Two Forms of Meditation
The first form of meditation is to engage in activities and techniques of mind. They are not so difficult to do because our minds are extremely adept and well-practiced in doing and creating. Like AI is very capable at creating, our natural intelligence is a master of creation; it constructs our entire reality. It can even conjure and hold fast to the idea that this lump of flesh and yesterday’s food is a ‘self’, itself.
Most of the meditation teachings we receive and practise fall into this first category. We set our mind to the activity of concentrating on an object, the breath, a mentally created visualisation, etc.
In truth, while easy to understand, these practices are not easy to do; they require diligence and persistence inspired by the four thoughts. But they are nonetheless easier than the second form of meditation.
The second form is not a technique or a visualisation, it is to look directly at what it is that performs the technique, that conjures the visualisation; i.e. our mind and thoughts. This is a much harder form of meditation. In fact, initially it would be wrong to call it ‘meditation’ because at this point we do not know authentic meditation, we are in the process of learning meditation. Like anything that requires knowledge, it must be learnt, studied.
We do not know meditation at this point because we do not know mind and thoughts. We think we know, but we don’t. We have never really looked at mind and thoughts. Our ‘knowledge’ of them is a presumption and it is these presumptions that obscure our ability to observe the mind as it is. We have no habit for turning within and observing the mind. It is only the highly intelligent and especially diligent who can overcome the habit for being outwardly orientated and see past their presumptions.
In this second form of meditation, where we are learning mind and thoughts by looking at them directly, we do not really get a hold of anything; something we can grasp, get our teeth stuck into and be diligent in. For the most part, we are never quite sure what we should be doing or looking at. This means that while we may be able to persist in looking and learning for a couple of days, we soon get fed up. We can’t keep looking and seemingly not finding week after week. This is why it is only a practice for the intelligent and diligent, not to mention those with deep faith. It is also one of the reasons why it is not taught early in someone’s path in the Dharma.
It is also not easy to find a meditation master who can teach the second method. One who can guide you through your investigations based on their own experience. A master who has recognised their own mind and thoughts and can help you find yours.
Most meditation teachers teach techniques; they give you a task to do, a concentration to maintain, an object to focus on. The focus may be called ‘the nature of mind,’ ‘rigpa’ or what have you, but it will remain the first form of meditation as long as you have not found and understood your mind and thoughts.
A meditation teacher of the second form, will not explain very much or tell you what to do other than to look. They will ask you about what you have found and what you have resolved about mind and thought. If you are mistaken, they will ask further questions and thereby demonstrate that you have not understood and what requires further investigation.
Once you have correctly resolved the mind and thoughts for yourself, that is when the lama gives pointing-out instructions. These instructions will validate and confirm your understanding, and you will now know meditation. What is more, once you know mind and thoughts, you know everything there is to know.
24.08.2025 HK Retreat