Developing Pure Perception
Through Visualization
ANYEN RINPOCHE AND ALLISON
CHOYING ZANGMO| MAY 16, 2016
Lion’s Roar
We
visualize deities to connect with their enlightened energy, purity,
and sacredness, which is our own nature as well. Anyen Rinpoche and
Allison Choying Zangmo teach us how to visualize Avalokiteshvara,
the embodiment of perfect compassion.
We are
constantly thwarted by our own expectations. For most of us,
fantasizing about how things “should be” is a constant source of
anguish. We wish our parents, our children, our friends, our jobs,
our own health, and even the person standing in line in front of us
at the grocery store would be just so. We often bring this
hard-headed mindset to meditation.
We may have
had the romantic idea that meditation was about sitting in a
candlelit, quiet room and “emptying” the mind of all of its
conceptual thoughts, bringing us calm and blissful feelings.
Meditation actually offers something much more revolutionary. If we
do it right, it gives us new eyes, new senses, and a new world. It
opens us up to a part of our own mind we’ve never seen or
experienced before.
If we have
begun practicing the Vajrayana tradition seriously, we have
probably found that this revolutionary approach entails much more
than just sitting quietly in a dim room. Almost all Vajrayana
meditation practice includes some component of visualization
practice. It is also called “generation stage practice”
(Tib. skyed rim) because we generate
each aspect of a particular visualization in stages, honing our
ability to focus and concentrate with each stage.
Generation
stage practice can seem contradictory to our expectations. First,
we might think that certain parts of Vajrayana Buddhism associated
with this style of meditation practice—bright colors, ritual
items, thangkas, the recitation of
mantras and prayersadhanas—are merely parts of Tibetan
culture and should be excised from the American Buddhist tradition.
Another idea we might have is that meditation should empty the mind
of concepts. When we work with visualization practice, aren’t we
just piling more concepts on top of an already conceptual
mind? A third idea about visualization is that it is
difficult, and that meditation should actually be natural, easy,
and enjoyable. If we read the traditional sadhanas and texts that
present the methods for visualizing deities—for example, the refuge
tree or Vajrasattva—the instructions are extremely detailed; we
feel incapable of even visualizing a very small part of what we are
instructed to visualize. For that reason, we might think this
practice is just not for us. However, in spiritual practice, as in
life, our expectations are just that—projections and
misunderstandings of how things actually are.
I teach
generation stage practice to Western Buddhists who have a great
desire to progress on the Buddhist path and who are also open and
willing to try something new. I believe that many Western Buddhists
haven’t understood the proper context in which to place this
practice, and for that reason, it is contrary to their
expectations. I should say up front that generation stage is a
difficult practice. Becoming skillful at it entails the same amount
of effort, if not more, that we put into our professional careers,
families, and worldly obligations. We have to let go of the idea
that meditation is easy and natural, along with all of the other
fantasies we have about ourselves and the world.
Why is
training in generation stage practice so essential to Vajrayana
Buddhism? We can find the answer to this question within ourselves.
It is likely that we became interested in meditation because we
were tired of living with ourselves. The human mind is restless; it
is unable to relax quietly even for an instant. The constant
barrage of thoughts, emotions, judgments, criticisms, and
obsessions is exhausting. Because the mind is dominated by
conceptual thoughts and emotions, we aren’t open to other
experiences. The mind cannot find even a moment’s peace, and
neither can we.
Although it
may appear to be merely a conceptual exercise, generation stage
practice is an excellent method for helping the mind find rest and
refuge from the unceasing landslide of thoughts and emotions. When
we are working to generate a visualization, we are focusing so
fully that the mind has no choice but to drop the things it
normally chases after. And this is not just true of our visual
sense. Visualization practice is a multisensory experience. For
example, when we recite mantras, we work with the sensory
experience of sound. If we are working at the full experience of
the visualization, even the senses of touch, taste, and smell are
absorbed into that experience.
So, we
should understand that the purpose of generation stage practice is
tied to pacifying conceptual mind. We may have the idea that we are
simply overlaying more concepts upon concepts, but actually we are
using the mind’s ability to focus to cut through conceptual mind
itself.
But the
purpose of generation stage practice does not end there. To deepen
our understanding of this practice, let’s use the simple example of
visualizing Avalokiteshvara, the quintessential bodhisattva of
compassion. He is an example not just of ordinary compassion but
also of immeasurable compassion.
You may
have experience working with a sadhana, or a ritual practice, that
helps you visualize Avalokiteshvara in stages. However, such
experience isn’t necessary. For the purposes of this explanation,
we will rely upon just one verse as an invocation and refer to an
image of Avalokiteshvara in his ordinary form: white in color, with
four arms, seated in vajra posture, with two legs, and ornamented
in the sambhogakaya style.
We start
with the invocation:
HRI I prostrate to Avalokiteshvara,
Whose
white body is uncontaminated by fault
Whose
head is adorned by the perfect buddhas,
And
whose compassionate eyes watch over beings!
Next, we
work at trying to “see” some of the details of Avalokiteshvara’s
appearance, which are present in the illustration. Here, we use the
word “see” metaphorically. We aren’t capable of visualizing in
great detail in the beginning, because we haven’t trained and
practiced in this technique. Instead we “see” with eyes of
devotion, our own conviction that it is just so.
In the very
beginning, we may find that while we wish to visualize
Avalokiteshvara, we are unable to concentrate on anything at all.
In that case, we can start very slowly. We could begin by
visualizing Avalokiteshvara’s face. Perhaps even that is too much,
so we may want to concentrate on the shape of his eyes or his
mouth. Once that becomes easier, we can move to another part of his
body, such as his hands. Slowly, over time, we will develop the
ability to see all of the details of Avalokiteshvara’s
form.
Another
method that we could use to train in visualization is to rely on an
image of Avalokiteshvara: a painting on the wall above our shrine
or a statue in our practice room. We could look at the image,
concentrating on it deeply, then look away from the image and try
to maintain what we saw. We can do this repeatedly, looking at the
image and then turning away from it, in order to increase our
ability to concentrate on Avalokiteshvara.
We are not
just trying to connect with an image of Avalokiteshvara as an
exercise inshamatha, or one-pointedness. We are trying to
connect with Avalokiteshvara’s energy, his great compassionate
nature. Avalokiteshvara’s four arms are symbolic of the four
immeasurable qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and
equanimity. Generation stage practice is about trying to connect
with Avalokiteshvara’s energy and using the mind’s focus and
concentration to bring forth that energy in ourselves. When we
visualize Avalokiteshvara in front of us, we may also want to
visualize ourselves as Avalokitesvara, cultivating that seed of
great compassion in ourselves.
If we want
to take a break from focusing on the visualization, we can
concentrate the mind by using a prayer to invoke the great,
compassionate energy of the four immeasurable qualities:
May all
sentient beings have happiness and the cause of
happiness!
May all
sentient beings be free of suffering and the cause of
suffering!
May all
sentient beings not be separated from great happiness free of
suffering!
May all
sentient beings dwell in great equanimity free from passion,
aggression, and prejudice!
Then we can
return to visualizing when we are ready. One misconception we may
have is that we should be able to maintain a visualization for a
long period of time. However, as with all practices of meditation,
the experience of concentrated visualization will be
momentary.
In
generation stage practice, we are also connecting with the energy
of purity. Our ordinary minds constantly see individuals and the
world around us impurely. Working with visualization practice, we
are connecting with something that is sacred and completely pure.
Avalokiteshvara is not merely a cultural icon of Tibet. He is an
embodiment of complete purity, of enlightened energy, and of
compassion. His white color is symbolic of his perfectly pure
nature.
Generation
stage practice awakens the mind to what is called “pure
perception.” Focusing on Avalokiteshvara’s pure nature can help us
relate to the world in a less judgmental way. Our ordinary way of
doing this is to avoid or push aside judgmental thoughts and ideas.
However, when we engage in generation stage practice, the
transformation of the mind is natural and very deep. We are not
just superimposing some concept over our actual experience and
saying, “Everything around us is good.” Instead, we are training in
pure vision, in order to see the world’s pure nature. We are doing
this through the mind’s concentration on a sacred expression of
compassion and purity.
Finally, we
should not limit our practice of the generation stage to formal
meditation practice. We should carry our connection to
Avalokiteshvara out with us into the world. In the Vajrayana
tradition, we say that when we finish practicing, we “carry the
energy of the deity with us.” That means we carry Avalokiteshvara’s
compassionate energy and pure vision with us into the world, and
also try to see that nature in others. We can even try to see
others as Avalokiteshvara. Ultimately, the goal of generation stage
practice is to awaken to the reality that all beings are
indivisible from Avalokiteshvara’s own nature.
Seeing
ourselves, others, and the world around us through pure eyes
thoroughly transforms our experience of life. And the benefit
doesn’t stop there. Generation stage practice creates a chain
reaction as we bring warmth, compassion, and openness to others,
and into the environment around us.