TURNING
THE MIND INTO AN ALLY
 |
| |
Sakyong
Mipham Rinpoche |
|
Our
introductory course studies Sakyong Mipham’s
book, Turning the Mind into an Ally. Sakyong Mipham looks at how meditation
practice can help us deal with the confusion
and pain of our minds, then explores in
depth how to develop peaceful abiding
meditation, presenting ways we get blocked
in the practice and what can be done to
overcome those blockages, giving us a clear
map of how to proceed through the various
levels of meditation experience.
The book
also explains how to develop the practice of
contemplation so as to shift our
understanding of reality and come to grips
with the truths of life: change,
impermanence, death, and the preciousness of
our lives. This is a practical means for
increasing understanding and insight. The
course emphasizes contemplation practice,
giving the student many exercises for
exploring the teaching material and
connecting it to his or her own personal
experience.
Finally,
the book shows the way to bring meditative
discipline into daily life and practice the
path of compassion.
Sitting
meditation is the essential basis for
actualizing spiritual teachings from the
Buddhist point of view. For students who
want to develop a spiritual path, this
course gives them a thorough understanding
in how to start sitting meditation with the
necessary tools for cultivating it into a
strong, vital practice. The course’s
contemplative component helps the student
penetrate to the deeper meaning of the
teachings and gain a more intimate
understanding of how they apply personally.
These two practices are crucial, life-long
skills for treading the spiritual path.
| In peaceful abiding, we
ground our mind in the present
moment. We place our mind on the
breath and practice keeping it
there. We notice when thoughts and
emotions distract us, and train in
continually returning our mind to
the breath. This is how we shift our
allegiance from the bewildered mind
that causes its own suffering to the
mind that is stable, clear, and
strong. We proclaim our desire to
discover this mind of stability,
clarity, and strength by learning to
rest in our own peace. |
-Sakyong
Mipham,
Turning the Mind into an Ally
