Nitartha Institute: The Begging Bowl


		Teachings

What is Wisdom?

by Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen

What is wisdom? Wisdom is knowing. Knowing what? Wisdom is knowing everything. What prevents us from knowing? Solid views, rigid concepts and superimposed images are hindrances to knowing. Our knowing is limited by these solid obstacles. They spin around the ability to know and prevent it from penetrating and reaching the true nature. In order to go deeply and know, we must transcend or destroy the heavy views, concepts and images. The first step is to break them into pieces.

When we encounter a solid, heavy concept or disturbing emotion, we should engage in debate with ourselves by looking at and applying the different reasonings that might help us deal with the situation. Forget about transforming it for now; leave that aside for a while. Instead, develop the confidence that you can deal with your emotions and concepts through engaging in a kind of debate with yourself.

When first engaging in analytical meditation, it is easy to get annoyed because the number of thoughts seems to increase. Experiencing even more concepts than before seems bad. If the preconception is that good meditation should be without thoughts, then conflict is experienced in analytical mediation. But there is no real conflict; it is only a preconception, a superimposed image.

When practicing analytical meditation, the number of thoughts does increase, but the total amount of thought does not increase. Before, there was one big mass of heavy solid thought. Through analytical meditation, we chop away at this solid thought, making it into smaller and lighter bits. For example, take the clinging to a friendship or marriage as being permanent. In its number, it counts as only one thought. But, in fact, it is very dense, solid and heavy. Through the process of analytical meditation, we break it down into its subparts, seeing each aspect of our clinging to single units. In this case, we might get in touch with our fear or dependence, or our appreciation and love. We see the consequences of these notions. The number of thoughts seems to increase as we use our awareness and intelligence to dissect the one big thought. The heaviness of that thought decreases, though the number of thoughts appears to increase. They become lighter to carry. The feeling that the thoughts have increased may result from being able to think faster. We become more flexible and it is easier to have these thoughts. Anyway, at every moment we can only have one thought, so it just seemingly increases.

In my own experience, the practice of debating with myself has been very helpful. For example, when I was in Germany a few years ago, I was told that I have a much enlarged heart. It is a dangerous condition, and the doctors were worried when they discovered how enlarged my heart was.

I asked, "For what reason is it dangerous to have a big heart?"

They replied, "Because your heart is so big, it is difficult for oxygen to pass through so much mass and blood." In fact, they told me I could die at any moment.

My response was, "Don't worry. I have known since I was a kid that I could die at any moment."

"No you don't understand; it is really dangerous," they insisted.

I said, "I know that because one of the first teachings of the Buddhist tradition is that we can die at any moment."

That was my first reaction when they told me about my heart condition. Afterwards, I actually got slightly worried, but that only came later. Then I had some thoughts that I might die soon. However, in the first instant, when they said that I might die at any moment, my first reaction definitely was that I knew that because I had already learned it. This is an example of relying on analytical meditation. Having done this kind of analysis on impermanence was very helpful at that moment.

Another example of an immediate response that arose as a result of practicing analytical meditation occurred when I had dental surgery. In order to implant new teeth, the dentist made a large incision in my mouth.

As they made the incision, they said to me, "Oh, there is very bad news."

"What's the bad news now?" I asked.

They said, "Well, your bone is very small."

Then immediately I said, "Well, don't worry, I have a big heart." They did not quite understand.

If we do not engage in analytical meditation, then when we encounter disturbing emotions, we are at a loss, and we just want to escape them. We should see the benefits of analytical meditation and engage in its practice.

Analytical meditation is sometimes called the warrior's path or the hero's path because the idea is to face our own fear.