18 Awareness of Awareness, part 3

09/06/11 • 37 min

Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat

A discussion of substrate, substrate consciousness and pristine awareness. How klishtamanas comes out of the alayavijñana creating a sense of "I am" and subject and object. Also a discussion of the dying process.
Practice(10:53):
Awareness of awareness, oscillating between non-objectified knowing and reflecting on who is knowing (and who is knowing that person knowing)
Final comment:
Padmasambhava: awareness of awareness is a shamatha practice but you may slip into pristine awareness as well.

Previous Episode

17 Empathetic Joy, part 2

Uplifted and inspired. If you want to start the week in this way, I recommend this podcast.
This afternoon Alan explained one feature in common between the 3 practices of settling the mind in its natural state, awareness of awareness and empathetic joy. In the first one we withdraw the tentacles of identification that say "this is mine, I am such and such...". In the second one we go into the heart of the matter, to the actual experience of being the agent through our "cognoscopy" of withdrawing and releasing the awareness. In the third one we take the innate identification, usually limited to I and mine to make it unlimitedly benevolent by taking delight in all good fortune and virtue, wherever it is. Empathetic joy counteracts depression and low self-esteem, and balances the mind. The meditation (21:22) consisted of taking delight, step by step, from transient good fortune of others to the enlightenment of the awakened ones. Beautiful!
Then there were interesting questions (47:00) about the relationship between confidence/arrogance and being humble/having low self-esteem; about the practice of settling the mind in its natural state: where do thoughts go, why do they disappear when being acknowledged, its connection with mindfulness of feelings; and a final question about the influence of the agent in the practice of awareness of awareness.
As usual Alan gave juicy and fulfilling answers.
Please enjoy!

Next Episode

19 Equanimity

Equanimity - the "crown jewel" of the Four Immeasurables
In both Shamatha and the Four Immeasurables, we cultivate balance and a sense of "evenness of heart." The Four Immeasurables are immeasurable only if they flow out evenly, without partiality or bias. They cultivate “virtues of the heart” and an understanding of causality. They help us overcome the dehumanizing tendency to only see others as a means of fulfilling our hedonistic desires – it becomes an “I” v.s. “it” relationship. We often respond to people’s agreeable, disagreeable, or neutral appearances. The fusion of appearances with a person is a delusion. We also fuse ourselves with aspects of ourselves (e.g. behaviors, mental afflictions, etc.).
Meditation(48:07): Cultivating equanimity by reviewing our own lives and working with positive and negative times. Then doing this with others (one we “like”, one we “don’t like,” and one to whom we have neutral feelings.
False Facsimile of Equanimity is “Aloof Indifference” (sometimes called “Stupid Indifference”).
Questions(72:50):
1. How do you have a natural measure for practice so that you neither burn out nor become lazy?
2. How do you burn up merit and what's the role of dedication?
3. In the “awareness of awareness” practice, how do I know if I am doing the practice correctly?
4. Is “open presence” the same as shamatha without a sign?