Week 1: Getting started with the Jewel Ornament Of Liberation.

Traditionally there are three ways of developing one’s practice, and these are not three separate ways, but three ways that are intended to work together. These are listening, thinking and meditating. Also we could say study, reflection and practice. In the old days, the only ways to connect with the material was to listen to the teachings from a teacher. But now we have books everywhere. And of course, the Internet.

With study we obtain a conceptual understanding. But that only goes to the surface level of the mind and heart. We only get conceptual insights from this. I remember reading an interview with a psychotherapist, who is also a practitioner of Buddhist meditation, lamenting that he knew lots of people with fantastic conceptual insights yet were equally fantastically unhappy. The insights just hover around the mind as cool ideas and potluck conversation starters.

We need to enter a second level of engagement where we think about the concepts–we chew on them, until they make sense to a deeper level of the mind.

Then we meditate on them, we actually use the concepts as meditative objects, not unlike what Christian contemplatives do in lectio divina. With this level the insights go deep inside. We live from the insights. Our whole life is a backdrop to the unfolding of the insights. Our life is where the insights play.

These emails will help you with the first two levels. I can’t stress enough here at the beginning that you need to take the insights with you to the cushion so they can enter your bloodstream.

The teachings are like a virus. They need an entry point. Don’t resist.

This is viral spirituality.

I will work on my end; you need to work on your end (and get your rear end to the cushion). I suggest a minimum of one meditation sitting per day. This is crucial. The meditation will lower the ability of your immune system to respond to the teachings. And it will respond, that’s a given (you’ll see). With this lowered immune response the virus has a better chance of taking over the host (you).

What’s extraordinary about this text is that is composed of just the essential elements of Mahayana Buddhism, with absolutely no fluff. Yes, Mahayana Buddhism as it was understood and practiced 900 years ago. And how it was put together by one of the most brilliant teachers there ever was, Gampopa.

The JOL belongs to a genre known as lam rim in Tibetan, or steps on the gradual path to enlightenment. But as you will quickly see, or have already seen, we need a user’s manual to the JOL.

Here it is, delivered right to your inbox.

Let’s start.

The text begins with Gampopa’s introduction.

“In general, all phenomena are included in the two categories of samsara and nirvana. That which is called samsara is empty by nature, a confused projection. Its defining characteristic is that it manifest as suffering. That which is called nirvana is also empty by nature, but all the confused projections are exhausted and dissipated. It’s defining characteristic is freedom form all suffering.”

What’s going on here? I suggest Gampopa is coming at us with all eight cylinders firing and fully fueled.

This is petal to the metal Dharma.

We need to get a handle on what he is talking about, and why. These are the first lines. So why does he write this and what does it mean?

I suggest he is providing a complete and thorough answer to two of the  most important questions of our life:  What is life? And why do I suffer?

In Sanskrit the word for suffering is dukkha. And as you know suffering is a common translation. But as you know dukkha is open to a large range of subtle meanings.

We could rephrase the questions as what is life, and why do I suffer?

Whenever I struggle I am in samsara. When I don’t struggle and everything just flows perfectly I am in nirvana.

What is the nature of life?

It is empty by nature.

Why do I suffer?

Because I am confused about the nature of life

Samsara (struggle) come about from confusion about the nature of life.

Where does confusion come from?

It comes from emptiness.

What is happiness, then?

It’s the absence of confusion about life.

Where does happiness come from?

It comes from emptiness.

Gampopa starts off right at the heart of the matter. But don’t worry, this is only the introduction. He is just telling it like it is, in a nutshell. And there is more to say about these lines, but let’s leave that until next week, OK?

When we get into to the main parts of the book, he basically explains what he means by these statements. The whole book is an explanation of what he says in this page and a half introduction.

So don’t worry!

. . .

What to do this week: the three levels of study, contemplation, and meditation:

1) Read the selection a few times. . If you are really inspired, buy an inexpensive notebook and copy the lines into it, and go back every day or so and read them over. Jot down any feelings or thoughts that may arise as you read them. Get to know the teachings conceptually. You can also go ahead and read the rest of the introduction.

2) Try to recall these lines as you go about your day. If you can’t remember them, try to call to mind the subject of this week’s teachings. Mull them over. Do they make sense? How and why or why not?

3) Meditate every day. Try to spend a few minutes in your meditation doing what is called “analytic meditation”—we’ll talk about this more later on. The idea is you bring one of the concepts to mind as part of your actual sitting practice. There are many ways to do this, but let’s leave it as a suggestion for now, and later on I will give you some practical suggestions on how to do this.