Process Matters More Than The Outcome | Atisha's 7 Point Mind Training

Across wisdom traditions, teaching is to focus on the process and not on the outcome. Be it a journey, training or life. If you constantly wait for the end result, you will miss the process and the mind will always remain in the misery of waiting, hoping, hankering throughout the journey.

So for today's sutra, Atisha says: ABANDON ALL HOPE FOR FRUITION.

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Join me in a 30 min DAILY LIVE meditation session at 7 AM CET on my website.

Transcript

Namaste and a very warm welcome to all of you in this daily morning live meditation session with me the answer.

The world looks very different when there is inner silence and awareness.

The same world,

The very same world looks completely different.

Just like a rope on a dark street looks like a snake creates fear and if there is awareness,

If there is light,

If there is rest,

You see it is just a rope.

The same world looks completely different to the extent that facts don't matter.

In fact,

Facts don't matter.

The world is not made of facts.

The world is made of perception.

And that perception is dependent on the state of your mind,

On the state of your being.

How you are having this state determines your perception,

Determines your experience of the world.

If you look at what are facts,

Facts are nothing but common perceptions.

In a certain state of mind,

You have a certain perception.

The other also is in the same state of mind,

Has the same perception and these common perceptions create something that we call as fact.

So the fact also changes along with the perception,

Along with the state of mind.

It is evident from when you see something and when an animal sees the same thing,

Has a completely different perception of the same thing.

So it is a completely different reality for the animal,

For yourself,

For any other entity.

Your perception,

Your state of mind is more important than what the fact is.

We constantly live in this state of mind which creates this ordinary perception,

Which creates what we call as facts,

The physical facts of this world.

Spirituality has less to do with this ordinary state of mind,

With this ordinary perception.

This ordinary state of mind,

This ordinary perception,

It never allows you to settle.

There is a certain charge in it,

There is a certain movement,

A constant movement in it.

You are constantly agitated,

You are constantly disturbed in such a calculated way that you are always maintaining this,

What you call as reality,

Which is a perception.

Spirituality and meditation allows you those moments of silence,

Of awareness,

When your state of mind is coming down.

When your state of mind is coming down and in a way you are rising above the perception.

And as you move closer to rising above the perception,

Moving closer through the truth,

You see the reality in a completely different way.

Even if we don't aim at the goal,

Even if we don't see enlightenment as our goal,

Along the way,

Along the way there is a lot to achieve,

Inner peace,

Happiness,

Joy,

Silence,

Connection,

Love,

Compassion.

All these things are along this journey of rising above the perception,

Allowing the state of mind to come down,

To be silent.

We are currently going through the sutras of Atisha,

The seven point mind training.

Mind training for ultimately becoming more and more silent.

No matter what the point is,

No matter what the angle of the teaching is,

Ultimately this is all converging to silence,

All converging to building that state of mind which allows you to let that mind settle,

Let that dust settle,

Your awareness to clear up and you see reality the way it is.

So join me in these few minutes every morning of spiritual contemplation,

Of meditation,

Of giving ourselves these moments of silence and awareness.

The starting sutra for today from Atisha's seven point mind training,

Point number six,

Which is establishing the discipline of mind training.

The sutra is abandon any hope of fruition.

Abandon any hope of fruition of the result.

Here Atisha is not only talking about the practice of meditation,

The sadhana,

But also in life.

Unless we live this,

Unless we live this as a lifestyle,

That we abandon any and all hopes of fruition,

We are in misery,

We are in mind and we are never going to achieve,

Attain,

Reach to that silence,

To that awareness.

Because what is this that is trying to hope for the goal,

Trying to always hanker for the result,

For the end,

For the destination.

It is the mind,

It is the conditioning of our mind.

Across religions,

Across traditions,

Across wisdom teachings,

This has been a key point to bring the mind at rest,

To not always look at the goal,

To not hanker for the outcome,

To not hanker for the result,

But to be in the process.

I am reminded also of Bhagavad Gita,

Where there is this sutra,

Karman nivadi karaste ma phaleshu kadachan.

It also means the same focus on the karma,

Focus on the effort,

Focus on the process.

Don't worry about the end result,

Don't worry about the outcome,

Don't even think about the outcome,

Don't even hope for the outcome.

We will dive into Bhagavad Gita at some point of time as well,

Very beautiful lines,

Very beautiful wisdom that comes out of Bhagavad Gita.

But here you see that it doesn't matter whether we look into Buddhism or into Gita or into Yoga or into Tantra,

They all say the same thing.

And in this particular case,

What we are talking about is focusing on the process and not at the end game,

Not at the goal.

Because constantly mind is,

If you are constantly focused on the goal,

Your mind is somewhat living that constant stress.

It's never at rest if you are having a certain goal,

A hope for the outcome in mind.

There is a subtle difference between envisioning and working towards something and having that constant hope,

That constant hankering for the result.

So,

Bring yourself back from the outcome to the process.

If the outcome is meant to be,

It will be.

If the outcome is not meant to be,

It will not happen.

No matter what you think about it,

No matter how much you stress yourself about it.

So stay in the moment,

Stay in the process,

Stay in your action.

Be true to your action,

Be true to your process.

If there is something to change in your mindset,

Change this one thing to bring everything back to the process.

Enjoy the process and not the outcome,

Not the hope of the outcome.

Unfortunately our education system,

Our entire structure of society or thinking is designed in a way which is outcome oriented,

Which is goal oriented.

We are educated to always aim for the end result and the process is somewhat neglected.

So this change has to happen for not only us,

But when we are not only in the practice of meditation and for us,

But also in our daily life,

Also for our children,

For those who are building their mind and building their perspective to whether to constantly look at the outcome or enjoy the process or focus on the process,

We have to bring ourselves,

All of us,

Back from the outcome to enjoying the process.

The same applies to life as well.

Because we are educated and trained in a way where we always look at the outcome,

We also think that life also has a goal,

Has an outcome,

Has a purpose.

And this constant conditioning of the mind to look at the outcome,

To look at the hope of the outcome also makes us think that life is also having an end goal,

Having an end purpose,

Having something that we should in the end look forward to,

An outcome.

On the contrary,

It is all about the process.

Life is all about this moment.

So all this effort of religious,

Spiritual,

Meditative teachings is to bring us out of this mind hankering for the outcome and being in the moment,

Being in the process.

We will practice this in meditation in today's session where we will sit in silence in awareness of the body,

Of the mind,

Of the breath.

And while we do that,

While we bring our awareness and settle that awareness on our breath,

We will see where is this body constantly hankering towards.

If you will pay enough attention,

You will see that your body posture is never at rest,

Is constantly oriented towards the outcome somehow as if you have to go somewhere.

Somehow there is something to move towards.

When you are paying enough attention to your body,

Bring that to rest.

Allow your body to rest in the moment.

Same is with the mind.

When you observe your mind,

Your mind is in a state as if it is pointing towards an outcome,

As if it is waiting for something to happen.

Bring it back to this moment to rest,

To away from the hope of the outcome.

And same with the breath.

We are also breathing as if there is an outcome to this breath,

As if by breathing something has to be achieved.

On the contrary,

When we become aware and allow our breath to flow as if in the moment there is nothing to be achieved,

There is no goal,

The breath also settles in its natural pace and the entire system falls in such a deep silence,

Such a deep awareness out of that along this process there is inner peace,

There is everything.

Let us try that and get tuned into our own inner silence.

Please close your eyes.

Have a posture which is comfortable for you to sit in silence for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

With your hands in your lap or on your thighs,

Your back straight,

Shoulders down,

Head and face relaxed.

Take a nice deep breath,

Inhale from the nose and exhale from the nose,

Allowing yourself to settle in the moment.

Let your body settle.

Along with every breath,

Let your body settle,

Awareness on your body and see that it is trying to go somewhere.

Let your body settle.

Let your body settle.

Pull your body from all directions.

It is trying to move,

To go somewhere.

Allow it to settle in the moment,

To become still.

There is nowhere to go but be in this moment.

Let your body settle.

Let your body be completely discharged from any movement,

Any motivation to go.

Somewhere.

As this body settles on its own accord,

Shift your awareness to your mind.

Let your body settle.

See that your mind is constantly wanting something to happen.

Relax out of it.

Let your body settle.

Observe your mind.

And with every breath,

Allow it to become more and more in the moment.

Allow it to settle in the moment.

Let your body settle.

From all directions,

From all distances,

Allow it to arrive in here and now.

Let your body settle.

And awareness on your breath.

See with every breath there is nothing that you are waiting for.

Let your body settle.

And let go of all effort,

All effort on the body,

Mind,

Your breath.

And simply stay silent and aware.

Let your body settle.

And let your body settle.

If you wish to stay longer in this silent awareness,

Allow yourself to let go in it as long as you like.

Or very gently and slowly you may open your eyes.

Maintaining this sense of silence,

Awareness,

Being in this moment,

Your body,

Your mind,

Your breath.

As you proceed in your day,

Maintain this presence of your body,

Of your mind,

Of your breath,

In the moment,

In the process,

In the action.

And don't worry about the outcome.

Don't look at the outcome.

I'll see you tomorrow at 7 am Central European Time.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you for another discourse that made a concept click more into place in my understanding. I am noticing more patience within myself since practicing your meditations. I am very grateful to you 🙏

I really loved to hear about the idea of, even when not necessarily seeking enlightenment, the meditator would 'along the way' find love, joy, peace, compassion...a perfect way to explain meditation to my confused family members. 💗 Namaste.

Powerful. Thank you 💙🙏💙