by Dalai Lama
Meditation on the Nature of the Mind
‘The purpose of this exercise is to begin to recognize and get a feel for the nature of our mind,’ he began, ‘at least on a conventional level. Generally, when we refer to our “mind” we are talking about an abstract concept. Without having a direct experience of our mind, for example, if we are asked to identify the mind, we may be compelled to merely point to the brain. Or, if we are asked to define the mind, we may say it is something that has the capacity to “know,” something that is “clear” and “cognitive.” But without having directly grasped the mind through meditative practices, these definitions are just words. It’s important to be able to identify the mind through direct experience, not just as an abstract concept. So the purpose of this exercise is to be able to directly feel or grasp the conventional nature of the mind, so when you say the mind has qualities of “clarity” and “cognition” you will be able to identify it through experience, not just as an abstract concept.
‘This exercise helps you to deliberately stop the discursive thoughts and gradually remain in that state for longer and longer duration. As you practice this exercise, eventually you will get to a feeling as if there is nothing there, a sense of vacuity. But if you go farther, you eventually begin to recognize the underlying nature of the mind, the qualities of “clarity” and “knowing.” It is similar to having a pure crystal glass full of water. If the water is pure, you can see the bottom of the glass, but you still recognize that the water is there.
‘So, today, let us meditate on non-conceptuality. This is not a mere state of dullness, or a blanked out state of mind. Rather, what you should do is, first of all, generate the determination that “I will maintain a state without conceptual thoughts.” The way in which you should do that is this:
‘Generally speaking, our mind is predominantly directed towards external objects. Our attention follows after the sense experiences. It remains at a predominately sensory and conceptual level. In other words, normally our awareness is directed towards physical sensory experiences and mental concepts. But in this exercise, what you should do is to withdraw your mind inward; don’t let it chase after or pay attention to sensory objects. At the same time, don’t allow it to be so totally withdrawn that there is a kind of a dullness or lack of mindfulness. You should maintain a very full state of alertness and mindfulness, and then try to see the natural state of your consciousness – a state in which your consciousness is not afflicted by thoughts of the past, the things that have happened, your memories and remembrances; nor is it afflicted by thoughts of the future, like your future plans, anticipations, fears, and hopes. But rather, try to remain in a natural and neutral state.
‘This is a bit like a river that is flowing quite strongly, in which you cannot see the riverbed very clearly. If, however, there was some way you could stop the flow in both directions, from where the water is coming and to where the water is flowing, then you could keep the water still. That would allow you to see the base of the river quite clearly. Similarly, when you are able to stop your mind from chasing sensory objects and thinking about the past and future and so on, and when you can free your mind from being totally “blanked out” as well, then you will begin to see underneath this turbulence of the thought processes. There is an underlying stillness, an underlying clarity of the mind. You should try to observe or experience this . . .
‘This can be very difficult at the initial stage, so let us begin to practice from this very session. At the initial stage, when you begin to experience this underlying natural state of consciousness, you might experience it in the form of some sort of “absence.” This is happening because we are so habituated to understanding our mind in terms of external objects – we tend to look at the world through our concepts, images, and so on. So when you withdraw you mind from external objects, it’s almost as if you can’t recognize your mind. There’s a kind of absence, a kind of vacuity. However, as you slowly progress and get used to it, you begin to notice an underlying clarity, a luminosity. That’s when you begin to appreciate and realize the natural state of the mind.
‘Many of the truly profound meditative experiences must come on the basis of this kind of stillness of mind . . . Oh,’ the Dalai Lama laughed, ‘I should warn you that in this type of meditation, since there is no specific object to focus on, there is a danger of falling asleep.
‘So, now let us meditate . . .
‘To begin, first do three rounds of breathing, and focus your attention simply on the breath. Just be aware of inhaling, exhaling, and then inhaling, exhaling – three times. Then, start the meditation.’
The Dalai Lama removed his glasses, folded his hands in his lap, and remained motionless in meditation. Total silence pervaded the hall, as fifteen hundred people turned inward, in the solitude of fifteen hundred private worlds, seeking to still their thoughts and perhaps catch a glimpse of the true nature of their own mind. After five minutes, the silence was cracked but not broken as the Dalai Lama began to chant softly, his voice low and melodic, gently leading his listeners from their meditation.
At the close of the session that day, as always, the Dalai Lama folded his hands together, bowed to his audience out of affection and respect, rose, and made his way through the surrounding crowd. His hands remained clasped together and he continued to bow as he left the room. As he walked through the dense crowd he bowed so low, in fact, that for anyone who stood more than a few feet away, it was impossible to see him. He appeared to be lost in a sea of heads. From a distance one could still detect his path, however, from the subtle shift in the crowd’s movement as he passed along. It was as if he had ceased to be a visible object and had simply become a felt presence.
Acknowledgements
This book would not exist without the efforts and kindness of many people. First, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, with deep gratitude for his boundless kindness, generosity, inspiration and friendship. And to my parents, James and Bettie Cutler, in loving memory, for providing the foundation for my own path to happiness in life.
My sincere thanks extend to many others:
To Dr. Thupten Jinpa for his friendship, his help in editing the Dalai Lama’s portions of this book, and his critical role in acting as interpreter for the Dalai Lama’s public talks and many of our private conversations. Also to Lobsang Jordhen, the Ven. Lhakdor, for acting as interpreter for a number of my conversations with the Dalai Lama in India.
To Tenzin Geyche Tethong, Rinchen Dharlo, and Dawa Tsering, for their support and assistance in many ways over the years.
To the many people who worked so hard to assure that the Dalai Lama’s 1993 visit to Arizona was a rewarding experience for so many others: to Claude d’Estree, Ken Bacher, and the board and staff of Arizona Teachings, Inc., to Peggy Hitchcock and the board of Arizona Friends of Tibet, to Dr. Pam Willson and those who helped organize the Dalai Lama’s address at Arizona State University, and to the dozens of dedicated volunteers for their tireless efforts on behalf of all those who attended the Dalai Lama’s teachings in Arizona.
To my extraordinary agents, Sharon Friedman and Ralph Vicinanza, and their wonderful staff, for their encouragement, kindness, dedication, help in many aspects of this project, and hard work above and beyond the call of duty. I owe them a special debt of gratitude.
To those who provided invaluable editorial assistance, insight, and expertise, as well as personal support during the lengthy writing process: to Ruth Hapgood for her skillful efforts in editing earlier versions of the manuscript, to Barbara Gates and Dr. Ronna Kabatznick for their indispensable help in wading through voluminous material and focusing and organizing that material into a coherent structure, and to my very talented editor at Riverhead, Amy Hertz, for believing in the project and helping shape the book into its final form. Also to Jennifer Repo and the hard-working copy editors and staff at Riverhead Books. I would also like to extend warm thanks to those who helped tran
scribe the Dalai Lama’s public talks in Arizona, type the transcripts of my conversations with the Dalai Lama, and type parts of the earliest versions of the manuscript.
In closing, my profound thanks:
To my teachers.
To my family and the many friends who have enriched my life in more ways than I can express: to Gina Beckwith Eckel, Dr. David Weiss and Daphne Atkeson, Dr. Gillian Hamilton, Helen Mitsios, David Greenwalt, Dale Brozosky, Kristi Ingham Espinasse, Dr. David Klebanoff, Henrietta Bernstein, Tom Minor, Ellen Wyatt Gothe, Dr. Gail McDonald, Larry Cutler, Randy Cutler, Lori Warren and with special thanks and deep appreciation to Candee and Scott Brierley – and to other friends whom I may have failed to mention here by name, but whom I hold in my heart with continued love, gratitude, and respect.
And to Lori, with love.
Also by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The following works are listed alphabetically by title.
The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness; compiled and edited by Sidney Piburn. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1990.
A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night – A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1994.
The Four Noble Truths by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Translated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, edited by Dominique Side. London: Thorsons, 1998.
Freedom in Exile – The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama by H.H. the Dalai Lama. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. (First published in Great Britain in 1990 by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd.)
The Good Heart – A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1996.
Kindness, Clarity, and Insight by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Jeffrey Hopkins, translator and editor. Elizabeth Napper, co-editor. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1984.
The World of Tibetan Buddhism by H.H. the Dalai Lama. Translated, edited, and annotated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995.