SkillfulMindMeditationHandBook

LearntoMeditate

PresentedbyPeterRadcliffe

Introduction

Thisbooklet isdesignedas theaccompanyingnotes toSkillfulMINDMeditationRetreatsandOn-lineteachings.

MindfulnessandInsightThetwotoolsofameditatoraremindfulnessandinsight.

Mindfulness is the ability to knowwhat the mind is doing at any onetime.We often refer to this part ofthe mind as the “observer” or“watcher”, who is constantlychecking the mind to see if it isdistractedornot.Inreal lifethereisno such thing as a separate part ofthemind,but it is auseful concept.Thehabittokeepcheckinguponthestate of themind is something thatcan be developed like a muscle inthebody.

Insight(orawareness)isanunderstandingoftheminditself.Ifyouhaveinsight,youcanknowwhenandwhatactiontotakeifyoudecideyourmindisinanon-productivestate.Ifyourmindisinthestateyouwantittobe,thennothingneedbedone.Ifyouhavebecomedistracted, starting to fall asleep or someother undesired state then you need to knowwhattodotobringitbacktowhereyouwantit.

Concentration, by theway, develops naturally as the unconsciousmind chooses to staywithaparticularobjectofmeditation(oranythingelse)anddistractionsreduceinpower.

Learning,practiseandmorepractiseisthewaytoincreaseallofthese.

Habituation,WisdomandCompassionTherearealso3principlesbehindtheempowermentofMindfulnessandInsight.

Habituation

Consider that mindfulness (the habit of checking up on your mind) is like any otherlearning,which iscreatedwhenthebrainmakesaseriesofconnectionsbetweensetsofneurons in the brain. To strengthen these neurological connections we need to do thepracticeoverandoveragainsothatitbecomessecondnature.Everythingislikethis.Ifyouspendanhouradaydeliberatelythinkingnicethoughts,prettysoonyouwillfindyourselfwalkingdownthestreetandhavingnicethoughtswithouteffort–becauseyouhavebuiltup the habit. Themore good habits you can pick up and themore bad habits you canbreak,thebetteryourlifeyouwillbe.

Wisdom

Turning ourmind inwards and using ourmassive human intelligence (that canwork outhowtosendamanto themoon) tostudyour thoughtsandemotions, leads towisdom.Quitesoon,youwillmakealotofnewdiscoveries.Youwillworkoutjustwhattheprocessis tohavingnegativefeelings,whyyougetdistractedandwhattechniquesworktobringyouback.Ultimately,wisdomwill leadyou toawholenewwayof lookingat theworld,whichwilltotallytransformyou.

Anopenheart(loveandcompassion)

Wisdomwillalsoletyouseethattohaveacalmmindyouwillneedanopenheart.Forthis,compassionand loveare indispensable.Thosewhoarenaturally lovingwillalreadyknowthis from experience. An open heart leads to selflessness, which is the opposite ofselfishness.Selfishnessisclingingtoyourego(orsenseofself);thenumberone(actually,theonlyone)obstacletotruehappiness.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

BodyPosture

The aim of body posture is to find a balance between comfort and alertness. Likeeverything inmeditation themiddleway is thekey. If yourbody is too rigid youwillexperiencepainandanagitatedmind;toolaxandyouwillfallasleep.

7pointposturemeditationThismeditationcombinesconcentrationofthemindwithachecklistofhowtositwiththemostconducivepostureformeditation.

LegsThe legs form the foundationofourmeditationposture. Like theearthelement, thesolidbaseallowsfortherestofthebodytofeelsecureandsupported.Thestabilityofthe lower body is also connected with our determination and promise to sit inmeditation posture for the duration of the session. There are a number of sittingposturesrecommendeddependingonyourflexibilityTip:Forallposturesitisbeneficialtoplaceacushionwedgedunder your buttocks so you are higher at the back. Thisrotatesyourhips forwardkeepingyourpelvis asuprightaspossible.SittingonachairTry tositwithyourkneesslightly lower thanyourhipsandkeep your back upright. Don’t lean on the chair if you canhelpit.Yourbackwillremainstraightestifyoukeepiterectbyitself.

UsingabenchUsing a small meditation bench is becoming more popular thesedays.Ithelpskeepyourbackstraightalthoughcanbealittlehardonyour knees and feet over longer periods of time unless you usepadding.

IndianpostureThisisagoodbeginnerssittingposturewithboththighsandcalvesofeachlegrestingontheground.Todothisyouwillneedtostretchyourkneeswideandaimtobringyourheelsalmostintoalignmentrightinfrontandascloseaspossibletoyourpubicbone.Turnthefeetsotheheelspointskywardasmuchaspossible.

LotuspostureThisistheclassicmeditationposturewithseveralvariations.Quarterlotushasonefootrestingonthecalfoftheotherleg.Halflotushasthefootrestingonthethighoftheotherlegandfulllotushasbothfeetrestingonalternatethighs.

Back

Thebiggestbattlewithpainformostmeditatorswillbeinthebacksomewhere.Goodbackpositionisvitaltokeepthelymphsystemworking,bloodflowing,andtheenergymoving. Visualise yourself hanging from your crown chakra. Keep your hips tiltedforwardasmuchas you canandkeepalert for any slouchingduring the session. Letyourback remindyouof thewaterelementallowing for the flowof theelements inyourbody.

Armsandshoulders

Extend the shoulders away from the ears. Allow the elbows to hang away from thebody reminding you of the air element. Let them be a metaphor for two wings ofkindnessandwisdomthatwillsetyoufree.

Hands

The classic hand posture (mudra) for meditation isrighthandcuppedinlefthandinthelapatthelevelofthe navel chakra (place of the fire element). Thethumbs touch gently reminding us of balance. Weneedbalancebetweenlaxityandrigidity,dullnessandexcitement,maleandfemale,leftandright,mindandbody, compassion and determination – in short,anythingandeverything!

Head/NeckThe head is the extension of your straight back. Don’t allow it to loll forward orbackward.Tuckthechin inslightlyas if locking it inposition.Let itremindyouofthe“watcher” – that part of your awareness that is constantly on the lookout fordistraction.

Mouth/JawRelaxthejawandtouchthefrontteethtogethersothereisspacebetweenthemolars.Let themoisture inyourmouth remindyouof the tearsof compassion toopenyourhearttootherswhoarelessfortunatethanyou.

EyesItisrecommendedthatyoumeditatewiththeeyesopen–evenifjustatinybit.Gazeblanklyatabout45°downandyoucaneitherfixyourattentiononsomethingorgazebeyondit.Eitherwaythetruegazeofyourattentionisdirectedinwardatthemindandisthegazeofinsight.YouwillnotethatIhavesuggestedlettingeachofyourbodypointsalsobeareminderofqualitiesofyourmeditation.Thisisagoodwaytointegrateandremindyourselfofthequalitiesofmindneededforstrongmeditation.FinalTipVisualiseyourselfasabeingof light.Breathe inhealing light,energyandattentiontoanypartsofthebodythathavepain.Thenreleasethatpainontheexhalation.

MeditationonFeeling

Whilst indulging the body seems to be the primary goal of the western world, weoverlook that it is themind that ultimatelymakes us happy. Ifwe are feeling happythenitiseasytoputupwithsomediscomfortbutifourmindissaturatedwithmalice–noamountofluxurycanmakeusfeelgood.Wecan’teventasteourfoodifourmindisovercomewithnegativeemotion.

So oncewe find ameditation positionwecanworkwith,weturnourmindtothe feelings of happiness vs. agitation.Whatcreatescalmnessandhappiness?Interestingly, it is not the number ofthoughts but the quality of thoughtsthat is the main cause for calmness.People often think that meditation isthe process of getting rid of thoughts.But infact(at least intheearlystages)it is far more about changing yourfeeling toward the thoughts you arehaving rather than trying to get rid ofthem.Happiness is of two sorts. Thefulfilment of desire (which is

temporary)andthefeelingofworthyougetthroughfulfillingyourpurposeinlifeandhelpingothers. It’s the second thatweneed to cultivate, as thisworkshand inhandwithcalmnesstoimproveourmeditation.Aswefocusmoreonfeeling,wealsochangetheobjectofmeditationfromthebodytothe breath. The key point to understand at this stage is that distractions are onlyobstacleswhenthere isaversion to them.Themeditatormustsee the truth that themore you don’t want distractions, themore aversion youmake. So, by cultivating asense of curiosity rather than aversion to a distraction,we reduce the power of thedistractiontotakeourmindawayfromthemeditationobjectorchangeouremotionalstate.Infact,whenameditatorstartstofullyunderstandthis,heorshemightevenbecomealittlemasochistictoseehowmuchdistractioncanbeputupwithwhilststillremainingcalm. You can see there is starting to be a huge turn-around in thought as themeditator tries tobringnew,morepositive feelings tooldsituations.This is thecorelearningofthesecondofthefoundationsofmindfulness.The4foundationsofmindfulness(astaughtbytheBuddha)aremindfulnessofbody,feelings, thoughtsandphenomena.The first twoare taughtduringTechniqueretreatandthesecondtwoaretaughtduringtheExperienced/Advancedretreat.

Techniques

Meditationonthebody

Oneofthemostbasicandfundamentaltechniquesthatcanbepracticedismeditationonthebody.Thereareanumberofadvantagestothismeditationthatmakeitanidealmeditationforbeginnersandexperiencedpeoplealike.Because thebody is sopresent inourconsciousness italreadyoccupiesapositionofimportance inourmind,making iteasy toconcentrateon.Wealwayshaveourbodywithussoitisconvenient.Thereisalotgoingonwiththebodyatanyonetimemakingitinterestingtothemind.Thebodyisalways“inthenow”,keepingusanchoredtothepresent.Becausepainisoftencommonwithbeginners,wesometimeshavenochoicebuttoworkwiththebodyandinparticularthatpartofthebodythatisinpain.Wecanuse the body as a meditation object during any activity we do – not just formalmeditation. There are a number of bodymeditations and the one presented on thisretreatisthe7pointmeditationposturetechnique.Simplymentallyworkthroughthe7pointsofbodypostureabove.Spendafewminutesoneachpointbeforemovingon.

MeditationonthebreathAnothercommonobjectofmeditation is thebreath.Finer than thebody, thebreathcreatesamorerefinedconcentrationbutisalsoalittleharderforsomepeopletostayfocused on. Our breath is alsomore affected by our emotions and interestingly ourbreathcanalsohaveamoderatingaffectonanemotion.Bylengtheningourbreathweareabletoalsoreducethelevelsofemotionsthatwemightbeexperiencingatanyonetime.Chooseaplaceeitheratthetipofthenosewhereyoucanfeelthebreathoratanypointyoufeelcomfortableandholdyourattentionontheflowofthebreathinandout.

VisualisationofthecoloursWeaddvisualisationofcoloursto the meditation on thebreathinordertoincreasetheawareness and attention spanon the meditation object (thebreath).Thereasonthisworksis because the breath itself isvery subtle, meaning there isnot much there to hold yourattention. (It becomes boringquickly causing your mind towander.)Byaddingcoloursandmeaningswemaketheprocessmorebeautiful,generativeandinteresting.Try tovisualisebreathing inwhite light in the formof revitalisingenergy,together with all the resources you need for a healthy, balanced body and mind.Secondly,visualiseredasyouretainthebreathandimaginethisenergybecomesonewith every cell of your body. Finally, visualise blue as you breathe out, allowing anyunwantedthingstobeexpelledfromthebodyandmind.

Refiningyourconcentration

To further refine your concentration on the object, break each of the 3 parts of thebreath (the inhalation, the retention, the exhalation) into 3 more parts each (thebeginning,middleandendofeachpartofthebreath).Thisthenmakes9partstoeachbreath.

CountingthebreathTofurtherempowermindfulnesswealsodosomearithmeticaswebreath.Chooseoneofthe9partsofthebreathfromaboveasyourcountingpoint.(Forexamplethestartoftheoutbreath).Then,whilstconcentratingonthe9partsofeachbreathalsocount7 breaths at the point which you have chosen. If you can do this, choose anotherlocationandcountto14or21breaths.Ifthisiseasy,countbackwardsorcountineverincreasingnumbersupto10inthefollowingway,1;1,2;1,2,3;1,2,3,4;1,2,3,4,5etc.Tomakeitharderstill,visualisecoloursatthesametime.Youcanbeascreativeasyouwant.Now at this point youmight wonder why we are doing somuch work in what youthought was supposed to be a relaxing activity. The reason is that yourmind has apowerfultendencytowanderfromsubjecttosubjectatwhim.Unlessyoucanachievepoweroveryourmindtokeepitinoneplace,youwillneverbeabletoreachthehigherstagesofmeditation.Butbecausethemindissopowerful,itneedstobegivenalottodotokeepitinoneplace.Thisworkalsoincreasesawareness.

LettinggoOnceyouhavespentsometimewiththeabove meditation you can take mini-breaksofaminuteortwowhereyouletgoofallactivity.Don’texertyourmindinany way, but just watch. If you haveempoweredyourmindwithmindfulness,awareness and intensity then you willfindspecialthingshappeningatthistime.It will be as if you enter a state of veryclear awareness, where you are relaxedbut also totally awake and even moreaware than usual. You are now reallyexperiencingthefruitsofmeditation.

“LastnightIlosttheworld,andgainedtheuniverse”

WalkingMeditation

Meditation can ofcourse be done in anyposition. Lying, sitting,walking – even washingdishes. Each style hasbenefits and drawbacksand walking meditationis not different. If yoursitting meditation getstoo restless then youcan get up and changeto walking meditation.Also because your bodymovement takes some concentration this can act as a sort of anchor to the presentmoment so you keep your mind in the here and now on the meditation object (yourwalking).Acoupleofvariationsofwalkingmeditationareasfollows:

MindfulnesswalkingmeditationInthismeditationwewalkasslowlyaspossiblefor8stepsthenturnfor8stepsandwalkbackfor8stepsbeforeturningaroundonceagainfor8stepstobeginagain.Youcanwalkbetween2treesor2rocksifthishelps.Lookdownwardtothegroundjustinfrontofyoutokeeptheeyesfromwandering(andbeingdistracted)toomuch.Butwhilstyoureyesaredowncastopenallyoursensestotheenvironmentaroundyou.

Especiallybeawareofthefeelingofyourfeetastheymakeeachstep.(Iliketodothisbarefoot).Trytoempoweryourawarenesssothatyoubegintonoticethelittlethingsthatyouwouldnormallymiss.Butmakesureyoudon’tgetinvolvedinanythingyounotice,asthisisadistraction.Onceyouhavenoticedsomethingbringyourmindbacktothesteps.

Totakethisfurther,trytobreakyourstepupintoeverfinerparts.Likebringingthefootdown,heeltouching,sideoffoottouching,eachtoetouching,increaseinpressureasyoushiftweightetc...Tryitoutfor20minutes

9StagesofMeditation

When taking a journey it is good to knowa littlebit aboutwhereweare going. Thesameistrueformeditation.The“9stagesofmeditation”isawonderfulexplanationofwhatameditatorwillexperienceandisillustratedbythepicture“Tamingtheelephantmind”(seebelow)whichcanbefoundinmanyTibetanmonasteriesaroundtheworld.

Stage1Aswebeginmeditationweremoveourattentionfromtheworldaroundusandturnourmindinsidetoourthoughts.Thismaybesomethingthatsomeofushavenotdoneveryoften.Wearesurprisedtoseethatitisasbusy“inthere”asitisontheoutside.Thoughts,feelings,memories,fearsandmorecomeflashingpast,momentbymoment.Themindislikeatrainstationatrushhourandwewonderhowweareevergoingtoevenstartonthetaskofcalmingthiswildelephantofamind.BenefitsByseeingthechaosofourownmindwegainhumilitytorealisethatwearenotso“incontrol”aswethoughtwewere.Wesensethatthis isgoingtobeadifficulttaskbutone that isworthwhile. Inaddition,wegaina senseof compassion towardourselvesbecause we wonder howwe can function as sanely as we do with such a wild andchaotic mind. The difficulty we have with focussing on our meditation objectdemonstrateswhatlittlepowerwehaveoverourimpulsesandourautomaticreactionof becoming stressed or frustrated. Finally, if we consider that others’ minds arelikewise in a state of chaos, we gain a sense of compassion and even forgivenesstowardsomeoftheirnegativeactions.Whatmorecanyouexpectfromapersonwhohasamindthatispossiblyevenmorechaoticandunrulyasourown?

Stage2If wemake an effort to apply the technique of meditation, then it will not be longbeforemostpeoplewillhaveshortperiodsofrelativecalm,wherefor justamomenttheirmind slows down and stays on themeditation object.We continue to see ourmindwanderaway,andtimeandagainwebringitbacktothemeditationobject.Thethingtolearnatthisstageisthatifyougetfrustratedeachtimeyouhavetobringthemindback, itwill stir up yourmindwith negative energy thatwillmake it harder tocontrol. So the taskhere is to learnhow tobe contentwithbringing themindback,timeandagain,eventhoughwhatyouwantisforthemindtostaystillontheobject.BenefitsWearebeginningtolearnthat it isourownangerandattachmentthatgivenegativeenergytoanysituation,makingitworse,likepouringpetrolonafire.Sometimeslittleincidentstriggerusandourreactionisoutofproportiontothegravityoftheincident,showingthatwearetappingintootherbuilt-upfrustrations.Welearntobuildpatiencetoward our own and other people’s emotional outbursts, seeing themas a sign thattheyalsohaveapoolofnegativeenergythatcausesthemmoresufferingthanitdoesourselves.

Stage3

Ifwehavekeptourpracticegoingforsomeweeksormonths,itispossiblethatwemaygettoastagewhereweareabletokeepourmindonthemeditationobjectabouthalfof the time. It is less likely that external distractions will pull us away from ourmeditationobject,becausewewillhavelearnedthattheenergyofadistractioncomesfrominside–notoutside.Evenifsomeoneslamsadoor,weseethedistractionscomefrom the storywemake inourheadabout the slammeddoor, rather than thenoiseitself. Infact,themajorchangeatStage3 isthatwestarttogiveupontheideathatdistractions are our enemy and begin to think of them as our friend. This is anindispensiblepartofbecomingcalmer.What iscalmness if it isnotbeingatpeace inthefaceofsomethingweperceiveasnegative?Andhowcanyourpeacebedisturbedifyouseeallthingsasusefulandbeneficial?BenefitsLikeinmeditation,ourmindisbecomingsoflexiblethatwebegintoseethatwhethersomethingisgoodorbaddependsonhowyouseeit.Beingill,losingyourjoborhavingto put up with someone you don’t like, might have hidden virtues you have notpreviously seen, leastofwhich is that all theseact as the very teachers youneed toworkonyourmindsoitbecomesmorematureandcalm.

Stage4By going on retreats and keeping up a regular practice it is possible for peoplewithordinary lives to reach Stage 4 during somemeditations. Here, we are experiencingthingsatawholenewlevel.Thesamedistractionscomeupbutweareabletocatchthemassoonastheybegintoarise–whiletheyareatthelevelofthoughtratherthanemotion. So, our reactions are very subtle and quick, as opposed to stewing over asituation for5minutesuntilweare ina furious lather, thentrying tobringourselvesdown.Wealsospenda lotof timedealingwithsubtledullness (which isawonderfulyetslightlysleepytrance-likestate)andsubtleexcitement(whichisafeelingofjoyandhappinessaboutourachievementsandourfortunatelifesituation).Thisexcitementisliketheoppositeofdepression,butitisstillanobstacletohigherlevelsofmeditation.BenefitsApart from theenormous rejuvenatingeffect this hasonour emotional andphysicalhealth, theexperienceof feeling sowonderful inmeditationallowsus to realise thathappiness comes from within – not from the world around us. And with so muchpotential happiness, love and wisdom sitting within us we no longer have to worryaboutthat“empty”feelingthatmanypeople intheWestfeel.Wealsoseethesamepotentialineveryoneelse,makingusrethinkourlabelsofthemasa“badperson”etc.

Stage5,6and7Atstage5,ourpracticeofmindfulnessismostlycomplete.Werarelylosetheobjectofmeditation. It isnowamatteroftransformingmentalhabitsthatkeepcomingupasdistractions.Wehavetobringever-greaterinsightandwisdomintothemeditationtotransform the clingingwhich still existswithinus.Webegin tounderstandat adeeplevel that everything in ourworld is just a label projected by ourmind. It is a storymadeupof“mindstuff”.Butthis“mindstuff”,atitssource,isblissful.Bystage7ourmeditationissostrongthatwearemeditating24hoursadayinwhateveractivitywearedoing.

Stage8and9

Thesearethefinalstagesofmeditationwhere likeripples inapond,weareallowingthe last fewhabits of ourminds to still themselves, bringing us to total one-pointedmeditation.

RepresentationsElephant=Mind Rope=MindfulnessMonkey=Restlessness Hook=Insight/awarenessRabbit=Subtledullness/excitement Fire=EffortMeditator=Us

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