Shamatha Practice 6 with Glen

Glen Svensson, 21 Apr 2020

Session 6: Breath (Dzogchen approach)

1. Review
2. The actual practice
3. Meditation - breath (Dzogchen approach)
4. Overview of the nine stages
5. Stages one to four
6. Q & A

Today we practice mindfulness of breathing with the Dzogchen approach. The object is the awareness of the mind, while peripherally noticing the rhythm of the breath.

Meditation starts at 11:50

Glen begins his explanation of the 9 stages leading to shamatha. Shamata is obtained through the six powers, the eight antidotes, and the four mental engagements. Also, one must overcome coarse, medium and subtle laxity and excitation, respectively. The 9-stage model of shamatha is commonly used for mindfulness of the breath, while a 4-stage model is used for settling the mind in it’s natural state.

The six powers are: hearing, thinking, mindfulness, introspection, enthusiasm and familiarity. The four mental engagements are: focused, interrupted, uninterrupted and effortless.

Stage 1, Directed Attention: One is able to direct the attention to the chosen object through learning the instructions.

Stage 2, Continuous Attention: One is able to maintain attentional continuity on the object up to a minute, achieved through thinking about the practice.

Stage 3, Resurgent Attention: One is able to mostly stay with the object, swiftly recovering from distraction. This is achieved through mindfulness.

Stage 4, Close Attention: One no longer completely forgets the chosen object. This is achieved through mindfulness.

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Transcript

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