The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Meditation

Author: Vladimir Pyatsky

Translation: Roni Sherman and Marina Sherman

Translation Editor: Natasha Tsimbler

Chapters

Table of Contents The Practice of the Six Paramitas – Table of Contents

Introduction The Practice of the Six Paramitas – Introduction

1. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Wisdom

2. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Meditation

3. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Diligence

4. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Patience

5. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Self-Restraint

6. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Giving

2. The Paramita of Meditation. Sitting Meditation. Dhyana with Form. 

Four ways of explaining meditation, or the unified state of the mind. 

Usually, the movements of the mind are scattered and contradictory. With the help of sitting meditation, the mind overcomes the gross fluctuations and throwing characteristic of the state of beings in the realm of hungry ghosts and unifies. 

Sitting meditation, like a house, has four corners.

1. The affirmation of virtue

2. The rejection of vices  

3. The reconciliation of contradictory states

4. The silence of the mind 

What is virtue that is affirmed through meditation?

A correctly unified, collected mind is more lasting, pleasant, skillful, wiser and less vulnerable to suffering than a scattered and disjointed mind. Unification of the mind arises thanks to accumulating wholesome qualities of the mind and facilitates their preservation. Thus affirms the relationship between virtue and meditation, and an understanding of this relationship fills the practitioner's mind with wholesome rapture that is like the light of the rising sun. The appearance of rapture resulting from the unification and collection of the mind is known as the first dhyana. 

How does meditation discard vices?

With correct unification of the mind, there is no identification with a body, feeling, thought, volition, or consciousness fettered by vices. Therefore with correct unification of the mind, there is no discontentment, anger or complacency which are inherent to consciousness which identifies with the five aforementioned complexes. That is the understanding of meditation as the discarding of vices which fills the entire space of the mind with confidence that is like the light of the sun at its zenith when it regally illuminates the four cardinal directions. This is known as the second dhyana. 

How does meditation reconcile contradictory judgements?

Correct meditation leads to the mind becoming soft and clear like water in a calm and clear lake. Such a mind does not cling to contradictory judgements and reconciles thoughts by way of leaving them alone. When the mind no longer concerns itself with clinging, the excitation of thoughts disappears. Such solace is like the soft, pleasant light of the setting sun. The rise of calm softness in the mind is known as the third dhyana. 

What is the silence of the mind? 

With silence, the mind embraces and comprehends its essence, which cannot be called either existing, like phenomena, or non-existing, like something far-fetched. This essence cannot be called either large or small, forthcoming or receding, eternal or non-eternal, creative or supine. Such is the self-liberating silence of the mind, which is like the hidden light of the night sun appearing in the light of the moon. Enlightenment by wisdom is known as the fourth dhyana.

With regards to the interaction of the four dhyanas, we must remember the metaphor of the cow: skilled mediators move from one dhyana to another in random order like a cow grazing in the meadow moves its four legs. It places one leg or another, then another, and so forth, without following a particular order, but in a fashion that is exclusively convenient for it, since the purpose of its movement around the meadow — is not placing its legs in a particular order, it is nibbling succulent grass. 

Attainment of concentration 

Why is mindfulness of breath chosen as the support of the mind during sitting meditation?

Everything which arose will disappear. 

The body is impermanent,

Perception is impermanent, 

Differentiation is impermanent,

Volition is impermanent,

The consciousness spanning them — is impermanent, 

And a consciousness not concerning them — is far-fetched. 

All of these five accumulations (body, perception, differentiation, volition and consciousness) 

Are animated and set into motion by breath. 

That is why breath is the pillar of existence. 

Breath is what transcends the activity of the senses and thought, like,

For example, in dreamless deep sleep, 

When the senses are inactive but breath continues. 

Therefore breath is salvation from the swirls of the activity of the senses. 

How can mindfulness of breath calm down the mind? 

Mindfulness of breath calms down the mind 

As it limits

The activity of all five accumulations. 

What acquires boundaries 

Begins to settle down

Like water in a solid standing cup

Or a snake crawled into a jug.

AN AUTOSUGGESTION FORMULA FOR CALMING DOWN THE ACTIVITY OF THE SENSES WITH THE HELP OF MINDFULNESS OF BREATH AND SIX BODILY MUDRAS

With arms folded in dhyana-mudra,

I recognize the vibrations of the thread of taste,

Residing in the breath which bathes me from the front. 

Following the vibrations of the thread of taste leads to wandering in the realm of insatiable hungry ghosts, 

So I won't follow its vibrations.

May I give the thread of taste the good form of contentment, 

And may this contentment fill the breath which bathes me from the front.

Performing the mudra of steady sitting, 

I recognize the vibrations of the thread of touch,

Residing in the breath which bathes my lower body. 

Following the vibrations of the thread of touch leads to wandering in the painful realm of hell-dwellers,

So I won't follow its vibrations. 

May I give the thread of touch the good form 

Of steadfastness, 

And may this steadfastness

Fill the breath 

Which bathes my lower body. 

Performing the mudra of a smile,

I recognize the vibrations of the thread of thought,

Residing in the breath which bathes my body from behind.

Following the vibrations of the thread of thought leads to wandering in the realm of animals trapped by their own intentions,

So I won't follow the vibrations of the thread of thought. 

And will give it the good form of gratitude

Which brings beings to the right path. 

May this gratitude fill the breath which bathes my body from behind. 

Performing the mudra of a free chest,

I recognize the vibrations of the thread of hearing,

Residing in the breath 

Which bathes my body on the left.

Following the vibrations of the thread of hearing leads to wandering in the sad realm of human beings,

So I won't follow the vibrations of the thread of hearing,

And will give it the good form of wholesome faith.

Which fills the breath which bathes me on the left. 

Performing the mudra of the tucked in chin,

I recognize the vibrations of the thread of smell,

Residing in the breath which bathes my upper body. 

Following the vibrations of the thread of smell leads to wandering in the realm of asuras who rival with each other,

So I won't follow its vibrations. 

May I give the thread of smell the good form of recognizing wholesome teachers,

Their teachings and 

Their worthy followers.

May this recognition fill the breath which bathes me from above.  

Performing the mudra of the body-capturing eye, 

I recognize the vibrations of the thread of sight,

Residing in the breath which bathes my body on the right.

Following the vibrations of the thread of sight leads to wandering in the realm of gods attached to pleasure. 

So I won't follow the vibrations of the thread of sight.

And shall give it the good form of wisdom, 

And may this wisdom fill the breath

Which bathes my body on the right.

Why are the six bodily mudras needed? 

With the six mudras,

You disentangle the six threads of perception 

By reducing strain in them, 

Calming them and

Giving them good form.

The mudras maintain the good form

Of circulation of breath in the body,

By softening its gusts 

And embracing the space in which the breath extends. 

How to perform the mudra of the palms? 

Place your hands on your knees open palms up,

Or place one hand on top of the other,

And connect the thumbs in an arc over them. 

This position is known as dhyana-mudra. 

If your strength allows you,

You may raise the arm-circle formed by the mudra 

By moving your palms the width of your palm from your navel.

Round your elbows and wrists,

Do not touch the body 

With the elbows or in the underpits area,

And lo and behold! You feel

That your arms

Embrace the breath before you!

If you are keeping your hands open on your knees,

Feel like a mother on whose knees sits baby-breath. 

Meanwhile, so that your hands do not become sluggish,

Feel as though you are keeping fresh chicken eggs under your armpits. 

Either way, the inside of your arms should feel the presence of breath.

In this first mudra,

Let your breath rest

From its aspiration for the external world.

Realize that your mudra

Gives good form to the thread of taste.  

Imagine that your breath

Is a large tongue sticking out.

Clasping it with your arms,

Quiet your insatiability in it. 

How do you perform the mudra of steady sitting?

Sit steady and think that your lower body from your belly button and below — 

Is the Pure Land, in which, like a self-born god, moving plainly in your upper body,

Abides breath. 

If you can't sit,

Stick your tongue out, spread your fingers apart, 

Widen your eyes like a wrathful god 

And then breathe with your belly

Like you are calming imaginary anger. 

If you are tense,

Rock from side to side,

Calming the winds

As though cradling them. 

If tiredness makes it difficult for you to sit,

Gently, in small circles, 

Roll your head around

Without leaning it back. 

How do you perform the mudra of a smile?

Make silence grateful.

Smile thoughtfully.

When the repose of your breath is broken by thought, 

Know that the chewing gum of thought is in your mouth. 

Silently spit it out when you exhale

By saying aloud or silently PHAT! or THA!

Then lean your tongue against the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth

And quit chewing habitual thoughts;

Focus on the sensation of your tongue

Until coolness appears in it.

If your mind became sluggish and the corners of your lips sink,

Know that a chewing gum of thought stuck to your teeth

And weakened your breath.

While you have not started to suffocate 

From anguish and despair, get rid of the gum!

This time, you might want to start with your tongue

Leaning against the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth. 

Once, as a result of steadfastness in performing this mudra, 

The chewing gum of thought starts to separate from your teeth 

And becomes audible and perceived,

Contain it in the syllable PHAT (THA) by thinking this way:

“These thoughts are nothing other 

Than a wrong, bad form of the syllable PHAT. 

I’ll meditate on PHAT as steady conciousness,

Steadfast, unchanging, benign,

Absorbing all the bad fluctuations of the mind

And dissolving in silence.”

Once your mind balances in meditation,

Exhale through your mouth and feel like your exhale 

Merges with the clear and vast expanse. 

How do you perform the mudra of a free chest?

Bring your wishbone slightly up and foreword

While keeping your shoulders where they were.

Do not raise your shoulders along with your chest, 

Do not move them forward along with it. 

Let them relax.

Feel your chest

As the radiance emanating from a golden God. 

Think that sound does not shake you

Just as the sun is not shaken by its own rays. 

The mudra of the tucked in chin

Slightly tuck your chin in

As though you are keeping a jug of water on your head,

You will thus eliminate the strain of your neck.

This mudra shows your restraint,

Since the breath in your nostrils

With this position of the head 

Is like the reins of a horse

Or a ring put through a bull’s nose.

With this view,

You grasp the thread of smells,

Which controls the movement of your head and passion.  

Imagine the blockages and painful sensations

In the left side of your body

As coming out of your left nostril 

In the form of a milky white suspension of anguish and sadness as you exhale. 

This suspension is absorbed by a disc of the Moon

In the center of your left palm. 

Imagine the blockages and painful sensations

In the right side of your body 

As coming out of your right nostril in the form of a muddy-red liquid of anger and resentment as you exhale. 

This liquid is absorbed by a disc of the setting Sun

In the center of your right palm.

Imagine the blockages and painful sensations

In the central part of your body

As coming out of your mouth

In the form of dark-smelly vomit of fear and delusion as you exhale. 

This vomit is absorbed by a dark disc of the eclipse

In the center of your perineum.

The position of your head  

Must be poised and relaxed

Like the position of a rider in a saddle, 

For that, play with the reins —

breathing through your left and right nostrils,

Giving the setting of your head liveliness and peace. 

Letting noise out of your body and playing with the reins,

You may use your fingers, 

Covering one of your nostrils 

Or both when you exhale from the mouth.

How do you perform the mudra of capturing the body with your eye? 

Look with a leisurely eye

At the right side of space,

Then the left,

Then above and below.

Then, think that the center of your eye

Is in your navel, 

And continue to relaxedly capture

The right and left sides with it, above and below.

Make your eye wider

By expanding it slightly forward,

And then mentally capture the space behind your body with it.

The movement of your eye

Is like waves on the surface of a lake of breath — 

And dhyana — is light 

Spilling over the lake. 

The four dhyanas — are the four forms of mental clarity. 

In the first dhyana, when the light of the mind 

Is like the light of the rising sun, 

Your attention, like a boat, 

rocks on waves of breath in the navel area.

In the second dhyana, the light of your mind

is like the light of the sun at its zenith, 

And the boat is tied to the pier of a smile.

In the third dhyana, when the light of the mind is like the light of the setting sun,

The flipped boat dries on shore

In the area between your eyebrows. 

In the fourth dhyana, the boat merges with the form of your body, 

And the light of the mind is like the night light of a full moon. 

Do not focus your eye, 

Simply keep observation of the form of the body

By slightly lowering your eyelids. 

Thus your eye will softly and calmly

Capture the form of your body

As a lone stupa in the middle of empty space.

Consider that this

Ghost-like stupa

Must serve the good of calming the mind. 

What is the achievement in mudra practice? What obstacles arise on the path towards this achievement?

Obedient following of the senses

Is overcome in dhyana. 

A mind which is seemingly relatively calm

And loses its temper 

Only when external factors excite it

Suddenly shows its temper. 

It turns out that the relative calmness was the calmness of a slave 

Unquestioningly obeying his master

In fear of beatings, for meager food. 

In the slavish obedience of the mind to the impulses of the senses 

Lies the entire horror of endless wandering in samsara. 

Nevertheless the slave-mind also tends to eulogize 

The virtues of his master-senses in every which way. 

Astonishing and absurd! 

Besides this astonishing absurdity,

One has to face additional hardships

Related to the tendency of the slave  

To defend the virtues of his master,

Counting on some imaginary reward.

With proper mindfulness of breath,

Your posture is steady, like a mountain, 

Your eye is like a refreshing lake, 

The effort to keep your posture,

Made in your lower abdomen,

Is like the light of a bonfire in a cave,

Which illuminates the body from inside,

And banishes the darkness of somnolence,

Without exciting or draining vitality. 

Rivers of breath flow down the slopes of the mountain, outside and inside,

Softening all tense, stiff places. 

The mind itself is like the infinite sky,

Encompassing all of these phenomena.

In dhyana, you fill your entire body with breath:

By embracing your breath, 

You fill your arms with it,

By giving steadiness to your posture,

You fill your legs and lower abdomen with breath,

By inhaling and exhaling deeply,

As though giving your mouth breath as a drink, 

You'll feel how a smile appears by itself. 

By bringing your wishbone forward and up,

You fill your shoulders with breath.

By slightly tucking your chin in,

You fill your neck with breath,

And lastly, by relaxing your eye,

You capture the entire form of your body with breath.

In this state, remain as long as is

Good for calming,

But do not let yourself lapse into numbness. 

Do not harm your mind and body either by stillness or by exhaustion.

You may refresh this sitting

By stepping away from your body mentally one step to the six sides.

As you exhale, together with the thought “wisdom and compassion” 

Step away from your body one step. 

Behold your sitting body, seeing its impermanence. 

Be amazed by your habit for your body 

Having grown so strong 

That you consider the body to be yourself.

Think that the pure mind 

Is more effective, pleasant and calmer 

Than the body,

And make the decision to use your body 

Only for the sake of accumulating wisdom and wholesome deeds. 

After stepping to one side,

Feel like your breath became freer

And softer on that side. 

After spending 

the time convenient for you in this state,

Return to recognition of your body

Like a person who is returning home. 

Then take a step to the other sides, 

Successively softening and freeing your breath

Before, below, behind, left, above and right. 

As you step down or up —

Submerge into the earth 

And soar over the head of your body.

For a pure mind, it’s easy. 

Remind yourself that all the obstacles 

That arise during your sitting meditation 

Will disappear with the overcoming of hostility. 

A special autosuggestion that accompanies the six mudras

Once the six mudras have been well mastered, they can give special power to autosuggestion:

The mudra of the palms:

My mindfulness of contentment is more lasting than tastes.

The mudra of steady sitting:

My mindfulness of the steadfastness of the mind is more lasting than bodily sensations. 

The mudra of a smile: 

My mindfulness of gratitude is more lasting than thought. 

The mudra of the free chest:

My mindfulness of the unborn mind is more lasting than sounds.

The mudra of the tucked in chin:

My mindfulness of blessings is more lasting than smells.

The mudra of the eye:

My mindfulness of the light of the mind is more lasting than forms. 

Meditation on the meaning of these autosuggestions contributes to the development of wisdom.