Introduction- Practice 2: Mindfulness and Vigilant Guard
“Use the tools of mindfulness and vigilant guard to develop the force of familiarization. Whether you are eating, lying down, walking, sitting, working, relaxing, talking, being silent, or meditating, join everything to mind training. There is no circumstance that cannot be embraced by these trainings.”
– Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé Rinpoche
This study program is a practice program. Practice means using the methods provided to apply what you learn by blending it with your experience. Integrating each study point into your life during the course will ideally lead to a lasting change in your mental habit patterns. The effectiveness of any practice depends on how often we do it. To do it, we have to remember it.
The two tools that strengthen our practice are vigilant guard and mindfulness.
Vigilant guard constantly checks our state of mind and our actions. Ideally it monitors our mind during every situation, conversation, activity, and even during our quiet moments. It is the act of asking yourself, “What is the state of my mind?” and “What am I doing right now?”
As soon as vigilant guard checks the state of mind, mindfulness immediately remembers the practice you are studying at the time. For example, in the first study point, the practice is to remember the value of being human. As we go through all the points in this course, your goal will be to remember a different practice for each topic. The act of remembering the practice is called mindfulness.
Practice progresses to the extent that you can maintain vigilant guard and mindfulness. They need to become deeply habitual. To support this process, before starting this program, it’s a good idea to create a system of reminders to help develop a habit for checking the state of your mind (vigilant guard) and then immediately remembering the practice (mindfulness).
In order to cultivate strong vigilance and mindfulness before you start the program, the first lesson is to cultivate habit building. Set your intention to develop an internal habit of checking your mind and refocusing it on the practice every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day.
The goal is to blend each practice with everything that arises throughout the day for no less than two days per topic. Setting automated reminders is one way to begin making vigilant guard and mindfulness habitual; see below for more detail about this approach.
Assignments
Assignment 1
- Create Reminders: In preparation for the first practice, spend a day or two setting up your system for remembering the practices. This system of reminders supports you in your goal to integrate each practice into daily life.
- Select a smartphone reminder app. Here are a few options: Reminder Apps for Your Device . Be sure to choose an app that allows you to label the practice—for example, can you set a reminder that reads, Precious human birth.
- Alternatively, use the alarm function on your watch or phone. It is helpful to label the alarm with the name of the practice.
- Set the reminder to sound every 10-15 minutes. If you use the alarm function, hit the snooze button. Ideally, choose a sound that is pleasant and not likely to annoy you or others within earshot.
- Each time your reminder sounds, check the state of your mind mid-sentence or mid-activity, then apply the practice as outlined below. You don’t have to stop talking or pause your other activities to do this.
- In place of, or in addition to, automated reminders and alarms, you can create cards or post-it note reminders and write the name of the practice, such as “precious human birth” on them. Place the notes in easily noticeable locations throughout your environment—say, on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, on your car dashboard, on your computer, and so forth.
- Be imaginative in creating reminders using cloth, handwriting, or other items in order to design a system that will ensure you remember each practice throughout the day.
What to do when your reminder sounds:
As we move forward in the course, ideally you will remember each practice when the reminder is seen or heard. When the alarm sounds, or you see the note or symbol you created as a reminder, become aware of your thoughts and actions. Consider how they relate to whichever practice you are focusing on that day.
For example, when the reminder sounds, if you are contemplating this precious human birth, as soon as you are aware of the state of your mind or actions, think: “Am I making this life meaningful?” and/or “Is this how I want to use this precious human birth?” Consider the potential you have in being human and cultivate joy that you have been born with such extraordinary opportunities.
If you have time to contemplate in more detail, reflect on any of the freedoms and advantages outlined in the text. Be creative in appreciating being human in whatever way seems relevant to your state of mind and the circumstance at hand. You might conclude by allowing the mind to rest naturally for a moment or two.
Adapt these instructions for each of the different points of mind training.
Assignment 2
- Have you memorized the seven key points of mind training? If not, continue to work on doing so. ***Memorization tip: The sequence is logical, and if you think of the purpose of each step it is easier to remember them in order.
1) The preliminaries
2) The main practice
3) Transforming adversity
4) Integration
5) Measuring proficiency
6) Commitments
7) Advice
Assignment 3
- Mentally review Rinpoche’s introduction to the text: Who is the author of the source text? What is the purpose of the teachings? And anything else that you can recollect. This establishes a foundation for the practices to come. Each step will reinforce and build upon this foundation.
- Use your journal to reflect: What comes to mind initially? What are you curious about? What further questions or insights do you have to share with others?
Assignment 4
- Are there any insights, experiences, or questions you would like to share in the discussion box below?