Mar 13, 2014, 4:44 PM ETConference Presentation, Fireside Chat, Panel

The Path to Awakening

The Milken Institute Forum featured Shamar Rinpoche, the 14th Red Hat Lama of Tibet, discussing his book The Path to Awakening, published by Delphinium Books (founded by Lori Milken and Cecile Engel in 1990).
Delphinium Books has evolved to publish in hardback, paperback, and e-book formats (via Open Road Media) and has received awards including the Penn-Hemingway Award for Best First Fiction.
The forum included a panel discussion with Dr. Mark Junkins (Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech) and an open Q&A session for electronic questions.

The book provides a secular, non-sectarian commentary on the "Seven Points of Mind Training" attributed to the 11th-century master Atisha and condensed in the 12th century by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje.
Rinpoche wrote the commentary specifically for Western audiences to address rising anxiety and depression, offering a method to train the mind like a "wild horse" to achieve peace.
The practice is designed to be non-sectarian, avoiding the strict guru-disciple commitments of Vajrayana that can foster unhealthy competition and sectarianism among Western practitioners.
Awakening is defined as emerging from the "dualistic mind" (the illusion of subject-object separation) rather than simply acquiring knowledge; it is waking up from the "dream" of ignorance.
Rinpoche distinguishes between normal ignorance (lack of facts) and spiritual ignorance (the dualistic experience that traps beings in samsara).

Initial Practice: The first step involves focusing on the breath and counting 21 cycles (approx. 5 minutes) to build habit; advanced practitioners can count 100 or 1,000 cycles comfortably.
Mindfulness: Defined as the first stage of training to maintain concentration and awareness, serving as the foundation for further spiritual development.
Tonglen Meditation: A compassion practice involving "giving and taking" where one inhales the suffering of others and exhales happiness to them, purifying negative karma.
Handling Thoughts: Practitioners should not attempt to stop thoughts but recognize them and gently return focus to the meditation object; thoughts spontaneously dissolve once recognized.
Frequency Recommendation: Instead of one long session, Rinpoche advises "horse eating grass"—meditating frequently in short bursts throughout the day, particularly for busy urbanites.
Safety: Meditation is safe when following a structured progression; unguided self-teaching can lead to mental instability.

Vajrayana: Described by Rinpoche as a "medical" or biological approach utilizing yoga to channel mental energy through central nerves to achieve awakening, distinct in method but sharing the same goal as other paths.
Buddha Nature: All beings possess the inherent quality/seed of enlightenment, similar to the ability to wake up from sleep, though obscured by self-clinging and illusions.
Karma: Defined as mental events (positive or negative) created by afflictions (greed, anger, ignorance) that carry energy and influence future experiences; it is not merely "luck" or "attraction" but the accumulation of mental actions.
The 14th Shamarpa: The title refers to the Red Hat Lama lineage; Rinpoche clarifies that while bad karma must be experienced, previous lives of high realization generally ensure a "precious human life" without falling into lower realms.
Consciousness vs. Awareness: In Buddhist philosophy, these terms are often used interchangeably to denote the mind's capacity for self-realization and experience.

Urban vs. Rural: Rinpoche asserts that a busy city is not an obstacle to meditation once the mind is controlled; a tranquil environment only helps those who cannot yet control their own mind.
Technology: Constant electronic connection contributes to "samsara" (cyclic suffering) by trapping the mind in illusion, but technology itself can be used beneficially for access to teachings if used with caution.
Age for Meditation: Traditional teaching discouraged meditation for children due to the risk of misunderstanding; Rinpoche suggests waiting until age 18, or perhaps 16-17 if the child is mature.
Spiritual Teachers: While beginners can use Rinpoche's book, advanced meditators eventually require a guide with deep retreat experience (e.g., someone who has undergone a 3-year retreat) to navigate complex states.
Motivation without Duality: Even without ego-driven desire, a practitioner remains productive and motivated by compassion and the natural function of a liberated mind, free from the endless craving that characterizes ordinary life.
Karma of Reincarnations: Rinpoche confirmed that while some karma is carried forward, a realized tulkus generally possess sufficient merit to avoid lower rebirths, though they still experience the ordinary cycle of aging and dying.

Brain Science: Meditation causes nerves in the brain to become balanced and comfortable; Rinpoche noted this tranquility is a physiological result of the practice.
Prayer vs. Meditation: Prayer is viewed as a supplication of compassion that generates merit, whereas meditation is the internal work of listening and realizing the nature of mind.
Ascended Masters: Rinpoche confirmed that great Bodhisattvas actively work to vanish suffering realms (e.g., fire hell) through compassion and merit, occasionally manifesting changes in the physical world.
Happiness in Tibet: Rinpoche noted that while Tibetans are generally comfortable, current political tensions have led to self-immolations, making the overall happiness situation complex compared to the West.