Another thing is that it was never promised that involvement with the Buddhadharma and upholding our commitments would be easy. It is quite obvious we are not committing ourselves to a simple and easy task when we say we are going to aspire to work for the benefit of all beings. We are, in fact, committing ourselves to quite a difficult task, yet one that is worthwhile in all respects. No matter how insignificant our contribution may seem, we can play a part.
I have confidence that all of you are doing your best to extend yourselves toward each other in whatever ways are possible. There is always appreciation and admiration and respect for that. This kind of involvement is very important, so you must not give up; you cannot afford to stop. Please, do not abandon it at some point, or get discouraged, or minimize your efforts and your activities. Keeping a sincere sense of commitment and extending yourselves toward others through the centers establishes and brings about a genuinely mature ground for effective realization of the meditation. We have talked about different kinds of obscurations, and we need to realize that one of the main reasons for these obscurations is not being able to extend ourselves toward others.

Developing in the Practice
When a person meditates over a period of time and has certain things coming up, it is often uncertain whether these things should be regarded as obstacles or as insights. At such times the person would normally approach a spiritual friend, or teacher, for clarification. However, since you may not be able to see a lama on a frequent basis, and since I am confident you will meditate diligently and consistently, I would like to say just a little about the things that could come up and how to relate to them.
The first point to remember is that it is excellent if you are able to meditate for a long period of time, such as one long session or several sessions every day. The longer and more frequent, the better. It is a process of training. If you cannot do that because of your responsibilities and pressures, then devoting at least some time every day is very important. In other words, doing the meditation practice consistently is extremely important for making the practice really effective and bringing you directly toward the experience of the possible benefits. It may be that some days you are able to meditate for a long period of time, and on other days for only a short time. Nevertheless, doing the practice consistently is very important, so always keep this in mind.


In formal meditation practice, it is important to always be on the safe side and not to have hesitation and expectation, or hopes and fears. Simply do what you have to do, and follow the techniques. Nothing drastic is going to happen immediately, anyway. If you indulge in all sorts of anticipation, expectation, and imaginings, you will simply be giving yourself a lot of feedback.
Through the practice alone, nothing drastic will happen. Yet as we continue to meditate consistently, over a period of time, certain experiences are possible. Sometimes as we meditate, we might get to the point where we are having so many thoughts and distractions that we feel discouraged and think the meditation has gone bad somewhere. It may seem some terrible obstacles have arisen, something has gotten twisted around, or some change has occurred in the chemistry of our being. Sometimes this happens when a person is at the edge of some realization. When it happens, we should simply disregard this kind of experience and just keep going with the technique.


At other times, the experience could be the opposite: very tranquil, absolutely peaceful and harmonious. A person could even get the idea that "If there is really some state of non-thought, maybe this is it, and now I have experienced it! I am really experiencing it! I have achieved it!" A person could get into that kind of excitement and get attached to the idea of having achieved realization. However, this is not the genuine achievement we seek. It is really quite fleeting, not a consistent or sustainable experience. The next day or even a moment afterward, it will not be there. A true realization achievement is not that unstable, so again, in the event of this happening, simply disregard it and keep going with the technique. Just be aware of the whole experience.
Another possibility is experiencing an incredible sense of lightness. This is not anything that would happen right away, or in any particular order, but you may be in a state where you really have to check on whether or not you are there--checking back to your feelings and body. You have heard talk about insubstantiality and emptiness and begin to think "Maybe this is something of that! Maybe I am beginning to have some realization of the truth of insubstantiality or of emptiness!" Once again, do not fixate on this experience or "buy into it" by giving it a great deal of significance. Simply remain aware, and observe these k
inds of experiences.

Taken from a transcript of a teaching given at KTD. This transcript is available in its entirety from Namse Bangdzo Bookstore.