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Developing Wisdom Through Meditation
The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Excerpted From the transcript of "Listening, Contemplation and Meditation: the Three Prajnas" (Karme Choling, VT, 1996).
Originally published in Bodhi Issue 2
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The prajna of realization is developed through the process of meditating. The third stage is the meditation known as "resting meditation." That's what we are most familiar with, the notion of meditation. As soon as we say meditation, we think about resting meditation, which goes beyond conceptual meditation. We're trying to go beyond concept and simply rest in the state of non-dual experience. The third stage is necessary because we're still suffering from our hunger. We're still going through this pain of hunger even though we have had a beautiful experience of smelling chocolate chip cookies baking. But our stomach is still empty. We haven't eaten anything.  Therefore the third stage or process, which is meditation, is the actual remedy. This is like eating our food, chewing it properly and then swallowing.  Going through the whole process, the whole stage, we can heal our hunger. We can heal the suffering of hunger. Chocolate chip cookies are probably not a good example for our health (laughter) or to learn cooking. However, we go through this third stage, which is the actual sitting meditation. In this stage, we experience the remedy for our suffering. The real remedy for our pain is non-conceptual meditation. In order to reach that non-conceptual meditation, we must go through the first two stages of this process.  There is no easy  method for simply jumping into the third stage of sitting, of resting without concept.  To simply get into that stage is very difficult without going through the first two stages.

The third stage, resting in the actual state of the non-dual nature, comes from contemplation, from analytical meditation, which gradually leads us to the stage of non-dual, non-conceptual meditation. And that meditation is the actual cause of producing the genuine prajna of realization. That prajna of realization, as Milarepa said, is like unchanging space, like the sky. Milarepa said the sky or space is always the same. There is a changeless quality.  This means that once you have reached that level of prajna, of realization, if you have attained any sense of this prajna, if you have any realization, then, that realization is unchanging. That realization is always there. It's not like the morning mist, which comes and goes. This is more stable, more permanent, so to speak. Therefore, developing these three prajnas is very important for the practice of mindfulness, because the nature of mindfulness is the nature of prajna. There is no sense of really developing mindfulness without going through this three-stage process. When you have gone through this three-stage process of developing the three prajnas, you have naturally become familiar with your mind.  You have naturally developed a certain degree of mindfulness at this stage.

Mindfulness here is a method on the path of working with our mind. Mindfulness is the prajna of recollection, mindfulness is the prajna of watchfulness and mindfulness develops into the stage of awareness. If you look at this mindfulness and the notion of awareness, there's not much difference. The difference is very slight.  Shantideva said, in his Bodhicharyavatara, that awareness is the continuity of mindfulness. So mindfulness is something that we have to generate. We have to develop the discipline of mindfulness. Once you have developed the discipline of mindfulness, then awareness is simply the continuity of that mindfulness.

So what is this mindfulness exactly? We have a beautiful example from Shantideva. He said that our mind, our samsaric consciousness, is like a wild and crazy elephant. Mind is like a wild and crazy elephant, and mindfulness is like a strong chain that ties this elephant down to the earth. So mindfulness is the chain that brings this wild crazy elephant to some sense of groundedness. Therefore, in Shantideva's example, mindfulness is the tool to tame our crazy and wild elephant. This crazy and wild elephant is in a beautiful treasure house of precious human birth. If you do not really chain down this wild and crazy elephant, it can destroy this great treasure in one minute, one second. The process of chaining down and taming this wild crazy elephant is actually the practice of mindfulness; and that practice of mindfulness, in a basic sense, is simply being watchful.  Being watchful is one quality of being mindful.  Being chained down and being more grounded is another element of this mindfulness practice. In order to understand this notion of mindfulness, we can look at it from different angles. We can look at different qualities of mindfulness, qualities of the path and qualities of the practice of mindfulness.

According to Shantideva's instruction on the practice of mindfulness, what we are actually engaged in is the practice of watching the door or gate of mind very closely. We're always being watchful. We're always being mindful to lock our door, so that no harmful beings can enter our state of mind. We're being very watchful in closing the door and opening the door.  Whenever we have a guest at the door ringing the bell, if we have locked our door, we will hear the ring. If we have not locked the door, if our door is open, we never hear a ring, and we always get surprise visits. When our mind is not being mindful, we always get surprise guests of kleshas. But when we're mindful of watching and closing our door, being sure that our door is locked, then we don't get surprise guests. You know our kleshas always ring--loudly. (laughter) Our kleshas always ring the bell. We're disciplining them, making sure they understand that it's our property.  Each time we go to the door, we look through the peephole to make sure that we identify our guest.  Who is our guest this time? This is Mr. Anger. (laughter) We acknowledge, we recognize our guest, and then we open the door. We're not closing ourselves in. We should open the door with dignity, with respect, with mindfulness. We open the door. We let our guest in, and we talk about whatever he or she wants to talk about. Then we escort the guest to the door. We open the door, let it go.

Don't hang onto your guest. Don't be too close. Don't develop any close relationship. Just let it go. Open the door. Let it go, and make sure that you have locked the door again so that you'll hear the bell ring whenever the guests are there.

That's basically what mindfulness is. It's pretty simple. The practice of mindfulness involves four mindfulnesses, which are widely known in all three yana Buddhist practices.  They are mindfulness of body, mindfulness of feeling, mindfulness of mind, and mindfulness of phenomena. These Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which we will discuss in future talks, are generally taught in relation to the practice of mindfulness.

This talk was given as the first of three talks on "The Four Foundations of Mindfulness," at Karme Chöling, Barnet, Vermont, May 31, 1996. Edited by Cindy Shelton and Carole Fleming.

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