CBM 6: Second Stage - Continual Placement

CBM 6: Second Stage of Meditation – Continual Placement

“Your attention that was initially directed to the object of meditation does not stray elsewhere, but is continuously set upon the object of meditation.” Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419 C.E.), Lam Rim Chen Mo “The Great Exposition on the Stages of the Path.”

So far, we’ve covered the following:

1)      Preliminaries

2)      Some obstacles

3)      Overview listing all 9 stages

4)      Stage 1 – Placement

And again, all three aspects will be touched upon in this post – chess, Buddhism and meditation.

The first stage, Placement, was simply finding an object of meditation, and then, however briefly, being able to stay focused on it.

The second stage, Continual Placement, is exactly as described. One is now able to hold the object of meditation a bit more than in stage one. With more continuity.

The primary obstacle for Stage 2 is….….laziness!

From what I’ve read, and pages could be written, according to Buddhism, laziness is actually a form of self-cherishing and pride. But, you’ll have to research that topic on your own. For our purposes here, the defining characteristics of laziness are:

1)      Makes you postpone meditation. “I’ll get to it later…I’m tired…I have    work to take care of…I have to call so and so…Smallville is on!”

2)      Losing confidence. “I just can’t do it.”

3)      Giving up meditation altogether.

There are four antidotes to laziness, and they follow a logical order:

1)      Conviction (Tib: depa)

2)      Aspiration (Tib: dunpa)

3)      Effort (Tib: tsol way tson dru)

4)      Extreme ease (Tib: shin jang)

To explain this flow of antidotes, will quote directly from a text entitled “Achieving Bodhichitta” by Sermey Khensur Geshe Lobsang Tharchin:

“In order to remove laziness, you have to develop conviction in meditation by learning about it’s object, purpose and beneficial results…Once you develop conviction you will feel the need to try and therefore you WILL try…if you learn the results and good qualities of meditation, you will gain conviction, aspiration and effort, which automatically reduces and eliminates your laziness…the ultimate antidote to laziness is extreme ease (Tib: shin jang.)”

So, it looks like all these principles can be applied to both chess and meditation. You’re not going to get anywhere unless you know what you’re doing. You learn, and develop conviction. Once you have the knowledge, aspiration kicks in. “I can do this.” With that aspiration, you actually carry out the action, whether it’s doing your “practice” on the cushion or in front of the 64 squares. Then, with enough conviction and aspiration, the effort doesn’t seem like “effort” anymore…it’s an activity that comes with extreme ease.

And that’s a key factor. Simply put, to do well in chess or meditation, there has to be extreme ease. More colloquially, there has to be joy, and it has to be fun.  And one thing you’ll hear over and over again from any qualified meditation teacher, “10 minutes of good meditation is better than 30 minutes of bad. Leave the cushion wanting more, not feeling exhausted.”

As Westerners, we’re very goal oriented. When we get in to something, it’s never gradual or moderate. Super size me! 40” Flat Screen please! Blackberry/PC/Laptop all synced with 3G Quantum Particle Technology! I’ll love him/her/it forever! I will master chess! I will master meditation! Yadda yadda yadda.

That is not how reality functions.

Some, whether you attribute it to environment or genetics, are “naturals” when it comes to certain things. Some can lightly train, then go out and run a 5K or 10K. Some can pick up an instrument, and after hearing a song only once, play it, from memory, with ease. Same applies to chess and meditation. Chances are though, you can’t just go out and run a 5K or compose like Mozart. You are most likely neither Gary Kasparov nor The Dalai Lama. But, studies have shown, that on average, if one studies/practices regularly, one can master anything within ten years.

To reach the highest goals, one must learn, then practice. And practice. And learn. Most, when they realize they’re not Kasparov or Milarepa, give up when they realize what it really takes to be good. And ultimately, that’s the goal. Muddy Waters said it best:

“Look son…you don’t have to be the best. You just have to be good.”

I think ease of practice can be best summed up in the classic metaphor given by fencing instructors: “Hold the foil like you would a bird…not too tight, or you’ll kill it…not too loose, or it will fly away.” Or, as Buddha Shakyamuni heard the lute player say, “If the strings are too tight, they will break. If they are too loose, there will be no music.”

So…summing this all up: Second stage, is being able to keep your mind, with some continuity, on the object of meditation. The primary obstacle at this stage is usually laziness. And laziness is overcome by conviction gained through study/learning, aspiration, effort and extreme ease. Extreme ease implies that there is joy in the practice, and that one doesn’t push one’s self so hard that it causes suffering, yet simultaneously, one isn’t a wussy boy and give up when things get a little difficult.

“At this point, you are able to extend that perfect meditation a little bit longer…it is no good if you extend an imperfect meditation…By keeping your mind on the object perfectly for a slightly longer period of time, you have reached the second level…the measure of having achieved this stage is to be able to keep your mind on the object without being distracted for the amount of time it takes to recite one round of the Mani mantra on your mala.

Of the nine stages, the 1^st and 2^nd cannot really even be called meditation, because your mind does not stay on the object very firmly or for very long.

During 1 & 2, obstacles of sinking and scattering rush into the mind with great frequency. Much effort is needed to control the mind.” – Sermey Khensur Geshe Lobsang Tharchin, “Achieving Bodhichitta.”

~

“When you are able to increase the length of time that you remain focused on your chosen object to a few minutes, you have attained the second stage…Your periods of distraction are still greater than your periods of concentration, but you do experience fleeting moments of focused mental stillness.” – His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, “An Open Heart.”

~

“There’s nothing magical about that duration , but maintaining such a degree of continuity is a sign post.

A crucial issue here – I can’t emphasize this too strongly – is relaxation. Especially if you tend to become very goal oriented in the practice (and I must say it practically invites goal orientation,) it is very easy, upon having found the object, to grit your teeth and bear down with the resolve: ‘I’m going to get this continuity if it kills me!’ You will get continuity, and it may indeed kill you if you go about with that muscular approach to shamatha. You’ve forgotten all about ease and relaxation, forgotten that maybe you should enjoy this practice. It’s called quiescence for a reason.

The transition from the first to the second stage (or between any two stages on the way to shamatha) happens gently, gradually. It does not happen overnight, or from one day to another, but rather as a gradient.  You find that, more and more frequently, real periods of continuity become the norm. The way to move from the first attentional state to the second is by sustaining the relaxation and applying a subtle degree of effort to maintaining the attention.

The continuity must not be won at the expense of relaxation. If you forget that, you will waste a lot of time.” – B. Alan Wallace, “The Four Immeasurables.”

Lek so, Dude!

A chess.com blogger posted a link to a book they were reading that scientifically debunked the notion of "natural" talent.  In nearly every case extraordinary accomplishment was found to be the result of extraordinary effort combined with passion or enthusiasm for the activity.

When we consider meditation and chess as analogous, there is a point that I find valuable: patience.  Both activities are fraught with "failure."  At least failure in relation to our own expectations or hopes (hope will bite you in the butt every time).

The point is to find a way to persist in the face of this failure, because both activities will be filled with "failure."  And the truth of it is that what we may, as beginners, consider failure isn't failure at all.  It's process that we can be grateful for and we can consider with patience and perhaps even a bemused attitude as we continue to practice.

I have found that the gentle return to the object of meditation after discovering that I have become distracted is extremely valuable.  In the short term, perhaps even more valuable than the ability to remain with the object!  The faculty of awareness of distraction is cultivated and the ability to mindfully return to the object is what can change how we relate to our lives off the cushion.

Excellent post, Dude.  Thanks!

FD, I hear ya on the patience gig. In chess, my win/loss rate is 30/70. But, because of patience, improvement has happened. In my first tournament, lost every single game. Am now in my second tournament, and already have two wins!

As for the scientific "debunking" of "naturals," that book sounds to me like the author just wanted to prove what he/she wanted to believe.

In general, yes, people have to work hard to do anything well...whether it's chess or meditation or piano.

But I've read of too many cases to rule out that natural brilliance/mastery doesn't exist. 5 year olds playing Beethoven, Josh Waitzkin looking at chess players just a few times as a young boy and understanding how the game is played.

There are 6.5 billion minds on this planet. The hardwiring in all those brains will have variations. For me, memorization of words takes forever. Took a month just to memorize "8 Verses for Training the Mind." But my visualisation skills, and I say this with all humility, are off the Richter scale. I know people who are the exact opposite, having a sixty page sadhana memorized, but still just have a hard time visualizing a sphere of light.

Add on top of this Buddhist perspective on rebirth, and it's easy to see how imprints can carry over from one life to the next. If you want more info on this, check out the work of Ian Stevenson. Some hippy, New Age type? Nope. Was a professor at the University of Virginia for decades. Did some amazing research on rebirth. Here's the Wikipedia page on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Stevenson

So, again, in general, an average person has to work with much endeavor, enthusiasm and energy to do well in anything. But to deny that there are people out there with natural ability, whether it be due to genetics or karma, in my opinion, is rejecting verifiable facts.

And thanks for your kind words FD. Glad you enjoyed it.

I doubt that the author cited asserts that natural talent doesn't exist at all, just that it is far less prevalent than supposed (especially when used by most of us as a reason not to try) and that many cases of apparent prodigies and so on are found to be more the result of hard work and fascination (obsession?) than some inexplicable talent.

All that said, I happen to agree with everything you've said here.  The influence of past lives, which we ordinary beings cannot fathom, is the source of much of our experiences, predelictions, talents and obscurations.

I have the book on reserve at the library.  I expect to have it soon since I doubt there is much demand for it!  LOL!

FD, I think we're both saying the same thing. Your point is stressing something very important, and that I touched upon.

For example, countless teenagers across the nation buy guitars...but when they realize that they're not going to play like Clapton, Van Halen or Vai in a few months, the instrument ends up collecting dust.

In terms of meditation, I think so many Westerners read about Lord Buddha and Milarepa, and think that in just a few months they'll start having major realizations. One teacher bluntly told me at the start though, "You'll see little achievements here and there, but the major stuff? Give it ten or fifteen years." But, I believe, many Dharma centers don't mention that for fear of driving people (and donations) away.

Same with chess. If I didn't have an absolute love of the game, and complete fascination with the process, I probably would've given up after the first few months, and dozens and dozens of losses!

Perzackly.