HH The Dalai Lama’s advice on choosing a practice

Some clarity is required on how to tackle and study the neurotic component of mind from a wise and compassionate angle. In this context, there’s enormous value to having a baseline practice to return to. In establishing and staying in touch with such a baseline, we can combine a grounding practice with an energizing practice. Viewed using a different defining rubric, we can also combine an analytical practice with a stilling practice.

I think it is very useful to recognize that The Buddha, at his core, was a great teacher who was focused on achieving real world, tangible results. This aspect of The Buddha is emphasized by teachers from different schools of Buddhism, both lay and monastic. For example, in one teaching, HH The Dalai Lama, while teaching (giving?) Manjushri Permission, states that The Buddha taught many Tantric practices, and a practitioner should take heed of the fact that different teachings are meant for different kinds of practitioners. One must not indiscriminately undertake all these practices. Similarly, in another context, while teaching metta, Ajahn Sona states that one cannot apply all the techniques to generate metta all the time. These must be used according to one’s own mental disposition, and according to whether they are effective. Moreover, metta itself is a widely applicable practice, and in as much as any mental factor is universally applicable, metta is universally applicable. However, even metta may not always be applicable. As one continues to engage with metta, the mental quality may appear more like a mellow factor of mind instead of an explosion of metta. (Some clarification of this is required.)

The power of grounding factors in my own practice, where I deliberately exercise the vigilant voice in the mind, and amp up mental energy when the mind gets dull, and I amp up mental gravity when the mind gets flighty - this is a neutral skill that can be very useful. To quickly move between metta cultivation and setting the mind right, this is likely necessary in order to fully integrate internal work into my life.

So, for example, the simple act of mental scanning while slowing down appears to offer an excellent current of grounding and indeed sanity. Now, ideally, I would love it if I could move swiftly from a full or capricious mental state, to an energetic, yet grounded mental state, that is conducive to bodily energy as well. However, having the intermediate step of slowing down and ramping up mental vigilance seems to be necessary for me. I’d like to master this transition.