Dzogchen Practice of Contemplation

[jonesboy]

FIXATION WITHOUT AN OBJECT

GYUWA - MOVEMENT

The aim of fixation without an object is to become
familiar with another important natural function of
the mind, the movement of thoughts, but without
being distracted by it. The movement of thoughts is called gyuwa: in Tibetan the word gyuwa means a leap, a movement.

Fix your gaze on any point in the space in front of you.

When you start to practice fixation without an
object you should direct your attention in the same
way as when you started fixing on the object.

Even though there is no object on which to fix your
gaze you must act as if there were in order to prevent a
sudden and spontaneous proliferation of thoughts.
Subsequently you will be able to start gradually to relax
your attention too. As the mental tension is gradually
relaxed, control of the body and the breath also relax;
that is, all your tensions relax, and then thoughts start
to arise again.

If you do this, and relax your attention more and
more, you will clearly notice that the 'calm state' that
we encountered doing fixation with an object, and
'movement' , that is the arising of thoughts, co-exist
simultaneously.

If, while we are practicing with an object 'the bee
leaves' (that is, if we let thoughts wander freely as they
are accustomed to do) then this will damage the calm
state; that is, we lose the experience of nepa.

In the same way, at the start of the practice without
an object thoughts arise more abundantly: why?
Because concentrating the fixation acutely on the
object causes thoughts to stop by themselves,
automatically. Whereas now, in the absence of this
support the fixation 'relaxes' and naturally the
occurrence of thoughts intensifies.

[jonesboy]

1. It may then happen that, noticing the greater
flow of moving thoughts a practitioner accustomed to
the calm state of nepa may feel disturbed and may
think his meditation is getting worse.

This is because usually we are very conditioned to
think that 'meditation' means being in a state of calm,
of quietude that excludes all movement. Instead what is
happening now is that our comfortable state of calm
starts again to be disturbed by a swarm of thoughts that
spring forth without cease!

When this happens, do not worry, you should

be in the state of movement itself.

That is, when thoughts arise do not attempt to
block them, but try instead to be present in the very
thought that arises. This is the way to continue
developing your practice. When thoughts come do not
get discouraged and do not fear that you are regressing.
Observe the thoughts without judging or following
them, try instead to be present in the thoughts. This is
a method for discovering what the actual condition of
movement is.

The calm, deep, ocean of the state of nepa now has
its wave, its movement, but fundamentally quiet and
movement are the same.

[jonesboy]

2. We aren't accustomed to abiding naturally in a
state of presence, and usually we live in a condition in
which the states of mind are all mixed together, all
confused. When you start to practice, as soon as you
relax a bit you find the calm state and immediately
think: "So, this is meditation" .

When we only do fixation with an object, thoughts
are hidden because our fixation blocks them.

But then when there is no longer this support and
the movement increases it seems we are disturbed
again, that we have relapsed into confusion.

In fact we have not at all regressed, and there is no
need to worry, instead we must be able to observe the
movement itself. Why do more thoughts arise at this
time? Because our body and breath are more relaxed,
and when everything is more relaxed thoughts are more
exposed. So now we are just recognizing the presence of
thoughts, that previously we were unable to notice.

[jonesboy]

SIMULTANEITY

Learning in this way to remain in relaxed presence,
at a certain moment you find yourself in a state in
which even though more or less thoughts continue to
arise they do not disturb your presence and they vanish
by themselves. That is, they self- liberate, because this
state is not conditioned by the habitual continuity of
judgement.

Particularly evident in this state is pure presence,
called rigpa, non-dual awareness.

Discernible within it, are three distinct fundamental
elements ( ne-gyu- rig):

1) nepa, the calm state, like a still sheet of water;
2) gyuwa, the movement of thoughts, like a wave;
3) rigpa, the recognition of the presence of this wave.

These three elements, however, are all present
simultaneously in the same condition. Only by being
in the state of Shine can you ascertain this concretely.

In this state there is nothing to seek and nothing to
relinquish.

Typically, beginners think that the calm state of
Shine is something to pursue, and that, conversely, the
arising of thoughts is an obstacle that can disturb the
calm state, which must thus be avoided. However, once
you finally find yourself in the state of union of ne-gyurig
and continue in this presence then you understand
that this is the authentic state of Shine.

In this way you discover that quietude, nepa, and
the arising of thoughts, gyuwa, are both present.

[jonesboy]

A practitioner should not stray into judgement but
instead, remaining in the state of presence see arising
thoughts as fish leaping from the surface of the sea, or
perceives this state as an ocean in which both
characteristics are evident. The depths are still, yet the
surface ripples as waves form.

In this case, too, you should not make a distinction
between the two aspects, or deem one a good state and
the other a state of disturbance.

Rather you should seek to be present. if there is calm
remain present in the state of calm; if 'the fish leaps' seek to
be present in that very movement, in the 'leap' of the fish.

Acting in this way you should gradually relax the
attention more and more; if you don't relax, this
perception (of simultaneity) will not occur any more.

In this phase of progress in meditation,

the practitioner must seek to be ' in' the leap itself, in the
movement.

This means that now you no longer need to
concentrate your attention as much as possible (as
done at the beginning with the letter A) . Instead,
conversely, relaxing more and more you come to
discover that the state of the 'leap of the fish' and the
state of calm are present at the same time.

[jonesboy]

Then it seems that there are two states.
1. One state, in which the slightest amount of intention is
still present.

This is the state in which even though thoughts arise there
is always awareness (trenshe14); the latter is not a thought
but simply presence of mind. (At times it is possible to
confuse presence of mind and thoughts- to us awareness
may seem a thought- and at times instead to mistake a
thought that has arisen for awareness.) In this case the
only important thing is to see whether or not there is
judgment, whether or nor one is pursuing the thought. If
thoughts are 'pursued' and created, even only in a light
manner, this means there is judgment.

If, instead, while observing my state I notice thoughts,
such as for example: "Here, now I am in the calm state" or
"Here, now a thoughts is arising", there is a way in which I
can be present 'in' the thought itself without engaging the
mechanisms of judgment. If I had to say or explain what
is happening in that moment, on the one hand it is utterly
impossible for me to find the words, but on the other hand
I retain a precise memory of it.

This presence of awareness is very important, it must not
be lacking, otherwise the practice of Shine ends up sinking
into a sleepy state.

2. A natural state of total spontaneity.

This is what is called rigpa, the recognition of pure
presence. Presence can be recognized above all in the
condition where there are thoughts, that is, in the
condition of 'movement'.

When during practice there are more thoughts (that is,
'more fish are leaping') there is also the opportunity to
recognize presence as the manifestation of wisdom, and, at
the same time, together with the movement of thoughts one
can also recognize the presence of the state of calm, nepa.
You must understand that fundamentally all three states
are at the same level: the state of calm, nepa, is movement,
the state of movement itself, gyuwa, is calm, and rigpa is
pure recognition of your own state, that is present in both.

[naturesflow]

Only two interruptions in your thread and you remained focused, which means your practising..woo hoo.
Well I am the third, so whatever you do don't enter into this..heehe

[jonesboy]

EXPERENCES (NYAMS)

The practice of Shine entails certain characteristic experiences called nyams; through a nyam one can discern how one's practice is progressing.

The first nyam is the nyam of movement.
This happens when you do fixation with an object, then continue without an object and start to relax; that is when all thoughts arise.

This nyam is compared to a tumultuously rushing stream: its course is ceaseless, swift, unstoppable; in the same way many thoughts arise in the practitioner's mind and it is very difficult to find a state of nepa.
On overcoming the state where as soon as you relize thoughts arise, you can experience a nyam of attainment, in which the state of the mind manifests like a river, peaceful and dignifed, smoothly flowing down to the sea. The flowing river may rest in some calm bend, because the river is not like the stream. What is the cause of this difference? It is due to the fact that now the practitioner has learnt better to control thoughts, that is she is able to be present in the thoughts the very instant that they arise.

There follows another experience, called the nyam of stability: the mind finds itself in a calm state, tranquil and deep as the sea. This does not mean thoughts have disappeared; a sea may have waves, or fish that are leaping, there can be movements of all kinds, but its state of deep calm cannot be disturbed.

Here, this is the realization called stable Shine. It is very important to achieve this state of stable Shine, and you have to practice in order to attain it.

[jonesboy]

Abiding in Shine means being in a condition like the calm sea, that is, a condition that is not disturbed whether thoughts are present or not.

In any case, what is experienced in this first phase is a Shine that is almost fabricated. In fact as long as I 'stay' this way it seems I can go on forever, but as soon as I 'let go' and stand up or simply look around the state of Shine disappears.

As our practice develops more and more often this state arises by itself, spontaneously. It is no longer necessary to strive to maintain the posture and the fixation, or continuously to seek this state. When I have the presence of awareness then whatever posture I am in I am in the state of Shine.

When this comes about this is called 'natural Shine'.

The way to develop your practice still further from this intermediate level consists in the gradual integration of movements, of certain actions of the body (moving the eyes, then the limbs, walking slowly, doing prostrations, practicing Yantra Yoga, etc. on to common actions); of the voice (reciting invocations, mantras and the Song of the Vajra on to being able to converse with others) ; and finally of the mind (at first doing visualization, then reflecting, that is trying to reason about something without losing the presence of Shine, up to managing, for example, to read a newspaper), 'expanding' the boundaries of the formal session to include daily life.

You have to continue in this way until, while walking or doing anything, with the presence of awareness effortlessly you are in the state of Shine without needing to strive to seek it or anyway to produce it.

If at that moment you are not disturbed by thoughts or by movements or by any external circumstance, however chaotic it may be, then you can say that your Shine is stable.

[jonesboy]

RELEASED SHINE

As is evident from what has been said so far, the first
thing that you must achieve is stable Shine.
Once you have attained stable Shine, you have to
release it.

'To release' means to liberate; but what is there to
release? What must we be liberated from?

Let us suppose that now we have ripened our ability
to maintain a firm Shine, even for twenty-four hours.
Nevertheless when we are not abiding in this presence
we can slip into distraction, and there are always
moments and circumstances when we are 'out' of
Shine. (Moreover, this clearly entails that intentional
commitment to presence is still necessary, as if there
were a state 'in which' to enter and to abide) .

This is the specific feature of 'stable Shine' and it is
precisely this that must be released.

It is as if there were a boundary that has to be
eliminated, but how?

Stable Shine always has a starting point For
example, 'I' think: "Now I am present, I am in Shine,;
or, even without producing a thought 'I' always have
this presence, and with that I remain in a calm state
like the sea. Everything that happens in the sea is
present, and 'I' am aware of it even though I do not
pursue it; I do not judge it but remain as if observing it.
This is the state of stable Shine.

The method for releasing this situation of subtle
dualism is this: I have to be in the movement itself.
When a thought arises, like a fish leaping on the
surface of the sea, 'I' am no longer an observer of what
is leaping but instead I am the leaper.

This does not mean I have to do something, rather

with the very presence I am in, I liberate myself

This is released Shine.