Shaping Your Container

To all of my student readers (adults can sympathize too), how unbearable are those last five minutes of class when seconds seem like minutes and minutes seem like eternity? There are times when an entire school day can seem that painful, maybe because there is a party after school, or maybe because you can't stop thinking about where you are going for dinner. Sometimes, the brain cares more about what clothes will be worn tonight at Ricky's house, and less about why a certain metaphor is really symbolic of the entire novel, or why a certain verb is irregular in the past tense. The motivation of the student is the most important determinant for how meaningful lectures or classes will become. We have all heard the phrase, "It is difficult to help someone who does not want to be helped," and this tidbit of wisdom is as applicable to school as it is to Buddhism.

This student is NOT ready to learn...

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity of listening to the Rinpoche teach the essence of the Lam Rim teachings at the Emaho Foundation. Before the Rinpoche taught us, however, he received these same teachings himself from another very respected monk-- the Dalai Lama. These teachings are very important in Buddhism, and in order to ensure that those listening make the most of the lecture, Buddhism employs "Preliminary Practice", a technique engineered to prevent the mindset in the image above. 

The idea of preliminary practice is to generate the motivation and frame of mind that is conducive to full attention and eager learning. The idea is to create a mindset that every teacher desperately prays will manifest in one of her students. However, in the words of the Rinpoche, the idea is about "Shaping your Container." This container will eventually hold all of the meaning and understanding of the lecture, but first it must be created. Yet this cannot be any old container lying around the house. This container must be clean, for any bacteria or stains will only contaminate the teachings. This container must be strong and whole, for a crack is only another way for wisdom to seep out and forever be lost. 

A worthy container

From the mouth of the Rinpoche flows the water of his teachings, and if we cannot contain this water, we may as well not show up in the first place. We are taught to shape our container through meditation, chanting words of motivation, and discussing the purpose of attending the lecture in the first place. By the end of this practice, I was amazed to discover that it lasted 1 and 1/2 hours! That was just preparation for the essential teaching I thought would start right away. However, shaping my container was well worth the effort. By the time my container was shaped, every morsel (to the best of my ability) of my mind was focused on the teachings soon to come. Shaping my container made me realize that it is very silly not to devote my mind 100% to the teaching, for otherwise, what is the point of even showing up? If my mind is going to daydream about playing soccer, for example, I may as well be on the soccer field-- not half-listening to a teaching that I won't remember. This preliminary practice relates to Buddhism's overarching theme of controlling and being aware of the mind. Awareness of the mind seems to apply to everything in Buddhism, from realizing why you experience different emotions to generating a mindset that prepares you for learning.