Shamatha Meditation
from Introduction to Meditation, by His Eminence Chöje Ayang Rinpoche
March 2010, Amitabha Foundation, Rochester, New York
Shamatha meditation means our mind calm, peace. For this reason we have to do Shamatha meditation. If we do perfect Shamatha meditation and after this if we do visualization meditation it will be much easy. For this, Shamatha meditation, just short way I will talk something.
Shamatha meditation previous time detail Shamatha meditation first they did something small object, small stone, something like this, small object you have to put front side on your table. And then your both eyes without blinking, look on that, and your mind, focus on this, concentration on this. Between if any distraction thought comes, then you can stop, take little bit rest, again you can try same way like before. Previous time they have history, Buddhist some tradition, 3 years, this ordinary object, on this concentration. For the mental peace, for this purpose.
And after you are doing well, then small Buddha statue you can put on your front side table, and then same like before, both your eyes open, look on this Buddha statue, without blinking, your mind focused on this Buddha statue. By this way you have to do Shamatha meditation. During this Shamatha meditation, your mind if they have something problem with you, your mind, sometimes your mind may be restless, you feel falling asleep; sometimes in your mind too much distraction thought, you can’t control your mind. You have like this kind of problem. That moment, if you have too much distraction thought, difficult to control your mind, then your eyes, your mind focused on the front side on the table, Buddha statue; the lotus seat, that part, you have to concentration on this, look on this. If you have problem your mind is restless, nearly falling asleep, if you have like this kind problem, then your eyes you have to look Buddha’s upper part, Buddha’s head and tip of the ushnisha, look on this, your mind concentrate on this; this makes your restless mind will be stopped. If you don’t have any particular problem, then just your eyes look on the Buddha statue, no need any particular place, and your mind focused on Buddha statue same times you can do like this way. Shamatha meditation also, previous time they have history, concentrate on Buddha statue 3 years. In the Buddhist history they did some tradition they did like this previous time.
And then, another way Shamatha meditation you can watch your breathing, your breathing through the two nostrils, your mouth naturally closed; your breathing going out, your mind one-pointed concentration on this. And then, your breathing taking in, that moment also your mind one-pointed concentration on this. By this way, you can do Shamatha meditation long times. Ya, sometimes the traditional way they do breathing taking in going out how many times counting. Why they counting, your meditation any developed or not? You are checking, for this purpose, sometimes they do like this way also, is OK.
And then, another way, Shamatha meditation also: your forehead center white light, ball of white light, small size, you can visualize ball of white light, or actually in the Tibetan Dharma texts they say “tigle”. Tigle in Sanskrit name “bindu”. English name some people they told me “dot”, ya, you have to visualize white dot on your forehead center, concentration on this. And then, your throat center, red dot, on this also you have to concentration. Your heart center, blue dot or bindu, on this you have to concentration. Your navel center you have to visualize yellow dot, you have to concentration on this. Four fingers below the navel center you have to visualize green dot bindu, on this you have to visualize. Ya, you can try, for example, five minutes each on the dot concentration. Before five minutes, if distraction thought comes, then you have to stop, again you have to start from the beginning. Distraction thought mixed together, this no meaning at all. For this purpose you have to try, for example, five minutes easily without distraction thought you can concentrate on this dot. You have to try like this. Ya you can go sometimes gradually go down, each dot five minutes, try. And then, sometimes you can start from the down to up, you can do like this. That moment your mind, which I already mentioned, if you have restless problem, nearly falling asleep, like this, if you have problem, then you have to start from the green dot. On this, you can concentration one minute. And then come up to the navel center, yellow dot, on this, two minutes. And then heart center, blue dot, on this three minutes. And then after this, come up to the throat center, red dot, on this you have to keep four minutes. And then at the forehead center, white dot, on this you have to try five minutes. Ya you have to do gradually increase, from down to up, if you do like this, then no more restless problem. It will be free from the restless problem.
And then sometimes, which I already mentioned, your mind is too much distraction thought, you can’t control. If you have problem, then you have to start up to down. You have to do increase. This makes your mind come down. If you don’t have any like this kind of problem, restless or too much distraction thought, if you don’t have any special problem, if you don’t have, then just what I already mentioned. Each dot you can concentrate 1 minute, and then gradually two minutes, gradually three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, increase. You have to do like this way.
Before your minute limit if the thought comes, then you have to stop. Again you have to start from the beginning. I already mentioned, you have to do like this way. Ya, this five different color, five dots, this is symbolic five Buddhas. Same times they have blessing also. You can do like this way. Ya like this kind many they have different kind Shamatha meditation. Whatever you make among this among which I talked a few, you can try. Your mind too much distraction thought, very difficult to control, then what I mentioned, from the any kind small object on the table. Small object they mentioned, maybe better, something like blue color. Blue color is nothing harm for your eyes. Not shining, without shining, blue color. Like this kind object, small, you can put on your front side table. Most people they do now watching the breathing. They do on this, but if you have particular too much problem your mind is you can’t control, then better to start with the object concentration, which I mentioned. Maybe this much is enough, Shamatha meditation short teaching.