CBM 2: What meditation is not.

A couple editorial notes: First, from now on, all posts related to “Chess, Buddhism & Meditation” will simply have the letters “CBM” at the beginning, just to save space. I humbly request that no one else use “CBM” at the beginning of a post, just to keep things simple, and to keep people from thinking I wrote something I didn’t actually write. And second, since this series deals with the three topics of chess, Buddhism, and meditation, each will be addressed in some way in each article. Some articles may emphasize one of the three more than the other two, but the goal is to keep all three connected. So, if you’re ever reading along, and wondering “What the hell does any of this have to do with chess?” just keep reading. It’ll be there.

Before going any further on what meditation is, I’d like to briefly touch upon what it is not.

Meditation does NOT mean (sounding like Tommy Chong) “Hey man, just like, you know, like, let your mind go, man.” 

Quite the opposite. Through the process of meditation, you don’t “let your mind go.” You actually gain more control over it than you ever thought possible.

Also, you’ll quite frequently see ads in magazines, or cds/dvds in stores, that try to help you “achieve relaxation through meditation.” Again, quite the opposite. Once one has studied and practiced meditation, and has looked at the teachings of masters from the past two and a half millennia, one will come to realize that one can NOT meditate unless one is already relaxed!

Now, this is not to say that “clearing the mind” and relaxation aren’t part of the overall process. They’re key parts of preliminaries to meditation. But they are not the end goal.

Another common misconception is that “meditation is some weird Eastern thing, and true Christians/Jews/Muslims would never do it.” If you dig deep enough through history, you’ll discover that every major religious tradition in the history of the planet has some form of meditation. And regardless of what you think of prayer, if one stays in a state of prayer either on rosary beads, or chanting a holy text, for hours at a time, not allowing thoughts of anything other than that prayer to come through, it’s a form of meditation.

And the flipside: “I’m a man of science, and meditation is just quasi-spiritual hokum.”

Am not only a die-hard practitioner of the Indo-Tibetan tradition, but also have a degree in Human Development & Family Studies from Cornell, spent several years as a family centered counselor, and am completely fascinated with the studies of psychology, neurobiology, physics, astronomy, etc. Essentially, am an arm-chair science geek. In my mind, logic and reason are vastly more powerful than faith (which usually has the invisible word "blind" in front of it.) 

Mention “meditation” on the news or in academic circles, and there may be some snickering. But mention “cognitive restructuring” or “neuro-plasticity,” and it’s taken seriously. When, in actuality, a rose is a rose, regardless of what you call it.

Could offer pages of documentation on this, but will share a brief story. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama first came to the U.S. back in the late seventies, he had a meeting with some top psychiatrists/psychologists/neurobiologists. He asked, “We know that the biology of the brain can affect thoughts. But, can thoughts affect the biology of the brain?” He was met with a resounding “No!” Fast forward twenty years later, where technology has grown exponentially in the study of the brain, and scientists are now answering with a resounding, “Yes!”

How you think DOES affect the biology of your brain. The more you think, say or do anything affects the neural pathways in your brain. And meditation, or mind training, or cognitive restructuring, is simply “bringing your mind to the gym” to develop what you want developed.  

If anyone has any questions regarding misconceptions, please feel free to post them below.

Now I’ll move on to what meditation actually is.

In the world of Buddhism, and I believe this to be the case in most traditions, meditation can be broken down into two main components.

The Sanskrit terms would be “Shamatha” and “Vipasyana.” The Tibetan would be pronounced “shee-nay” and “hlak-tung.” And in English? There are a thousand different ways to translate, and some may want to debate the actual terms I use, but for now, will simply go with “calm abiding” and “special insight.”

What do these terms mean?

Let’s start with another metaphor.

Think of your mind having two parts. The first part is like a lens. Envision that you’re able to polish that lense to perfect clarity, with the ability to magnify to whatever degree you like, and that it has a stabilizing structure that even a 9.0 earthquake couldn’t disturb.

This is shamatha, shee-nay, calm abiding. A total pliancy of body and mind where one is able to remain completely focused on any object for as long as one chooses.

One would suppose it could be used to focus on anything, but in the Buddhist tradition, it’s used to focus on Truth (Vipasyana, hlak-tung, special insight, the true nature of things, emptiness, etc....the second part of your mind that the lens above is to be focused on.) Considering the particular group I’m writing for at this moment, with various levels of experience and involvement with different traditions, I will not be getting into the many different views, versions and various perspectives on special insight, emptiness, enlightenment, etc. May touch upon it here and there, but for now, let’s just call it Truth. (and yes, with a capital “T.”)

Now, what the heck does any of this have to do with chess, you may ask?

I put forth, that if one pursues the study and practice of meditation, as put forth by the various Buddhist traditions of the world, not only will one become a more well balanced, happier and self-less person that makes the world a better place, one’s ability to play chess will dramatically increase for the better.

Through practice and study of meditation, the natural side effects will automatically include the abilities to remain calm and focused in any situation. It goes without saying that calm and focused are key factors in playing chess well.

And if you’re looking for something to actually DO, to start working on your meditative skills, I would simply suggest for now, continue working with the visualization mentioned in my first post. Or, if you’re not one who does well with visualization, then simply focusing and counting on 30 breaths is just as effective.

Can you count 30 breaths, without any other thoughts intruding? For now, keep it simple. For fifteen minutes in the morning, and fifteen minutes at night, try counting thirty breaths without any interruptions by any other thoughts. If any other thoughts do arise, do not get frustrated. Simply label them, and start counting over again.

What does “labeling thoughts” mean?

See thoughts for what they are. “Ah…that was a ‘homework’ thought. That was a ‘girlfriend’ thought. That was a ‘future’ thought. That was a ‘past’ thought” and so on.

Just the simple act of labeling thoughts will help decrease them over time.

And one final simple idea to share before I finish. When some start meditating, and as the weeks progress, they often put forth, “My mind is getting worse! So many thoughts keep popping up, sometimes it’s like the Hoover Dam of Thoughts came crashing down!”

Don’t worry. It’s not that your mind is getting worse. It’s just that you’re starting to see what your mind, and the minds of most others, do all the time.

After doing the counting of 30 breaths for a few weeks, or the countdown clock, you’ll unquestionably notice improvement in the control of your mind.

Up next?

Preliminaries!

Well written. "Timeless subject" as it were.

"There is no beginning to practice or end to enlightenment, and there is no beginning to enlightenment or end to practice."
— Dogen

In the Ganges Mahamudra, Tilopa tells Naropa:

"For a beginner it is like a river with a fast current running through a narrow bed or a narrow defile. In the middle or after that, it becomes like the gentle current of the River Ganges. In the end, it is like the flowing of all rivers into the mother ocean, or it is like the meeting of mother and child of all the rivers."

Practice definitely is the right term for meditation.  If you keep at it, thoughts slow.  They need not stop, but they may on their own if left to arise and fall without grasping.  It is this non-grasping that is the whole point, really.

I might suggest that when we imagine a position in our minds, this is a type of shinay practice.  Shinay/shamatha is nothing other than resting one's attention on an object.  The object of attention can be anything at all.  Most often it is the breath (which also has some unique advantages), but it can be a sensation or a sound or visual object -- anything.  Anything would include many situations in the study and practice of chess! 

Great posts all!

FD...how deep/detailed would you like to get into discussion? My mind has learned to let things go, knowing when it's appropriate to discuss topics, and when not. Would like to discuss points you made above, but don't want emotionless/impersonal online typing to come across as critical. In my tradition, we'll take writing, sentences and terms and rip them apart, trying to get at the core of things. For others, it might seem like two people going at it on a personal level, when in actuality, it's not. <laughing> I hope this is making sense.

Hmmm. How do I say this simply?

Would you be alright if I take things you write, and not only point out the things I agree with, but might also seem critical, but not on a personal level...just as a way of refining things?

It sounds very scary!    I suppose the only relevant question is whether the resulting dialogue is of benefit to beings.

As long as we don't get down to the point of sutra-thumping, as it were.

I know the question wasn't aimed at me, but I'm a potential innocent by-stander that cherishes his innocence status.

First off, no sutra-thumping here. There's countless different religions in this world, and hundreds, if not thousands of different types of Buddhism. Add to that the factor that each individual's reality is their own reality. People believe what they want to believe, and the only person I can ever truly judge is myself!

One type of thing that does stick in my craw though is when someone presents something as truth, when all factors according to functioning, conventional reality, it's not. Simply put, if someone says Judaism says it's ok to eat meat and pork from the same plate, or "emptiness" is synonymous with nihilism, etc, etc. (btw...this paragraph has nothing to do with what FD said above!) 

What I did want to discuss is FD saying, "Shinay/shamatha is nothing other than resting one's attention on an object."

One of my biggest fears about writing about chess, Buddhism and meditation was portraying any of them innacurately. And I wouldn't want anyone to ever think the purpose of meditation was simply to become a better chess player, when it should be used for greater and more profound things!

So, on one hand, yes, FD is correct (not that he needs my affirmation!) Shinay is resting one's attention on an object. But one can just as easily say Beethoven's 9th is a piece of music and the Theory of Relativity is a math problem. All statements are true, but something's still missing though, no?

Again, am not questioning FD...just want to ensure extreme rookies here fully appreciate what shinay/shamatha is all about.

It pains me when I see the term "shamatha" thrown around. One can be completely focused on a movie, with the mind not going anywhere else, but that's not shamatha, is it?

Or, sometimes will see "shamatha" and "mindfulness" as almost synonymous. I can be mindful throughout my entire day, I can be mindful of the fact I just hit my thumb with a hammer...but that's not the same as shamatha, or what I believe is one of the highest states known to humans.

Was working from a Tibetan text monks use in monasteries several years back to get an exact definition of shi-nay. I copied the Tibetan down, and a friend fluent in Tibetan helped translate the definition. (apologies for not having written down the exact name of the text!):

"The singlemindedness which is imbued with the exceptional bliss of practiced ease due to deep singlepointed meditation on it's object."

Romanized Tibetan is as follows (sorry...don't know how to type out Tibetan in this forum) rangi mik-pa-la tse-chik du nyampar shak-tob-kyi shin-kyong kyi de-wa kye-par chen gyi shi-pey ting-gen-dzin.

A little more detailed than "keeping one's mind on an object," no? 

When I started writing about chess, Buddhism and meditation, I didn't realize the scope of the undertaking. After thinking about things for the past couple of weeks, it dawned on me I could be writing about it for the next year!

Kept wondering how technical should I get, how much information to share, how detailed. Settled on "Have fun, write what comes to mind."

I don't know if my mind will allow me to do it!

What about you ladies and gentleman? How is shinay/shamatha presented in your traditions? A term used generally? Extensive explanations given? More of a focus on personal instruction from teacher to student, therefore the term having various meanings depending on who is using it?

And again, am not being critical of FD...from my interactions with him, I hold him in high regard. But a lever got pushed, and needed to go in depth about shi-nay/shamatha, so that extreme rookies could get some glimpse of it's profundity.

Thanks!

Actually, now that you point it out, my own training contradicts the statement I made!  There are types of "objectless" shinay.  But for the purposes of most of us, use of an object is an important and far easier starting point.

Further, looking at my own words quoted back to me, it does sound like there is no implication of either the difficulty or profundity of shinay practice.  Relatively easy to describe, tough to do well. 

Good discussion.

<laughing, playing Buddhist devil's advocate>

Is there REALLY such a thing as "objectless" shinay? Doesn't a subject (the perceiver) always need an object?

Now, it gets fun!

I'm sure it would be fun...in person.  Otherwise I have to decline the invitation to discuss it unless you were my teacher.  Too many chances for misunderstanding, which would do neither of us any good and be of potential harm to those reading.

Thanks for the offer though!

Your pal, FD

FD...my respect for you just increased ten fold.

Thanks man.

Backatcha! 

Dude,

Question on your translation.

"The singlemindedness which is imbued with the exceptional bliss of practiced ease due to deep singlepointed meditation on it's object."

Isn't Bliss a form of attachement? If one is drawn to bliss than one is not moving on beyond that. Please elucidate.

Key

[uninvited nose being stuck in...]

Bliss arises as a result of meditation practice.  What you rightly point out William, is the pitfall of attachment to bliss. 

Making achievement of bliss a goal subverts the practice.  One of my teachers says that we all have unusual or amazing experiences in meditation from time to time, but we must just let them go and continue to practice.  They said that experiences (such as bliss) may simply be a bit of karma coming to fruition and not be a result of practice at all.  To cling to experiences would be like seeing a sign along the road saying "Buddhahood this way," and instead of continuing on your way, pulling off and hugging the sign."

The issue is clinging after all, right?  All the above comments are simply a windy "I agree" to you William and a nod to Dude's original comment, which actually doesn't say to cling to bliss or make it a goal but maybe could be extrapolated toward that conclusion.

Hmmmm. Cross-tradition discussion. Fascinating.

1) First off, the very purpose of life is happiness. For all sentient beings...including you! I believe it was Lama Yeshe who once said,"The problem is not the beauty of the flower. The problem is the clinging to the beauty of the flower."

2) Sometimes Buddhism is misperceived in the West. Many focus on the "Life is suffering" part, and forget the "There is a path that leads to the cessation of suffering." Or they hear the word "Renunciation," and instantly conjure up images of a 12th century European monk whipping himself in a cave somewhere. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is the ultimate state of existence...to achieve it for all sentient beings, including one's self! There will be much hard work and suffering along the way, but also, happiness too.

3) From descriptions in Sutras, from advanced meditators that I've known, and, I say this with all humility, from brief personal experience, when one reaches certain levels of meditation, there are physiological events that occur that are more blissful than anything else on this planet. What's dangerous though is, meditating to just achieve that physical state of bliss. Again, in both texts and in direct teachings, it's put forth, if that bliss arises, acknowledge it, utilize it, channel it. But do NOT cling to it, and do NOT think it's the highest state/end goal of meditation. If that bliss is what you focus on, it's a waste of time. May as well do heroin.

4) What is nirvana/enlightenment? Any suffering involved? Nope. All mental afflictions are eradicated. Sounds like bliss to me. Ever see a representation of the Buddha where he was NOT smiling?

5) Everyone has a different path. Some need serious rejection of all things worldly, others can function in the world and give the appearance of being worldly yet simultaneously every waking moment of their existence is for the benefit of others.  Some receive teachings with an emphasis on equanimity, others on bliss, others on service to others. It's up to each individual to decide where they are, and need to be, on the path!

Simply put, some people need penicillin, others die from it!

There are other ways to address this topic, but, keeping in line with what FD wrote above regarding discussions of emptiness/the true nature of things, an online forum is not the place to discuss. Best in person, between people who've had appropriate teaching and guidance.

THE DEFINITIVE TEXT I've ever read on meditation was written by Geshe Gendun Lodro and Jeffrey Hopkins. Not for rookies. But the level of detail is amazing. If meditation were the space shuttle, it would be a blue print describing everything right on down to the size of the screws used. It used to be called "Calm Abiding and Special Insight," but somewhere along the lines some marketing people probably figured it needed a sexier title and renamed it "Walking Through Walls." I highly recommend it to anyone with a sincere interest in meditation, regardless of tradition

Does that address the issue well enough?