Q: Rinpoche, can we close our eyes and meditate, how should we effectively meditate with our eyes closed?
A: When you start a meditation, you know, you should not start with eyes closed or visualization right away.
The first method of meditation is based on the solid object. Whether it’s a stone, whether it’s a statue or it can be based on the breathing. First, in order to reach to the absolute state of the meditation, the non-duality state of the meditation, you need to combine together, with the more, with the rigid form in the beginning. First, you start with the breathing exercise, your breathing exercise, training your mind, like I have said last time, when you breathe out, when you breathe out. You simply don’t think about “where your mind is going or where the air is going”, you just simply concentrate to the air itself.
But also the most important is understanding the definition of the concentration. Many people they think about the concentration little bit like very intense mindset, you know? The intense mindset is very beneficial if you’re playing sport, if you’re going running outside, if you’re engaging with other people, you know? And of course, as such, a concentrated mindset is very much helpful to overcome your challenges, whether it’s a physical challenge, whether it’s a mental challenge, it does help very much.
So, bringing that kind of a habit into our meditation practice is simply impossible. So therefore, in order to start the meditation, you need to focus on breathing. When I say focus on the breathing, you’re simply being the witness on the air itself. That is the most important matter. If you think that, you know, “Oh, where is the air, where did it went, how did it appeared, where did it dissolved to”, you don’t have to think about that, in the beginning.
The most important is you simply focus on the breathing out, when you breathe out, and simply focusing on your mind towards that. Then when you’re breathing in, and simply witnessing, inseparably together, while you’re breathing in. Then repeat like that several times, and then again take a break. Then again, you breathe out, you breathe in, naturally, but your mind simply being the witness towards that rather than being a judgment towards it.
So you don’t have to carry the mindset of trying to analyze every bit of it. So simply being the witness of breathing out, breathing in, gently as possible.
Kalu Rinpoche
FB Livestream – 13 December 2020 (18’ 40”)
To be continued …
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