Bringing Obstacles to the Path

By Thrangu Rinpoche
The practice oI Shamatha or Tranquility is how to calm down coarse thoughts and kleshas and the
practice oI Vipashyana or insight is how to see the nature oI your mind just as it is and in that way
eradicate deIects and increase qualities.
Generally speaking we can divide all things into bewilderment and that which is un-bewildered.
Bewilderment or ignorance is what we call samsara, or cyclic existence. That which is un-
bewildered is what we call nirvana. The Iunction oI the practice oI Vipashyana is to recognize that
nature which exists beyond and beIore bewilderment. When you see that, then you see the Iruition
which is without deIects and includes all qualities. But although you have recognized this nature,
until you actually attain that Iruition, you still have to deal with adversity; thoughts, kleshas,
suIIering, illness and so on. So the next subject, what I'm going to talk about now is how to deal
with adversity through the practice oI meditation. This is called "bringing adversity to the path."
1. Bringing Thoughts to the Path
There are six types oI adversities which need to be brought to the path. The Iirst adversity is
thought. Now thoughts continue to arise Ior us and sometimes they are extremely intense. These
intense thoughts can be virtuous or non virtuous; they can be pleasant or unpleasant. In any case, iI
we Iollow the thought we become more bewildered, which leads to more Iixation, which leads to
more problems. II we apply the remedy to the thought, the thought is paciIied, which leads to both
temporary and ultimate happiness. So when we're meditating with a relaxed mind, whether we are
practicing Shamatha or Vipashyana, when thoughts arise and distract us this obstructs our
meditative state oI stillness, so thereIore it can be an obstacle. The remedy to this is how to bring
thoughts to the path.
When we are meditating, eventually a thought will arise. It could be a weak thought or an intense
thought, it could be a virtuous thought or a negative thought. In any case the situation is the same. It
seems necessary to do something about this and there are three things we usually think oI that we
might do about thought. The Iirst thing is that we need to recognize that the thought has arisen, and
once we recognize that the thought is present we need to somehow restrain the thought, in other
words get hold oI it. Finally we need to apply an antidote, a wisdom that serves as an antidote to
that thought. But here, this is not what is done. That is not how we bring thoughts to the path.
Another thing that we think we might have to do is to recognize that a thought has arisen and then
examine it, we question the thought, try to see what it is like. Here, revealing the nature oI the
thought through analysis is also not what is done.
A third thing that may occur to us is that when the thought arises we just acknowledge its having
arisen and then let go oI it and it will dissolve. That is also not bringing the thought to the path.
Bringing thoughts to the path consists oI: When the thought arises, you recognize that it has arisen,
but you don't try to stop it or get rid oI the thought, nor do you Iollow the thought. In other words,
you don't try to alter the thought or the presence oI the thought in your mind in any way. You don't
examine or analyze the thought. All you do, is in a relaxed way look directly at it. When you look
directly at the thought, the substance oI the thought will disappear. But even beIore the thought has
disappeared or dissolved, you will see its nature, which is beyond conceptual apprehension. As soon
as you see the nature oI the thought, even though the thought is still present, it has become
meditation. That is how to bring thoughts to the path.
When you attempt looking at thoughts as a beginner, particularly with intense thoughts, you may
Iind this uncomIortable. It may seem somewhat unnatural to you, but iI you continue to apply it, it
will eventually become quite natural and be an eIIective way to enter into meditation even in the
midst oI thought. Once you are experienced with this, then you will have the habit oI, as soon as a
thought arises, looking directly at its nature and it will become quite easy.
2. Bringing Kleshas to the Path
The second type oI adversity to be brought to the path is kleshas or mental aIIlictions. Kleshas are
thoughts, but they are a speciIic type oI thoughts that are particularly problematic. We consider
them problematic or even poisonous because they cause us suIIering and indirectly they cause
others suIIering as well. According to the Buddha's teachings in both the sutras and the tantras, all
kleshas or mental aIIlictions can be summed up in Iive categories, and those can be Iurther reduced
to three. These are usually reIerred to as the Iive poisons or the three poisons because they are
poisonous iI they are not remedied.
The Iirst klesha is attachment, which can be attachment to anything such as Iood, wealth, pleasure
and so on. This is poisonous because being attached to something causes suIIering.
The second klesha is aggression. Aggression has many varieties such as hatred, holding a grudge,
spiteIulness, malevolence and so on. All oI these are varieties oI the same basic klesha.
The third klesha is apathy, which is a state that arises Irom ignorance or mental dullness.
The Iourth klesha is pride, which in this case is holding yourselI to have qualities which you don't
possess.
And the IiIth is jealousy, which is being unable to tolerate the good things that others enjoy. It's
being bothered by the good qualities oI others, being bothered by the wealth or pleasure oI others
and so on.
These Iive types oI kleshas do not normally arise simultaneously. The reason we consider the
kleshas problems is that they can simply ruin our lives. They can certainly ruin our practice oI
dharma and especially our practice oI meditation.
So the Iirst step, oI course, is recognizing that a klesha has arisen. Normally we don't recognize
even that. Normally when a klesha arises it takes hold oI us beIore we are even prepared to admit
that it has arisen. At this point, having learned what the kleshas are and having come to admit that
they arise has prepared you to recognize and acknowledge them when they do arise. Although you
recognize the arising oI the klesha, and although normally we consider kleshas poisonous and
problematic, you don't try to stop or get rid oI the klesha when it arises. The approach here is
identical to that with thoughts in general. When the klesha arises and you recognize such-and-such
klesha has arisen in my mind, you don't try to chase it out or stop it, nor do you indulge it. You don't
need to stop it because the nature oI the klesha is empty, the same as the nature oI thought, the same
as the nature oI mind. So thereIore once you have recognized the arising oI whatever klesha it is,
then you simply look directly at its nature without altering anything, without attempting to alter
your mind or the klesha. As you look at its nature you will experience and recognize its nature. In
order to do this oI course your mind needs to be somewhat relaxed, but also you need to have a
lucid awareness.
Seeing its nature is the same as in the previous case with thoughts in general. While the klesha does
not particularly disappear, because its nature is recognized it is no longer poisonous or problematic,
and even while it is still present, beIore it has vanished it becomes an aid to meditation.

3. Bringing Gods and Demons to the Path
The third type oI adversity to be brought to the path is gods and demons. Now gods and demons
here, is a term Ior a category oI experience that includes more than simply gods and demons. What
is called gods and demons here includes all kinds oI hallucinations and paranormal experiences,
which some people tend to regard as the inIluence oI actual external beings which we would
classiIy as gods and demons. Or other types oI experiences that we have that are not particularly
paranormal but still involve intense Iear. So basically what is called gods and demons here means
experiences oI intense Iear.
Now Iear can arise Ior a good reason. There may be something to be aIraid oI. But sometimes Iear
arises Ior no apparent reason. We just suddenly become aIraid and this can reach a point even oI
terror, or can simply remain as an instance or attack oI anxiety. Whether or not you view this as the
activity oI gods and demons it is still a problem, because this anxiety and even terror, is by its very
nature disturbing and unpleasant.
How do you deal with it? You deal with it in exactly the same way as thoughts and kleshas. The Iirst
step is to recognize the presence oI the anxiety or Iear in your mind. Then, you don't try to stop it or
get rid oI it, nor do you indulge it. You simply look directly at its nature with a mind that is
otherwise utterly unaltered. As you look at its nature, you directly experience its nature. You
experience that in Iact it has the same nature as your mind, the same nature as thoughts and kleshas.
It has no substance. When you recognize that the anxiety or Iear has no substance, in one way you
recognize that there is nothing to be aIraid oI. Now the Iear in one sense is still there. The Iear hasn't
vanished, but it has become meditation, because its nature is recognized. And becoming meditation,
even beIore it vanishes, it is no longer what we could really call Iear.
By using the method oI bringing Iear, or gods and demons to the path, what would otherwise be
adversity is not only paciIied, and paciIied through the recognition oI its nature, but in Iact it
actually becomes a source oI beneIit to one's meditation.
4. Bringing SuIIering to the Path
The Iourth type oI adversity to be brought to the path is suIIering. A great deal oI our suIIering is
connected with sickness and death. But here, because they are so signiIicant they are enumerated
separately as the IiIth and sixth. SuIIering here means situations other than sickness and death.
Basically it reIers to two situations. One is when you are miserable, and the other is when you see
the misery oI others and that produces misery or depression in yourselI. The question here is how to
deal with both in meditation.
Actually there are really three situations because there are two possible reactions that practitioners
tend to have towards the misery or suIIering oI others. These reactions occur when you witness the
suIIering Irom illness, misery, deprivation, poverty and so on, oI others.
One reaction that practitioners tend to have is one that is uncompassionate; where when you see the
suIIering oI someone else your real reaction is Iear that the same thing might happen to you. You
think, "What would I do iI that happened to me? I'd better practice so it doesn't." That is what is
called here the Hinayana reaction to the suIIering oI others.
The second type oI reaction that is characteristic oI practitioners is a compassionate one; where you
see that the being is miserable and you realize that there must be a lot oI beings all over the place
who share that same misery, and you intensely desire, almost intolerably so to help them and you
want to do something about it.
Whether the situation here is your own misery or the Ieeling oI sadness that comes Irom witnessing
the misery oI others and being aIraid oI it, or the situation oI sadness that comes Irom seeing the
suIIering oI others and wanting to help it, the situation is Iundamentally dealt with the same way.
You recognize the presence oI this sadness in your mind and you look at its nature. Looking at its
nature you see that it is empty, it has no substantial existence. While the sadness is still present, it is
transIormed into meditation, and being transIormed into meditation it is no longer a problem.
5. Bringing Sickness to the Path
The IiIth type oI adversity to bring to the path is sickness. Now sickness oI course is a type oI
suIIering, but it is enumerated separately because it is so intense. The idea here is how to use
meditation to deal with an unavoidable experience, the suIIering oI sickness. But the idea is not to
use meditation to replace medical treatment.
Sickness can be either physical or mental and arises Ior us because our bodies are composites,
thereIore impermanent, thereIore subject to illness. We do experience physical and mental illness oI
various degrees at various points in our lives. When these arise, our usual reaction is simply that we
cannot stand it. It makes us miserable. The approach here is neither to indulge in endless thinking
about how bad it is, nor to deny how bad it is. You simply look directly at the sensation oI illness,
the sensation oI pain or discomIort. By looking at it you see its nature. This does not mean that the
sensation will cease. The sensation, oI course, is extremely intense, and thereIore it is vivid and
clear. When you look directly at its nature, the clarity or vividness oI the sensation is not
diminished, but because you experience its nature, the experience oI illness or pain becomes a state
oI meditation. This means that while the illness or pain does not cease through seeing its nature, it is
no longer quite the problem it was, no longer quite the source oI misery it was.
This is also called bringing sickness down oII its pedestal, which means bringing sickness down to a
level where it is not controlling you and is not such a problem. There are two ways to do this. One is
to look directly at the sensation oI sickness or pain and see its emptiness, its nature. The other way
is to look at the nature oI the mind that is experiencing the sensation. In either case the result is the
same, and bringing sickness to the path in this way will actually help a great deal.
You might wonder how you can prepare Ior this, how you can practice this as a technique when
you're not ill. The way to prepare Ior this is actually to pinch yourselI - a little bit oI skin, which
hurts iI you've ever tried it. It hurts, but not that much. So it's good to start with. II you look at the
nature oI the pain oI pinching your skin, iI you look directly at it, you'll see that it is empty. It has
no substantial existence. While you are observing or experiencing its emptiness, the pain is still
there. The pain has not stopped, it still hurts, but because you are experiencing the emptiness oI the
pain, although it still hurts, it's not a problem. When you develop stability in that, then gradually
you will be able to deal with actual illness and more and more intense degrees oI discomIort.
6. Bringing Death to the Path
The sixth adversity to bring to the path is death. Death is something that is deIinitely going to
happen to each and every one oI us. Once you have been born a human being there is no way to
avoid the experience oI death. Everyone who has been born either has died or will die, and so we
will also. Death is something that inspires tremendous Iear and sadness in us, and as a result we
oIten try to avoid thinking about it and live in denial oI death. Denial oI death oI course is useless,
since it's going to happen anyway one day what we need to do is cultivate some method through
which we can transcend both Iear and denial and go through death without Iear and suIIering. It is
actually possible to do this, and since we have no choice but to experience death, we really must
Iind a way to get through it. There are many methods Ior doing this, but here the approach is based
on Shamatha and Vipashyana.
Basically, what we call death consists oI three diIIerent experiences or stages. There is the approach
oI death, there is dying and there is aIter death. The suIIering oI the approach oI death is a
combination oI possibly sickness and primarily Iear. It is the Iear oI loss, the Iear oI losing your liIe
and everything that goes along with that. It also may entail a Iear oI what's going to happen to you
aIter you've died. In any case, the way to deal with the Iear oI approaching death is basically the
same as how to bring gods and demons to the path, because it is a type oI Iear. So you look directly
at the Iear and you recognize its nature to be emptiness.
The second experience oI death is the experience oI dying. Throughout your liIe, your body and
mind have been united or combined. Death consists oI the separation, the gradual separation oI your
mind Irom your body. ThereIore it's an experience diIIerent Irom anything you've undergone in this
liIe, and as a result, being a completely new experience it will be unIamiliar and could possibly be
terriIying. The approach here is to prepare yourselI Ior that experience, so that you can look at the
nature oI it while it is occurring with a relaxed mind.
Then the third part is aIter death, when your body and mind, having separated are experiencing
things even stranger, even more novel than dying itselI, and this is what is called the aIter death
interval, or bardo. Because it is completely new to you, it is also apt to be terriIying. So in the same
way, you prepare yourselI Ior it so that your mind can be relaxed and look at the nature oI the
experience itselI at that time.
Death is usually accompanied by great sadness and suIIering and when that starts to happen, when
you start to Ieel that way, you need to reIlect upon what death really is. The Iirst thing you need to
remember is that you are not alone in dying, everyone dies, so that there is no point in Iearing death,
since it cannot be avoided. Now, simply thinking in this way will help to stabilize your mind
somewhat. With regard to the intense sadness that death inspires in us, particularly iI we are the one
who is dying, you have to remember that there is no reason to be that sad about it, because death is,
by deIinition, the most natural thing in the world, which happens to everyone. So initially you
encourage yourselI by trying to gain a perspective on what is happening to you. That will somewhat
reduce the intensity oI the sadness and suIIering, enough so that you can recognize in a conscious
way the appearances or experiences which will occur as you come closer and closer to the actual
moment oI death, which is the actual separation oI your mind Irom your body. By not panicking
about death quite so much your mind will be relaxed enough to be able to notice these experiences.
The value oI this is that at the culmination oI the process oI dying, when your mind is no longer
biologically seated in your body, you will experience the Iundamental nature oI your mind, or oI all
things. II you have previously experienced this in meditation, then you will be able to recognize it,
and in general iI your mind is calm through the dying process then you will enter the interval
between lives not in a state oI panic. That will help you a great deal because it will make you more
able to consciously choose your subsequent rebirth.
Now there is an actual technique Ior preparing Ior these experiences. While we cannot actually
experience while we still have a body the exact appearances that arise in the bardo, we can
experience something that is similar in nature and slightly less intense. As Iar as preparing Ior the
visual appearances that accompany or immediately Iollow death, the technique is to close your eyes
very, very tight, so that your eyelids, your upper eyelids in particular, are actually pressing on your
eyes. As you squeeze your eyes shut quite tightly, Iirst oI all, because your eyes are closed, you'll
see darkness. But then within the darkness, because oI the pressure on the eyes, you will start to see
a light. It's oI various colours, green, blue, yellow, red, or whatever; and various shapes. These are a
little bit oI what you see in the bardo immediately aIter death.
Now when you do this as a practice, initially what you see is quite surprising. You can't think oI a
reason why you should be seeing these things simply by squeezing your eyes. But what you see is
the natural light, or natural display oI dharmata, which is the nature oI your mind and the nature oI
all things and has no existence outside yourselI. As you look at this light or these appearances,
while they don't disappear, because the condition Ior their having occurred or arisen is still being
applied, you're able to see their nature. In other words, you are able to recognize that they're not
external to yourselI.
Also in the bardo there are sounds that are in nature similar to these lights or appearances. You can
prepare Ior that with a similar technique, which involves gritting your teeth so that your jaw is
somewhat clenched. II you do this in an appropriate environment, Iirst oI all you won't hear
anything. But iI you do it long enough, eventually you start to hear a hum that eventually starts to
become something oI a roar, or a roaring sound. This is called the empty sound oI dharmata. By
Iamiliarizing yourselI with these appearances and sounds, then when you actually experience them
in their Iull intensity in the bardo, you will be prepared and your mind will be relaxed.
Those are the six adversities to be brought to the path. These six techniques teach how to deal with
adversities that aIIect this liIe and aIIect meditation. But Ior them to work, you need to apply them.
You can't just Iorget them. You are extremely Iortunate to be practicing Mahamudra meditation, to
be studying it and receiving instruction, and to be interested in it in the Iirst place. As I mentioned
earlier, Mahamudra is very convenient to practice. It does not involve anything that does not Iit into
a conventional liIestyle, so please do whatever Iormal practice oI Mahamudra you can. Even iI you
do it only Ior very, very short periods oI time, by practicing regularly Ior the rest oI your liIe, you
will beneIit yourselI tremendously.
Some people, because oI considerations oI time or other circumstances Iind themselves unable to
practice and then may become unhappy and sad. But don't Ieel too bad about that either, because
even having had contact with these teachings, having the motivation to study and practice these
teachings will eventually beneIit you greatly as well.
Questions & Answers
Question: My question is on attachments and relationships, speciIically with loved ones and how
one can be a good Iather, husband, mother, brother, Iriend and yet maintain non-attachment.
Rinpoche: Well, attachment and love are Iundamentally diIIerent. Attachment is selIish, attachment
makes us use people and love is a concern Ior the welIare oI others. Whether it's your Iamily, your
spouse, or anyone else, it's a concern that things go well Ior others, that they be happy, that they
have what they need, that they acquire an education, and so on. So there is no conIlict with being a
loving husband and Iather. Attachment is something entirely diIIerent.
Question: I'm conIused about compassion. You suggested that we should not Ieel compassion any
more, but I Ieel sad iI somebody is poor like in the pictures that you have there. That is compassion
in me, I do not want to kill that so that I can maybe donate. I don't understand that.
Rinpoche: What you are reIerring to is bringing suIIering to the path. The instruction was not to
avoid compassion or to get rid oI compassion. It was how to deal with the misery that arises in our
mind when we Ieel compassion but Ieel Irustrated when we can't achieve everything we want. So
it's not the case that you want to get rid oI compassion. In Iact, you need compassion very much,
but you do want to be able to work with compassion without being disturbed by it.
Copyright Thrangu Rinpoche & Zhyisil Chokyi Ghatsal Publications 2002.