DHARMA ARTS

The Nine Stages of Meditation

by Ben Wickey 

Please note: Ben will be offering this drawing for auction at the ACI Fine Art and Craft Fair on Sunday, August 7. Be there or be square!


By the garden on the shore.
On a shelf inside a store.
As a wrapper for the grain,
as if shelter from the rain.
A coat of dharma painted clear
not as a varnish nor veneer.
Protecting nothing without a shield
like oranged fruit with pith and peel.
The refuge vow, its fourth request,
see Buddha's image reflected best.
For no material, nor pen nor knife,
or verbal word made flesh gave life.
Could ere describe the beauty such
as that unspoken forever touched.

- Barbara Koen 

 

These images are among the many items available for sale at the Fine Art and Craft Sale, Aug 7 

Fleeting, by Alison Landoni

Dahlia Mandala, by Anne Meyer

Embroidered Towel by Lindsay Crouse

Embroidered Towel by Lindsay Crouse

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DID YOU KNOW?

Meditation and retreat exist in symbiosis. Retreat allows us to have the opportunity to meditate more often, more deeply and without as many of the usual distractions.

Lama Marut

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche says that meditation is not a religious practice at all. "The practice of meditation is based not on how we would like things to be, but on what is."

Meditation, says Rinpoche, should not be regarded as a dream-like reverie that takes us out of what's actually happening around us: "From the Buddhist point of view, the point of meditation is . . . rather to sharpen perceptions, to see things as they are."  

From this perspective, meditation and retreat are not exceptional experiences we have in between the daily events that constitute our ordinary lives. They are meant to be focusing lenses that teach us how to stay attentive to what's going on in the ever-changing present.

Meditation is a tool of discovery, not of improvement. So retreat becomes the training ground for living in reality, an exercise in blurring the very lines between "retreat" and "non-retreat." 

(Excerpted from  The Purpose of Meditation and Retreat, July 2011, awakeningjournal.org )

 The Nine Stages of Meditation

 

 

A Chart with Notes by Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, Tutor to His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama,  and the Root Lama of Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lobsang Tharchin  

 

According to Robert Beer, a version of this illustration is frequently painted on monastery walls as a mnemonic diagram for the nine stages of meditation. Here we paraphrase and quote parts of his explanation of some of the symbols.*

· elephant,  representing the mind, progressing in color from black (mental dullness)  to white (single pointed absorption);

· monkey, representing  distraction or mental agitation, its black color representing scattering

· hare, representing subtle dullness

· monk's goad and lasso, representing clear understanding and mindful recollection

· progressively diminishing flame, representing the decreasing degree of effort needed to cultivate understanding and recollection 

· the five sense objects-cloth, fruit, perfume, cymbals, a mirror-representing the five sensual sources of distraction

 

"At the end of the path single-pointed concentration is attained, and the 'purified elephant' of the mind is now completely submissive. The flying monk represents bodily bliss, and his riding of the elephant, mental bliss. Riding the elephant back triumphantly across the rainbow, wielding the flaming sword of perfect insight having attained the flame of clear understanding and mindfulness, represents the uprooting of samsara and vipashyana which directly realized emptiness (shunyata)." *

-------------- 

* Beer, Robert. The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs. Boston, 1999, Shambhala. page 99

 

 The Nine Levels of Meditation by H.H.The Dalai Lama

 

Whatever your object of meditation, whether it be the nature of your mind or the image of the Buddha, you

His Holiness

go through nine stages in the development of calm abiding.

The First Stage. The first stage involves placing the mind on its object of concentration. This stage is called placement. At this stage you have difficulty remaining concentrated for more than a brief moment and feel that your mental distractions have increased. You often drift away from the object, sometimes forgetting it completely. You spend more time on other thoughts and have to devote great effort to bringing your mind back to the object.

The Second Stage. When you are able to increase the length of time that you remain focused on your chosen object to a few minutes, you have attained the second stage. This stage is called continual placement. Your periods of distraction are still greater than your periods of concentration, but you do experience fleeting moments of focused mental stillness.

The Third Stage. Eventually you become able to immediately catch your mind as it becomes distracted and reestablish its focus. This is the third stage of practice, replacement.

The Fourth Stage. By the fourth stage, called close placement, you have developed mindfulness to the extent that you do not lose focus of your object of concentration.  However,

this is when you become vulnerable to intervals of intense laxity and excitement.  The main antidote is the awareness that you are experiencing them.  As you are able to apply antidotes to the more obvious manifestations of laxity and excitement, there is the danger of subtle forms of laxity arising.

The Fifth Stage. The fifth stage is disciplining. In this stage, introspection is used to identify subtle laxity and to apply its antidote. Again, the antidote is your awareness of this subtle laxity.

The Sixth Stage. By the sixth stage, pacification, subtle laxity no longer arises. Emphasis is thus placed on applying the antidote to subtle excitement. Your introspection must be more powerful, as the obstacle is more subtle.

The Seventh Stage. When through continual and concerted effort, you have managed to keep subtle forms of laxity and excitement from arising, your mind does not need to be overly vigilant. The seventh stage, thorough pacification, has been attained.

The Eighth Stage. When, with some initial exertion, you can place your mind on its object and are able to remain focused without the slightest experience of laxity or excitement, you have attained the eighth stage. We call this single-pointed.

The Ninth Stage. The ninth stage, balanced placement, is attained when your mind remains placed on its object effortlessly, for as long as you wish. True calm abiding is achieved after attaining the ninth stage, by continuing to meditate with singe pointed concentration, until you experience a blissful pliancy of body and mind.

It is important to maintain a skillful balance in your daily practice between the application of single-pointed concentration and analysis. If you focus too much on perfecting your single-pointed concentration, your analytic ability may be undermined. On the other hand, if you are too concerned with analyzing, you may undermine your ability to cultivate steadiness, to remain focused for prolonged period of time. You must work at finding equilibrium between the application of calm abiding and analysis.   

 

 (At left, His Holiness at the open talk, US Capital, July 9, 2011)  

 

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Cape Ann Fine Art and Crafts Fair...and Auction!  

Sunday, August 7th, 5-9pm

  The 2011 Summer Retreat is upon us but we are still busy raising funds for the retreat. Sunday August 7^th, we will be presenting the, Cape Ann Fine Art and Crafts Fair, to benefit the 2011 Summer Retreat. Friends, supporters, and local merchants will be donating handmade crafts, art items, gift certificates and services to be bid on by silent auction to benefit the 2011 Summer Retreat at the Governors Academy August 16-21^st.

The emphasis will be on fun, as we get together to enjoy the handiwork of our community, to meet and make friends, and to have an entertaining silent and live auction -all to offer support for funding the annual Summer Retreat. Our guest auctioneers will be Cape Ann favorites Bebe and Duncan Nelson. There will be entertainment and refreshments.  

The Cape Ann Fine Art and Crafts Fair and silent auction will be held at the Rockport Community Center, 58 Broadway, Rockport, MA., Sunday August 7^th from 5-9 PM.

If you have an item you would like to donate please contact Jill Demeri at: info@thesummerretreat.com or call us at 310-745-0700.

For more information on the Summer Retreat and the Crafts Fair and Auction go to our website at: thesummerretreat.com.                       See you there!!!    

ACI-Cape Ann Serving at the Open Door Food Pantry 

Gloucester, MA

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED  

Thursday, August 25th

Each month we need:

- Money to buy food $200-$300 (donations appreciated) 

- 4-8 meal servers 

- Head Cook: meal planner/organizer

Optional:  Dessert Cook, Salad Bar Preparer, Grocery Shopper and Bread Baker/Buyer 

Children are welcome to serve the meal and are appreciated as long as they have parental supervision. To volunteer, please contact Sharon Muddiman at sangha@aci-capeann.org

Some local ladies and their friends with Lama Marut at Diamond Mountain, July 2011. Very hot, but...very cool! 

LAMA MARUT Returns to Massachusetts

FREE PUBLIC TALK, Monday, August 15, 7:30pm

NO PROBLEMS, NO WORRIES, NO DRAMAS:

HOW TO LIVE A HAPPY LIFE THROUGH THICK AND THIN 

Learn how to transform your problems into opportunities and how to live the good life - both in the sense of working on being a better person, and in the sense of relaxing into a more fun, genuine and free existence.

The Auditorium at the Performing Arts Center of Governor's Academy, Byfield, MA

Lam Rim Intensive - Part 2 with Mary Kay Dyer,

Saturday & Sunday, Aug 6 & 7, 1:30-5pm

Proof of Future Lives: Asian Classics Formal Course 4 with Larry Wolf

Mondays, Aug 29-Oct 31, 7:30-9:30pm

Continuing the Magic: Daily Spiritual Practice with Jesse Fallon

Saturday, Aug 27, 7-9pm

Bok Jinpa 4: Lighting Your Meditation on Fire with Julie Upton

Wednesdays, Sept 7, 14, 21 & 28, 7:30-9:30pm; Fridays, Sept 16, 23 & 30, 7:30-9:30pm.

No drop-ins.

Meditation for Peace on the 10^th Anniversary of September 11^th 

with Master Culadasa (John Yates)

September 9-11

Lama Marut Free Public Talk at Governor's Academy, Byfield, MA 

No Problems, No Worries, No Dramas: How To Live A Happy Life Through Thick And Thin. Monday,Aug 15, 7:30pm. With a meditation led by Cindy Lee

The Summer Retreat at Governor's Academy, Byfield, MA

Freedom from what - to what with Lama Marut, Cindy Lee, Rick Blue and Lindsay Crouse

Aug 16-21. Info: thesummerretreat.com

Weekly Meditation, Yoga, Discussion, Debate and Family Offerings with a variety of wonderful teachers at the Vajramudra Center, aci-capeann.org

One obstacle was that my meditation space was in a very busy part of the house - the front room - the home of a nice altar and, I thought, a good place to meditate.  However, since it is in fact  a hub of activity for my family, I found myself retreating to the bedroom with dharma paraphernalia scattered all over.  I could not get into a consistent groove with my daily mediation practice.  

A couple years ago I attempted to utilize a free-standing closet that I spotted at IKEA.  My husband and I brought it in the house and put it in the front room where it sat...and sat...and sat...leaning against the wall with all its glorious potential, but not being used.

For some people, moving an altar and meditation cushion from one room to another would be a relatively easy task.  Not so for me.  My husband, son, and myself, are all artists.  With that comes boxes and bins of supplies, tools, and various creations. I myself work in several media (painting, drawing, puppetry, video editing) and each one takes up space and requires its own paraphernalia.  

So, though I still haven't found a place for all my art stuff my dharma study cubby and altar are up an running and I must say that not only is it cozy, but it's also been very helpful to have a special and sacred space conducive to meditation and to finishing up my studies.  If you haven't created a sacred space in your home for meditation and study, do it!  Don't just sit and wait in all your glorious potential.

-  Alison Landoni

Striking a Balance 

  

In meditation, we employ the aid of sheshin - a Tibetan word meaning awareness.  This awareness is sometimes called the "watchdog mind," a part of our mind that observes our meditation and alerts us to whether we are becoming agitated or dull.  By developing and paying attention to our watchdog mind, we are able to strike a "balance," which is the effortless placement of mind on its object with continuing focus and without mental laxity or excitement.  

  

At the Silent Retreat Teachings in Bowie, Arizona earlier this month, Geshe Michael spoke about the importance of striking a balance in any pursuit we undertake. This applies whether we are in three-year retreat, meditation or just living our lives.   

  

Lama Christie

The forty people in the three year retreat are dealing with the extremes of working too hard or too little just like the rest of us. Working too hard is more likely to be the issue for them, since each one had to clear monumental obstacles in order to be there.  Compared to most of us, they are less likely perhaps to err on the side of "chilling" too much. But extremes of any kind are problematic and can pose serious obstacles to reaching our goals.  Employing the watchdog mind is helpful for either extreme. 

Geshe Mich

We look at our lives as though we have all this time, and we let things slide.  Then we realize we may not have as much time as we thought, and we work too hard.  When we work to little, we become dull; and when we work too hard, we become agitated.  If we liken the barrels we sometimes see on the side of the road in construction areas to the extremes of dullness on one side and agitation on the other, we can see how developing sheshin in our meditation and in our lives equips us to better negotiate our path, without crashing. Shesin keep us aware if we begin to gravitate to either side, thus assuring a more productive and happier ride.

-Barbara Simundza

Excuses Not to Practice

My husband, Bob, and I recently moved. On the day we decided to look for a new place, a sweet living situation fell into our laps and suddenly angel-friends were there to help us pack boxes, lend a van, clean the refrigerator and fill and empty the van multiple times. Two weeks after we'd made the decision we handed the old keys back to the landlady and were gone.

It was a whirlwind.

Each day my practice was getting shorter. Within days of deciding to move my daily practice was replaced by excuses not to practice.

The first morning in the new house, I woke up on a mattress on the floor... listening. The new house is in on a short street just off of Washington. I heard cars. At the old place in the woods of West Gloucester there were maybe five cars a day. At the new place there were five cars in a minute. Excuses not to practice.

Boxes everywhere and there wasn't a chair that wasn't stacked with them. The zabuton was visible but I couldn't find the zafu. Excuses not to practice.

Bob was still sleeping. I hadn't told him the night before what my meditation plans were for the morning. The room upstairs that we talked about as a meditation space had stuff all over the floor. I didn't know where to go. What if I meditated in the living room or the kitchen and Bob and the dog went out the door with the usual commotion? Excuses not to practice.

I hadn't meditated in maybe in maybe 10 or 11 days and felt stomach juices rumble at the thought of excuses not to practice..

The mattress was on the floor; I sat on its edge , back straight, knees lightly resting on the floor and watched my breath and listened to the traffic and watched my breath and listened to Bob gently breathing and watched my breath. I called out to my Holy Lamas and begged them to come and sit before me. The Lamas glowed with unconditional love and the dog stirred.

Where was that simultaneous state of sound/no sound, that awareness that sound is there, light diffuses, air moves, then all falls away and nothing disturbs?

The Holy Lamas kept glowing. I focused on their form, the skin on the face, the love in smiling blue eyes, the sweet scent of gentle perfume.

It was good, a start back. I'd sat for a few minutes, maybe five. It was longer than I'd meditated in nearly two weeks.  No excuses.

-Judith Ring

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REBOOT...RETREAT

THE SUMMER RETREAT ... August 16-21

FREEDOM: From What to What   

Governor's Academy, Byfield, MA    

Retreat and Meditation

For those who are new to meditation and want to get beyond the - "I just sat quiet on the sofa for 5 minutes and it didn't seem to help for long" - syndrome, you have an opportunity to go for a more extended "test drive" by attending the 2011 Summer Retreat" at the Governors Academy in Byfield, MA, August 16-21. It's the focus of our retreat to have the experience of turning down the white noise, catching your breath and quietly getting a chance to meet your mind.

Rather than a 1 night lecture or trying to pry it from a book, the 5 days of teachings in a retreat venue offers an opportunity to clear off your docket, turn off all the "appliances, smart phones, apps, etc," and get a flavor of how sweet, (and addictive) having 5 days to relax into a meditative retreat lifestyle can be. Parts of the retreat will be conducted in quiet, so that you can experience its power, as well as parts where we can speak and converse with our fellow retreatants.

Rick Blue

My sister's job involves coordinating the harbor pilots who guide all the ships into NY Harbor, and when those large vessels are headed inbound, it takes quite a while to bring them to a stop and reverse that momentum. This is what we are trying to do with our mind and our "nervous system" at the Summer Retreat - slow down the ship, and get a chance to be still. To remove, for a bit, that invisible force that is always pushing at us, urging us to be moving somewhere all the time, every second. Given a few days to "loosen its grip," that force can be profoundly liberating.

For people new to this, we also have learned the value of not throwing people in over their heads. In addition to the daily classes with the our wonderful Lama Marut, teachers, Cindy Lee, Lindsay Crouse and yours truly, we will have experienced meditation and retreat practitioners on hand, to give feedback and guidance throughout the week, as well as leading guided meditations all in a very beautiful setting. We are also blessed to have deeply skilled Yoga teachers conducting daily yoga sessions at all levels and all employing the meditative and wisdom methods of yoga and the inner body.

The theme this year, "Freedom from what...to what" will be presented in a wide scope of teachings, but what will be central to all of these ideas is the time to be able to create the space to be able to experience these teachings without having to feel the impulse to have to "be somewhere else." Meditation is a tool, that needs a venue with which to be implemented and this is what we are offering each summer, a refuge to start to explore the benefit of quiet reflection and a place of beauty in which to enjoy teachings and practices that can change the trajectory of your life.

The Summer Retreat led by Lama Sumati Marut, with Cindy Lee, Lindsay Crouse and Rick Blue runs August 16-21 at the Governors Academy, in Byfield Massachusetts.

For more information see our Website at http://www.thesummerretreat.com/ or call us at 310-745-0700.

Note - There will also be a Public Talk on Monday August 15^th at the Governor's Academy Theatre hosted by ACI-Cape Ann. For more information go to : http://www.aci-capeann.org

- Rick Blue

THE STORE at the Summer Retreat

Offering Buddhist practice items, jewelry, clothing, altar pieces, prints, bags, malas, scarves, thangkas and one-of-a-kind items. All profit to benefit the Summer Retreat. Open daily. We'd love to see you. Checks and cash only.

SEND IT IN!

Upcoming Exploring the Path Themes!