Daily Archive

The purpose of this meditation is to improve our meditation technique in search of the most perfect concentration of all – tranquil abiding.

I began the meditation by paying particular attention to my mind. Whenever I lost my object I returned my attention to bodhichitta, my object of tranquil abiding.

It seemed to me that one moment I was focused clearly on the object, and then almost the next moment I was wandering in distracting thoughts. I tried to trace how my thoughts had got to where they were, from the object of meditation.

I thought that my distraction is rather like falling off a peak of conentration into superficially interesting thoughts. It was like when I had my object, I was sitting on top of a beautiful snow covered peak, surrounded by clear, empty blue sky, with the object clearly in front of me.

Then all of a sudden I would have fallen far, far below, wandering through valleys of distraction moving further away from the peak.

Once I noticed my mind was wandering, I brought it back up to the peak and there, waiting for me, was the object.

But then, fairly soon, my mind was wandering again in the valleys of distraction.

I found it infuriating that it was difficult to spot when my mind became distracted from the object. It was like when I fall asleep. When I fall asleep, I don’t notice when I actually enter the sleeping state – I just go blank and the next thing I know I am dreaming.

I realised there is real danger in this blank period, and that I need to keep checking my concentration with alertness, and not just get lost in the object.

I returned my mind once more to Bodhichitta, and imagined I was at the peak of my snow mountain, renewing my determination to remain on my object, and renewing my determination to become a Buddha for the benefit of all.

Dedication

May all living beings develop perfect concentration, and become enlightened for the benefit of all.

Practice in the Meditation Break

Whatever I do – I must watch out for mind wandering, and return my mind to the task at hand whenever I notice it happening.