ATIKOPA


Meditation

The bridge between the generation stage and the completion stage

In terms of its stages, Tibetan Buddhist meditation belongs to the intermediate stage of practice.
The most basic teachings are the generation stage teachings, which are the "outer preliminary practices" and the "inner preliminary practices"; the highest level teachings are the "main practices," which are the "Dzogchen" of the Nyingma school, the "Mahamudra" of the Kagyu school, and the teachings of "Madhyamika," etc.
The teachings practiced during the intermediate process between completing the inner and outer preliminary practices and before practicing the main practice are called "meditation" or "shamatha meditation." Shamatha meditation includes: shamatha-vipassana meditation, shamatha-vipassana meditation, and shamatha-pure vipassana meditation.

In Mahayana Buddhism, meditation requires the cultivation of renunciation and bodhicitta before practice. After meditation, proper dedication of merit is also essential. Only in this way can meditation become a path to liberation.
The preliminary practices of the generation stage emphasize renunciation and bodhicitta, which are crucial for the practice of Dzogchen. However, the bodhicitta cultivated in the generation stage is still based on conventional truth. Only by possessing ultimate bodhicitta can one enter the highest stage of Dzogchen practice.

After completing the preliminary practices, one must first practice meditation in order to enter into the main practice of the Great Perfection.
Cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta is essentially a practice of thought, so many distracting thoughts will still arise. At this stage, it is still difficult for our mind to break through these distracting thoughts and enter the luminous nature of the Tathagatagarbha and emptiness. Therefore, we still need to use the actual practice of meditation to calm our mind.
Once the mind is at peace, the master can easily transmit the essential instructions of Dzogchen, making realization much easier. Some individuals with exceptionally strong faculties, after completing the preliminary practices and laying a solid foundation, directly attain perfect realization. In the luminous state of realization, they attain wisdom and the purity of their true nature.

In the practice of Dzogchen, meditation is not a particularly emphasized practice, but it is still very necessary to include meditation as part of the unique preliminary practices of Dzogchen. This is especially important for those whose foundation is not yet fully mature.
From cultivating "renunciation" to realizing "the tenth bhumi of a bodhisattva," the process involves training the mind and taming the consciousness. Therefore, after completing the preliminary practices, practicing meditation for 1-3 years, and receiving instruction in the Dzogchen teachings from a guru, practitioners will more easily realize "emptiness."

In the generation stage, we use renunciation to control our inner desires for the world. However, because this doesn't fundamentally eliminate them, most people don't tame their minds inward; instead, they seek material things, challenge nature, or constantly struggle externally. Practitioners, on the other hand, tame their desires, challenge themselves inward, and overcome afflictions. Simultaneously, they cultivate bodhicitta to subdue their selfish desires.
The Buddha said that all afflictions originate from attachment to self and selfishness. Therefore, we use meditation to subdue and control distracting thoughts.

Renunciation, bodhicitta, and meditation can only subdue a portion of the mind; they cannot subdue all of it, nor do they fundamentally resolve all afflictions. While meditation can reduce distracting thoughts and bring a sense of inner peace, it does not lead to the realization of wisdom and emptiness. Only by realizing the emptiness of one's own mind can one fundamentally subdue ignorance and afflictions, and awaken to the inherent luminous Buddha-nature within one's own nature.

 

Meditation to subdue distracting thoughts

The process of calming distracting thoughts through meditation can be roughly divided into four stages.
The first stage of meditation: When distracting thoughts are rampant, persist in practicing meditation. Within six months, you will definitely notice that distracting thoughts are gradually decreasing.
The second stage of meditation: There will still be distracting thoughts, but because we have already developed good control over them, these distracting thoughts cannot interfere with our meditation, and we also develop faith in our meditation.
The third stage of meditation: the mind is very obedient and can completely control distracting thoughts. The mind can remain in the state of visualization for a long time, creating less negative karma and continuously increasing virtuous merits.
The fourth stage of meditation involves adding the practices of Dzogchen, Mahamudra, and Madhyamaka to the foundation of meditative concentration. When all distracting thoughts arise, they naturally cease in the next thought, transforming into thoughts of wisdom and emptiness—this is "self-liberation." At this point, the mind is tamed, freed from distraction and the delusions caused by thoughts. With further guidance from a lineage-holding master, the practice of Dzogchen will quickly lead to realization.

Rinpoche's teachings on "Methods of Meditation"