Author Topic: Nine ways of resting the mind  (Read 4036 times)

sonamdhargey

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Nine ways of resting the mind
« on: April 07, 2013, 01:51:47 PM »
Nine ways of resting the mind (Tib. ?????????????????????, sem nepé tab gu; Wyl. sems gnas pa’i thabs dgu) — whatever the object of our meditation, we pass through nine stages in the development of shamatha.

1. Resting the Mind (Tib. ???????, jokpa) – focusing the mind upon an object [number 2 on the illustration]

2. Resting the Mind Longer (Tib. ????????????????, gyündu jokpa) – maintaining that continuity [9]

3. Continuously Resettling the Mind (Tib. ??????????????, len té jokpa) – whenever one forgets the object and becomes   distracted one resettles the mind [13]

4. Fully Settling the Mind (Tib. ?????????????, nyewar jokpa) – by settling in that way, the mind becomes increasingly focused on the object [16]

5. Taming the Mind (Tib. ??????????????, dulwar jepa) – by thinking of the qualities of samadhi, one feels greater joy for meditation [21]

6. Pacification of the Mind (Tib. ?????????????, shyiwar jepa) – then seeing the faults of distraction, one’s dislike for meditation is pacified [22]

7. Complete Pacification of the Mind (Tib. ????????????????????, nampar shyiwar jepa) – then whenever the cause of distraction, such as the subsidiary disturbing emotions or sleepiness or mental unease occur, they are completely pacified [24]

8. One-pointedness (Tib. ???????????????????, tsechik tu jepa) – then one attains some stability through applying the antidotes for distraction [26]

9. Resting in Equanimity (Tib. ?????????????????????, nyampar jokpa jepa) – finally one is able to rest the mind on its object quite naturally, without resorting to any antidotes [28]

The ninth stage of resting the mind is also known as the ‘one-pointed mind of the desire realm’ (Tib. ?????????????????????, Wyl. ‘dod sems rtse gcig pa).
These are taken from Maitreya's Ornament of Mahayana Sutras (Skt. Mahayanasutralankara).

Source: www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Nine_ways_of_resting_the_mind/