Meditating With The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is a strong advocate for meditation, believing it to be beneficial for everyone. He recommends starting with your posture: sit with your legs in a comfortable position, straighten your backbone, and place your hands in a meditative position with your fingers below your navel. The Dalai Lama suggests bending your neck slightly, keeping your mouth closed, and gazing downwards with your eyes open but not too wide. You can meditate with an external object, such as a figurine of Buddha, or an internal object, such as your breath. If you are a beginner, the Dalai Lama suggests starting with short meditation sessions and gradually increasing the length as you get more comfortable with the practice.

The importance of posture

The Dalai Lama's teachings on meditation emphasise the importance of posture. Before beginning to meditate, it is crucial to arrange the legs in a comfortable position. The backbone should be straight as an arrow. The hands should be placed in the position of meditative equipoise, with the left hand on the bottom and the right hand on top, forming a triangle with the thumbs. This hand placement is said to create a connection with the inner body to generate energy.

The neck should be bent down slightly, with the mouth and teeth closed, and the tongue touching the roof of the mouth near the upper teeth. The eyes should gaze downward, loosely, and it is not necessary for them to be directed at the end of the nose; they can be pointed toward the floor if that feels more natural. The eyes should not be opened too wide nor forcefully closed; they should be left open just a little.

The importance of this specific posture is twofold. Firstly, it helps to create a connection with the inner body and generate energy. Secondly, it contributes to a sense of relaxation and stability, allowing the mind to focus and concentrate. As the Dalai Lama himself notes, even he finds meditation challenging, and good posture is an essential aspect of the practice.

It is worth noting that the Dalai Lama recommends not meditating for too long when starting. He suggests starting with shorter sessions and gradually increasing the duration as one gets accustomed to the process. This helps maintain the quality of the meditation and prevents the mind from wandering or becoming sleepy.

Hand placement

The Dalai Lama recommends placing your hands in a meditative position with your four fingers resting below your navel, leaving about four finger widths between your navel and hands. Your left hand should be on the bottom, with your right hand on top, and your thumbs touching to form a triangle. This placement of the hands is said to create a connection with your inner body to generate energy.

The triangle formed by your thumbs should be directly above your navel, with your thumbs pointing down towards it. The triangle is said to represent the fire element, which is believed to transform negative energy into positive energy. This hand placement is also thought to help cultivate inner heat and stimulate the body's internal energy.

It is important to note that this hand placement is specific to the meditation techniques taught by the Dalai Lama and may differ from other meditation traditions or practices. Hand placement can vary depending on the type of meditation and the goals of the practice.

In addition to hand placement, the Dalai Lama also emphasizes the importance of posture during meditation. He recommends arranging your legs in a comfortable position and straightening your backbone to sit up straight. Bending the neck down slightly and touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth are also part of the recommended physical alignment during meditation.

Gazing downwards

While I could not find specific information about the Dalai Lama's meditation practice regarding "gazing downwards", I did find some information about his meditation practice and other gazing meditation practices that might be useful.

The Dalai Lama's daily meditation routine starts at 3 am, and he has been practising daily for 60 years. He suggested to Dr Sanjay Gupta, who meditated with him, to try analytical meditation. This involves thinking about a problem and placing it in a large, clear bubble. You can then visualise rotating, spinning, or flipping the problem. This helps to develop hyper-focus and isolate the problem from any other attachments, such as subjective emotional considerations.

There are also other types of gazing meditation practices, such as Trataka, a Sanskrit word meaning "to gaze", which is a form of one-pointed focus meditation. In this practice, you concentrate on a single object, which can be external or internal. A plain object may be easier to focus on than a detailed one. When gazing externally, you will eventually start to visually blank out other objects, and your brain will become isolated from its usual memories, thoughts, and feelings. Trataka is said to have many benefits, including aiding vision, relieving depression and insomnia, and enhancing energy levels.

Another type of gazing meditation is Wall Gazing Meditation, which involves facing a wall and keeping your eyes open with a soft gaze. This practice is said to reveal the true nature of the mind, as the wall provides an absence of stimulation, which can cause the mind to race and develop elaborate fantasies and self-criticism. However, by counting or following your breath, you can bring your attention back to the present and calm any chaos within.

I also found a source that mentions Sky Gazing Meditation, which involves connecting your gaze with nature by looking at the sky and then slowly bringing your gaze down to focus on a nearby tree or plant. This practice can help to clear mental clutter and overwhelm and make you feel more centred and refreshed.

Using external objects

When meditating with an external object, you can use either a physical or a mental object. The choice is yours, but it should be something that suits you and makes an impact. A popular choice is a figurine of Buddha or a cross, but it can be any symbol that is meaningful to you. Imagine the object is about four feet in front of you, at the same height as your eyebrows. The object should be at least two inches high and emanate light. Think of it as something heavy to stay grounded. As you focus on the object, you should have two goals: make the object clear and keep it steady.

If you notice that the object is bothering you, close your eyes. If you see something red, it means you are too involved with eye consciousness. You need to loosen up and focus more mentally. It is important to have both stability and clarity. Excessive withdrawal will cause laxity and prevent clarity, which can lead to lethargy and a loss of focus. If this happens, boost your awareness by stimulating yourself and thinking of things you enjoy.

Once you have achieved a steady mind, introspection comes to life. With these two combined, you can reach a balanced state. Not too much laxity or stimulation, just a perfect blend.

It is also important to recognise when your mode of apprehension has become too excited or too lax and adjust your practice accordingly. The object of observation must be held with mindfulness, and you should inspect it to ensure it remains clear and stable. When you develop mindfulness and introspection well, you will be able to catch laxity and excitement before they arise and prevent them from disrupting your meditation.

Using internal objects

When meditating with an internal object, the Dalai Lama suggests that you should first focus on your posture. Arrange your legs in the most comfortable position and straighten your back. Place your hands in the position of meditative equipoise, with your left hand on the bottom, right hand on top, and your thumbs touching to form a triangle. This placement of the hands is said to be connected with the place inside the body where inner heat is generated.

Next, bend your neck down slightly, keeping your mouth and teeth as usual, with the top of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth near your top teeth. Allow your eyes to gaze downwards loosely – you don't need to direct them to the end of your nose; they can be pointed toward the floor in front of you if that seems more natural. Don't open your eyes too wide or forcefully close them; leave them open a little.

The Dalai Lama suggests that you can meditate on an internal object of observation, such as the body of a Buddha, a cross, or any other symbol that is suitable for you. Mentally visualise that the object is about four feet in front of you, at the same height as your eyebrows. The object should be approximately two inches high and emanating light. Try to conceive of it as being heavy, as this will prevent excitement. Its brilliance will prevent laxity.

As you concentrate, strive for two factors: first, make the object of observation clear, and second, make it steady. If you find that you are bothered by sense objects in front of your eyes, it is okay to close them. But if you see a reddish appearance with your eyes closed, or if you are bothered by what you see when your eyes are open, you are too involved with the eye consciousness and should try to withdraw your attention and put it with the mental consciousness.

To maintain the steadiness of the object of observation, the Dalai Lama recommends withdrawing your mind more strongly inside so that the intensity of your mode of apprehension begins to lower. To do this, think about something that makes you more sober or a little sad. These thoughts can help lower your heightened mode of apprehension of the object and loosen the mind's tightness, allowing you to better stay focused on the object of observation.

It is important to have both stability and clarity in your meditation practice. Laxity, caused by an over-withdrawal or excessive declination of the mind, can lead to a loss of the object of observation and even sleep. To counteract laxity, the Dalai Lama suggests raising or heightening your mode of apprehension by thinking of something that brings you joy or visualising yourself in a high place or somewhere with a vast view.

Through regular practice, you will be able to recognise when your mode of apprehension has become too excited or too lax and adjust it accordingly. The object of observation that you are visualising should be held with mindfulness, and you should inspect it from time to time to ensure that it remains clear and stable. This practice is known as introspection, and it helps to catch laxity and excitement before they arise and prevent their occurrence.

Frequently asked questions