About This Course
Learning to meditate is a gradual process. Each week, this course has tweeted new techniques and facilitated new insights. The techniques either address particular problems that may arise when you meditate, or provide progressively more advanced methods which deepen your experience. It is recommended that you start by going back to week one's techniques and begin your weekly course at that time. The earlier exercises are not mere preliminaries. They are central methods in their own right to which you will return repeatedly - no matter how advanced your practice becomes.
To sign up for this course to be emailed to you weekly; click here Aro Meditation
A Bag of Tricks
You have now learned many meditation techniques – main methods, variations, and antidotes to obstacles.
You will have found some of these more useful than others. People differ, and—with experience—you will find a mix of techniques that works. You will learn how and when to apply different methods, according to the ‘mental weather’ you experience during each meditation session. This deepening process of self-discovery continues for years.
Choose one or two primary shi-nè techniques as the foundation of practice. You can start each session with one technique—awareness of breath for instance—then move to alternatives according to your mind-state or current meditation goals. You might shift from breath awareness to formless meditation—if undistracted—or sing ‘Ah’ if you wish to developing skill in finding the presence of awareness in the dimension of sound. You can adjust your posture according to your energy level – or apply the antidote of head-jerks (see week 7). When strong emotions arise, apply the method of awareness of the corresponding physical feeling (week 11). You will learn how much to exert yourself – how to maintain the balance of gentleness and dedication.
The techniques you learn form a ‘bag of tricks’ or ‘tool kit’ from which you can pull particular methods as circumstances dictate.
The Tibetan meditation tradition teaches a vast array of extraordinary methods which are valuable in particular situations. For example:
• methods which can only be practiced alone; methods which require a large group;
• methods which require the strength and flexibility of a competition gymnast; methods which—though physical exercises—were devised by an elderly cripple for his own use;
• methods which can be completed in five seconds or less; methods which must be practiced twenty-four hours a day for many weeks continuously;
• methods which require mountains, running water, fire, or wind;
• methods which can only be employed on a cloudless day; methods which can only be employed in total darkness;
• methods employed in sleep (yes, this is possible);
• and, a great many others.
Shi-nè and lhatong together comprise a complete path – so nothing else is necessary. These other methods serve to greatly accelerate your progress with shi-nè and lhatong.
As your tool box expands beyond the basics – the advice of a qualified teacher becomes increasingly important. There is a danger, on the one hand, of skipping from one method to another whenever you encounter difficulties – or seeking entertainment. On the other hand you may get stuck in a rut with a comfortable method – when you would make faster progress by moving on to a method that is more challenging. This can be difficult to judge accurately yourself. An experienced teacher can work with you to find the best combination of methods for your current interests, circumstances, and skills.
Obstacles & Antidotes
This method counters distraction by providing a focus.
Close your eyes and visualise the Tibetan letter A as shown on this week’s picture page. It is luminous and composed of light. It appears in space in front of you. Find its position by extending your arm 45 degrees up and ahead of you and visualising the letter A at the distance of your fist. The A may appear about the size of your fist – but allow it to be whatever size it spontaneously takes. Hold your arm out until the visualisation becomes reasonably stable. Lower your arm and continue to find the presence of your awareness in the appearance of the A.
If you find the shape of the A strange or complex – draw it on paper several times before starting your meditation. That will help you remember it. The more often you practice drawing and visualising the A, the easier it will become.
You may find that the A moves about at first. Do not worry – just let it settle down on its own.
Focus sharply at first, but then relax your focus. Excessive effort may lead to unhelpful tension. If the A is not particularly vivid – just allow it to be a vague presence.
This week, try this visualisation for three five-minute intervals within each sitting session. That will be sufficient to learn it thoroughly. Later, you can apply it at any time you find yourself distracted.
Physical Pain
Pain is a distraction – so it is usually best to eliminate it when possible during meditation. That is not always possible – as when pain or discomfort is caused by injury or disease.
Physical pain can actually be helpful in meditation. Pain forces us to focus on it, which leads the mind away from thinking into sensation. It provides a simple, unambiguous opportunity to accept the world as it is. ‘Accepting’ does not mean ‘liking’. It means that—just for now—we will not try to change it.
Typically we resist pain so strongly that we do not really know what it is like. Be curious. You may be surprised by what you find if you sit with it for half an hour. Concepts about pain distort the experience. Often the true nature of a pain is quite different from what we imagine we have been feeling.
Often resistance produces tension which prolongs and intensifies pain. When we accept the sensation and allow our thoughts to drop, we relax. Often it becomes apparent that what we have been fighting, is actually fear that the pain will last forever – or anger that we have been hurt.
When we relax into physical pain and experience it accurately, we can—if the pain is not too intense—find calm and equanimity. This insight can be extended to emotional pain – and from meditation into everyday life.
Experiments With Energy
Caffeine and alcohol can be useful antidotes to energy problems in meditation. (If for health or other reasons you avoid them – there is no need to try these exercises.)
Caffeine not only wakes you up – in moderation it can help focus. Too much prompts jumbled, racing thoughts. Alcohol in moderation stills thoughts, cuts distraction, and relaxes obsessive and ambitious emotions. Too much produces stupor. This illustrates a general principle: the antidotes for too little energy may produce too much, and vice versa – so be careful in their application.
Take a glass and an opened bottle of good red wine with you to your evening meditation. Apply your usual meditation technique, but take a sip every minute or so. As you start to feel the effects, slow down. While maintaining the technique, observe without comment the sensations in your body. Observe the quality of your mind as you continue to take occasional sips. How does your experience of meditation change as you gradually feel increasing effects of the alcohol? Do not consume so much that it becomes difficult to maintain the technique.
Record what you have learned in your meditation notebook.
You can do the same experiment with coffee in the morning.
These experiments should not replace your usual meditation technique – but unlike some earlier experiments, they can be useful repeatedly.
Recommended Resources
The white A is one of the simplest visualisations. The primary visualisation method in Aro is taught in the book Wearing the Body of Visions, and in the weekend meditation retreat of the same name.
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A meditation group meets regularly to meditate together. Many people find that participating in a meditation group makes it significantly easier to maintain their solitary daily practice. The group provides motivation, community, direction, support, sharing, and learning opportunities – and can lead to deep long-lasting friendships.
Meditation groups can be found in most towns. (The Aro contact page lists Aro meditation groups in dozens. You can easily find other groups on the web.) The only difficulty is that you may not find a group’s style of meditation practice to your taste – or you may not find the people personally compatible.
If you cannot find a suitable meditation group, consider starting your own. If you have friends interested in meditation – invite them to join you. Typically groups meet once a week—or once every two weeks—for an hour or two. Each meeting begins with a period of silent sitting meditation – as much as your members find comfortable. You might then have a discussion period. It can be useful to read a meditation book together and discuss a chapter at each meeting. Allow some time also for free-form discussion. End with another meditation period.
See our meditation resources page for a range of learning methods.
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