Now, how should we do this? First we stop paying attention to any object. Quite simple in reality. We stop paying attention to any object. We should not think about anything but remain like a stone or a piece of wood. You know Shantideva in Bodhisattvacharyavatara said, 'You should remain as a piece of wood.' He taught this many times. So, like an inanimate object without thinking or perceiving anything, we remain in this state for a few minutes. Like this, through applying effort and determination... the great disadvantages of distracting conceptual thoughts, which is gross mind. Even non-Buddhists in ancient times also had this kind of practice as their main practise. Nowadays I don't know, but in ancient stories many non-Buddhist practitioners also concentrated like this... because they understood that this distracting mind causes so many problems... and never allows us to remain peaceful, calm, enjoying life. It never allows us to enjoy our human life. We are like a naked person who is on thorny ground. Wherever he moves, it makes problems because of these distracting thoughts. So they have big renunciation. They stop paying attention to any object, not thinking about anything, forgetting everything, remaining like a piece of wood or stone without thinking or perceiving anything. So we should similarly do this. We remain in this state for a few minutes and learn this. Therefore, if you forgot then every problem solved. The problem is that we never forget. This is the problem. Also, normally our ordinary friends say, 'Forget, forget,' whenever someone remembers bad things. When they are angry, they say 'Forget, forget', this is giving advice. But in reality forgetting is difficult. So we should learn this, how to accomplish the cessation of gross mind, distracted mind. Practically learning, this is temporarily very beneficial to solve our day-by-day problems, anger problems, attachment problems, jealousy problems, worry, discouragement, disappointment, discontentment and so forth. Stop everything, forget, and perceive nothing. Remain like piece of wood, like an inanimate object. Because our original motivation is to attain enlightenment, for us this is very good. If there is no original motivation then it looks like sleeping. But our main aim is to accomplish the sixth stage... that is realizing our continually residing mind directly, and through this attain enlightenment. Through this we want to benefit all living beings without exception. This is our main aim. So therefore to make progress in this aim, first we are doing this. So therefore our aim is like bodhichitta, so therefore for us it is part of bodhichitta practice. So therefore remain like a piece of wood, without perceiving anything. In this way we experience the cessation of all the gross minds. This is like the basis. We then try to perceive our subtle mind by contemplating. First cease gross minds and remain like a piece of wood. In this way we will accomplish the cessation of all the gross minds. We then try to perceive our subtle mind by contemplatin 58its nature is the cessation of all gross minds, its function is to perceive an empty like space, and it is located at our heart region. So we contemplate our subtle mind, which possesses three characteristics, a mind that possesses three characteristic 29(1) its nature is the cessation of all gross minds; (2) its function is to perceive an empty like space and (3) it is located at our heart region. We contemplate these three characteristics of our subtle mind. This is seeking. We are seeking to perceive clearly our subtle mind. We are seeking the object of our meditation, that is our subtle mind. This is the practise of seeking. When we are contemplating the three characteristics of our subtle mind, that i ts nature is the cessation of all gross minds, two, its function is to perceive an empty like space... and three, it is located at our heart region. We are contemplating to perceive our object of meditation, that is our subtle mind. This is seeking. This is the practise of seeking. When through contemplating in this way, we perceive clearly the generic image of our subtle mind, we have found the object of our meditation, that is clear appearance of our subtle mind. This is finding. Through contemplating in this way, when we perceive clearly the generic image of our subtle mind, we have found our subtle mind, the object of our meditation. This is finding. This means that we have found our subtle mind, which is the object of our meditation. Having found our object of meditation, we then need to train in holding it without forgetting,1 to learn until we can do so for about one minute.1 First seeking, then finding, then learning to hold without forgetting for about one minute.1 When we have ability to hold it for one minute this is holding.1 Then through continually repeating the steps of seeking, finding, and holding,1 when our concentration remains on its object, on the subtle mind, for five minutes1 we accomplish the fourth step, remaining.1 After accomplishment of holding then we have to learn to remain...1 first one minute, then two minutes, then gradually five minutes.1 We have to train in increasing the duration of remaining through practising again and again - just repeating.1 The more we gain familiarity - then our ability to remain increases.1 Of course, this is natural. With familiarity there are no difficult things.1 Without familiarity everything difficult.1 With familiarity everything is easy, as Shantideva said. It is true.1 If I ask you how to eat Tibetan 'tsampa pak' you have no familiarity, difficult to understand.1 I will prepare in front of you all the necessary thing :21tsampa, butter, tea, dry cheese, everything and say please help yourself...1 you cannot eat, 'how to do this', because no familiarity.1 With familiarity we can attain the enlightenment that takes a long time for other practitioners,1 we can attain in a few months, a few years with familiarity.1 Everything depends upon familiarity. Familiarity depends upon practise.1 If we ignore practise then impossible.1 Normally we are engaging in meditation.1 Why? In order to get familiarity.1 Our normal object of meditation is an object of attachment!1 Because we have deep familiarity, which came from countless previous lives,1 life after life, past lineage and experience.1 Even during retreat in meditation sometimes we are still thinking about objects of attachment!1 So therefore now is the time to change.1 Attachment is a distracting conceptual thought destroying our mental peace, destroying our happiness.1 Without peace of mind there is no happiness.1 Delusions, such as anger and attachment,1 their main function is to destroy our inner peace, mental peace.1 They are our real enemy.1 A person who has the ability to control delusions is a real hero or heroine.1 A person who is under the control of delusions is not a hero or heroine.1 So the real heroes and heroines are the people who have the ability to control...1 their main enemy of delusions.1 So anyway, gaining familiarity, gradually increasing, remaining...1 until we can remain in pure concentration or pure meditation on our very subtle mind...1 for five minutes without forgetting the object,1 then we accomplish the fourth step remaining.1 At this point we accomplish the third stage of training in Mahamudra, identifying our own subtle mind.