Introduction to Mahamudra Meditation #2
by HH Shamar Rinpoche

A teaching given by His Holiness Shamar Rinpoche at KKBC, Singapore, on 22 Jan 2001

These are the two ways that you can use to focus on your mind. You can do these two practices alternately. Sometimes when you get bored with resting and just keeping that awareness of the mind, you can change to the more analytical way of examining the mind. In order to do that, first try to create a very sensitive thought, like anger. A good practitioner or meditator often uses his emotions as the objects of his meditation. Emotion is very sensitive and easy to focus on. When you focus on emotion, you can analyse its nature and through it you will get a first-hand experience of the nature of that emotion. You will realise that it does not exist. In this way emotion is useful. Meditators, instead of abandoning emotions, use them as objects of focus in their meditation. This does not develop emotion but on the contrary makes it disappear. In that way, any sensitive feeling can be used for analytical meditation and the result of that is the experience of empty clear awareness, the true nature of mind.

This is vipassana meditation. Enlightenment comes from the practice of vipassana meditation. The different levels of Vipassana meditation are taught in the Mahamudra. "Mahamudra" is the name of the subject. Many books on the "Mahamudra" provide explanations on Vipassana meditation. All types of Vipassana meditation are the same in essence.

"Semngo" is the Tibetan word for meditation. "Sem" means " mind"; "ngo" means " face, semngo means 'nature of mind' or "meditation on the nature of mind". By focusing on your mind, you will know and realise its nature. When the purity of the mind emerges, the illusory aspect will naturally disappear. And to develop the purity of mind, your mind has to be free from thought and focused on itself.

There is a short cut method which consists in doing the Chenrezig practice first. The Chenrezig practice is a condensed powerful method. Through the Chenrezig practice, you enter into the "semngo, the state of accomplishment of mind. "Semngo" is very profound. Dharmakaya is "semngo", the "semngo" practice is the way to develop/realise Dhamarkaya. Dharmakaya is within Semngo. The level of the Bodhisattva bhumi that you attain will depend on the degree/ level of the semngo that you have attained / realized. When you attain the full accomplishment of the semngo, you reach enlightenment, or Buddhahood.

When doing the "semngo" practice or even any other practice, discipline is very important. Discipline will protect you from giving in to obstacles. For example when you do meditation, the sitting position/posture is very important. One must pay close attention to the seven points related to the correct sitting posture for meditation. For semngo meditation, for instance, you can rest your two hands on your lap with your right hand on top and your thumbs touching one another. You can sit with your back on a higher level and your knees a little lower, in a sloping manner. Your spine has to be straight and you should hold your stomach in. This helps to give strength and clarity to your mind. Your eyes, do not look up, but look down at an angle. Keep your mouth gently closed and breathe mostly through your nose. As for your legs, you can sit in a full or half lotus position, or with your left leg in and your right leg out like green Tara..

Eating moderately is also very important for meditation. Imagine that your stomach is a cage or container; and you can fill two thirds of it with food and keep one third empty. You should never eat too much as it hinders meditation. Eating after 1.00 pm is not recommended as it will make the mind feel drowsy. Therefore, monks normally do not eat (some do not even drink) after 1.00 pm. Try to observe the above discipline.

People who are used to eating a lot can follow the above discipline for one or two days, and they will not feel hungry. They need to be patient as it will take them a couple of days to get used to new eating habits. If they feel hungry, they can eat some fruit or something light. Hunger is not really a problem. Hunger is not suffering, and should not be given too much importance. People in society believe that " you must eat or you will get hungry." They think that hunger is a suffering that one cannot bear. In actual fact, a little hunger is not a problem. Having nothing to eat is terrible but not experiencing a slight feeling of hunger. Proper diet is very important for meditation.

When you practice meditation in this way, the resident Rinpoche here can guide you when you encounter any problem in the process. The result of meditation will actually depend on how diligently you practice. The more you practice, the quicker you get used to it. Mind is pure, naturally pure; mind is empty. It is our habit to create thoughts and this habitual pattern is very strong. So what one has to do is to change that habit for another. When the mind is made stable and not thinking too much, you will be able to develop this new habit: focusing the mind on the nature of mind; opening up the mind to see the nature of mind. It will not appear as a dull, dumb mind but as full of wisdom. Meditation does not require special timing; morning or afternoon are both fine, because your mind is always with you. Time does not make any difference to your mind. You need to sleep, you have to work, but whenever you have some spare time, use it for meditation. In this manner, it will not take long for you to progress.