‧Written by Sheng-yen Lu‧
Once, the Sixteen Gyalwa Karmapa taught me, “Most people that practice meditative absorption find that they cannot still their minds. Their biggest dilemma is that their minds constantly waver back and forth. Thus, we should adopt the Seven-Point Posture of Vairocana, regulate our breathing, and practice the Ekagrata or One- Pointedness Meditation. This approach helps to focus the mind, so that it does not stray away. Thus it helps one enter into meditative absorption easily.”
The approach of the Sixteen Gyalwa Karmapa includes three other steps:
Contemplate on a buddha statue with our eyes. A buddha image is the most adorned form of purity. Whether the image is carved or painted, he is displayed in golden brilliance, an achievement through his meritorious actions, and his face emanates only compassion. His body, which is dressed in three robes and adorned with pearls and jade necklaces, is encircled with halos of light. When we single-mindedly contemplate on the magnificence of the buddha’s image, we are practicing Ekagrata or One-Pointedness focus on the buddha’s form. When we do this practice repeatedly over time, the im- age of the buddha stays constantly in our minds, and we will quickly attain the Purity of One-Pointedness.
Contemplate on the moon disc with our eyes – The crown of the buddha is often seen with the aura of a moon disc. We can focus on this light, for the moon disc symbolizes the grad- ual elimination of ignorance. The moon waxes and wanes, changing from a crescent to a full moon, which represents the cleansing of all dark karma. On the moon disc, there is usually inscribed the Sanskrit syllable HUM, which represents our self-nature and Buddha-nature. The light of the moon disc originates from the syllable HUM. When we focus our eyes on the light of the moon disc, we constantly think of this light shining upon us, entering through our crown chakra and filling us with pure light. As we constantly contemplate on this light, we attain the Purity of One-Pointedness in no time.
Contemplate on the seeds [relics] with our eyes – Most living buddhas who enter nirvana leave behind many relics or sariras after their cremation. These relics, which are bean-like or oval-shaped and resemble a limestone egg, come in dif- ferent hues. The Tibetan tulkus, or living buddhas, consider these objects as “seeds.” Tibetans are convinced that such objects are evidence of someone attaining sacred power and realizing his true nature. They are symbolic proof of the appearance of the truth body [dharmakaya] from the emanation body [nirmanakaya]. When we place these colored relics in front of us and contemplate on their radiance, that emits pure lights into our hearts, over time we shall attain the Purity of One-Pointedness.
These three kinds of contemplation are:
The sacred contemplation practice.
The light contemplation practice.
The seed contemplation practice.
I have been practicing Mahamudra for many years. Once, I met a teacher who taught me one particular method. In this practice, the practitioner installs a large mirror in front of where one usually sits in meditation, or wherever it is suitable. The mirror should reflect one’s whole body so that the practitioner can closely examine oneself. For example, when one is joyous, one should observe one’s smile and the happiness on one’s face. However, when one receives insults and slander, one’s face will naturally reflect unhappiness. These expressions of joy, anger, sadness, and happiness can be observed closely in the mirror. When the facial features are examined closely, one is able to discern the varied facial features, and the changes in expression as they develop each day. In principle, this contemplation is a form of self-reflection, that is also taught in Confucianism in which one sits still to constantly reflect on one’s misdeeds. However, in this case, a mirror is hung in front of one to examine one’s faults closely. This is similar to how others see us, and hence how we may look at ourselves.
In this respect, when we constantly reflect upon ourselves and observe ourselves, we shall understand the delusion of how others perceive us and how others attach to us.
(to be continued)
