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Sogyal Rinpoche: Awareness and the Three Principles of Meditation

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Sogyal Rinpoche: Awareness and the Three Principles of Meditation

Mindfulness probably means slightly different things in different traditions of meditation. At WMRI we usually talk about three principles for using an object, such as the breath, a candle or even the state of non-distraction itself, as the focus of our meditation.

1) Mindfulness – which is the pure knowing or awareness of the object.
2) Watchful Awareness – making sure that we are keeping our attention gently focused on the object
3) Abiding or Remaining Spaciously – It is said that we should ‘train in letting the mind remain’. We should remain in whatever we are aware of, be it:
—meditating with an object like watching the breath, or
—simply remaining in the state of non-distraction or pure awareness of the present moment.


As we learn to rest in the present moment, our natural awareness, which underlies the entirety of our  experience, becomes more and more evident.

In this video, Sogyal Rinpoche speaks about this awareness and how it relates to the three principles of shamatha or meditation.

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0 # Jesse 2011-11-15 20:08
Hellyeah, that's a great reminder for the last (really inspiring) Sanghaday.
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