This morning we were honored with the visit of Klaus Hebben, founder and director of PIA. After expressing his gratitude to him, Alan gave an explanation of bala, which literally means power. Referring to the five powers (panchabalani), which are developed by strengthening the five roots or controlling faculties (indriya): faith or devotion (shraddha) which overcomes doubt and false beliefs; enthusiasm or zeal (vidya) which overcomes laziness; mindfulness (sati) which overcomes forgetfulness; perfect concentration (samadhi) which overcomes distractedness; and wisdom (prajña) which overcomes ignorance. He emphasized the balance between enthusiasm and zeal in the case of Vidya, the balance between wisdom and confidence in the case of Prajna and the importance of Sati or Mindfulness, which enables to balance all the other 4 elements. 
In this second round of meditations after having developed relaxation at the infirmary the day before; we continue today with the cultivation of stability in the practice of Mindfulness of Breathing, focusing on the tactile sensations of the abdomen.

Session 23: Mindfulness of Breathing (Abdominal), Cultivating Stability and the Five Powers

Welcome!  On this site you’ll find downloadable podcasts from the Fall 2010 Shamatha Retreat led by B. Alan Wallace in Phuket, Thailand.  Follow along with the retreat as Wallace gives daily meditation instructions to help one cultivate attention and awareness as well as the qualities of love, compassion, joy and equanimity.  Read more about Alan Wallace’s extensive background in Tibetan Buddhism at http://www.alanwallace.org/index.htm.  Check out the Phuket International Academy Mind Centre at http://www.phuketinternationalacademy.com/piamc/phuket-international-academy-mind-centre.  Also, feel free to check out the following forum to connect with other Shamatha practitioners: http://contemplativeobservatory.weebly.com/forum.html#/

We hope you will enjoy and benefit from these beautiful teachings!

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Alan begins this session with an inspirational story about one of his foremost teachers, Geshe Rabten.  This humble lama, who had completed years of scholarly work and consultation studies with the Dalai Lama, found true contentment in life as he meditated under a simple rock shelf. His dedication to this single pointed purpose demonstrates a shining example of loving-kindness as a practice.  “Dharma”, Alan says, ”is Bodhicitta. We must meditate on it, cultivate it, and then allow it to flow through us.”  This is the dance between the Four Immeasurables and Shamatha practice.  Their integration will facilitate us on our path to liberation: “Shamatha is in the service of the Four Immeasurables.”

Session 79: Happy Gratitude and Empathetic Joy

The deepest level of suffering is caused by the three poisons, particularly the grasping to “I am.” While the “message of modernity” is that suffering is inescapable during life, Buddha’s message is that suffering will in fact cease if we attend to its source.   To do this we must face our self-grasping.   Lucid dreaming is the closest analogy to abandoning the ignorance of self-grasping.   You may feel a recurrent pressure during this retreat, as if something is holding you back.  This is a good sign!  It means you are waking up from ignorance.  Shamatha pulls off the layers, forcing us to face the clinging to “me,” the “urge to become,” and to our brand new Honda (Alan’s story is quite funny).Food suggestions and headache remedies:  Alan recommends books on Tibetan medicine, “Healing from the Source” (Dhonden) and “The Quintessence Tantras of Tibetan Medicine” (Barry).   Alan also discusses a question regarding Shamatha experience within the Dzogchen view.

Session 75: Compassion Practice and the Urge to Become

In the intro, Alan explained the difference between the space of the mind with its 6 fields of experience (dharmadatu) and ultimate reality, nirvana, emptiness, absolute space of phenomena (dharmata).  Like Dudjom Rimpoche said: dharmakaya it’s the nature of your own mind. He goes from that and when he talks about open presence, “if excitation arises, then loosen up, if laxity arises, then focus more clearly”. So, within Dzogchen is it possible to take emptiness (sunyata, dharmata), as the object of your Shamatha meditation? The answer is yes, it is hard (you are taking nirvana as your object of meditation), but it is possible. But with the meditation in emptiness you can also achieve relaxation, stability and vividness. All the space between thoughts can be called, in this case, rigpa.

Session 74: Attending to the Space of the Mind, and a Discussion of Dharmadatu and Dharmata

Good Morning to All Shamatha Minded Sentient Beings,This morning Alan went into more detail on settling the mind in its natural state. He opened with a quote from Dujom Rinpoche. “Whatever comes up in the mind don’t apply any antidote.” ( while doing Settling the Mind in its Natural State). He also talked about having confidence in oneself and having a balanced mind. We reviewed the 5 Obscurations and the antidotes for them. And then, how being present, relaxation, and looseness are essential for a sense of well being during meditation. At the end, he cleared up an analogy he had told about the maras that he was concerned was misleading. Alan’s closing is “Enjoy Your Day”!Darlene

Session 72: Settling the Mind and Applying No Antidotes

This morning we began the cycle of Settling the Mind in its Natural state following the instructions that the Buddha gave to Bahia “In the seen let just the seen be…” “In the heard let just the heard be”,” In the mentally perceived let just be the mentally perceived…” So we don’t elaborate or label. We suspend judgment as if you are listening to a fascinating person or are seeing other people’s mind.  Reality is speaking to you.  Bare, naked.  Alan mentioned that the quintessential instruction is to do it without distraction, without grasping. This is a practice without inquiry.We meditated on the visual, auditory, tactile and mental fields.Then he explained Aryadeva’s qualities to be a Buddhist: First: Perception, including hearing, thinking and meditation. Second: Open mind and Third, Yearning to test the practices on oneself.

Session 23: Mindfulness of Breathing (Abdominal), Cultivating Stability and the Five Powers

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