by Cathy Evans
If we genuinely wish to achieve enlightenment to free ourselves and others from suffering, we need to give some serious attention to developing calm abiding.
Shantideva said:
All the recitations and austerities,
even though performed for a long time,
are quite useless
if the mind is dull or is focused on something else.
Calm abiding” means “dwelling, or abiding, in peace.” The practice to accomplish this concentration is a specific technique, and Tibetans have developed a visual image to illustrate the path to achieve this meditative realisation. When on pilgrimage to the larger Tibetan monasteries in India, such as Drepung monastery, you may find two paintings either side of the entry, the above, of the path to calm abiding and the other the Wheel of Dependant Origination.
In March 2006, Geshe Loden said that the etymology of calm abiding is to calm the mind from scattering to outer objects, and secondly that it can abide inwardly with single pointed concentration. Geshe Loden says in his Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism p789 that ‘without some attainment of calm abiding it is not possible to gain realisations’.
The visual depiction of the path to calm abiding traces the nine stages of concentration. Looking closely at the painting you will identify four main figures: the monk in red robes, who represents the meditator; the monkey, who stands for the mental distractions; the rabbit, who represents the subtle obstacles to concentration; and the elephant, who stands for the mind.
The elephant, monkey, and rabbit are all initially depicted as being dark coloured or black. This represents the dullness in the meditator’s mind. The colour gradually lightens as the meditator progresses their concentrative practise.
An angry wild elephant is very dangerous to all other beings. Likewise, if our mind is not controlled, we can harm everyone else. All suffering is caused by our untamed mind. If our mind is peaceful, we are likely to make all others around us peaceful.
Stage 1: Placing the mind
At the beginning of the path, we see the monkey leading the elephant. This represents the mind being led around by distractions of various kinds and our attention is distracted by objects of the senses.
When the monk first tries meditative concentration, he is pictured behind the elephant which shows the meditator trying to train his mind. He has a rope in his hand representing mindfulness, and a hook, that of awareness.
Stage 2. Placement with continuity
In the second meditative stage, both the elephant and the monkey begin to have white spots on their heads, though the monk is still behind, as he has little control over them.
Stages 3 and 4. Patch-like and Close placement
In the third stage, the meditator has thrown his lasso around the elephant’s head, and both the elephant and the monkey turn their heads back toward the meditator. The rabbit appears and this shows that the meditator has becomes aware of subtle meditative dullness.
In stage four, the bodies of all three animals are increasingly white, but the monk is still led by them.
Stages 5 and 6. Controlling and Pacifying
In the fifth stage however, the meditator is in front and leads the animals.
In stage six, the rabbit has disappeared, the elephant and monkey are increasingly white, and the monkey is now behind the elephant-mind. That the rabbit has disappeared shows that the subtle dullness, which appeared at the third stage, has now gone.
Stages 7 to 9. Complete pacification, Single-pointed concentration and Placement with equanimity
In the seventh stage, we note that the elephant-mind can be left to follow the path on its own. The lasso and the hook have disappeared. Poor focus, the monkey, and dullness, the rabbit, occur only occasionally.
In stage eight, the elephant has turned completely white and follows behind the meditator (meditator not shown in this image). This shows that the mind is obedient and there is no sinking or scattering.
In stage nine, the practitioner sits in meditation while the elephant sleeps; here the mind can concentrate without effort for long periods of time.
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For further detail re these stages of concentration see Geshe Loden’s Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism pp 821-826.
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