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Page 224.01
Momentary Buddhahood
Mindfulness and the Vajrayana Path
by Anyen Rinpoche
Oct 2009
Trade Paper
$15.95 US
($20.50 CAN)
978-0-86171-598-5 | 9780861715985
0-86171-598-5 | 0861715985
160 pp
24 per carton
Philosophy & Spirituality
RELIGION
Buddhism/General (see also PHILOSOPHY/Buddhist)
Fall 2009
Imprint Rights: W* (excludes United Kingdom & Ireland, Australia & New Zealand)
Title Rights: W* (excludes United Kingdom & Ireland, Australia & New Zealand)
Product Safety: Information Not Available
Published by
Wisdom Publications
Description:
In this book, esteemed scholar Anyen Rinpoche dispels a common misconception among Western Vajrayana Buddhists: that mindfulness is a Zen teaching and thus not essential for tantric practice. Rinpoche is adamant that Vajrayana practitioners should fully understand the crucial support that mindfulness brings to the practice of tantric meditation, especially to Dzogchen meditation. He also clarifies the concept of mindfulness itself, giving it the true depth and meaning that is often lost in Western teachings.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
Mindfulness and Discernment Defined
When speaking of a bodhisattva’s conduct—one who was dedicated her- or himself to the path of awakening in the service of all beings— we refer to outer conduct, expressed through the body and speech. Yet even more important than these is the quality of the mind, for the mind determines the conduct of the body and speech. We could even say that the mind is the king of the body and speech. No matter what aspect of practice we are talking about—whether it is view, meditation, or conduct—all of it is reliant on the mind.
Spiritual practitioners who wish to attain mastery over the mind should have deep familiarity with the two conditions that make such mental mastery possible, namely mindfulness and discernment. The reason that I chose to write an entire book on this topic is because I assume that each person who enters the Buddhist path wants to become an excellent meditation practitioner. If you want to become an excellent meditation practitioner, I want to give you the tools to do it. I want to tell you frankly and openly what you need to know, so that you are empowered to take your practice into your own hands. Whenever we are reflecting on how mindfulness fits into other types of ritual practices, we have to keep in mind that the exact way the Vajrayana teachings are practiced usually varies from student to student. Although the essence of the teachings remains the same, the methods can be individualized. Because each student is developing an understanding of how to practice meditation in a way that is attuned to his or her specific personality and habitual patterns, developing a relationship with a spiritual friend, a lama, is crucial in our tradition. Without the lama, who can help us see ourselves from the outside and guide us along the path, we will have no idea how to use the variety of methods in the Vajrayana tradition. To truly master the whole of Vajrayana mindfulness—outer, inner, and secret mindfulness—we must rely upon a spiritual friend. I will discuss this more in depth in chapter 5.
Understanding Mindfulness and Discernment
To take a step back for a moment, I want to point out that “mindfulness” is often translated as a singular term in English. However, in the Tibetan language it is usually accompanied by the word “discernment,” and the two create a compound word. In Tibetan, the word we use is ‘dren shes, which literally means “mindfulness and discernment”—but is translated into English only as “mindfulness.”
The first syllable, ‘dren, can be understood to be a variant of the the verb “to remember.” It points to the quality of remembering or keeping something in the mind. The second syllable, shes, can be translated as “discernment” or “introspection.” It has the implication of knowing, and describes the quality of being aware of what is happening in the mind, so that we know when we need to apply the other tools of practice. Thus, the synchronization of these two qualities makes meditation on teachings of both Sutra and Tantra possible.
Before we proceed me now say a few words about those two terms. Sutra and Tantra are two distinct types of teachings in the Buddhist tradition. The texts called Sutra explain the outer Buddhist teachings and are suitable for the majority of practitioners. The teachings of the Tantra are the inner and secret Buddhist teachings, which give extraordinary methods and rely on heightened skill, devotion and aptitude to be put into practice. We will furthewr explore the relation between these two throughout this text.
Through introspection, we notice the mind’s momentary agitation, and then we remember what it is we are to practice. However, it is the synthesis of noticing and remembering enables us to refine whichever practice we are cultivating. Generally, this refers to entering into meditation without falling into any extremes. The mind is neither wild nor dull. Each of the components of ‘dren shes has its own quality in relation to meditation, so I use the terms mindfulness and discernment specifically to point out those distinct functions of the mind.
To summarize, mindfulness or remembering is what ties the mind up and discernment is what analyzes or observes or tries to decide, “Is this conduct virtuous? Is this action of body or speech skillful? Am I doing the appropriate thing for this exact moment?” Another way to describe this is to say that the quality of mindfulness enables us to remember our Lama’s instructions and the quality of discernment enables us to know how and in what situations to apply them. We can really only separate discernment and mindfulness in a very subtle way, in order to help us understand their complementary aspects. Ordinarily, we would not notice the difference between them at all.
These two qualities help transform us into authentic practitioners and support our progress toward realization. It was said by the great master Shantideva, “Except for taming the mind, there is no reason to work at taming.” In other words, without subduing the mind, there is little value in practicing meditation. Furthermore, there is no practice as potent at taming the mind as training in mindfulness and discernment.
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