Creating a Peaceful Mind
by Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche
 The
Tibetan word for meditation is gom. Literally translated it means
"to become familiar with an object." This object is an item you get to
know very well by concentrating your thinking on it. The item is called the
"object of meditation." The object may be a flower, a candle, a
picture, a sculpture, or the mind itself. Because the type of object will
directly influence your mind, it is important to choose well. When you pick an
object that triggers positive thoughts in your mind, you will experience a
positive change, and your state of mind will become peaceful and at ease. If you
choose an item that gives you negative feelings, your mind will be altered
unfavorably, and you will be uncomfortable. In the case that your item has
neutral value, your mind, in return, will remain unchanged.
Because we meditate in order to achieve something positive, it is obvious
that one ought to choose a positive object for meditation. In traditional
Tibetan meditation, objects are chosen that are fundamentally of a character
that promotes healing.
By thinking deeply about the object at hand, we want to achieve a positive
influence on our mind. Tibetan meditation provides us with a number of different
techniques, which are carried out on two levels: meditation through
concentration and through analysis. When we practice concentration meditation,
we attach our mind to an object of meditation and are able to stay with it,
allowing no distractions. This in turn provides the basis for analytical
meditation, which, among other things, attempts to explore the true nature of an
object of meditation in order to discover the final and true nature of
phenomena. This kind of recognition is a prerequisite in achieving Buddhahood,
the complete enlightenment and the final goal of meditation in Tibetan Buddhism.
Buddhists believe that all our actions are dependent on our state of mind; an
unhealthy outlook will cause suffering, and therefore the mind itself is the
principal object of meditation. I like to talk about the "taming" of
the mind. A mind that is not well controlled is liable to cause a great deal of
harm to itself and others, while a peaceful mind creates a comfortable
atmosphere for itself and everyone around. Therefore meditation also serves to
harmonize body and mind, as well as creates a balanced state of inner and outer
peace.
Why do we meditate?
All living creatures -- humans and all animals down to the smallest insect --
have one thing in common: they all long for happiness and well-being. Nobody
wants to suffer.
You may have spent some time in your life watching the comings and goings of
a busy ant colony. The ants busily race from one place to another. In their own
way, they are looking for some kind of satisfaction, some sort of well-being.
I look upon humans in a similar fashion. During our relatively short life
span of no more than eighty to a hundred years, we follow a steady daily
routine: We work, eat, drink, and sleep, and are constantly striving to attain
happiness and well-being. Then why is it that we are unable to be happy and
content at all times?
In addition to the four basic reasons for suffering -- birth, old age,
illness, and death -- there are always other forms of suffering that cast shadow
on our lives. Countless problems originate from a faulty internal outlook and
contribute to the fact that happiness never lasts for too long. Soured relations
between people, stress at work, financial worries, problems in raising one's
children, and other factors may all cause unhappiness.
Because we are lazy, we tend to look for the causes of distress in external
circumstances. We are often able to quickly find a culprit in the wrongdoing of
others. In the long run, though, this strategy turns out to be very tiring,
because it leads to the fact that the problems never change. It does not help to
keep blaming others because the only result is a substitution of causes, while
all along the true reason for suffering can only be found by looking to your
inner self.
Tibetan doctors and Lamas are convinced that only by cutting the root cause
can illness be healed. Treating the symptoms will cause no more than a temporary
cure. If you look inside, on the other hand, you will discover the reasons for
your suffering are caused by the disposition of your mind. According to Tibetan
Buddhism, all suffering is self-inflicted. The other side of the coin, however,
points to the fact that we ourselves are the makers of our happiness.
This
article is excerpted from:
 The Practice of Tibetan Meditation
by
Dagsay Tulku Rinpoche
(translated from the original German book).
Reprinted with
permission of the publisher, Inner Traditions International. ©1999. www.innertradition.com
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About the Author
Dagsay
Tulku Rinpoche teaches courses in Buddhist meditation and performs blessings and
initiations. In addition to introducing the West to the spiritual practices of
Tibet, he has been actively involved in the rebuilding of the Chokri monastery
in his homeland, eastern Tibet. He escaped persecution in 1959, and traveled to
India, where he continued his studies and practice until -- upon the request of
the Dalai Lama -- he accepted a post as the spiritual leader to a small
community of Tibetan settlers in Switzerland, where he currently resides.
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