61 Shamatha without a sign, part 4

Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat

Alan reviews the process of relinquishing control/agency in the 3 shamatha practices. Given the buddhist assertion that something true should appear truer with increasing scrutiny, the truth of emptiness is now reinforced with insights from modern quantum physics. Yet the insight in modern science does not appear to alter lifestyles and world views, whereas buddhist practice grounded in ethics, concentration, and wisdom do.

Guided meditation (46:20) on projecting awareness up, right, left, down, center, release, and rest. This meditation should be considered a stretching exercise to help us understand that awareness is totally open, without center nor periphery.

Questions (71:13):
Q1) How can we overcome the lion at the gate of „I am the observer“?
Q2) What are other methods to weaken the veils of luminosity in addition to oscillation in awareness of awareness?
Q3) When does the birth process begin?
Q4) What are the Tibetan terms for settling the mind in its natural state and awareness of awareness and their connotations?
Q5) In terms of Hawking’s theory of the past as being in superposition, how is the present different?
Q6) Can you clarify the terms appearance and perception, nangwa and nangyul, within the contexts of mind and space of mind and the 8 consciousnesses?