Minding Mind (eBook)

Translator'sIntroduction Letthe wise one watch over the mind, sohard to perceive, so artful, alighting where it wishes, awatchfully protected mind will bring happiness. —,Dhammapada Sagesuse the mind deliberately, basedon its essence. Withthe support of the spirit, theyfinish what they begin. Thusthey sleep without dreams andwake without troubles. —,Huainanzi Consciouscultivation of consciousness has been practiced by human beings for thousandsof years, giving rise to many traditional sciences of mental development whoseorigins are lost in the dimness of the early dawn twilight of human awareness.Buddhist tradition is based on a breakthrough made by Siddhartha Gautamatwenty-five hundred years ago in his attempts to rediscover the essential way to moksha,liberation,and bodhi,enlightenment,lost ideals of ancient tradition. Themental science of Buddhism is extremely rich and complex. It is not simply anoutgrowth, reformulation, or development of ancient Indian religion. Accordingto Buddhist lore, there are five general categories of practice by which therelations and differences among orientations and methods of meditation can bedistinguished. Thefirst type is called the meditation of the ordinary mortal. The intention andpurpose of this type of meditation is to enhance the ordinary perceptions andfaculties of the individual. The desired result is greater efficacy andefficiency in the ordinary activities of life, leading to a sense of confidenceand well-being. Thesecond type of meditation is quite different from the first, focusing ontranscending the world rather than dealing with the world in conventionalterms. The desired result is quiescent nirvana, a profound peace of mindcharacterized by extinction of psychological afflictions. Exceptional psychiccapacities are also commonly associated with people who attain quiescentnirvana in this way, but because they habitually remain in the quiescence ofindividual nirvana they do not ordinarily exercise these capacities in aconcerted manner. Thethird type of meditation focuses on the cultivation of altered states ofconsciousness. Those who practice meditation for the sake of attaining nirvanamay also use these altered states for the purpose of breaking attachments toconceptual and perceptual conventions, but they are thereby exposed to thedanger of addiction to intoxicating trances. Buddhist teaching emphasizessobriety to avoid being obsessed, or as it is said, 'reborn under thesway' of unusual states, taking care to use them for specific pragmaticpurposes rather than for self-indulgence. Thefourth kind of meditation is dedicated to development of extraordinarycapacities in the service of other people and the world at large. Practitionersof this type of meditation may use any or all of the methods and techniquescharacteristic of the first three kinds of meditation, but with a differentorientation, in a different manner, and in a broader context. The range andscope of meditational states and experiences in this fourth category,furthermore, exceed those of the lower types of meditation by many orders ofmagnitude. Thefifth and highest type of meditation, according to this ancient classification,is called pure clear meditation arriving at being-as-is. This is considered themost penetrating insight and the nearest that an individual consciousness cancome to true objectivity. The realization of pure clear meditation also enablesits master to employ all the other types of meditation method...