29 Settling the Mind in its Natural State (1)

B. Alan Wallace, 23 Apr 2012

Today we proceed deeper into the practice of settling the mind in its natural state. We are given the second of five benchmarks as described in the Sharp Vajra Tantra by Dudjom Lingpa : the ability to discern between the movement and stillness of awareness itself. We will attempt in this practice to be simultaneously aware of the movement or stillness of both the space of the mind and our point of awareness. We hope to accomplish this in the moment using single pointed mindfulness (the first of the four types of mindfulness, as noted in the Vajra Essence).

The meditation leverages the technique revealed in Bāhiya’s teaching ("In the seen, let there be only the seen…") to “spiral in” on the space of the mind.

Q&A:
* Deepest fear of shamatha: loosing one’s sense of self.
* Clarifying Tenzin Choegyal Rinpoche, and a tangent into splitting photons as a metaphor for bifurcating mindstreams.
* Meanings of mindfulness.
* When events from home destabilize one’s retreat.

Meditation starts at 23:02

Download (MP3 / 67 MB)

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