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“The Wheel of Investigation and Meditation That Thoroughly Purifies Mental Activity (Sems kyi dpyod pa rnam par sbyong ba so sor brtag pa’i dpyad sgom ’khor lo ma zhes bya ba bzhugs so)—or the Wheel of Analytic Meditation, for short—is one of the smaller texts that he composed. It was written in one day, the eighteenth day of the tenth month of the Iron Rabbit year (1891) between his daily meditation periods, in response to a request for a text on this topic made by one of his fellow monks. This text belongs to the heart of the Mahayana tradition, and as a result, it is also very important for the Vajrayana. It is a foundation for understanding the reality of the true nature of human existence, which includes essential Vajrayana teachings. Once this is understood it simplifies all other Vajrayana teachings and clarifies their meaning.
Mipham Rinpoche repeatedly emphasizes that until it’s possible to maintain this wisdom all the time, it’s necessary to meditate using the analytic wheel. This technique increasingly deepens our realization that everything is compounded and exists only in the momentary state of its appearance. Using this wheel of analytic meditation develops the wisdom awareness to overcome all ego-clinging, and over time, our realization of the transparent state of all phenomena will become more stable.”
Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches
Uprooting Clinging: A Commentary on Mipham Rinpoche’s Wheel of Analytic Meditation (pgs 23 and 107)
Photo of Wheel of Life painted on the temple murals at Padma Samye Ling in upstate New York.
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