The Practice of Shee Ney (Concentration)

By His Holiness the Dalai Lama

In the article that he contributed to our issue of April 1964, His Holiness spoke of Buddhism as followed by people in general. Only in the last paragraph did he indicate that a more potent (but also more dangerous path) is available for those who aspire. In the present article he gives some idea of the perseverance and technical know-how that is necessary in order to follow such a path - enough at any rate to show that it cannot be followed from books but requires direct personal guidance.

Essentially SHEE NEY (Concentration) means fixing the stilled mind, the mind while experiencing a state of euphoria on any chosen object. If the concentration is on the Buddhist Refuges it is Buddhist concentration. If it is on Bodichitta, it becomes Mahayanic Buddhist concentration.

When one fully acquires the power of concentration, one not only achieves physical and mental happiness but also acquires supernatural perception and can perform miracles and other wonderful feats. The main purpose is through SHEE NEY to attain the transcendental meditation, (Lhakthong) which realises Sunyata and cuts off samsara at its very root. Almost all the knowledge of Tri-Yana (the three, doctrinal expositions made by Buddha) can thus be understood. Therefore this concentration has many advantages. The preliminary requirements for it are as follows

1. Sound disturbs concentration. So the place to practice concentration should be secluded, solitary and climatically congenial.

2. The practiser should be a person with few needs and easily contented. He should have severed himself from worldly affairs and should abstain from immoral action or speech.

3. He should be well versed in instructions on concentration. He should be fully aware of the ill-effects of desire and the ephemeral nature of the phenomenal world.

To accomplish this type of concentration, Maitreya Buddha (the one who is yet to come) has taught that one must get free from the five defects by putting into practice the eight kinds of contemplation. The five defects to be given up are:

(a) An indolent attitude towards concentration.
(b) Forgetfulness of the object of concentration.
(c) Interference such as the mind becoming too sluggish or over active.
(d) Failure in adopting counter measures against such interference.
(e) Adoption of counter measures after the disappearance of the interference,

The eight attitudes of mind that are adopted to avoid these five defects are :

1. Faith in the virtues of concentration.
2. Earnest desire to attain it.
3. Perseverance in following it happily.
4. Ecstatic happiness of mind and body.
5. Remembering to give absolute concentration to the object of concentration.
6. Though the mind is fully concentrating on a particular object a part of it must also be watchful of any inclination to distraction.
7. When danger of distraction is perceived immediate mental preparation must be made to counteract it; and
8. If and when countermeasures have been taken and their purpose achieved, the thought of such action must then be relaxed.

The implementation of these 8 forms of thought is indispensable. There are nine rules or stages of concentration. These are:

1. Complete absorption of the mind in the one object of concentration.
2. Constant endeavour to prolong the concentration.
3. Perceiving immediately when one's mind is diverted from the object of concentration and redirecting it to its proper place.
4. Gradually conceiving certain details of the object of concentration.
5. Conceiving the attainment of concentration one should strengthen one's efforts.
6. At this stage one's feeling of aversion to concentration is dispelled and one is in a better position to concentrate without much disturbance.
7. To be immediately aware of and dispel even the slightest distracting thought while in concentration.
8. Having reached the stage when one is capable of dispelling any distraction one must now endeavour to prolong the period of concentration to the furthest; and
9. Owing to constant practice one can now concentrate without much effort and contemplation comes more or less automatically.

The above nine stages of concentration can be accomplished by means of six forces as follows:

(1) The force of hearing can accomplish stage one;
(2) The force of reflection can accomplish stage two;
(3) The force of memory can accomplish stages three and four;
(4) The force of wisdom can accomplish stages five and six;
(5) The force of energy can accomplish stages seven and eight; and
(6) The force of complete acquaintance can accomplish stage nine.

The first and second stages of concentration require the most strenuous absorption of the mind. In the next five stages (3, 4, 5, 6, and 7) one has attained a certain amount of practice and concentration is possible with some breaks from time to time. In the eighth stage the mind can now concentrate fully as may be required. In the ninth or last stage one is able to practise perfect concentration without having to make any effort.

When one has understood the purpose, the order of stages in concentration and the distinction between each stage and implemented them, it will not be difficult to acquire profound meditation. This is a general type of concentration, but when one applies concentration to one's own mind it has other purposes.

To concentrate on mind one must first be able to identify what is mind. Mind is not visible, it has no shape, colour or size, and yet it can provide thought and imagination and identify anything that can be felt or is visible. Once you are able to recognise the mind you can take it as the object of concentration and proceed with the same process of abandoning the five defects and implementing the eight forms of thought in the nine stages of concentration by means of the six forces.

What we have said above is a very brief extract of the instruction given by Maitreya Buddha and Ayasanga on meditation. As mentioned above, if concentration is performed in accordance with the nine stages then at the ninth stage it becomes possible without effort or distraction and can be prolonged at will, thus achieving mental and physical happiness. After attaining effective mental and physical happiness if further absolute concentration is applied then profound meditation has been achieved. This achievement is classified as the preparatory stage of the bodily meditation which is one of the three forms of meditation.