The-Tibetan-Book-of-Living-and-Dying

74 THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYINGmore, it evokes and reminds you of the Buddha within you.As well as serving as the object of your meditation, it willtransform the environment around you and, even more important,inspire the atmosphere of your meditation with a deepstillness. If you wish, as you gaze into Padmasambhava's face,invoke the blessing and presence of all the buddhas.Then recite the mantra, and let its sound transform theenergy of your mind and purify your emotions. Try chantingit aloud. Chant with as much inspiration and feeling as youcan, and it will release your nervous tension. Then, rest in thespecial silence that ensues. You will find your mind naturallyquieter, more focused, more pliable, and at peace. Equally,you can recite the mantra softly or silently, as I haveexplained.Sometimes our minds are too agitated and too restless to beable to focus immediately on the breath. But if you practicefor a little while with the first two methods, by the time youcome to turn your attention to the breath, your mind willalready be somewhat tamed. Now you can remain, silentlywatching your breathing. Continue with this, or after a whilereturn to the practice that most deeply appeals to you.Spend as much time on each method as you wish beforemoving on to the next. You may find that sometimes unifyingthe practice, in the sequence given here, is of more help, andat other times one method, whether it is watching the breathor looking at an object or reciting a mantra, will be moreeffective in gathering your mind. Some people, for example,are simply not relaxed or at ease with watching the breathing;they find it almost claustrophobic. For them an object or amantra is more suitable. The important thing is to do whateverhelps you the most and whatever is appropriate for yourmood. Be adventurous, but try to avoid jumping from onemethod to another, once you have chosen a method to use.Be wise in applying the right practice to fit your specific needat the time. That is being skillful.THE MIND IN MEDITATIONWhat, then, should we "do" with the mind in meditation?Nothing at all. Just leave it, simply, as it is. One masterdescribed meditation as "mind, suspended in space, nowhere."There is a famous saying: "If the mind is not contrived, it isspontaneously blissful, just as water, when not agitated, is bynature transparent and clear." I often compare the mind in