuallbasedonheiher someonemakesusIeelgood
or bad. These concepis are changing all ihe iime. a
loer becomes an enem, an enembecomes aIriend.
The good gus become ihe bad gus andvice ersa.
Ve mainiainihisvieinsubileas.eenamongani-
mals,Iorinsiance,eihinkoIsharksasbadandbunn
rabbiisasgood,buiieriesasbeauiiIulandmosquiioes
as obnoxious. Ioere goingio leigo oIour opin-
ions and leel ihe plaing held. Ve ani io deelop
uncondiiional loe and compassion Ior eeone and
eehing. IIeIocus onlonihoseeloe, rousing
bodhichiiiaillbecomeanexerciseinaiiachmeni.
VheniheChineseinadedTibeiin I 99,eeone
hocouldescapebecame areIugee.Thisincludedihe
Oalai Lama, oiher goernmeni and religious leaders,
ealih landoners, and ihe pooresi nomads and
Iarmers.VhenihereIugeesarriedinIndia,nomaiter
haiiheirsocialsiaiushadbeeninTibei,noneoIihem
1 68
had a home. Eeone as equal. Ruler and sub,eci,
lama and monk, rich and pooralike had io make ihe
besi oIbeinga poliiical reIugee in a Ioreign couni.
Thelieldasleeled.
To encourage equanimi, e caniakeiheaiiiiude
ihai eeonee encounier, direcilorindirecil, has
been kindio us. ThedrieroIihebusiakesushere
eneediogo.Peopleorkainighisoecanreadihe
nesaibreakIasi.Aioialsirangergreihepoiaioe
aieailunch.Eensomeonehoirriiaiesusmighigie
usihe iime oIdaiIe ask. IIebelieeinreincarna-
iion, airadiiionl a inhiche can elicii ihe aiii-
iudeoIequanimiisioimagineihaiaisomepoinioer
manliIeiimeseesingleseniienibeinghasbeenour
moiher. Ee single being e encounier has oIIered
usiheuncondiiionalloeandproieciionoIamoiher,as
ehaeoIIerediiioeetsinglebeing.Thepersonsii-
iing nexi io us on ihe ailane has in one liIeiime or
anoiher been our moiher or Iaiher, Iriend or child or
sibling. The poini oIinoking equanimiisio release
our aiiachmeni io opinions, io lei go oI our relaiie
noiionsoIlikeanddislike.
Viihihisaiiiiude,esiarihereeare.Vebring
io mind someone Iorhom e Ieel ienderness, loe,
and care ai ihisemoment. Ii couldbe ourmoiher,
our husband oriIe, ourchild, aIriend, orourcaior
dog. The imporianiihingisihaiheneihinkaboui
1 69
SAKYONG MIPHAM
ihispersonoranimaI,ourheariauiomaiicallgoes oui
ioihem. nereasoneIeelloeorcompassionIorihis
personisihaiiheihemselescareIorus.VeihinkoI
ihai person and our heart auiomaiicall geis bigger.
Somehoihee broughi,o, Iriendship, comIori io
ourliIe. Vhene ihink oIiheirkindness, e ish io
repa ii. urhearis are alread open and connecied.
Viih no sirings aiiached, e ani ihem io be happ.
Ve don'ianiihemio suIIer. Soe beginouraspira-
iioniihhaieishIorihaipersonIhopeihaim
broiherhas a saIe ,ourne, " Na Oiane's surgebe
a success, " or simpl, Na Oaid en,o happiness. "
Ve conneci iih ihe loe and compassion ihai e
easilIeel.
Accessing ihis immediaie Ieeling makes a liiile
crackinihehardground aroundourheari. Abeam oI
lighicomesoui, likeiheiendershooisoIacrocuspok-
ingihroughihegroundinearlspring. This is bodhi-
chiiia. Ve seiile in ihai lighi, ihai groih, e resi
ihere.Ve soIienaroundii,ereeliniilikeaoerin
sunshine. Ii Ieels reIreshing and onderIul, and e
onlaniiiiogrobigger.Norelighicomesihrough,
moreloe, morecare.Vecompleielabsorbourseles
inihenaiural, ooIihisbodhichiiia. There'sasenseoI
relieI. Iis like discoering ihai eeihing e eer
aniedIoroihersandourselesisalreadconiainedin
1 70
our on hearis. Iis Iike aking Irom a dream. The
longererelaxinihisenergihebiggeriigeis.
ConiemplaiingbodhichiitaiakesaloioIleitinggo.
Ven e do ihis praciice, hai mighi come up are
hopesandIearsabouiourloedones,negaiieihoughis
aboui people hom e doni like or aboui painIul
eenis. Ve doni dealiih ihese disiraciions boer-
ridingihem iih ihepreienseoIloe. Ase reiurnio
ihe ords Na ihis one kno happiness or Na
ihis one be Iree oI suIIering, " someihing deeperihan
iheemoiionaldisiurbanceiellsusihaiiisoka, ecan
lei ihe anger dissipaie. Thai omeihing is bodhichiiia
expanding. Likeihe peaceeexperienceinshamaiha,
ihis bodhichiiia is inirinsic, a naiural resiing place.
Hoeer, e musipraciicebecoming Iamiliariih ii
andiraininmakingiibigger.
Ase siabilize ourseles inihe armihandopen-
nessoIourIeelingIorourloedone,ebecomeableio
radiaieiiinaiderarc.Ioemakeiibigenoughio
includesomeoneiihhom ere noiquiieso close.
Ve cansiartbishingIor ihehappinessoIaneigh-
bororanacquainiance.NaJaredsIriendgeiihe,ob
heanis. " Vebeginio realizeihai,usi like ourloed
one, ihis person ioo deseres our care and kindness.
IIe Ieel more daring, e can vish people ihe rooi
oI happiness, hich is ihai ihe discoer iheir basic
1 71
SAKYONG MIPHAM
goodness.VecanishihaiihehndiheiraouioI
beildermeniand suIIering. Eeone deseres io be
happ, no onedeseresio suIIer. Thuseexiendihis
Ieeling io ihem. Vere beginning io see ihai e hae
plenoIloeandcompassionioshare.Asegeneraie
iheseIeelings, ihe bring an aciual sense oIrelieI. Iis
li!e ihe sun meliing a piece oIice in our heari inio a
arminiiingpool in hich e canbaihe. The more
e do ihe praciice, ihe bigger ihe pool geis, and ihe
morepeopleecaniniieinioshareii. Thisealihis
selI-susiaining. ihe more e generaie, ihe more e
hae.
Ioecanexiendourhearisiopeopleehardl
kno-onihe sireei,aiihe oIhce. Vecanlookiniheir
eesandseeinihemihaiihere,usilikeme,,usilike
mchild,,usilikemmoiher,mbroiher,miIe,m
husband. Ve can een exiendloe andcompassionio
peopleeseeonielevision,iopeopleereadabouiin
ihenespaper. ThemanoibemvIeorIriend,bui
e allneedloe, eallneedcare. Iis as iIeareon
lireiihloeandcareIoroihers.ThehappinessoIoih-
ers becomes our happiness. Iis like iniiing someone
oer Ior dinner. Ve make ihe Iood, and ere com-
pleielengrossedinheiherihelikeiiandiIihere
havngagoodiime. IIiherehapp, iimakesushapp.
Io ihe iender oung shooi has gron inio an
enormous sialk. In generaiing loe and compassion,
- 1 72
e'e enieredihehearioIihe Buddha, here ihere is
limiiless loeandcompassionIorll. Ii'saIree-oing
energihaiisn'ieenpariicularlours, andiiconnecis
usiiheeone, beondihelimiiaiions oIpersonali-
iies and concepis. Ioe can bringio mind people
hom e don'i een like and radiaie ihe armih oI
loeorcompassionioihem.
Iexi e can exiend bodhichiita io all seiieni
beings.VecanuseiheaspiraiionNa allseniienibe-
ingsexperiencehappiness"orNa allseniienibeings
beIreeIromsuIIering, "andresiihereinihemiddle oI
an enormous circle oIlire ihai is burning so brighil
ihaie no longerIeel separaieIroman oIihem. This
is ihepoeroIbodhichiita, ihegreaimindoIenlighi-
enmeni. IiisihemindoIihebodhisaiiaarrior, ho
cancareIorallbeingsinliniiel.
Vhen e gei up Irom our mediiaiion session, e
can keep ihe lire in our heari burning. Ve can car
ihaiarmih,ihaiinieniioniocareIoriheell-beingoI
oihers, inio ee momeni oIour lies. Vhen e do
ihai e are more aake io our enlighiened qualiiies
immediaiel. Ve're riding on indhorse -ihe energ
oIbasic goodness ihai has been ours Irom beginning-
lessiime. IIearediligeniingeneraiingloeandcom-
passion,aisomepoiniiiwlsponianeouslariseinan
siiuaiion. Ii's likejumpinginio ihe heari oI enlighien-
meni, hich is ihe same as our ovn heari. Vhene
1 73
SAKYONG MIPHAM
aakenihehearioIenlighienmeni,iisnoisimplhai
ehae,iiishaieare.
H e spend pari oIihe morning and pari oIihe
eeninggeneraiingbodhichiiia,ecanrelIecibackon
ourdaandIeelgenuinel goodihaiedidsomeihing
orihhile.Veere courageousenoughioiakeiime
ouiIromiheme"scheduleioihinkoIoihers. Inorder
Ior ourmindio doihai, ii has io come oui oIiiselI. Ii
hasiobelesspreoccupiediihiisonconcerns.Iihas
io sireich,usialiitle bii. Indoing ihis, ere aciuall
\
exiendingloeandcompassionioourselesasell.
Iis noi ihai e hae io ihink aboui ee single
oiherpersononiheplaneialliheiime. Rousingbodhi-
chiiiameans ihaiere aciiel engaging in ihoughis
oI boih selIand oiher, in sub, eci and ob,eci. Jusi b
ihinking beond me, " ere reccling, ere giing
someihingbackioihe earth andio ihe orld. Jusib
ihinking, Nadhe be happ, " raiherihan NaI be
happ, "eebeguniochangeihesruciureoIourliIe,
and, io a ceriain degree, ihe siruciure oI ihe hole
orld.TherearesomanpeopleonEarih-homan
oIusaresiiiingonacushioniihacalmmind, gener-
aiingloeandcompassioninourbeing! HomanoI
us een knoihaie can do ihis! Een iIe kno,
homanoIusmakeiimeiodoii!
VhenegeneraieihismindoIenlighienmeni,e
discoerihaiiiproduces happiness andpeace in our-
1 74
JUMPING INTO' THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA
seles. Coniemplaiing,ihinkingaboui, andgeneraiing
bodhichiiiais a sure a io be happ, io be ai peace.
HavingkindnessandcompassioniniheIaceoIsuIIer-
ing leads io ihe genuine desire io achiee enlighien-
meni. Thai'sh happiness is knon as viriue inihe
Shambhala Buddhisi iradiiion, because hai viriue
producesismoreviriue. Andhoeexperienceviriue
ishappiness.
1 75
Fo u r
WAR RIO R IN
THE WO RLD
Nineteen
Rousing Motivation
The Tibeian ord Ior moiiaiion isI un lng . Ii means
'ìoriseaboe,iocomeup. "Rousingourmoiiaiionb
makingii biggerishoeriseaboesamsara.Iiiakes
courage io make ourmoiiaiion bigger. The hrsi siep
inexpandingourmoiiaiionisiosiopandnoiicehai
ere doing.Vecansiaribasking, ''Vhai'sihepoini
oImliIe,iisgenuinemeaning!Vhaiismmoiiaiion
in liing ihis liIe!"The more e coniemplaie moiia-
iion,ihemorepoieniandpoerIulaIorceiibecomes.
Tradiiionall ihere are a Ie diIIereni leels oI
moiiaiionbhiche mighilie.Thesemoiiaiions
are ihe naiural deelopmeni oI our human poieniial.
The hrsi moiiaiion is io iake care oIour maierial
needs. Thisisacommonsense moiiaiion.Ve need io
eai, dress, andsiaarm. Ii'sgoodioiakecare oIour
Iamil and ourseles. II ihis is our onl moiiaiion,
hoeer,erenoiIulhllingourhumanpoieniial.
1 79
SAKYONG MI P HAM
The secondmotiationisslightlbroaderecom-
bine our orldl aimsith spiritual practice. Nan
praciiiioners in our culture are motiatedborldl
concerns and use spirituali to successIull accom-
plish their ishes. Its hne to use spiritualpractice io
gethaieant. People hae alas made oIIerings
to the gods in order to ensure a plentiIul harest. It
should be clear, hoeer, that at the heart oI his
motiation lies the desire to please ourseles. The
danger oI this motiation is that e can trick our-
seles intothinkingthat ere becoming less orldl
henhatere reall doingis distortingpractice to
Iorti|orcomIortzone. Thisis acommonpiiIall, not
a cme.
N Iatherohentaughiaboutcuttingthroughspiri-
tual materialism. " This means cutting through our
attempts to use spirituali to Ieed our solid selI. The
Buddhaalsotaughtthat stabili, the peace that comes
through meditation, canbecome,usta much atrap a
an olddesire. Ve can create a Coldilocks zone oui oI
our practice and hide there. Ve can become spnitual
,unkies, " motiated onlbhat makes us Ieel good.
So much oIhat passes as spirituali these das is
reall about pleasure seeking, getting high. This selI-
absotiondisguiseda spiritualionlleadsiomoresuI-
Iering. Realspiritualiis aboutgettinggrounded.nce
e understandhoeare,e canrealizetheneedsoI
180
ROUSING MOTIVATION
others and do something about helping them. Being
groundedinhoeareisknoasbasicgoodness.
urmotiationstretchesIurtherhenebeginto
think about ho our currentactions might aIIect us
aherdeath. Thislarger motiation comes Irom seeing
theastinterconnectionoIcauseandeIIectandtheIact
that ourpresentactiitiesdirectlaIIecthatillhap-
pentousintheIuture.Viththismotiation,eprac-
ticespiritualteachingstoassureaIaorableaIterliIe or
rebirth, depending on our belieIs. Intraditional Bud-
dhist cultures, people are motiated bthe desire to
accumulatemerit.NeritislikeaseriesoIdominochain
reactionsthatenablepositie resultsinthisandIuture
liIetimes. Tibetannomadsgoonlongreligiouspilgrim-
ages, sometimesprostratingthemselesIormonths on
endacross ast, desolate plans and mountain ranges.
The dothis to sho their heartIelt deotion Ior the
liingteachings oIthe Buddha. But underneaththeir
actii lies the motiation to do something nothat
illleadtolargerIuturehappiness.
TraelinginTibet,Iassotouchedbthedeotion
oIthe nomadic people. Eeone makes oIIerings to
thelocalmonaste.Peopleithalmostnomonegie
generousl to teachers and monks. Vheneer I as
staingatamonaste,illagepeopleouldlineupIor
hours, pushing and shoing to be able to oIIer hat
little the had. People also spend their time caring
181
SAKYONG MI PHAM
mantrasonstonesandcircumambulatingsacredplaces.
Vhile meditating and making oIIerings isthe Iounda-
tion oItheir culture, their real motiation is to make
thingsorkoutellIorthemseleslater.Theareless
Iocusedonme"rightnoandmoreinterestedinho
the can prepare Ior death as ell as rebirth. The
kno that attaining personal enlightenment can take
man liIetimes, so the're setting themseles up ith
meritoriousactiiinordertoestablish conditionsIor
a Iaorable rebirth and ultimate enlightenment. In
Buddhist terms this ould mean being born human
undercircumstancesinhichecanhearandpractice
the dharma. This motiation iset alargerersion oI
the hae a nice da" approach. Ve're tting to get
eethingin order and make itork out in the long
run.Veantournicedatolastlonger.
In the next, larger motiation e see clearl that
the chainreaction oIcauses andconditionsthatdomi-
nate ourorld is cclical, endless, andIundamentall
dssatis[ing. Perhaps e'e struggled through one
relationship aIteranother, orehae continualprob-
lemsithourIamiloratork. Somethingopensour
eestothedepthoIbeildermentandthedarknessoI
samsara. Ve see thatpain, suIIering, impermanence,
anddeatharetheIactsoIliIe.
Vheneenterintothislargermotiation,ebreak
outoIthinkingthate cangethateantIromthe
182
ROUSING MOTIVATION
circle oIsuIIering. Ve see its endless quali, ande
antthegiantheeltostop. urmotiationhereisto
breakoutoItheccle,andseekIreedomIromsuIIering.
Al these motiations are considered smaIl because
ihecenieronourovnhappiness,a opposedtoihehap-
pinessoIothers.Hoeer,eachoneisslightllargerthan
the one beIore, because its perspectie is bigger. Wat
marks the border between smaIl motiation ad great
motiaiionis ashihinIocus Irom ouronhappinessto
ihatoIothers.Lsingourliestobringbenehttoothersis
consideredagreatmotiation. HaingthismotiationoI
theavriorbodhisattvaishoe generate bodhichitta.
Bodhichitta is the besi mind e hae, and rousing the
couragetolieIromitisthegreatestmotiationthereis.
Itsthismotiationthatleadstoenlightenment.
Knoingwhy esuIIer, knoingihattheressome-
thingecandoaboutit,leadsustodedicateourliIeto
theserice oIothers,hosuIIer,ustase do. Haing
alread understood our on suIIering, e are no
longerIearIuloIit.Vehaethecouragetoexiendgen-
uinecompassiontoothers,notbecauseethinkere
betierthantheare,butbecauseeknoereallthe
same.Veknothat,,ustlikeus,thehaebasicgood-
ness. Ve knothat, ,ustlike us, ihesuIIer because
thedontknotheironealth. Ve knothat,ust
like us, thecouldaakenthe mind oIenlightenment
b rousing bodhichitta. This gies birth to greater
183
SAKYONG MI PHAM
compassion. The more conhdent e become in our
onnaturalstate,themoreeanttohelpotherssee
theirs.Thisisdombecomesthesunithinourhearts
andcompassionbecomesthemoonthatshines aboe.
This isthemotiationoIan enlightened being, the
motiationthathasnoboundariesandextendsasIaras
the minditselI. Bringing benelit to others could take
man Iorms, butthe ultimate benehtisto help others
aaken Irom beilderment and suIIering bhelping
them see theirbasicgoodness.VetaketheelIare oI
all beingstobeourresponsibiliandstrieIorunsur-
passedenlightenmentas themeansto bringaboutthe
same enlightenmentin others. Ve're so intimate ith
therootsoIbeildermentandsuIIeringthatecannot
help but Ieel loe and compassion Ior eeone. Ve
ouldgo totheendsoItheearthtoalleiatethesuIIer-
ingoIothers.Ve ouldorkIorthebenehtoIothers
IorthousandsandthousandsoIendlessliIetimes. Een
though e ma not beliee that there are man liIe-
times,ourcouragcisthatbig.VehaethatkindoIIor-
titudeandisionaperspectie.
This is the a oI aarrior bodhisattva, a being
inspiredto attain enlightenment. biouslits aor-
th motiation, but its important to be honest ith
ourseles and to start here e are. Ve need the
groundbeneath ourIeetin ordertoalkIarther. Ve
can expand our motiation graduall. Thatsthe point
184
ROUSING MOTIVATION
oIbecoming Iamiliar ith our motiation
and begin-
ningtorouseit.Vedothisbcontemplatingit.
Contemplatingmotiationrequirestheillingness
ioslodon, openup, andtuneinto ourliIe. Vhats
going onrightno! Vhats propellingus! urmoti-
ationchangesIromdatoda. nceereaarethat
e have a motiation, e can alas make it bigger,
eenhenere Ieelingstressedoroerhelmed.Ve
can practice rousing it as a a io open our heart
beond our on suIIeringto
relax into the bodhi-

chittathatconnectsusall.
Incontemplatingourmotiation,eseethatsome-
iimes ere stuck in our hard, tightl closed mind.
VhatillpullusoutoIourslump! Sometimesloosen-
ingupbtakingashoeroraalkorarestmightbe
thea io openintoalarger motiation. Perhapse
dosomeogaormeditateIoraIeminutesinorderto
Ieelbetter, alittlestronger.Atsomepoiniemightsee
that getiing comIortable cheers us up, bui onl Ior a
littlehile. Thaisaglimpse oIrenunciation. Thenour
heartmightsoItenalittleasethinkoIourIriendho
asinacaraccidentandcantdoogaanmore.Com-
passion arises inour mindstream andere no longer
,ustthinkingabouiouronell-being. urheartand
mind hae soItened and gron, ,ust b caring Ior
another, e hae enteredinto the courageous motia-
tionoIaakenedheart.
185
SAKYONG MI PHAM
VeeachhaeihepoieniiaIioallourmindsiihihis
asi moiiaiion. Iirequires knomgouron sirengih,
hich is h e mediiaie. Ve can sohen and open
ourselesbeondouriighicirclei orderiolieliIe big.
Taking ihis ,oure requnes discipline, diligence, and
Ioriiiude,builikeall, ournes,iisiarisiihonesiep.
T ii. Tomorro morning hen ou open our
ees,siiupinbed,iakeadeepbreaih,andaskourselI.
ka, hai doesmmindIeel like! Hoam Igoing
\,
io approach ihis da! Vhais driing me! " Bring io
mind some oIihe diIIereni moiiaiions. Coniemplaie
ourmoiiaiionIoraIeseconds or as ahe- orien-
minuieriiualihaibeginsourda. Eehumanbeing
alread has amoiiaiion. You hae an opporiuniio
geiioknooursandioiurnourmindioihemoiia-
iionoIihearriorbodhisaiia.
Thegoodnesisihaiaakenedheariisinharmon
iih ihe asi moiiaiion. InIaci, ii M asi moiiaiion.
ThemindoIenlighienmeniis naiurall bigandopen,
caring and kind. Ii is onl ihe discursieness oI our
ild-horse mindandihe baggage oIour solid senseoI
selIihaikeepusIeelingsmallandclausirophobic.True
happinessisopeningihe mindoIenlighienmeni. Ho
doe geiIrom hereioihere! Brousing moiiaiion.
urmoiiaiionishaipaesihepaihIrombeilder-
meniandsuIIeringioisdom.
186
Twenty
Wisdom and
Emp tine s s
IspendaloioIiimesiudingiradiiionaliexisonBud-
dhism. Siuding is a deep exercise in undersianding
iheieachings,andinaaiislikea siraieggameihai
requires alas beingoniheball. I'llbereadingalong
assomeancienimasierisdescribinghisundersianding
oIaiopiclikemediiaiion. Heiscommeniingonhoio
praciice, hai ihe mind should be like, hai kind oI
moiiaiioniohae, andsoIorih. I'llbeihinking, This
sounds reallgood' " Then ai ihe endoIihe chapier I
read,Bihea, ihisisniiheholepiciure. " Andihe
iexiproceedsiodescribein deiailhoallihaiasjusi
saidisonlrelaiielirue.
Thereisalas Iariherio goonihe spiriiualpaih.
Ve ihinkihaieearriedaiaplaceihaiisreallii, "
bui ihen someihing pulls ihe rug oui Irom under us,
187
SAKYONG MIPHAM
pushing usbeondihai ie inio a deeper insighi. Ii
neerquiieorksiobuildacomIorizoneouioImedi-
iaiion. IIere mediiaiing properl, our praciice and
undersiandingillalas iake usaliiilehriherihan
e mighiihink e ani io go. B resiing in ihe irue
meaning oIour coniemplaiion, ere becoming Iamil-
iariihouronisdom. Ve'rebeginningio seereal-
i as ii is. Jusi as e open our perspeciie beond
haieeerihoughiiicouldbe,ourisdomihrusis
usinioeiaasierorld.Thisishoekeepmoing
onihepaih.AieachsiageoIconiemplaiiemediiaiion,
e'reencounteringadeeperleeloIknoing.
Theaspeci oIihe mindihaiknos iis onaciions
ischehin, aareness, "presenil knoing. "urmind
is alas sub,eci io being disiracied b ihoughis oI
hai happened in ihe pasi and ideas oIhai could
happenin iheIuiure, buiiheliingexperienceishai
ishappeningno. Themindcomesin andouioIexis-
ience on a momenia basis, and ihus ihe abili io
knoalso comes in andouioIexisience onamomen-
iabasis.Now isaeeiingmomeni,buiiiisknoable.
Ii's a momeni oI Ireshness, a hll inolemeni in ihe
immediaie preseni. Nediiaiion irains us in ihe ae-
some poeroIihemindiobecompleielpreseniiih
haiishappeningnow.
Aarenessgiesusiheabiliioknohaie're
doing,andinsighi.qaobyanagiesusiheabiliio
188
WI SDOM AND EMP TI NESS
peneiraie ii. Vere no longer simpl sauniering
ihrough orslippingb or spacingoui,unaareoIour
on lies. The poer oIaareness iells us ho ihe
mind Ieels, hai iis experiencing, ihe quali oIour
mediiaiion,andhoereconduciingii. Iinoiices ihe
iransiio and illuso naiure oIihoughis, emoiions,
and concepis. Insighi is ihe higher ie ihai dras
conclusions aboui hai aareness sees. Ii pene-
iraies phenomena, our mind, conhsion- all ihai e
encounier- and sees iis irue naiure, iis meaning. Ai
ihispoini,anamazingiransIormaiioniakesplace.The
simple aci oIaareness combinediih ihe reeciie
capaci oIinsighibeginsio deelop adeeperelemeni
calledpra
j
na. Pra,naisihe minds naiural inielligence.
Theordmeans besiknoledge, highesiknoledge,
mosisublimeknoledge. "Iisiheabiliioknohai
U. In coniemplaiing concepis like impermanence, ihe
precious opporiunioIbeingbornhuman, andbodhi-
chiiia, e use concepiual undersianding io open ihe
dooraioourisdom.
ToundersiandiheiruihoIreali, ehaeiohae
amindihaiisnoicompleieloerhelmedbpreIab-
ricaied paiierns and has roused ihe moiiaiion io be
irul compassionaie in iis quesi. ur undersianding
is coniinuous and cumulaiie e keep haing liiile
insighis aboui ihe naiure oI reali, and ihe build
upon each oiher. For example, ihe pain e Ieelhen
189
SAKYONG MI PHAM
eholdoniooursolidsenseoIselIandihe,oeIeel
hen e resiin ournaiural siaie opensihe doorinio
compassionIorihesuIIeringoIoihers.
ur relaiie isdom-causal pra,na-iakes us
beondiheconcepioIme, "direcilinioiherealioI
our experience. Ii creaies ihe condiiions Ior ihe linal
resuli,hichisnonconcepiualundersianding.
Vhai is nonconcepiual undersianding! Iis ihe
iniuiiie insighi ihai knos ihe iruih direcil, noi
ihrough reason or logic, bui beond ihe realm oI
ihoughi. Leissaeeneerseenihemoon. Hearing
abouiiipainisaconcepiualpicurei ourmind. Some-
onedras amooninihesandIor usandihismakesii
moreconcreie,buiiissiillonlanidea.Thenoneclear
nighie see ihemoon reecied inaier. Thoughihis
imageseemscloserioiheiruih,esiilldoniknoihe
moon iiselI. Finall someone poinis io ihe sk and
e see ihe moon direcil. Io e kno ihe moon.
Iis said ihai seeing is belieing-ei nonconcepiual
undersianding is beond belieI. The moon iiselI is
beond ihe ords, ihe piciure, ihe reeciion, and ihe
hnger. This is here pra,na iakes us-beond. True
reali isiihoui concepi, beondihe duali oIihis
andihai.Truepra,na,irueknoledge,isdireciexperi-
ence. Iis knoing iihoui ihe lilier oI selI. Oireci
experience is isdom iiselI-unborn, unceasing, ni-
ihersiillnormoing.
190
WI SDOM AND EMPTINESS
Iisprajnaihaiilliakeusbeondconcepiualmind
iodiscoerbasicgoodness,siepbsiep. Iisprajnaihai
illgieusaglimpseinioiheioialioIihehearioIihe
unierse,hichisoIihesamenaiureasouron.
Throughprajnae discoerihaiihereisnophsi-
cal cohesioniohaie see,eiappearancesconiinue
ioarise. urpassionarises.Vhaimakesupiheobjeci
oIourdesire! Theeihingihaihooksus-aIeeling,
ameal, oranoiherperson-ismadeoIparis, andihose
paris can be broken don inhniiel. Vhen e look
IorasolidselI,hereisii!IsiiinourIeelings!Nediia-
iion has shon us ho elIeresceni ihese are. Is ii
in our bod! Then here! In ihe arms, ihe legs, ihe
head, ihe heari! Vecanihndihe selIin an oIihese
Iorms. EeniIecomeioiheconclusionihaiereall
ihese paris, ihe doni hold iogeiher as a solid selI.
Theres someihing more ihan Iorm io us, iheres also
consciousness.
I
Consciousness comes inmanIorms. Iialso is noi
solid. Theres a consciousness associaied iih sighi,
iih sound, iih iasie, iih iouch, iih smell. Thais
hoeknohaieperceie.Vealsohaeamenial
consciousness,iihinhichehaememories, ideas,
and dreams. These memories, ihoughis, and dreams
are based on sense percepiions. These sense percep-
iions are ho e kno Iorm. And iih prajna e
undersiandihaiihose Iormsarenoi solid. ne oIihe
191
SAKYONG MIPHAM
moreproocaiie Buddhisi ieachings puisiiihisa.
Formisempiiness,empiinessalsoisIorm. "
ur inesiigaiion begins io sho us ihai me, "
hich ai hrsi seemed so solid, isni solidaiall. Ven
e disassemble ii, e can'ilind anihing. Seeing ihe
realioInosellisapreliminaundersiandingoIpro-
Iound empiiness. Yei all ihe same, e do perceie a
selI,andiheorldalsoappearsiobequiiereal. Some-
one asked ihe Buddhaaboui ihis. IIiheres no sell,
ho'sihisialkingioou here, andhaisihisorld I
see! " He replied, Vhaiou see are canoha, heaps,
aggregaies. Theare Iorm, Ieeling,percepiion,menial
Iormaiion, and consciousness. " Heplaced rice on ihe
groundandsaid, TheselIislikeihispileoIrice.Vhen
ou look ai ii, ii seems io be one hole enii.Vhen
oulookcloser, iibreaksdoniniograinsoIrice, and
ihose grains oIrice can be broken don siill Iuriher.
Thus ihings appear io have Iorm, ei iheare emp
oIIorm. "
Coniemplaiing ihe Buddhas ords ma,usi gie
usasmallglimpseoIempiiness, basedonaconcepiion.
Vemanoibelieehaie see, buia seedoIunder-
sianding is planied. This loosens up our solid sense
oIselI. Thais ihe beginning oIpra,na, ihe beginning
oIihe mindbeingable io irul seehaishappening.
Pra,naneeds ourinolemeniandourinquisiiieness.
Ve ma noi e_erience ourseles as empiiness, bui
192
WI SDOM AND EMP TINESS
aIier coniemplaiingiiIor ahile, iispossibleiocome
ioiheconclusionihaies,ihereisreallnome. "This
ishoprajnabeginsiomakesense oIhoeare-or
arenoi-andoIourenironmeniaselI. Iiissaidihai
aiiheiimeoIdeaihihisproIoundundersiandingdans
onusnaiurallbecauseeIeelourbodiesIallingapari,
ei our consciousness remains and is able io kno .
All ihai as me" has gone oIIin ihe ien direciions.
BuiiIeconiemplaieiheiruihoIempiinessno, e
donihaeioaiiuniilihaiparticularmomeniio dis-
coer ii. Nediiaiion is ho e prepare ourseles Ior
deaih-andIor liIe. Nediiaiionisaprocess oIbecom-
ingcomIoriableiihouronisdom,hichis direci
e_erienceoIiheuliimaieiruih.
Foraelongiimeeeheldiheieihaiihings
exisi and are real. Vhen e begin io reall look ai
ihings,henesiariiobreakihingsdonioaminute
leel,e seeihaiiheresnoihinginhereni.Vecanlook
asmuchaseani,buieLneerlindanihingihaiis
solidlhere.Theuliimaieiruihisempiiness,suchness -
in Sanskrii, chunyata. Fmpiiness is ai ihe base oIall
ihaieexperience.Thaisnoiiosaihainoihingexisis
onarelaiieleel.Raiher,iheresanall-perasiequal-
i ihai someihing doesni seem quiie righi, and ihai
qualiisempiiness.Vemusin'ibemisled inioihink-
ingihaiempiinessisnihilismornonexisience,because
ihisempiinessiranscends exisienceandnonexisience,
193
SAKYONG MI PHAM
boihandneiiher. This is knonasta chi tro' trel Iree-
domIromiheIourexiremes.
This empiiness i s inseparable Irom ihe isdom
inhereniin our onmind. This empiinessoIouris-
dom mind has radiance. Thus ihe naiure oIisdom
mind is knon as luminosi empiiness. In ihe same
a, ihesunshinesinseparablIromiheempspaceii
inhabiis. This suchness is ihe naiure oIall. Ii is basic
goodnesssimplhaiis. Thisishoan enlighiened
beinge_eriencesiheorld. Fetihingisinseparable
lumin
siandempiiness,heihere seeii clearl or

noi. Pa,naaakensihepoieniialioseeiidirecil, and
thisgiesriseiogreaijoorbliss.
Pra,na is here ie and mediiaiion meei. The
vie is our undersianding, and praciice is ho e
makeiiouron.IIeaniioundersiandihesiabili,
clari,andsirengihoIourmind,epraciiceshamaiha.
IIeaniio beginio undersiandempiiness,econ-
iemplaieiheselIandiiolindii.Iiisniihaieauli
Irom iaming ihe mind io coniemplaiion inio noncon-
cepiual empiiness. Ve don'i pledge our alegiance io
ihe Buddha and prepare io ,ump. Iis a genile iransi-
iion. Praciicing shamaiha has made our mind subrle
andsuppleenoughioundersiandiheseproIoundiruihs.
The more e praciice, ihe more e realize ihai ihe
rock e're sianding on
ihe Iabricaied selIis Iar

194
WISDOM AND EMP TINESS
Irom solid. Through praciice and undersianding, ihe
rockbeginsdissoling.Indiscoeringempiiness,ere
noileapinganhere. Praciiceears aa ihe rock,
likeaierdrippingIoraeons.Biheiimeeseehais
happening, ee oercome ourIearoIIallingoII Ve
kno ihe suIIering caused b ihe simple misunder-
siandingihaiihereassomeihingiosiandon.Vewant
\ praciiceioearaaiheillusionoIaselI.
Icourse,keepingagriponourselesisanoldand
edeeplrooied paiiern. Ii iakes ongoing courage
andhardlaboriogieiiup. TheIacioIihe maiier is,
hoeer,ihaiheihereholdonioiiorgieiiup,ihe
selIhas neer exisied. Iis like a miage. Viihin sam-
saraereneergoingiolmdirue exisience.Iorill
e lind ii in nirana.As long ase inesi in ihis illu-
sion, iis neer going io be a perIeci da, someihings
alasgoingiogorong. ThepleasureehopeIoris
alas iurning inio ihe pain e Iear. Visdom, on ihe
oiherhand,isIreeIromchange.
Prajna is ho e become Iamiliar iih ihe uue
naiureoIreali.Veseeihaisamsaraisnoiaplace,bui
a misiakenie, aa oIIreezing reali inio a con-
cepi.Veseehoihispaiiern has ledio our on suI-
Iering. Ve Ieel compassion because iis clear ihai
eeonesuIIersIromihe same delusion, andii causes
somuchpain.Thisisdomandcompassioncanleadio
195
SAKYONG MIPHAM
Iullenlighienmeni, IullaakeningIromihisdreamlike
exisience, compleie knoledge and undersianding oI
hoandhereeare (orarenoi) .
FxperiencingiheiruenaiureoIrealibringsgreai
jo, raptu gawa. Oirecil seeingihissuchness,ekno
ihai enlighienmeni is possible. Vee climbedio ihe
iop oIihehillandpeekedoer,ande see abeauiiIul
lake andameado.Ve look backand see ihai oihers
are sirugglingehardup ihehill. Likeihe Buddha,
noe cansa, ''IIii'spossibleIorme, iispossibleIor
eebod. Ican gohelpbringihosepeopleup. " Thisis
iheaspiraiion oIihearriorbodhisaiiaandihebasis
oIenlighienedsocie.
196
Twenty- one
Warr ior in the World
Vhen e ialk aboui enlighiened socie, e areni
ialking aboui some uiopia here eetones enlighi-
ened. Vere ialking aboui a culiure oIhuman beings
hoknoiheaakenednaiureoIbasicgoodnessand
invoke iis energ in order io courageousl exiend
ihemseles io oihers. Their moiiaiion is allied iih
compassion, loe, andisdom. This enlighiened aiii-
iudeisnoiinhibiied.iiaccommodaiesandincorporaies
iheicissiiudesoIliIe.
Tomeeiourbasicgoodness,emediiaie.Through
peaceIul abiding, e learn io resi Iearlessl in our
naiural siaie. Ve seehaian enlighienedbeing sees.
basic goodness is ihe ground oIbeing, ihe naiure oI
eetihing,iisanindesiruciibleconiinuum,adiamond
hologram iih inhniie Iaceis. Through coniemplaiion
e discoer ihai, like ihe reeciion oIa ,eel in ihe
197
SAKYONG MI PHAM
sunlighi, ii isemp. In coniinuingio cniemplaie, e
seeihaiihisempiinessisibranianddnamic apla-
hl displa oI ihoughis, emoiions, and percepiions.
Thisisluminosi.
Ve experience basic goodness hen e relax
deepliniohoihingsare,iihouianiingiochange
ihem. From ihai supple siaie, bodhichiiia naiurall
lIos. This is ihe mind oI enlighienmeni. B using
mediiaiioniodissoleiheillusionoI''me, "eallour-
selesiihii.Ioecanreloniisenerg, ,usiase
canreloniheenergoIahorse.Thema,esiicspiriioI
ourild-horsemindhasbeen iamedandgaiheredinio
indhorse, ihe primordial energ oI basic goodness.
urpraciicenoliesinridingii.
Vecall ii windhorce because iis naiure is upliIied,
sirong, exuberani, and brilliani. Ii's running and ihe
maneislIing.VhenIasinTibeiIsaindhorsein
ihe bearing oI arriors on horseback ho ere
dressed as Kng Cesar, Tibeis epic hero. Naking ihe
mind an all gies us ihe poer io ride ihe radiani
indhorseinansiiuaiion. Ridingihe energ oIbasic
goodness islikeridingihe ras oIasunihaiisalas
rising. In ihe Shambhala Buddhisiiradiiione call ii
iheCreaiFasternSun. Fetihingeencouniershines
viih ihe digni and splendor oIbasic goodness, and
e see a sacredorld. Viih ihis ie, e are begin-
ningiolaiheIoundaiionoIanenlighienedsocie.
198
WARRIOR IN THE WORLD
Hodoe lie Iromihe siainlesspure ground oI
basicgoodness!Ho
doegeneraieacompassionaie
heariineeencounier! HodoeplaniihelIoer
oIbodhichiiiaoniherockoIadarkage! Thequickesi,
mosipraciicala io doihi
is io keep loosening our

grip on ourseles. This is hen indhorse is osi
accessible. IiallcomesbackiooneoImIaoriie sa-
ings, IIou ani io be miserable, ihink abouiour-
selI. IIouaniio behapp, ihinkoIoihers. " Thisis
hoebringenlighienedminddonioearih.
Venheachieedenlighienmeni,iheBuddhaused
Farih as his iiness. He laier iaughi sixparamita-
courageousas iolieon Farih. Theord denoiesa
process arriing ai ihe oiher side. " Ve ground our
behaior in ihese aciions, hichill keep us moing
beondsmallmoiiaiioninioihe sacredouilookoIihe
CreaiFasiernSun.Cenerosi, paiience, exeriion,dis-
cipline, mediiaiion, and pra,na are ihe enlighiened
aciiiiies oIihe arrior bodhisaiia. Iis ihe isdom
oIpra,naihai makes ihem enlighiened, iransIorming
ihemIromconeniionaliriuesinioasiogobeond
ihe darkness oIsamsara. Pra,na uses ihe oiher para-
miiasiopuibodhichiiiainioaciion.
The poer oIihese aciiiiies is ihaiihehelp us
become comIoriable iih basic goodness. The sup-
pori us in relaing inio ihe ground oI our auiheniic
being. The also suppori each oiher. Coniinuousl
199
SAKYONG MIPHAM
oIIering in the spirii oIgenerosi enriches ihe disci-
plineoInonaiiachmeni.Oisciplineinkeepingourheari
and mind open increases paiience. Haing pauence
gies siaing poer io exeriion. Aciing iih ,oIul
exeriion Ior ihe benehi oI oihers sirengihens mediia-
iion. The mind oImediiaiion sharpens prajna, hich
seesihingsasiheare. Pra,nauses iheoiheraciiiiies
io keep aciiaiing bodhichiiia, our lighiesi mind. Iis
lighibecauseiilacksihereIerence poini oIaselI. This
alsogiesusasenseoIhumor.
Cenerosi- ytna-is ihe lirsi paramiia. Iis ihe
ireasure oIihearriorbodhisaiiabecauseiikeepsus
Irom holdingon io ourselves. Because e haeapli-
able mind, e can lei go. Cenerosi dispels selI-
cenierednessandihedesireioconsume,hichobscure
basicgoodnessanddampenourabiliioloe.
Someiimesiishardiobegenerousin ourpraciice.
hen hen e i io generaie loe and compassion,
ehndihaiecanieendourheariioihosebeond
our immediaie circle. Fen ai ihe level oIaspiraiion,
ere siing. Ve ihink, Vh ould I care aboui
ihose neuiral people! Vhai hae ihe done Iorm! "
Ve ani so much Ior ourseles ihai e cani een
oIIer iheishIor oihers io be happ. Ve doniani
io gie - noi een our ihoughis and inieniions. Ve
onder, Hocan simplihinking help oihers!" Bui
hene hear
ihai someonesihinkingaboui1, alloI

200
a sudden ihe iables iurned and ihoughis hae greai
poer.
In reali, hai hae e done Ior anbod! Ve
keepiakingand consuming, boihpschologicalland
maieriall, and ihen e expeci more. The beau oI
rousingloeandcom
assionisihaiiiIorcesusbeond
ihis smallie. \isualizing someone else experiencing
happiness in ihe Iace oI our aiiachmeni sirengihens
our abili io lei go. ur mind becomes lighier. Ii
becomes e clear ihai our grudges and desires are
habiiual as oI holding on io ourseles. Rousing
bodhichiiia is a aio urn our aiiiiude ioard gen-
erosi. Iipropelsusiosiarigiingraiherihaniaking.
Phsical giingisasimpleaioaciiaiegeneros-
i. Ciing cloihing, giIis, mone, iime, or Iood liber-
aies auachmeni and creaies a conduii Ior loe and
compassion.Aiihemomente gie,earequiieselI-
less. VecanalsooIIerords.giingcondolences,com-
Iori, conhdence,courage, and sirengih. B generaiing
an een larger inieniion as ere doing ii-Na all
beings benelii, " Na I Ieedihe hole orld"-ere
expandingourireasure.
IasamazedbihegenerosioIillagersinTibei
henIisiiediheminiheirethumblehomes. The
ould oIIer meliieralleetihingihehad. piciures,
rugs, pois, pans, aks, sheep. Their uninhibiied gen-
erosias genuine. Iiasni as iIihe ere hoping
201
SAKYONG MI PHAM
ihai Iouldn'iiakeiheiroIIerings. III accepied, ihe
ere incrediblhapp. Yeisomeiimesin ihis orld oI
plen,ehide ourboxoIchocolaieshen ourIriends
come oer. Ve're ai ihe markeilookingai abeauiiIul
displaoIIruii,andevaniihepersoninIronioIusio
geiouioIiheasoecanhaehrsipick.
Someiimes e're een siing iih ourseles. Ve
bu an ariicle oI cloihing and e can'i lei ourseles
en,oearingii.Ve keepsaingiiIor aspecialocca-
sion. Thisleel oIgreedonl causespain. Holding on
io anihing is a a oIholding on io ourseles. The
a io geiio ihe oiher side is io gieiihoui hesiia-
iion. IIe're simpl ioo siingio oIIer io oihers, e
cansiaribgiingsomeihingIromourlehhandioour
righihand.
ncehenIasiihHisHolinessKheniseRin-
poche,asickmancameinioiheroom,aniingabless-
ing io make himell. Rinpoche ,usi held him like a
Iaiherould.Hedidn'idoanihingspecial. He,usilei
ihai person kno he as oka. The mosi proIound
generosiecanoIIerisihiskindoIloeandcompas-
sion.Iidoesn'imaiierheihersomeboddidsomeihing
Iorus or noi, e can oIIer our loe and compassion.
Ve can do ii an iime, anhere. Een bmeeiing
someone else's ees, e leigo oIheree're holding
back. TheuliimaiegenerosiiakesplaceaiiheleeloI
isdom. knoingihegier, ihe recipieni, andihe giIi
202
io be pure and emp. This isihemosiproIound gen-
erosibecauseihereisnoaiiachmeni.
The nexi iranscendenial aciii IS discipline,
knona tciiLtrim. OisciplineisiheeesoIihearrior.
Iiis closelalliediih aareness. Viih discipline e
hold ourmindioiheieoIbasic goodness, ihe siain-
less ground oIbeing. Ve speak and aci Irom bodhi-
chiiiaihegenuinehearioIiendernessihaiknosihe
richnessanddelighi, ihe impermanence and suIIering
ihaidanceuponihaiground.Oisciplineisalong-ierm,
ide-angleperspeciieihaigiesusiheisdomiolie
beonddecepiionanddiscursieness.
Oiscipline sees ihe relaiionship beieen iriuous
and noniriuous aciiiiies. In mediiaiion e see ihai
reiurning our mind io ihe breaih or resiing in ihe
meaningoIiheordssirengihensihemindoIenlighi-
enmeni. Vhenedellinmenialchaiier, e become
IearIul anddisiracied. Vhene losesighioIloeand
compassion, e become siing and ang. Oiscipline
moesusbeondiheignoranceoIihinkinge can do
moreorlesshaieani.
Vhenehaeihedisciplineiopraciicemediiaiion
consisienil, ourmindgrossironger. Viihin ihe con-
iaineroIdiscipline,ecanrelax.Forexample, oneda
mIriendJeIIandIeregolhng.Hesadeceniplaer,
bui on ihis ariicular dahedsomehobecome e
concernedabouihoIarhecouldhiiiheball.Themore
203
SAKYONG MIPHAM
heiriediohiiiheball,iheorsehissinggoi.Heas
reallplaingebadl. Iiriedioialkiohimabouihis
sing, emphasizing ihai golIis aboui Iorm, aboui ele-
gance,aseLasabouihoIar ihebalvillgo.Bihe
iimeegoiioiheihirieenihhole,Isaid,Yoursingis
sobad, IorboihoursakesImgoingioiiohelpou.
IIoullleime, Illgieouaheebal. " Iorkediih
his siance, iih hishands, iih hisposiure. He saidii
Ieli sirange. I iold him io siep up io ihe ball and do
exacilhai Isaid. He sieppedup, iookihe sing,hii
iheball,andsaid, ThaiIelireallgood. "Iiasabeau-
iihlshoi.TheballlIeaboui I ards,camebackon
ihegreen,andeniinioihehole.JeIIsaid,Iiorks,ii
reallorks l " ThaisihepoeroIdiscipline.
Ve usedisciplineiocleariheroadIoriheIuiureb
deciding hai io do and noi io do no. Iis learning
hai io accepi andhai io re,eci. Ve're able io see
more andmore clearl ihe diIIerence beteen iriue
andnoniriue-geaandmigea. Ve see ihe naiure
oI samsara and iis piiIalls. ur minds are siron
g
ihrough praciice, so ere noiseduced inio aciing on
negaiie emoiions, een in our mind. Vekno such
aciionsillcreaiemorepainIorus.Ve iurnourmind
ioardbodhichiiiaandisdom insiead. Throughdis-
ciplineebeginioundersiandhoiomaneuerinihe
realm oIkarma. Oiscipline looks ai an siiuaiion and
asks,"Vhaiisiheaciion!Vhaiisiheresuli!"
204 '
Viihdisciplineegaiheririuousqualiiies.Peace-
Iullabidingisiriuous,radiaiingloeandcompassion
is iriuous, undersianding impermanence, empiiness,
karma, and samsara is iriuous. Abiding b ihe six
paramiias is iriuous. B liing our liIe ihis a, e
begin io see ihai harmonizing our ie iih our
acii
onsishoeconiinueioakeup.Soeabandon
haiisnegaiieandgaiherhaiisposiiie.
OisciplinemakesaconiainerIorenlighienedacii-
i. Iiseeshene'reaciingsellishlandhene're
aciing sellIessl. Ii sees obsiacles io our aciii and
applies ihe proper aniidoies. For ihe arrior in ihe
orld,ihemosibasicaniidoieionegaiiiisioradiaie
loeandcompassion.
Paiience,dopa, isbuiliondiscipline.Paiienceisour
saddle. Siainginihesaddledoesn'inecessarilmean
aiiing paiienil Ior ihe docior, ihe bus, or ihe air-
plane. For ihe bodhisaiia arrior, paiience is aboui
oercoming anger and aggression. Aggression and
angerare dangerousioihe mind oIelighienmeni. In
angerebecomeioiallabsorbed,ensIaed,enirapped.
Angerohenleadsioaciion. Iigiesusiheurgeio kill
oihers,hichdenies ihem ihe opporiuni io discoer
iheirenlighienedminds.EeniIereIrainIromaciing
onii, angerhasihepoerioannihilaieourindhorse
anddesiroourloe, compassion, isdom, generosi,
discipline, exeriion, mediiaiion, and pra,na as ell.
205
SAKYONG MI PHAM
So e sia in ihe saddle oIpaiience io counier ihai
aggression.
Blearningioholdourmindioanobjeciinmediia-
iion, e irain in paiience. Then hen a momeni oI
anger arises in our eeda liIe, e mighibe able io
hold our speech, hold our aciion. Ve donijump oui,
lashoui, oracioui. IIererealldedicaiediopraciic-
ingpaiience, e eenlearn io generaie loe andcom-
passiononihespoihenangerarises.Iispossible.in
ihaimomeniereabouiiobecomeang, iih disci-
plinee can seehaishappeningandiurnourmind
io enlighienmeni insiead. Een iI e do ihis onl
brie, iisirengihensourpraciiceiremendousl.
Paiience means noi resisiing ihe naiure oI reali.
VehaeiheIoriiiudeiosiain ihe saddle oIbigie
and moiiaiion. Ve doni mind ading ihrough ihe
rier oI impermanence. Ve en,o riding across ihe
plainsoIempiiness.Ve arehappeenindiIliculisiiu-
aiions. Veani io orkIorihe
elIare oIoihers as
long as ii iakes Ior eeone io realize ihe mind oI
enlighienmeni.
Frompaiiencecomesexeriion-tedru. Exeriionis
ourindesiruciiblearmor.Iigleamsiihjo.Viihexer-
iionecelebraiebasicgoodnessbextendngourind-
horseiooihers.Vecandoihisbecauseeeoercome
laziness. Ve no longer dread praciicing bodhichiiia,
206
WARRIOR I N THE WORLD
becauseeknoiishoeare.Vepraciiceexeriion
iihihecareIreedelighioIaduselephaniho,umps
inioapooloIaieronahoida. Thereisnoaihai
ihe elephani oni ,ump inio ihai pool. This is ho
enihusiasiiceIeelinexeriing ourselesIorihebene-
liioIoihers.
Rousing bodhichiiia is an occasion Ior coniinual
delighi.Vecanhardlaiiioraiseiiagain. IIeere
ihe onl person in ihe hole orld io be generaiing
loe and compassion, eould generaie ii iih Iear-
less,oanddelighiuniilihedaedie. uraspiraiion
iohelpoihersissogreaiihaieouldgladlspendan
eierni in hell een io help a child be less aIraid io
speakinclass.
Vharee sohapp! BecauseereIreeoIme. "
Vorkingiomakeme"happonlcausespain.Vork-
ing Ior ihe happiness oIoihers brings ,o. Vere noi
praciicingbodhichiiia because iis good Ior us, ere
praciicingii because e kno ihe liing emp bril-
liani iruih oI basic goodness. Vhen e kno ihis
iruih, exiendingloe and compassion is allihere is io
do. Ve no longer sim againsi ihe curreni oIreali.
This is ihe basis oI our conduci as arrior bodhi-
saiias. Radiaiingihearmih oIloe is pure simplic-
i, generaiingihe coolras oIcompassion is arelieI,
mainiaining ihe illusion oI a solid separaie selI is
207
SAKYONG MI PHAM
drudge hard labor iih no sense oI saiisIaciion.
Ve nolongerlookIorloopholesIorhoecangeioui
oIpraciicingbodhichiiia.
Ve musi use common sense, hoeer. Ii's impor-
ianiioaiiendio ourseleslirsi. Ii'slikepuiiingonour
on ogen mask hen ihe airplane loses aliiiude,
ihen e can help oihers pui on iheirs. Also, e
shouldn'i iake on pro,ecis ihai are ioo big, ihaie're
unable io hnish. For example, ihe people ho irael
iihmehen Igoio IndiaeacheariosiudareoIien
oerhelmedb ihepoerandsuIIeringihesee. Ii
makes ihem Ieel Iraniic ho ill e help all ihese
people! Too big an approach ill onl dishearien us,
undermineouraciii. Perhapsesiariiih,usione
person, oneIamil. Ii'simporianiio pickacisoIcom-
passionorkindnessihaiecancompleie.Thenecan
makeihenexioneslighilbigger. Iimanoialasbe
a smooih ride, bui e neer gie up. Ve no see
cIearlihaieeaciionisan opporiuniioripenihe
mindoIenlighienmeni, ande reallaniio go Ior-
ard. ThearmoroIexeriionisalsoihearmoroI,o.
The nexi paramiia is mediiaiion, .amadh4 hich
means Iull absorbed. " Bridingihis horse e con-
iinue io lei go oIourseles and renounce ihe paih oI
sellishness. Ve are ioiall siable in our renunciaiion
and coniinual abandonmeni oI samsara. Ve are inii-
maielIamiliariihiheendlessccle oIsuIIeringihai
208
WARRI OR IN THE WORLD
comes ihrough ihinkingihaiihe selIisrealandiing
io graii[ ii. Ve're commiiied io looking ai ihe man
as samsaraaims io irap us. Ve neerlei ourseles
Iorgeiihaiin samsaralies no happiness.Veare com-
pleielcommiiiedio leiiinggo oIihevieoI''me. " II
e Iall oII ihe horse b aciing selhshl, ihe paramiia
oImediiaiion helps us regain our balance almosi in-
sianil. Ve're such e_erienced riders ihai e oai
iihihehorse'smoemeni.
Ve are compleielone-poiniedinourallegianceio
ihepaih oIihearrior. Themind oIbasicgoodnessis
ourall.Veuse iis sirengih andclariio moe ouioI
ihe darkness oIbeildermeni and suIIering iih ihe
openhearioIbodhichiiia.Bodhichiiiaenelopsuslike
sunlighi on amouniain. Ceneraiingloeandcompas-
sionisournaiuralresponseioan siiuaiion.Ve kno
ihaimovingIorardiniheisdomoIihe Creai Easi-
ernSunisihebesiaiorenouncesamsara.
This abiliio renounce samsaraleads io ihe nexi
paramiia, pra,na, ihe highesi Iorm oIknoing. Prajna
is a double-edged sord ihai arises Irom our mediia-
iie eerience. Ii gleams siler in ihe sun oI basic
goodness, mirroringihe siainlesspuri oIeetihing
,usi as iiis. ThemindihaiknosiheiruihoIrealiis
poieniandpoerIul,likealaserbeam. IiaonecanIree
usIromihedelusionihaieexisi. Iicuisihroughihe
alls oIbeildermeniandignoranceandmakesihem
209
SAKYONG MI PHAM
obsoleie. Ii burns ihrough conIusion, jealous, anger,
selI-decepiion, hesiiaiion, and doubi an habiiual
paiiernihaianisiosolidi|ourvie,ourmediiaiion,
orouraciivi. Iiseeshaii andlighisiheaiolib-
eraie oihers Irom ihe beildermeni ihai keeps ihem
irappedinihedarknessoIsuIIering.Thissordisihe
uliimaieeaponoIihebodhisaiiaarrior.
Cenerosi, discipline, paiience, exeriion, mediia-
iion, and isdom keep iurning our mind io enlighi-
enmeni like a oer seeking sunlighi. This brings
genuinedelighi.Themoreaakeeare,ihemorecon-
necied e Ieel iih oiher seniieni beings. The more
aakeeare,ihemoreeaniiohelpoihersachiee
ihesameIreedom.
Hodoe help! Hodoehelpoihersseeiheir
basic goodness, learn io iouch iheir broken open
hearis! Hodoelead oihersioihemindoIenlighi-
enmeni! In describing ihe moiiaiion oIbodhichiiia,
ihe Buddha used iheimage oIashepherdherding his
sheep in Ironi oIhim. This manoibeepraciica.
hocouldeencourageoihersinioIullenlighienmeni
beIore e hae goiien ihere ourseles! Ii mighi be
more realisiic io see ourseles as arrior kings and
queens, riding our indhorseiih majes, elegance,
and richness. Ve caniakeiheparamiias as a code oI
enlighiened behavior. Ve can use ihese qualiiies as
currencin ouriransaciionsiih oihers. This is ho
210
ecaninspireoihersio discoeriheir onbasicgood-
ness.ThisishoecanencourageihemioIolloihe
paih oIarriorhood. This is ho e can help. ur
inieniion is ihai oI a shepherd, bui our aciions are
ihoseoIaloing,ise, compassionaieleader. IIeall
aci according io ihis code, e ill creaie an enlighi-
enedsocie.
Ve caniakeihis image io heari ingoingaboui our
dailaciii. IIere driing on ihe Ireea, iIere
orking in an oIlice, iIere haing dinneriih our
Iriends, i ere changing diapers, i vere ai ihe
movies, e can isualize ourseles siiiing iall in ihe
saddleoIpaiienceasirideihehorseoImediiaiion. ur
eesareiheeesoIdiscipline. Closeio ourheariresis
ihe ireasure oI generosi. Ve are proiecied b ihe
armoroIexeriion, and in ourrighihande hold ihe
gleamingsordoIpra,na.Veareridingoniheras oI
iheCreaiEasiernSun,endlesslandcourageouslIor
ihe beneliioIall.
Viihihemindas ourallandihis code oIenlighi-
ened behavior, ii is our du and,o io sere oihers.
This doesnimean becoming adoormai, ii means see-
ingclearlhaiiheskillhlaciionisineesiiuaiion.
ThaiislivingIrom ihemindoIenlighienmeni. Cener-
aiingloe and compassion is hoelie ourliesin
Iullbloom. IIe donimake progress in ihisa, e
are sirengiheningihecircleoIsuIIeringinsiead.doing
211
SA KYONG MI PH AM
ihe same selI-serving ihings ear aher ear, geiiing
closer and closer io deaih. Thais a asie oIiime, a
asieoIindhorse.VhenelieliIeinserviceioour-
seles, ourliIeIorcenaiuralldiminishes.
Hodoeaoidasiingourseles ! Bincluding
mediiaiioninourdailliIeandbrousingourenlighi-
ened qualiiies heneer e can. IIe Ieel disheari-
ened ordepressed,visualizingahorserunningihrough
abeauiiIulmeadoillsiimulaieasenseoIempoer-
meni. Iigies us lighiness and levi, as ihough an-
ihing is possible. This incredibl poieni liIe Iorce is
indhorse. Ve aas haeiheopporiuniio raiseii
here and no. Saddling up and riding ii is ho e
becomeihekingsandqueensoIouronlies.
The,ourneoIihebodhisaiiaarrior siarisiih
ihe basic aiiiiude oI enlarging our moiiaiion io
includeiheelIareoIoihers. This isasimpleresponse
ioihisdarkage.Lei'sbeginrighino
bengagingloe
andcompassionhoeere cannoi iomorro, bui
ioda. B culiiaiing courage and conbdence in our-
selesandmainiainingourseai,ecanen,o creaiing
a sane enironmeni, e can en,ocreaiingan enlighi-
ened socie. This doesn'i hae io be oerhelming.
SiariblookingaiouronliIeandseehaioucan
do, onesiepaiaiime.Loeisihesavinggrace. Ii'sihe
buddha inou siandingup and saing, ''Een ihough
iisdark, Ihaeihis, eel.
212
WARRIOR I N T HE WORLD
By thi meri may all attain omnicince
May it de/eat the enem) wrongdoig
From the dtormy waved 0/birth, of age, dikned, and death
From the ocean o/damdara, may I/ree al beingd.
By the confence 0/ the Gofen Sun 0/ the Great Eadt
May the ItU garden 0/ the Riden widom blom
May the dark inorance o/dentint beigd be dipelld
Mayall beingd enjoy pr% un bril int glry.
215
Appendix A
Pre p aring to Pr act'ice
ThebesisupporiIorregularandconsisienimediiaiin
praciice is ihaie en,odoing ii. IIe prepare Iorii
properl and make ii a regular pari oI our liIe, ii
becomes like drinking aier. So beIore e gei io ihe
cushion, e needio lookaiour liIesle and prepare
Iorpraciiceproperl.
The basic premise oI mediiaiion is noi ioo iighi,
noiioo loose. Ve can applihe principles oIgenile-
ness and precision in ee aspeci oI ihe praciice.
Viihouiprecisionellbeunableioesiablishasirong
coniainer in hich our praciice can ihrie. So e
esiablish arouiine, Iollo iiiihdiscipline, andsiick
ioiheinsiruciions. Viihouigenileness,mediiaiionill
become ,usi anoiher a in hich ere iting io
measure up againsi a hopeless ideal. So e provide
ourselesiihiheiimeand spaceio mediiaie, respeci
215
AP PENDIX A
ourlimiis,andsohenupourmindsandbodiesproperl.
Iisimporianinoiio expeciperIeciionorgeihookedon
ihehnerpoinisoIiheinsiruciion.Viihgenilenessand
pvecision,mediiaiionpraciiceillbringus)o.
Beginning mediiaiion praciice is an excelleni
opporiuni io coniemplaie ho e spend our iime.
HomuchoIhaiedoisimporianiandirulneces-
sa!neoIiheobsiaclesiomediiaiionisbeingpulled
inioomandireciions.Vhaidrainsus,hainourishes
us! Areihereaciiviiiese canposiponeoreliminaie!
IiillbehelpIulioaskquesiions likeihese aiiheoui-
sei.
Aareness las ihe ground Ior a sirong commii-

meniiopraciice. Tamingourmindisniahobbor an
exiracurricularaciivi~iis ihe mosi imporianiihing
e couldbedoing. Iicaneenhelpsireamlineapres-
suredsiiuaiion because ii gies us clari, peace, and
Ioriiiude. Sohileemaneed io simpli[ ourliIein
orderio mediiaie, abenelii oImediiaiionisihaiiiill
makeourliIesimpler.
ThenextsiepisioesiablishabasicrouiineIormed-
iiaiion.Vhenilloupraciice, andhere! Forman
people, mediiaiionorks ell in ihe morning, Ioroih-
ers, eening is beiier. Some people lind ii eIIeciie io
sandichiheirdabeiweeniwo shorisessions.Exper-
imeni iih diIIereni iimes uniil ou discoer hais
besi. nceouseiileonaregulariime, siickioii. This
ishoio deelopadailrhihmoImediiaiion. Esiab-
216
APPENDIX A
lishing a dehniie praciice iime Ireesou oIhaingio
planIromdaioda.
You can also Iree ourselI Irom orting aboui
holongou ill praciice. IIou decide io mediiaie
Iorienminuies, siaonourseaiIorihaiperiodoI
iimeunlessihehouseisonlire. Lseaiimersoihaiou
can,usirelainioihepraciiceiihouiihinkingaboui
iheminuiespassing.
A successIul mediiaiion praciice is a consisieni
praciice. The besia io do shamaiha or coniempla-
iion is in shori sessions consisienil Ior a e long
iime.TenioienminuiesoIsiiiingpraciiceacouple
oIiimesdailoeraliIeiimeisgood.Icourseecan
do longersessionsheneereani. Iisbeiierio do
consisieni shoriersessions oer a long period oIiime
hoeer, ihaniodolongersessions sporadicallornoi
ai aII. The recipe ihaiorksIormosi people is shori
sessions eeda. Ooing shori sessions ai ihebegin-
ningandendoIihedaisegoodIorsiabilizingihe
mind. IIourenoiableiomediiaieeedaandou
decideio do iiiiceorihreeiimesaeek, iheimpor-
ianiihingis,usiiosaiihii.Adapiourpraciiceio
our schedule. Venou hae less iime, do shorier
sessions.
IIe mediiate haphazardl, doingabigsessionoI
praciiceonedaandnoireiurningioihecushionIora
monih, e oni en,o mediiaiion. Thai approach is
21 7
APPENDIX A
Irenzied and stressIuI, Iike digging a 6ig hoIe in the
garden and then Iorgetting a6out it. Yhenve return,
ve haveto startIrom scratch. Neditation in spurts is
uncomIorta6Ie andpainIuI6ecauseitcan'tride on the
cumuIative eIIectoIreguIarpractice. Vehaveto keep
startingover.VeneedtoappIourseIves consistentI.
Sitting Ior short sessions on a reguIar 6asis is a more
gentIe approach. Cne oI the most common reasons
that peopIe stop meditating is that the mismanage
theirtime.
eingam6itious a6outhavngtheperIect situation
Iorpractice can aIsovorkagainstus. ! have a student
vho6eganvithmeditationpracticeinhistventiesand
vasquitediscipIinedvithareguIarpracticeoIanhour
a da. Jhen as he 6ecame 6us vith his career, he
couIdn't keep the scheduIe going, and his practice
dropped ava. !e toId himseIIthat once he got more
sta6iIiinhisIiIe hevouId6egintositagain. utthen
he got married and had a IamiI. !avng a reguIar
hour-Iongpractice 6ecame anevenmoreremotepossi-
6iIi.!nsteadoIsimpIshorteninghissessionsandIet-
ting his IiIe IaII into pIace around practice, he got
caughtthinkingthathe couId create aperIectIiIesIe
to accommodate his Ionger sessions. As a resuIt, he
didn'tpractice ataIIIoraveIongtime.
CneoIthesimpI
thingsthatoucandoistocreate
a proper envronment Ior practice a pIace that is
218
AP PENDIX A
comIorta6Ie, quiet, and cIean. A corneroIour room
thatIeeIs upIiIted, saIe, spacious, and private is good
enough. !t's vorth investing in a proper meditation
cushion. !Iouhn
j
rituaIappeaIing, setupata6Ievith
candIes, aover, incense, picturesvhateverinspires
ouandmeditateinIrontoIthat. utagain,don'tget
caughtup in chasingour ideaoItheperIectenviron-
mentinvhichtomeditate. SomepeopIeIromthe ci
viIIgointothemountainstomeditateinpeaceandIind
thatthecrickets andthe6irdsvon'tshutup.
Vhen!vasinmteens, !ventonseveraIpractice
and stud intensives vith Lma Igen Shenpen, one
oImtutors.CnourretreatsheaIvasinsistedthatve
vash and dressproperI in the moring, even though
vestaedinrusticca6insinthemountains, miIesIrom
anone to see. !e vas just passing on vhat he'd
Iearned Irom 6eing on retreat vith great masters in
Ji6et, vho taughtthe importance oItaking good care
oIourseIves and our meditation environment. !aving
somesenseoI6asicdigniinourappearanceandenvi-
ronmentheIps supportmedita
ionpractice.
!n Ji6et and other uddhist countries, Iamas,
monks, and nuns vear ro6es. VhiIe ve in the Vest
mightregardro6esastheIovestcommondenominator
oI cIothing, the uddha taught his discipIes to vear
ro6es vith digni, even speci[ng that the ro6es 6e
evenI hemmed and that the Iit properI. !e taught
219
APPENDIX A
that dressingveII -eveninro6es -isava to respect
the teachings as veII as respecting others and our-
seIves. ain, it's amatteroIdigni.ve'representing
ourseIves to others so that ve are pIeasant to Iook
at, and ve're respecting our 6od and our practice
thatva.
Jhis kind oIupIiIted attitude etends to vorking
vith our 6odies and nourishing ourseIves. Ve're al
avareoIhovourmindinuencesvhatvecandovith
our 6od. ConverseI ve don't aIvas consider hov
much inuence our6odhasonour mind. !Iour6od
is hung or in pain, it's hard to sta6iIize our mind.
Jhehaveto 6e in harmon. Cpenness and ei6iIi
oI6odencouragesthosesamequaIitiesinthemind. A
suppIe6odheIps supportoursittingmeditation.
Yogais atraditiona andpovermIva to openup
the 6od's energ asveII as deveIopei6iIi. Vhen
! 'm onretreatin!ndia, ! havethepriviIegeoIstuding
vith one oIthe greatest Iiving masters, Iatta6hiJois.
!e's taught me the 6eneIits oI doing oga postures
6eIorehand as one oIthe mosteIIective vas to reIa
intomeditationpractice.!ttotakethetimetostretch
6eIore sitting dovn. CIcourse, vhiIeoga is reIaing
and energizing, it isn'ta su6stitute Ior IormaI medita-
\
tion. Jhe are tvo diIIerent practices. _ Lven in the
ancient !indu sstems, the pujose Ior hoIding the
220
APPENDIX A
various postures has aIvas 6een to prepare the stu-
denttovorkviththemindanddeveIopvisdom.
Iracticing a martiaI a, doingtai chi or chi-gung,
orsimpIgettingreguIar eerciseareal goodvas to
prepare the 6odIormeditation. CIcourse, thetradi-
tionaI discipIines that vork vith inner energies and
consciousnesswlhavemoreincommonvithshamatha
and contempIation. or this reason, ve have our
ovn sstem oIoga and Ji6etan 6o
j
-training in the
\
Sham6haIa communi. Lating properI is another
vatosupportourpractice.
Vhatever happens inmeditation arises Irom daiI
IiIe. !Ive've hada hectic da, Ior instance, ve have to
p
_
tthatintotheequation.Vhen !vastraininghorses,
!couIdn'tjust6argeintothesta6Ie, dragthehorseout,
throvit ontheIungeIine, andstarttingtotrainit. !
had to 6e sensitive to hov the horse vas IeeIing that
da. Lidit Iook aIittIe heavier! Vas the head dovn,
veretheears 6ack! VhatvasthetaiIdoing!Vasthe
horsetingto smeII me orvas it 6acking oII! !nthe
sameva, veneedtoreaIizethatintermsoIourprac-
tice,todaisaIvas goingto6esIightI diIIerentIrom
esterda.
Ireparing the mind 6egins vith stopping Ior a
moment to see vhat our mind IeeIs Iike. Jhis is Iike
stepping6ackand eaminingthe horseve'rea6outto
221
APPENDIX A
ride. Since the va ve IeeI changes aII the time, our
practiceviIIneedtocha
n
geasveII. ecompassionate
andhonesta6outourovnneedsand, atthesametime,
appI the necessa discipIine. or eampIe, iIou're
IeeIing agitated, itmight6eagoodideatotake a sIov
vaIk outside 6eIore 6eginningour session. !Iou're
drovs, ou might take a cooI shover to vake up
6eIoreousit. Ierhapsou'd IiketoreadaIittIe a6out
meditationtoremindourseIIvhouarepracticing.
VeaIsoneedto6esensitivetovhatve'rethinking
as ve come into our session. !Ive just pIop dovn on
our cushion straight Irom the oIhce orright aIter an
argument, theentire meditationperiod might6espent
sIovingourminddovnenougheventoremem6erthat
ve're meditating. Ve Iearn to Ieave certain things
6ehind. !t's Iike getting into 6ed. !Iou sIeep naked,
ou take oII aII our cIothes hrst. !Iou Ieave our
jacketandshoes on,ou'II 6euncomIorta6Ie. !nmedi-
tation
ve Iet go oIas much as ve can 6eIore ve sit

dovn. Nost das ve'IIhave enough discursiveness to
handIejustunderordinacircumstances.
!ere's a heIpIuI eercise Ior phsicaI checking
in" 6eIore ou sit. Stand vith our arms reIaed at
oursides,eeseitherhaII-cIosedorshut.SIovIguide
our attention up Iromour Ieettothe crovn oIour
head. IausevhereouInd tension orim6aIance, and
6reathe into those areas, aIIoving the tension to dis-
222
APPEND I X A
soIve. eavare oIour6odinthespace, IeeIthesup-
port oIthe ground 6eneathourIeet. reathe deepI
throughour nose, ehaIing stress, agitation, and ten-
sion.eavare oIour6od. Jhiseercise aIIovsusto
tuneinandreIainsteadoIrushingintomeditation.
JheessenceoIaIIoIthispreparationisreaIIsimpIe.
vhen ve sit dovn to meditate, ve're eIiminating aII
other activities. Ve choose the time and space viseI
to reduce distractions. Ve prepare our 6od to reIa
6eIorevesit.Veprepareourmindto6eassimpIeand
presentasve can 6e. Andve doaIIoIthisvithpreci-
sion, as veIIas gentIeness. ut remem6er, this is just
preparation, notactuaImeditation. !I outtocreate
ideaI conditions,oumanevergettothe cushion. At
somepointoujusthavetositdovnanddoit.
223
Appendix B
The Pos ture of
Meditation
1 . Thespineisupright,vithanaturaIcue.
2. Thehandsarerestingonthethighs.
5. ThearmsandshouIdersarereIaxed.
4. ThechinissIight|tucked.
5. TheeyeIidsarehaIfshut.
6. TheIaceandjavarenaturaIandreIaxed.
7. Ifyou'resiningonacushion,keepyourankIes
Ioose[crossed.Ifyouresiningonachair,
keepLothfeetlirmIyontheoor.
225
Appendix C
Ins tructions for
Contemplative Meditation
1 . Calm the mind by resting on the breathing.
2. When you feel ready, bring up a certain
thought or intention in the form of words.
5. Use these words as the object of meditation,
continually returning to them as distractions
anse.
4. In order to help rouse the heartfelt experience
of their meaning, think about the words.
Bring ideas and images to mind to inspire
the meaning.
5. As the meaning of the words begins to pene
trate, let the words drop away, and rest in
that.
6. Become familiar with that meaning as it
penetrates.
227
AP PENDIX C
7. Conclude your session and arise from your
meditation with the meaning in your heart.
"Meaning" is direct experience, free of words.
d. Now enter the world aspiring to conduct your
self with the view of your contemplation. For
example, if you have been contemplating the
preciousness of human birth, your view will
be one of appreciation.
228
Re source s
or inIormation regarding meditation instruction or
inquiries a
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outapractice center nearou, pease con-
tactoneoItheIooving.
Sham6haa!nternationa
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Canada5!2Y5
phone. (U2)425-42/5,et. ! U
Ia. (U2)425-2/5U
ve6site.ww . sham6haa.org. Jbisve6site
containsinIormationa6outthemorethan
! UUcentersaIIiiatedvithSham6haa.
229
I
RESOURCES
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Annostrasse2
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phone. (dU2)655-25d4
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!edeatherLakes,CCdU545
phone. (U)dd! -2! d4
Ia. (/U) dd! -2U
e-mai.inIoCsham6haamountain.org
LechenChing
NasNarvent
d//UUSt. YrieisousAe
rance
230
RESOURCES
phone. 55 (U) 5-55-U5-55-52
Ia.55(U)5-55-U5-J! -/4
e-mai.dechen-choingCsham6haa.org
LorjeLenmaLing
22dUamora!oad
Jatamagouche,^S
Canada0! !V0
phone: (U2) 65/-Ud5
e-mai.denmaCsham6haa.org
GamoA66e
Ieasanta, IS
Canada0L2I0
phone. (U2)224-2/52
e-mai.gampoCsham6haa.org
SkLakeLodge
!C. o4Ud
!osendae, I! 24/2
phone. (d45) 65d~d556
ve6site.ww . sk-Iake.org
e-ma.skakeCsham6haa.org
231
RESOURCES
Neditation cushions and other suppies are avaia6e
through.
SamadhiCushions
5UChurchStreet
arnet,V U5d2!
phone. (dUU) 55! -//5!
ve6site.vww.samadhistore. com
e-mai.inIoCsamadhicushions. com
Iaropa Iniversi is the on accrediied, uddhist-
inspireduniversiin IorthAmerica. ormore inIor-
mation, contact.
âropaIniversi
2!5UArapahoeAvenuc
ouder, CCdU5U2
phone. (dUU)//2-65!
ve6site.v .naropa.edu
!nIormation a6out Sakong Nipham !npoche,
incudinghisteachingschedueandagaejoIphoto-
graphs,isavaia6eathisve6site.
v . mipham. com
232
RESOURCES
Audio- andvideotaperecordings oItaksandseminars
6SakongNipham!inpocheareavaia6eIrom.
!aapa!ecordings
! 6/darringipnStreet, 2ndoor
!aiIa, IS
Canada5J2A2
phone. (U2)42! - ! 55U
Iax.
(U2)425-2/5U
ve6site.vww. sham6haashop. com
e-mai.shopCsham6haa. org
Jhe ShambhaL Sun is a6imonth uddhist magazine
Iounded6the ate Chgam Jrungpa !npoche and
nov directed 6 Sakong Nipham !npoche. or a
su6scriptionorsampecop, contact.
ShambhaL Sun
P. O. o55//
Champain, I!2!-d/!
phone.(d//) /d6- ! 5U
ve6site.v . sham6haasun. com
233
RESOURCES
BUJJhaJharma: The Practitinerd Quarterly isan in-depth,
practice-oriented j ourna oIIering teachings Irom a
uddhisttraditions. ora
u6scriptionor sampe cop,

contact.
BUJJhaJharma
I. C. o 55//
Champain, I!2!-d/!
phone. (d//) /d6- ! 5U
vcbsite.ww .the6uddhadbarma. com
234
AB O U T T H E A U T H O R
Born in India in 1962, Sakyong Mipham Rnpoche is the spiritual
and family successor of his father, Vdyadhara the Venerable Ch6-
gam Trungpa Rinpoche. He is the living holder of the Shambhala
Buddhist tradition, a lineage that descends through his father's fam
ily, the Mukpo clan. This tradition emphasizes the basic goodness of
all beings and teaches the a of courageous warriorship based on
wisdom and compassion. The Sakyong is an incarnation of Mipham
Jamyang Gyatso (1846-1912), one of the most revered meditation
masters and scholars of Tibet. Educated in Buddhist meditation, phi
losophy, and ritual, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche was raised in both
Estern and Wester traditions. Ech year he reteats to India for
study and practice. He also teaches at Shambhaa centers throughout
the world.
For more information see Sakyong Mipham's website at
ww .mipham.com.

Turning The Mind Into An Ally

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Turning The Mind Into An Ally

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TURNING

vouId be avejspecaI chId,

incIudes evejthing. ut beIore ve can begin the

tect it. Ve IeeI angrvhen

VeII, he Iiveu in a cave inthe mountainsanu he

s Irom the Iimiteu per-

to theminuthat is stalIe, cIear, anu strong.

he sauuIe vith the reins

ve vere leIore. II ve uont lecome IamiIiar

seuuctive. By training our horse consistentI, ve

inside itseII-inside in thatitsseII-olsessed,

ss present us vththerevoIutonar opportunto

rIater Ipaiuhimanothervisit. This timehe

eeI saIe, then Iear is aII there is. Even

rest. In meuitation, ve're

ourseles inio belieing ihai a ceriain amouni

II ere emploing ihe iech-

remindourseles coniinuousloIihedeiails. IIoue

ngerin charge. The horseis ouioIihe gaie.

iacle, iishardio appl an

a radio. Here e vere in a quiei ad peaceIul place,

and paci[ingbae io do iih deeloping

cemeni. Vhen dis-

oIbirih, deaih, imper-

coniemplaiion, siiIora Ie more minuies.

ignorance rules. Here iheres less possibili oI

momenion,e age.A achildee_erienceihepains

n, paril because ere aIraid oIihe

relax into the bodhi-

siandempiiness,heihere seeii clearl or

ihe Iabricaied selIis Iar

is io keep loosening our

ihai someonesihinkingaboui1, alloI

Aareness las ihe ground Ior a sirong commii-

ve Iet go oIas much as ve can 6eIore ve sit

u6scriptionor sampe cop,

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