The Pointing Out Way of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Meditation
Course Outline & Master Schedule*
* Begin/End Times each day may vary slightly depending on course location.
"Nine Stages of the Mind Staying" and "Master Nagarjuna"
- Day 1 (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
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- Introduction–An overview of meditation practices
- Basic principles of intensive concentration meditation
- Review of the 7-point posture
- Day 2
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- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Introduction to concentration using the 3-point breath
- Ordinary vs. extraordinary forms of practice
- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
- Factors that potentiate the practice
- Common problems and methods to deal with them
- Distracting thought
- Drowsiness & flightiness
- 7:00 - 9:00 PM
- Application of methods to deal with thought and drowsiness/flightiness
- Vigilance practice
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Day 3
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- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Deepening concentration: Intensifying & Easing up
- Skill in concentration
- 2:00-4:30pm
- Concentration using the 7-point object
- The problem of partial staying
- 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Concentration using the mind-perspective
- Concentration with support–an overview of the state
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Day 4
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- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- The development of physical pliancy
- Concentration without support
- Skill in intensifying & easing up
- Stabilizing the flow of mind-moments; stream access
- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
- Automatic concentration, one-pointedness, and equanimity
- Assessing progress–The Nine States of Staying using the elephant path model
- Meditation on movement & stillness
- Stabilizing concentration from the mind-perspective
- 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Overview of the ordinary insight meditations
- Meditation on emptiness of self representation
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Day 5
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- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Emptiness of self meditation continued
- Emptiness of phenomena meditation–the ‘Mind Only’ perspective
- Developing skill in emptiness meditations
- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
- Emptiness & compassion combined meditations
- Developing mental pliancy & its role in insight meditations
- Meditations on emptiness of temporality
- Nagarjuna’s Eight Extremes meditation
- Mahamudra meditation on the Unelaborated Mind and the Always There Mind
- Stabilizing the Simultaneous Mind, from the mind-perspective
- 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Extraordinary or essence insight meditations–an overview
- Stabilizing the Simultaneous Mind as always there
- Simultaneous Mind meditation on coarse-level thought–water & waves meditation
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Day 6
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- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Water & waves (continued)
- Simultaneous Mind meditation on coarse-level sense perception–dreamer & dreams meditation
- One Taste meditation–non-duality of the Simultaneous Mind
- Advanced One Taste meditation–Sealing whatever occurs as empty upon arising
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
- Sealing all occurrences as empty upon arising
- Automatic emptiness practice during and after the meditation session
- Overview of Non-Meditation Instructions
- Gampopa’s Four Means to Set Up Awakened Wisdom
- Maitripa’s negation instructions
- The extraordinary version of compassion meditation
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Day 7
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- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- The problem of artificial vs. spontaneous activity of mind
- How making something happen or preventing something from happening obscures awakened wisdom
- The problem of conceptualization
- Review of the practice as a means to set up awakened wisdom
- Skillfully identifying & removing the obstacles to awakened wisdom
- Protecting instructions–real mindfulness without artificial activity, with awareness-itself as both the vantage point of and the object of meditation
- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
- Continuation of protecting instructions
- Individualized assessment of habits of mind that obscure awakened wisdom
- Setting up meditation; shifting the locus to the ground of awareness; practice from the vantage point of awakened wisdom
- 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
- Practice that never ceases; continuous awareness of whatever arises moment-by-moment, sealed as empty upon arising
- Made calm/set-free as empty upon arising
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
- Day 8 (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
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- Application of the practice to everyday living–the issue of spontaneous presence
- How to deepen the gains
- Path-walking instruction
- Precious opportunity meditation
- Closure
Day 6 evening practice: automatic emptiness each moment, off the pillow (no formal class, participants practice on their own with given instructions)