*   The Six Transcendent Practices of a Bodhisattva  *
* Part Five: Transcendent Concentration *

by Tulku Jigme Rinpoche  

Dear Friends and Students,
 
As we continue with our series on the Six Transcendent Practices, now we shall examine Transcendent Concentration.
 
In order to achieve Transcendent Concentration you must meditate on sustained calm (shamatha) joined with profound, or penetrative, insight (vipashyana). Sustained calm is the mind single-pointedly focusing on a virtuous image or object, such as a diety or the image of a statue. Profound insight allows us to perceive emptiness. It helps to stop the extremes of samsara. Compassion helps us to stop the extremes of nirvana.
 
The defect of not concentrating is that you cannot realize emptiness. If you cannot realize emptiness, then you cannot achieve Enlightenment. Shantideva says,

"Those whose minds are slack and wandering are caught between the fangs of the afflictions."

Nargarjuna says,

"Without concentration, there is no wisdom."
 

Without concentration you cannot realize the profound insight of selflessness. Without realizing profound insight, there is no Enlightenment.
 
Again, Shantideva advises,
 

"Penetrative insight joined with sustained calm utterly eradicates afflicted emotions. Knowing this, first, search for sustained calm."
 

Sustained calm makes the mind stable. With a stable mind you can perceive emptiness. If you only meditate on sustained calm, you cannot go beyond samsara. With practice, you can achieve sustained calm, jointly, with profound insight. If you join sustained calm with profound insight, then you can achieve Enlightenment.

With the next teaching, we shall complete our examination of the Six Transcendent Practices. I invite you to write me with requests for teaching on the Mahayana path. I am interested to know what you would like to learn. Perhaps there is a specific teaching, appropriate for on-line teachings that you would like to request? I encourage you to let me know your thoughts. Write me at dudjom_institute@yahoo.com.
 
I also want to take this opportunity on behalf of Rinpoche and myself to thank all of you who participated, near and far, in our Saga Dawa activities for world peace and to clear all obstacles. It was a blessed and most auspicious time. Additionally, I want to thank all of you for your prayers for the Long Life of Rinpoche, who is well, at peace and remains a beacon of light to all his students.
 
Until next time, I remain,
 
Yours in the Dharma,
 
Tulku Jigme Rinpoche
 
Students of the Venerable Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche and Tulku Jigme Rinpoche are invited to ask questions at dudjom_institute@yahoo.com.

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