The Meditation Handbook

The Meditation Handbook

A step-By-Step Manual for Buddhist Meditation by. K. Gyatso

PREFACE

The twenty-one meditation practices presented in this book are the essential practices of the stages of the path to enlightenment, or ‘Lamrim’ in Tibetan. Lamrim is a special set of instructions that includes all the essential teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, arranged in such a way that all his Hinayana and Mahayana teachings can be put into practice in a single meditation session. It was complied by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha, who was invited to Tibet by King Jangchub O in AD 1042, and who spent the rest of his life there spreading pure Dharma. There is a completely pure and unbroken lineage of these Lamrim instructions from Buddha Shakyamuni up to our present-day Spiritual Guides… Many great Kadampa Teachers have said that it is far more important to gain experience of Lamrim than it is to attain clairvoyance, miracle powers, or height social status. This is true because in previous lives we have often possessed clairvoyance and potent miracle powers, and many times in the past we have been the highest positions in the human and god realms, but dispute this we continue to experience uncontrolled rebirth and physical and mental suffering caused by anger, attachment, jealousy, and confusion. If we gain deep experience of Lamrim there will be no basis for these problems; we shall be completely free from all of them… First we must understand the value of Lamrim. Then by joyfully and patiently doing these meditations we shall gradually experience the fruits of Lamrim practice. Eventually we shall attain freedom from all suffering, and the unchanging peace and happiness of full enlightenment. 

EDITORIAL NOTE

Since this book is a manual for meditation practice, the explanations of the various Lamrim topics have been kept very concise. Those who wish to study Lamrim in more detail should study Joyful Path of Good Fortune by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, which is an extensive commentary of all the meditations in this book. 

PART ONE, Foundations and Preliminaries

Buddha Shakyamuni

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation is a method for acquainting our mind with virtue. The most familiar our mind is with virtue, the calmer and more peaceful it becomes. When our mind is peaceful we are free from worries and mental discomfort, and we experience true happiness. If we train our mind to become peaceful we shall be happy all the time, even in the most adverse conditions, but if our mind is not peaceful, then even if we have the most pleasant external conditions we shall not be happy. Therefore it is important to train our mind through meditation… There are two types of meditation: analytical meditation and placement meditation. When we contemplate the meaning of a Dharma instruction that we have heart or read we are doing analytical meditation. By deeply contemplating the instruction, eventually we reach a conclusion or cause a specific virtuous state of mind to arise. this is the object of placement meditation. Having found our object of lace meant meditation. Having found our object through analytical meditation, we then concentrate on it single-pointedly for as long as possible to be once deeply acquainted with it. This single-pointed concentration is placement meditation. Often, analytical meditation is called simply ‘contemplation’, and placement meditation simply ‘meditation’. Placement meditation depends upon contemplation, and contemplation depends upon listening to or reading Dharma instructions… 

THE OBJECTS OF MEDITATION

In general, any virtuous object can be used as an object of meditation. If we discover that by acquainting our mind with a particular object our mind becomes more peaceful and virtuous, this indicates that for us that object is virtuous. If the opposite happens, for us it is a non-virtuous object. Many objects are neutral and have no particular positive or negative effect on our mind… There are many different virtuous objects of meditation, but the most meaningful are those explained in this book - the visualization of the assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas described on pages 19-20, and the objects of the twenty one meditations, from meditation on relying upon a Spiritual Guide to meditation on emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena… By relying upon qualified Spiritual Guides we open the door to practicing Dharma. Through the blessing of our Spiritual guide we generate faith and confidence in our practice, and easily attain all the realizations of the stages of the path. For these reasons we need to meditate on relaying upon a Spiritual Guide… We need to meditate on our precious human life to realize that we now have a special opportunity to practice Dharma. If we appreciate the great potential of this life we shall not waste it by engaging in meaningless activities. We need to meditate on death and impermanence to overcome procrastination, and to ensure that our Dharma practice is pure by overcoming our preoccupation with worldly concerns. If we practise Dharma purely it is not very difficult to attain realizations. By meditation on the danger of lover rebirth, taking refuge sincerely, and avoiding non-virtue and practicing virtue, we protect our self from taking lower rebirth and ensure that life after life we shall attain a precious human rebirth endowed with all the conditions conducive to the practice of Dharma… We need to meditate on the suffering of humans and gods so that we developed a spontaneous wish to attain permanent liberation, or nirvana. This wish, knows as ‘ renunciation’, strongly encourages us to complete the practice of the spiritual paths, which are the actual methods of attaining full liberation… We need to meditate on love, compassion, and bodhichitta so that we can overcome our self-cherishing and develop and maintain a good heart towards all living beings. With this good heart we need to meditate on tranquil abiding and superior seeing so that we can eradicate our ignorance and finally become a Buddha by abandoning the two types of obstructions… Besides these, there are many other objects of meditation. For example, if we with to meditate on the breath, we can do so in conjunction with the practices of taking and giving explained on pages 89-90 and 95-97, or in conjunction with reciting the mantra of all Buddhas as explained in Appendix I. Both these meditations are very meaningful. If we devote too much time to ordinary breathing meditation we may find that we do not have enough time for our mind practice, meditation on Lamrim. 

DEVELOPING THE WISH TO MEDITATE

If we examine our life we shall probably discover that most of our time and energy is devoted to mundane activities, such as seeking material and emotional security, enjoying the pleasures of ht senses, or establishing a good reputation. Although these things can make us happy for a short time, they are not able to provide the deep and lasting contentment we long for. Sooner or later our happiness turns into dissatisfaction, and we find our self engaged in the pursuit of more worldly pleasures. Directly or indirectly, worldly pleasures cause us mental and physical suffering by stimulating attachment, jealousy, and frustration. Moreover, seeking to fulfill our own desires often brings us into conflict with others… If true fulfillment cannot be found in worldly pleasures, where can it be found? Happiness is a state of mind, therefore the real source of happiness lies in the mind, not in external circumstances. If our mind is pure and peaceful we shall be happy, regardless of our external conditions, but if it is impure and unpeaceful we shall never find happiness, no matter how much we try to change our external conditions… The purpose of Dharma practice is to cultivate those states of mind that are conducive to peace and well-bings, and to eradicate those that are not. Only human beings can do this. Animals can enjoy food and sex, find homes, hoard wealth, subdue their enemies, and protect their family; but they nanotubes completely eliminate suffering and attain lasting happiness. It would be a great shame if we were to use our precious human life only to achieve results that animals can achieve. If we wish to avoid such as wasted life and fulfill the real purpose of being born human we must devote ourself to the practice of Lamrim. 

THE PURPOSE OF MEDITATION

According to the Lamrim instructions, we can engage in a meditation practice with any one of three levels of motivation. The first level, the motivation of the initial scope, is practicing with the intention of protect ourself from the danger of taking lower rebirth by ensuring that in future lives we obtain a precious human rebirth endowed with all the conditions necessary for the practice of Dharma. The second level, the motivation of the intermediate scope, is practicing with the intentions to protect ourself from any kind of uncontrolled rebirth by attaining liberation from samsara. The third level, the motivation of the great scope, is practicing, with the intention to attain full enlightenment or Buddhahood so that we can benefit all living beings. There three levels of motivation are progressive. By engaging in meditation practices with the motivation of the initial scope we lay the foundation for advancing to the second level, and by engaging in meditation practices with the motivation of the intermediate scope we lay the foundation for advancing to the third level. All the essential practices of these three scopes are included within the twenty-one meditation practices presented in this book. 

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED FOR MEDITATION

Since the meditations presented in this book assume a belief in rebirth, or reincarnation, a brief description of the process of death and rebirth, and the places in which we can be reborn, may be helpful… The mind is neither physical, nor a by-product of purely physical processes, but is a formless continuum that is a separate entity from the body. When the body disintegrates at death the mind does not cease. Although our superficial conscious mind ceases, it does so by dissolving into a deeper level of consciousness, the very subtle mind; and the continuum of the verity subtle mind has no beginning and no end. It is this mind which, when thoroughly purified, transforms into the omniscient mind of a Buddha. Every action we perform leaves an imprint on our very subtle mind, and each imprint eventually gives rise to its own effect. Our mind is like a field, and performing actions is like sowing seeds in that field. Virtuous actions sow seeds of future happiness and non-virtuous actions sow seeds of future suffering. The seeds we have sown in the past remain dormant until the conditions necessary for their germination come together. In some cases this can be many lifetimes after the original action was performed… The seeds that ripen when we die are very important because they determine what kind of rebirth we shall take. Which particular seed ripens at death depends upon the state of mind in which we die. If we die with a peaceful mind, this will stimulate a virtuous seed and we shall experience a fortunate rebirth; but if we die with an unpeaceful mind, in a state of anger, say, this will stimulate a non-virtuous seed and we shall experience an unfortunate rebirth. This is similar to the way in which nightmares are triggered off by our being in an agitated state of mind just before falling asleep… The apology of falling asleep is not accident is, for the process of sleeping, dreaming, and waking closely resembles the process of death, intermediate state, and rebirth. When we fall asleep, our gross inner winds gather and dissolve inwards, and our mind becomes progressively more and more subtle until it transforms into the very subtle mind of the clear light of sleep. While the clear light of sleep is manifest we experience deep sleep, and to others we resemble a dead person. When it ends, our mind becomes gradually more and more gross and we pass through the various levels of the dream state. Finally, our normal powers of memory and mental control are restored and we wake up. When this happens, our dream world disappears and we perceive the world of the waking state… We very similar process occurs when we die. As we die, our winds dissolve inwards and our mind becomes progressively more and more subtle until the very subtle mind of the clear light of death become manifest. The experience of the clear light of death becomes manifest. The experience of the clear light of death becomes manifest. The experience of the clear light of death is very similar to the experience of deep sleep. After the clear light of death has ceased, we experience the stages of the intermediate state, or ‘bardo’ in Tibetan, which is a dream-like state that occurs between death and rebirth. After a few days or weeks, the intermediate state ends and we take rebirth. Just as when we wake from sleep the dream world disappears and we perceive the world of the waking state, so when we take rebirth the appearances of the intermediate state cease and we perceive the world of our next life… The only significant difference between the process of sleeping, dreaming, and waking and the process of death, intermediate stage, and rebirth is that after the clear light of sleep has ceased the relationship between our mind and our present body remains intact, whereas after the clear light of death this relationship is broken… While we are in the intermediate state we experience different visions that arise from the karmic seeds that were activated immediately before death. If negative seeds were activated these visions will be nightmarish, but if positive seeds were activated they will be predominantly pleasant. In either case, once the karmic seeds have matured sufficiently they impel us to take rebirth in one or other of the six realms of samsara… The six realms are actual places in which we can be reborn. They are brought into existence through the power of our actions, or karma. There are three types of actions: Bodily actions, verbal actions, and mental actions. Since our bodily and verbal actions are initiated buy our mental actions, ultimately the six realms are created by our mind. For example, a hell realm is a place that arises as a result of the worst actions, such as murder or extreme mental or physical cruelty, which depend upon the most deluded states of mind… To form a mental image of the six realms we can compare them to the floors of a large, old house. In this analogy the house represents samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth that ordinary beings undergo without choice or control. The house has three stores above ground, and three below. Deluded sentient beings are like the inhabitants of this house. They are continually moving up and down the house, sometimes living above ground, sometimes below… The ground floor corresponds to the human realm. Above this, on the first floor, is the realm of the Demi-gods - Non-human beings who are continually at war with the gods. In terms of power and prosperity they are superior to humans, but they are so obsessed with jealousy and violence that their live have little spiritual value… On the top floor lives the gods. The lower classes of gods, the desire realm gods, live a life of ease and luxury, devoting their time to enjoyment and the satisfactions of their desires. Though their world is a paradise and their lifespan is very long, they are not immortal and they eventually fall to lower states. Since their lives are filled with distractions it is difficult for them to find the motivation to practice dharma. From a spiritual point of view a human life is much more meaningful than a god’s life… Higher than the desire realm gods are the gods of the form and formless realms. Having passed beyond sensual desires, the forms realms gods experience the refined bliss of meditative absorption and possess bodies made of light. Transcending even these subtle forms, the gods of the formless realm abide without form in the subtle consciousness that resembles infinite space. Though their minds are the purest and most exalted within the samsara, they have not overcome the ignorance of self-grasping, which is the root of samsara, and so, after experiencing bliss for many aeons, eventually their lives end and they are once again reborn in the lower stages of samsara. Like the other gods, they consume the merit they hav created in the past and make little or not spiritual progress… The three stores above ground are called the ‘fortunate realms’ because the beings who inhabit them have relatively pleasant experiences, which are caused by the practice of virtue. Below ground are the three lower realms, which are the result of negative bodily, verbal, and mental actions. The least painful of these is the animal realm, which in the analogy is the first floor beneath the ground. Included in this realm are all mammals apart from humans, as well as birds, fish, insects, worms - the whole animal kingdom. Their minds are characterized by extreme stupidity, without any spiritual awareness, and their lives by fear and brutality… On the next floor down live the hungry ghosts, or hungry spirits. The principle causes of rebirth here are greed and negative actions motivated by miserliness. the consequences of these actions is extreme poverty. Hungry ghosts suffer continuous hunger and thirst, which they are unable to satisfy. Their world is a vast desert. If by chance they come across a drop of water or a scrap of food it disappears like a manage, or transforms into something repulsive such as pus or urine. These appearances are due to their negative karma and lack of merit… The lowest floor is hell. The beings here experience unrelenting torment. Some hells are mass of fire; others are desolate regions of ice and darkness. Monsters conjured up by the minds of the hell beings inflict terrible tortures on them. The suffering continues unremittingly for what seems and eternity, but eventually the karma that causes the beings to be born in hell is exhausted and the hell beings die and are reborn elsewhere in samsara… This is a general picture of samsara. We have been trapped in samsara since beginningless time, wandering meaninglessly without any freedom or control from the highest heaven to the deepest hell. Sometimes we find ourself on the ground floor with a human rebirth; but most of the time we are trapped on the underground floors experiencing terrible physical and mental suffering… Although samsara resemble a prison, there is however one door through which we can escape. That door is emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena. By training in the spiritual paths described in this book we shall eventually find our way to this door, and stepping through, discover that the house was simply an illusion, the creation of our impure mind. Samsara is not an external prison; it is a prison made by our own mind. It will never end by itself, but by diligently practicing the true spiritual path and thereby eliminating our self-grasping and other delusions we can bring our samsara to an end. Once we attain liberation ourself, we shall then be in a position to show others how to destroy their mental prison by eradicating their delusions… If we practice the twenty-one meditations presented in this book, we shall gradually over come the deluded states of mind that keep us imprisoned in samsara and develop all qualities needed to attain full enlightenment. The first seven meditations functions principally to help us to develop renunciation, the determination to escape from samsara. The next twelve meditations help us to cultivate heartfelt love and compassion for all living beings, and lead us to the realization that we can liberate others from samsara only by attaining enlightenment first. The principle obstacle that prevents us from attaining liberation and enlightenment is self-grasping, a deeply ingrained misconception of the way things exist. The main function of the last two meditations is to counter, and eventually to eradicate, this misconception.

HOW TO MEDITATE

Each of the twenty-one meditation practices have five parts; preparation, contemplation, meditation, dedication, and subsequent practice. The preparatory practice prepare our mind for successful meditation by purifying hindrances caused by our previous negative actions, empowering our mind with merit, and inspiring it with the blessing of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. These preparatory practices are performed at the beginning of each meditation session in conjunction with the short prayers found in the following chapter. It is useful to memorize these prayers. For those who are interested, and explanation of the prayers, as well as instructions on how to set up a shrine and sit in the correct meditation posture, are also given in the following chapter. If our meditation does not seem to be progressing, rather than becoming discouraged we should emphasize there preparatory practices purely and sincerely… The second part of each practice is contemplation. The purpose of contemplation is to bring to mind the object of placement meditation. We do this by considering various lines of reasoning, contemplation analogies, and reflecting on the scriptures. It is helpful to memorize the contemplations given in each section so that we can meditate without having to look at the text. The contemplations given here are intended only as guidelines. We should supplement and enrich them with whatever reasons and examples we find helpful. When through our contemplations the object appears clearly, we leave our analytical meditation and concentrate on the object single-pointedly. This single-pointed concentration is the third part, the actual meditation… When we first start to meditate, our concentration is poor; we are easily distracted and often lose our object of meditation. Therefore, to begin with we shall probably need to alternate between contemplation and placement meditation many times in each session. For example, if we are meditating on compassion we begin by contemplating the various sufferings experienced by living beings until a strong feeling of compassion arises in our heart. When this feeling arises we meditate on it single pointedly. If the feeling fades, or if our mind wanders to another object, we should return to analytical meditation to bring the feeling back to mind. When the feeling has been restored we once again leave our analytical meditation and hold the feeling with single-pointed concentration… Both contemplation and meditation serve to acquaint our mind with virtuous objects. The more familiar we are with such objects, the more peaceful our mind becomes. By training in meditation, and living in accordance with the insights and resolutions developed during meditation, eventually we shall be able to maintain a peaceful mind continuously, throughout our life. More detailed instructions on the contemplations and on meditation in general can be found in Introduction to Buddhism, Joyful Path of Good Fortune, and Universal Compassion… The fourth part of each practice is dedication. Dedication directs the merit produced by our meditation towards the attainment of Buddhahood. If marit is not dedicated it can easily be destroyed by anger. By reciting the dedication prayers sincerely at the end of each meditation session we ensure that the merit we created by meditating is not wasted by acts as a cause for enlightenment… the first part of each meditation practice is the subsequent practice. This consists of advice on how to integrate the meditation into our daily life. If is important to remember that Dharma practice is not confined to our activities during the meditation session; it should permeate our whole life. We should not allow a gulf to develop between our meditation and our daily life, because the success of our meditation depends upon the purity of our conduct outside the meditation session. We should keep a watch over our mind at all times by applying mindfulness, alertness, and conscientiousness; and we should try to abandon whatever bad habits we may have. Deep experience of Dharma is the result of practical training over a long period of time, both in and out of meditation, therefore we should practise steadily and gently, without being in a hurry to see results… To summarize, our mind is like a field. Engaging in this preparatory practices is like preparing the field by removing obstacles caused by past negative actions, making it fertile with merit, and watering it with the blessings of the hold beings. Contemplation and meditation are like sowing good seeds, and dedication and subsequent practice are the methods of ripening our harvest of Dharma realizations… Lamrim Instructions are not given merely for the sake of intellectual understanding of the path to enlightenment. They are given to help us to gain deep experience, and should therefore be put into practice. If we train our mind in these meditations every day, eventually we shall gain perfect realizations of all the stages of the path. Until we have reached this stage we should not tire of listening to oral teachings on Lamrim or reading authentic Lamrim commentaries, and then contemplating and meditation on these instructions. We need continually to expand our understanding of these essential topics and to use this new understanding to enhance our regular meditation… If we genuinely wish to gain experience of the stages of the path we should try to meditate every day. On the first day we can meditate on relying upon a Spiritual Guide, on the second day on our precious human life, and so on, until we complete the whole cycle in twenty one days. Then we can begin again. Between sessions we should try to remain mindful of the instructions on subsequent practice. Occasionally, when we have opportunity, we should do a retreat on Lamrim. A suggested retreat schedule is given in Appendix III. By practicing like this, we use our whole life to further our experience of the stages of the path.

THE PREPARATORY PRACTICES

Preparing for Meditation

We all have the potential to gain realization of each of the twenty-one meditation practices in this book. These potentials are like seeds in the field of our mind, and our meditation practice is like cultivating these seeds. However, our meditation practice will be successful only if we make good preparations beforehand… If we want to cultivate external corps we begin by making careful preparations. First, we remove from the soil anything that might obstruct their growth, such as stones and weeds. Second, we enrich the soil with compost or fertilizer to give it the strength to sustain growth. Third, we provide warm, moist conditions to enable the seeds to germinate and the plants to grow. In the same way, to cultivate our inner corps of Dharma realizations we must also begin by making careful preparations. First, we must purify our mind to eliminate the negative karma we have accumulated in the past, because if we do not purify this karma it will obstruct the growth of Dharma realizations. Second, we need to give our mind the strength to support the growth of Dharma realizations by accumulating merit. Third, we need to give our mind the strength to support the growth of Dharma realizations by accumulating merit. Third, we need to activate and sustain the growth of Dharma realizations by receiving the blessings of the holy beings… It is very important to receive blessings. For example, if we are growing outer crops, even if we remove the weeds and fertilize the soil we shall not be able to grow anything if we do not provide warmth and moisture. These germinate the seeds, sustain the growth of the plants, and finally ripen the crop. In the same way, even if we purify our mind and accumulate merit we shall find it difficult to meet and accumulate merit we shall find it difficult to meet with success in our meditations if we do not receive the blessings of the holy beings. Receiving blessings transforms our mind by activating our virtuous potentials, sustaining the growth of our Dharma realizations, and bringing our Dharma practice to completion… From this we can see that there are three essential preparations for successful meditation; purifying negativities, accumulating merit, and receiving blessings. The brief preparatory practices that now follow contain the essence of these three preparations…

Clearing the environment

Before we sit down to meditate it is helpful to make sure that the place where we meditate is clean. A clean environment makes the mind clear and fresh. Moreover, during the preparatory practices we invite the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other holly being to come to our room as a Field of Accumulating Merit; and as a sign of respect we ensure that our room is clean and tidy beforehand. 

Setting up a shrine

If possible we should set up a shrine with representations of Buddha’s body, speech and mind. To represent Buddha’s body, speech, and mind. To represent Buddha’s body we place a statue or picture of Buddha in the centre of the shrine. To its right we place a Dharma text, representing Buddha’s speech, and to its left we place a stupa, or a picture of a stupa, representing Buddha’s mind. Remembering that Buddha’s omniscient mind actually enters into these objects, we should feel that we are actually in the presence of the living Buddha and make prostrations and offerings accordingly.. If we like, we can set out actual offerings in front of the shrine, such as rows of seven water bowls, or anything clean and beautiful, such as flowers, incense, candles, honey, cakes, chocolate, or fruit. More information on setting up a shrine and making offerings can be found in Joyful Path of Good Fortune.

The Meditation Posture

When these preparations are completed we can sit down to meditate. If possible, we should sit in the vajra posture, but if we are unfamiliar with this we can sit in any posture that is comfortable. If we cannot sit cross-legged we can sit on a chair. The most important thing is to have a straight back so that the subtle energy winds in your body can flow freely and keep our mind alert. Our hands should rest just below the navel, with the palms open and facing upwards, the right hand above the left, and the two thumbs gently touching.

Calming the mind

Before beginning the actual preparatory prayers we should calm our mind by doing breathing meditation. Breathing naturally, we try to concentrate on our breath without being distracted by conceptual thoughts. As we breathe out we imagine that we exhale all our negativities, obstacles, and distracting thoughts in the form of black smoke. As we breathe in we imagine that we inhale the blessings of all the holy beings in the form of pure, white light. We continue with this meditation for a few minutes, or until our mind is clam and peaceful. If we like, we can use the special breathing meditation explained in Appendix I… The remaining preparatory practices are done in conjunction with the brief prayers included at the end of this section. The purpose of reciting these prayers is to direct our mind to the particular practices. These will now be briefly explained. 

Going for refuge We generate fear of the sufferings of samsara in general, and of rebirth in the lower realms in particular; and then, with strong faith that the Three jewels have the power to protect us from these sufferings, we go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha while reciting the refuge prayer. The actual practices of going for refuge is explained in Meditation 5. 

Generating Bodhichitta There are two important things to emphasize when we meditate: Our motivation at the beginning and our dedication at the end. We should begin by generating the motivation of bodhichitta, and wish to attain Buddhahood to help all living beings. With this motivation we recite the bodhichitta prayer. Our familiarity with both refuge and bodhichitta will naturally increase as we practice the cycle of twenty-one meditations. 

Generating the four immeasurable These are four special states of mind that strengthen our bodhichitta. They are immeasurable love, the wish for all beings to be happy; immeasurable compassion, the wish for all beings to be free from suffering; immeasurable joy, the wish for all beings to attain the everlasting joy of liberation; and immeasurable equanimity, the wish for all beings to be free from unbalanced attitudes such as attachment and anger. They are called ‘immeasurable’ because we generate these minds while thinking of all living beings, who are immeasurable in number. 

Visualization the Field of Accumulating Merit The field for Accumulating Merit is the assembly of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other holy beings in whom we take refuge and to whom we make prostrations, offerings, confessions, and so forth. We imagine that they are all in the space before us, with Buddha Shakyamuni, our main object of visualization, in the center and all the other holy beings around him, like the full moon surrounded by stars. They are called a ‘Field for Accumulating Merit’ because by offering the prayer of seven limbs and the mandala to them we accumulate merit in our minds. At the beginning we should not expect to be able to visualize the whole assembly; it is sufficient simply to believe that they are all present before us. 

Prayer of seven limbs The seven limbs are methods for purifying negativity and accumulating merit. They are; prostrating, making offerings, confessing non-virtue, rejoicing in virtue, beseeching the holy beings to remain requesting Dharma teachings, and dedicating merit. They are called ‘limbs’ because they support our meditation, which is the main body of our practice. Prostrations, making offerings, rejoicing in virtue, beseeching the holy beings to remain, and requesting Dharma teachings all accumulate merit; confessing non-virtue purifies negativity; and dedicating our merit prevents our virtue from being destroyed.. To prostrate is to show respect. We can show respect with our body by making physical prostrations, or simply by placing our hands together at our heart; we can show respect with our mind by generating faith towards the holy beings. If possible l we should make all three types of prostration together. This practice also serves to reduce our pride… As already mentioned, we can make actual offerings by placing seven or more water bowls in front of our shrine, or by offering anything clean and beautiful, such as flowers, incense, or fruit. If we use our imagination we can offer jeweled palaces, gardens, scented bathing pools, even entire universes - all completely pure. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas have no need for our offerings, but making extensive offerings have a very beneficial effect on our mind, creating a vast amount of merit and counteracting miserliness… Confession enables us to purify negative actions committed in the past. If we sincerely contemplate and meditate on karma we shall realize that we have already committed countless heavy negative actions. Fearing the consequences of these actions, we develop a strong wish to purify them. To purify negative actions we must recognize the faults of these actions and feel regret for having simply a strong wish to purify our mind of the negative energy created by non-virtuous actions. Feeling retreat for all the non-virtuous actions we have committed, we confess them to the holy beings. In this waY we receive the purifying blessings of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. With these attitudes of regret and faith, any virtuous actions we engage in serve as purification. If we begin every meditation session with sincere confession, the whole session serves to purify our accumulated negativity. To purify completely a non-virtuous actions we must make a promise not to repeat it. There is little point in confessing our negative actions if we have no intention to refrain from committing them again in the future… Rejoicing is to appreciate and rejoice in the virtues of ourself and others. Rejoicing in virtue increases our virtuous tendencies and overcomes jealousy and competitiveness. It is one of the easiest ways to create a vast amount of merit. Even lying in bed and rejoicing in the virtuous actions of others is a powerful spiritual practice… Beseeching our spiritual Guide and all the other holy beings to remain with us, to guide us and inspire us, helps us to keep a strong connection with our spiritual guide in this and future lives… Requesting the holy beings to turn the wheel of Dharma, that is, to give Dharma teaching, creates the cause for Dharma to remain in this world, and ensures that we shall meet with Dharma in our future lives… As mentioned before, dedication is very important because it directs the merit we accumulate through our meditation practices towards the attainment of full enlightenment, and prevents it from being destroyed by anger or other non-virtuous minds such as wrong views. We dedicate by generating a strong mental intention that our merit will become a cause of our enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings… For those who are interested in practicing the seven limbs more elaborately, a detailed commentary can be found in Joyful Path of Good Fortune and in the second and third chapter of Meaningful to Behold. 

Offering the mandala The mandala offering is a way to offer the entire universe in visualized form. We imagine that the whole universe transforms into a Buddha’s pure Land, which we offer to the field of merit with the prayer that all living beings may soon come to live in such a pure land. To make the mandala offering we visualize that we hold in our hands a vast and circular golden base. In the centre stands Mount Meru, around this are four island continents, and in the space above are the sun and the moon. Everything pure and beautiful is included in the mandala. When we recite the second verse of the mandala offering we offer everything that stimulates our delusions. We imagine that the people and things that which we are attached, as well as those that cause us to develop hatred and confusion, all transform into pure beings and enjoyments, and we offer them to the Three Jewels, By transforming and offering the objects of the three poisons - attachment, hatred, and confusion - we remove the basis upon which these delusions develop. More detail on offering the mandala can be found in Joyful Path of Good Fortune, Great Treasury of Merit, and Guide to Dakini Land. 

Prayer of the Stages of the Path After purifying negativity and accumulating merit by reciting the prayer of seven limbs and offering and mandala, we now request the holy beings to grant their blessings so that we may receive al the realizations of the stages of the path. We make this request by reciting the Prayer of the Stages of the Pathwhile concentrating single-pointedly on its meaning. 

Receiving blessings and purifying After making request to reciting the Prayer of the Stages of the Path we imagine that Buddha Shakyamuni and all the other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are delighted. Smiling with the live of a father for his dearest child, Buddha radiates rays of light and nectar from his heart which enter the crown of our head and fill our whole body. This purifies all our hindrances to attaining deep experience of the topic on which we are about to meditate, and makes our mind very clear, positive, and powerful. We should firmly believe that this happens. 

Contemplation on meditation Now that we have purified our mind, accumulated merit, and received blessings, we are ready to begin our contemplation and meditating by following the specific instructions given for each meditation… If during the course of our meditation our mind becomes dull or heavy, or if we meet with Luther difficulties, we should pause from our meditation and make prayers to the holy beings in front of us. We imagine that they answer our prayers with powerful lights and nectars which flow into our body and immediately dispel our obstacles. We then resume our meditation… These preparations are extremely important for successful meditation. If we wish to spend longer on them, we can recite a slightly more extensive preparatory prayer called Essence of Good Fortune, which can be found in Joyful path of Good Fortune. If we wish, we can emphasize going for refuge by reciting the refuge prayer hundreds of times, or we can accumulate merit by making many mandala offerings, or we can emphasize purification by making prostrations to the Thirty-five Concession Buddhas, as explained in the book The Bodhisattva Vow. Sometimes, if we wish, we can devote the entire session to the preparatory practices. 

Dedication At the end of our session we imagine that all the holy beings melt into light and dissolve through the crown of our head. We feel as if our body, speech, and mind have become one with Buddha’s body, speech, and mind. Then, while reciting the dedication prayers, we dedicate the merit we have accumulated from practicing the preparations, contemplating, and meditation got the happiness of all living beings. 

THE PREPARATORY PRAYERS

Going for refuge

We imagine ourself and all other living beings going for refuge while reciting three  times: “I and all sentient beings, until we achieve enlightenment, Go for refuge to  Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.” (3x, 7x, 100x or more)

Generating Bodhichitta

Through the virtues I collect by giving and other perfections, May I become a Buddhas for the benefit of all. (3x)

Generating the four immeasurables

May everyone be happy,

May everyone be free from misery, 

May no one ever be separated from their happiness,

May everyone have equanimity, free from hatred and attachment.

Visualizing the Field of Accumulating Merit

In the space before me is the living Buddha Shakyamuni Surrounded by all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, like the full moon surrounded by stars. 

Prayer of Seven Limbs

With my body, speech, and mind, humbly I prostrate, and make offerings both set  out and imagined. I confess my wrong deeds from all time, and rejoice in virtues of  all. Please stay until samsara ceases, and turn the Wheel of Dharma for us. I  dedicate all virtues to great enlightenment. 

Offering the Mandala

The ground sprinkled with perfume and spread with flowers, 

The Great mountain, four lands, sun and moon, 

Seen as a Buddha Land and offered thus, 

May all beings enjoy such Pure Lands. 

I offer without any sense of loss

The objects that give rise to my attachment, hatred, and confusion, 

My friend, enemies, and strangers, our bodies and enjoyments; 

Please accept these and bless me to be released directly from the three poisons. 

IDAM GURU RATNA MANDALAKAM NIRYATAYAMI 

Prayer of the Stages of the Path

The path begins with strong reliance 

On my kind Teachers, sources of all god; 

O Bless me with this understanding

To follow him with great devotion. 

This human life with all its freedoms, 

Extremely rare, with so much meaning; 

O Bless me with this understanding

All day and night to seize its essence.

My body, like a water bubble, 

Decays and dies so very quickly;

After death come results of karma, 

Just like the shadow of the body.

With this firm knowledge and remembrance

Bless me to be extremely cautious, 

Always avoiding harmful actions

And gathering abundant virtue. 

Samsara’s pleasure are deceptive,

Give no contentment, only torment;

So please bless me to strive sincerely 

To gain the bliss of perfect freedom. 

O Bless me so that from this pure thought

Come mindfulness and greatest caution,

To keep as my essential practice

The doctrine’s root, the Pratimoksha. 

Just like myself all my kind mothers

Are drowning in samsara’s ocean;

O So that I may soon release them, 

Bless me to train in bodhichitta.

But I cannot become a Buddha

By this alone without three ethics;

So bless me with the strength to practice 

The Bodhisattva’s ordination.

By pacifying my distractions 

  And analyzing perfect meaning, 

Bless me to quickly gain the union

Of special insight and quiescence.

When I become a pure container

Through common paths, bless me to enter

The essence practice of good fortune,l

The supremes vehicle, Vajrayana.

The two attainments both depend on 

My sacred vows and my commitments;

Bless me to understand this clearly

And keep them at the cost of my life.

By constant practice in four sessions, 

The way explained by holy Teachers, 

O Bless me to gain both the stages, 

Which are the essence of the Tantras. 

May those who guide me on the path, 

And my companions all have long lives, 

Bless me to pacify completely

All obstacles, outer and inner.

May I always find perfect Teachers,

And take delight in holy Dharma, 

Accomplish all grounds and paths swiftly,

And gain the state of Vajradhara. 

Receiving blessings and purifying

From the hearts of all the holy beings, streams of light 

And nectar flow down, granting blessings and purifying

At this point we begin that actual contemplation and meditation. 

After the meditation we dedicate our merit while reciting the following

prayers:

Dedication prayers

Through the virtues I have collected

by practicing the stages of the path, 

May all living beings find the opportunity

To practice in the same way.

May everyone experience

The happiness of human and gods,

And quickly attain enlightenment, 

So that samsara is finally extinguished. 

Medicine Buddha

PART TWO: The Twenty-One Meditations

THE INITIAL SCOPE

1. Relying upon a spiritual guide

Relying sincerely upon a qualified spiritual guide is the foundation for all spiritual attainments. In this meditation we generate a strong determination to rely upon a Spiritual Guide by considering the many benefits we shall experience.

PREPARATION

First we go for refuge, generate a special Bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices by reciting the brief prayers. 

CONTEMPLATION

We think ‘If I rely sincerely upon a Spiritual Guide, he or she will lead me along the spiritual path, which is the only way I can solve all my problems and make my life meaningful. I shall gradually draw closer to the attainment of full enlightenment. All the Buddhas will be delighted with me. I shall be protected from harm caused by humans or non-humans. I shall find it easy to abandon delusions and non-virtuous actions. My practical experience of the spiritual path will increase. I shall never be born in lower realms. In all my future lives I shall meet well-qualified Spiritual Guides. All my virtuous wishes for beneficial conditions within samsara, as well as for liberation and enlightenment, will be fulfilled.’

MEDITATION

We contemplate these benefits until we generate the determination to rely upon a Spiritual Guide sincerely and with strong faith. We meditate on this determination for as long as possible. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created by engaging in the preparatory practices, contemplating, and meditating, to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we should try to please our Spiritual Guide by sincerely putting his or her instructions into practice. We should improve our faith in him and, in particular, try to prevent negative thoughts towards him. If we wish to practise Dharma but have not yet met a Spiritual Guide, we should be encouraged by the determination made during the meditation to search for a qualified Spiritual Guide who can teach us the stages of the path and guide us towards enlightenment. 

King of Clear Knowing

1. Our Precious Human Life

By doing this meditation we shall come to realize that this human life is very precious because it provides us with a special opportunity to practice Dharma. Once we realize this we shall make a strong determination not to waste our life, but to use it to practise Dharma purely. 

PREPARATION

We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices as before. 

FIRST CONTEMPLATION

Countless living beings take rebirth as animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. Because there beings experience continuous, unimaginable suffering in the lower realms, none of them  has the opportunity to practice Dharma. Among those who are born as human beings there are many who have no opportunity to listen to or practise Buddha’s teachings. Millions of people live in countries where religion is not tolerated. Some people hold wrong views denying rebirth, the law of karma, or the existence of enlightened beings. Many people are incapacitated by accidents, or by severe physical or mental handicap, which makes it difficult or impossible for them to practise Dharma. Others suffer extreme poverty and deprivation, or are caught up on wars or natural disasters. Realizing this, we should think: ‘Unlike all these poor beings, I am free from all these impediments. I am very fortunate. I have an opportunity to listen to instructions on Buddhadharma and put them into practice. I have faith in these instructions. I have complete mental and physical faculties, and it is easy for me to find all the other conditions that are necessary for practicing Dharma.’

FIRST MEDITATION

We contemplate these points until we generate a feeling of deep appreciation for the preciousness of our human life, seeing that it provides all the conditions necessary for spiritual practice. We think ‘I am very fortunate’, and then meditate on this feeling single-pointedly.

SECOND CONTEMPLATION

We think: ‘If I use this human life well by practicing Dharma, I shall be able to overcome all the problems of this life and protect myself from falling into a lower rebirth in the future. If I practice the stages of the path of the intermediate scope I shall become free from uncontrolled rebirth and attain the peace of liberation; and if I practice the stages of the path of the great scope I shall attain full enlightenment and be able to benefit all living beings. My human life is a real wishfulfilling jewel because it enable me to fulfil my principal wish-to free myself and others from every kind of suffering so that we can experience real happiness. It is only with this human form that I can fulfil this wish.’

SECOND MEDITATION

We contemplate these points until we generate the determination: ‘I will use this precious human life to practice Dharma without wasting even a single moment.’ We then meditate on this determination single-pointedly. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we try never to lose our appreciation of the preciousness of our human life. If we keep this in mind all the time, we shall always maintain a happy mind and never become discouraged, whatever our external circumstances. Reflecting on the preciousness of our human life will encourage us not to waste valuable time, but to use it to practice the stages of the path. 

Melodious Ocean of Dharma Proclaimed

1. DEATH NAD IMPERMANENCE

There are three way in which we can make our human life meaningful: by using it to ensure that we take rebirth as a human or a god in our next life, by using it to attain liberation from samsara, or by using it to attain full enlightenment for the benefit of others. These attainments depend upon the practice of Dharma, but because we are so attached to worldly activities we do not have a strong wish to practise Dharma. This is our main obstacle. To overcome this obstacle we need to meditate on death. 

PREPARATION

We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices. 

CONTEMPLATION

We think: ‘I shall definitely die. There is no way to prevent my body from finally decaying. Day by day, moment by moment, my life is slipping away. I have not idea when I shall die; the time of death is completely uncertain. Many young people die before their parents, some die the moment they are born-there is not certainty in this world. Furthermore, there are so many causes of untimely death. The lives of many strong and healthy people are destroyed by accidents. There is no guarantee that I shall not die today.’

MEDITATION

After contemplating these points we mentally repeat over and over again ‘I may die today, I may die today’, and concentrate on the feeling it evokes. Eventually we shall come to a conclusion: ‘Since I shall soon have to depart from this world, there is no sense in my becoming attached to worldly enjoyments. Instead, I will devote my whole life to the practice of Dharma.’ We then meditate on this conclusion for as long as we can. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have create in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we should try to practice Dharma without laziness. Realizations that worldly pleasure are deceptive and that they distract us from using our life in a meaningful way, we should abandon attachment to them. In this way we can eliminate the main obstacle to pure Dharma practice. 

Supreme Glory Free from Sorrow(image)

1. THE DANGER OF LOWER REBIRTH

When we die, if the karma that ripens is negative we shall take rebirth in one of the lower realms. By meditating on this danger we develop a strong fear of the suffering of the lower realms. This fear is one of the main causes of going for refuge. 

PREPARATION

We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices. 

CONTEMPLATION

When the oil of an oil lamp is exhausted the flame goes out because the flame is produced from the oil, but when our body dies our consciousness is not extinguished because consciousness is not produced from the body. When we die our mind has to leave the present body, which is just a temporary abode, and find another body, rather like a bird leaving one nest to fly to another,. Our mind has no freedom to remain and no choice about where to go. We are blown to the place of our next rebirth by the winds of our karma. If the karma that ripens t our death time is negative, we shall definitely take a lower rebirth. Heavy negative karma causes rebirth in hell, less negative karma causes rebirth as a hungry ghost, and the least negative karma causes rebirth as an animal. 

It is very easy to commit heave negative karma. For example, simply by swatting a mosquito our of anger we create the cause to be reborn in hell. Throughout this and all our countless previous lives we have committed many heavy negative actions. Unless we have already purified there actions by practicing sincere confession, their potentialities remain in our mental continuum, and any one of these negative potentialities could ripen when we die. Bearing this in mind, we should ask ourself: ‘if I die today, where shall I be tomorrow? It is quite possible that I shall find myself in the animal realm, among the hungry ghosts, or in hell. If someone were to call me a stupid cow today I would find it difficult to bear, but what shall I do if I actually become a cow, a pig, or a fish?’

MEDITATION

We contemplate the suffering of the three lower realms, and the danger of being reborn there, until we generate a strong fear of taking rebirth in the lower realms. We then meditate on this feeling of fear for as long as possible. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we should not forget the danger of taking a lower rebirth. This helps us to maintain mindfulness and to be conscientious in avoiding non-virtuous actions. We are also inspired to seek refuge in the Three Jewels, which is the actual protection from suffering. 

Stainless Excellent Gold

1. REFUGE PRACTICE

Having developed fear by contemplation the danger of lower rebirth, we now consider how the Three Jewels, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, have complete power to protect  us. 

PREPARATION

We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices. 

CONTEMPLATION

Since all the fears and dangers of samsara, including rebirth in the lower realms, arise from our deluge minds, our real refuge is Dharma, the spiritual realization that directly protect us from delusions. For example, if we gain a realization of death and impermanence this will help us to reduce our attachment to the things of this life. If we have a strong awareness of the inevitability of death and the uncertainty of this time we shall naturally value the practice of moral discipline more than the pursuit of transitory sense pleasures, wealth, or power. We shall not be tempted to commit non-virtuous actions such as killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct, and so we shall not have to experience the unpleasant consequences of such actions. This is how Dharma realizations protect us from suffering. The ultimate Dharma refuge is the realization of emptiness. This permanently eradicates all our delusions and frees us once and for all from suffering. 

Whereas Dharma is the actual refuge, Buddha is the source of all refuge. He is the supreme Spiritual Guide who shows us the way to attain Dharma realizations and show sustains our Dharma practice by bestowing his blessings. The Sangha are the supreme spiritual friends who support our Dharma practice. They provide conducive conditions, encourage us in our practices, and set a good example for us to follow. Only the Three Jewels have the ability to protect living beings from all suffering.

MEDITATION

By thinking in this way we generate a strong conviction that the Three Jewels are the only true objects of refuge, and we develop deep faith in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We meditate on this without allowing any doubts to arise. 

When we meditate on a mental attitude such as faith, we do not merely think about it and focus on it as if it were separate from our mind; rather we transform our mind into that state and hold it single-pointedly. We should feel as if our mind has merged with the ocean of faith. 

After meditating on our faith in the Three Jewels for a short time, we imagine that in front of us is the living Buddha Shakyamuni surrounded by all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, like the full moon surrounded by stars. We generate a strong conviction that all these holy beings are actually present before us and focus on them for a while. Fearing rebirth in the lower realms and having deep faith in the Three Jewels, we generate a strong determination to build the foundation of the Dharma Jewel within our mind by relying upon the Buddha Jewel and Sangha Jewel. With this motivation we make the following request: All Buddha’s, Bodhisattvas, and holy beings, Please protect me and all living beings from the various sufferings, fear, and dangers of samsara. Please bestow our blessings upon our body and mind. We recite this refuge prayer many times with deep faith in the Three Jewels. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we should practice the twelve commitments of refuge, which are explained in detail in Appendix II. Keeping the refuge commitments helps us to strengthen our refuge practice so that it will quickly bear fruit. 

King of Melodious Sound

1. ACTIONS AND THEIR EFFECTS

Having gone for refuge, our main practice is to observe the laws of karma bay abandoning non-virtue and practicing virtue. This is the actual method for protecting ourself from rebirth in the lower realms, and the foundation of all other Dharma realizations. 

PREPARATION

We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices. 

CONTEMPLATION

The main cause of rebirth in the lower realms is non-virtuous actions, or negative karma. All the suffering we experience in this life, such as kick ness, poverty, conflict accidents, and harm from humans and non-humans, is the result of our own past negative karma. If our dearest wishes remain unfulfilled while the things we dislike appear with ease, or if we fail to find good friends, or, having found them, we are soon separated from them, these too are due to the ripening of our past negative karma. Even minor acceptances such as interferences in our daily routine, or the discontent that underlies so much of our life, are the result of the non-virtuous actions accumulated in previous lives. Conversely, our precious human life, all the happiness experienced by humans and gods, and the attainments of liberation and enlightenment are the result of virtuous actions. 

This dependent relationship between actions and their effects, virtuous actions causing happiness and non-virtuous actions causing suffering, it taught by the Buddhas based on their perfect knowledge. We must believe it because conviction in the laws of karma is the root of future happiness. 

MEDITATION

We contemplate these points until we develop conviction in the truth of karma. Then we make the determination: ‘Since I wish to be free from every misfortune and enjoy uninterrupted happiness, I must abandon non-virtuous actions and practice only virtue. In particular, I must abandon the ten non-virtuous actions.’ We then make this determination firm by meditating on it with single-pointed concentration. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we should conscientiously avoid even small negative actions and prectice whatever virtuous actions we can. In this way we shall be able to over come our immediate problems and protect ourself from future suffering. Practicing moral discipline purely makes our human life meaningful. It is the only infallible method for solving our inner problems. 

Glorious Renown of Excellent Signs

THE INTERMEDIATE SCOPE

Since beginningless time we have taken countless rebirths without interruption due to our self-grasping. This cycle of uninterrupted death, intermediate state, and rebirth is known as ‘samsara’. As long as we remain trapped in samsara we shall experience only suffering. 

Going for refuge to the Three Jewels, combined with the practice of pure moral discipline, will free us from the danger of lower rebirth and enable us to obtain a precious human life again in the future. However, even in the human realm we are not free from suffering and there is no real happiness. We have only to look around us, read a newspaper, or watch television to see that human beings experience terrible sufferings. 

Where’ve we are born in samsara, even in the highest god realm, there is no freedom fro suffering. If we succeed in taking rebirth in the fortunate realms it is only like taking a short holiday. Afterwards we once again have to descent to the lower realms, where we experience extreme suffering from inconceivable long periods. 

We experience all these suffering because we are in samsara. If we want real freedom and real happiness we must escape from samsara. By practicing the stages of the path of the intermediate scope we can escape from samsara and attain permanent inner peace, with complete freedom form all suffering, fears, and their causes.. This is real liberation, or nirvana. 

1. DEVELOPING RENUNCIATION FOR SAMSARA

Since the root cause of samsara is self-grasping, to escape from samsara we must cut this root by eradicating self-grasping from our mental continuum. This depends upon training in higher wisdom, which depends upon training in higher concentration, which depends upon training in higher oral discipline. These three trainings are called. ‘higher’ training because they are motivated by renunciation, the wish to escape fro samsara. Therefore, our first step in escaping from samsara is to develop a spontaneous realization of renunciation. 

We develop renunciation by contemplating the many faults of samsara and generating a stong wish to escape. In the following contemplations we think about the various sufferings experienced in the human realm, but we should bear in mind that the sufferings of other realms are generally far worse.

We may wonder why it is necessary to contemplate sufferings such as birth, aging, sickness, and death, especially since we have already experienced the first and can do nothing to avoid the others. There reason is that by meditating on these sufferings we realize that the very nature of samsaric existence is suffering, and that until we escape from samsara we shall have to experience the same pains in life after life. This induces a strong wish to escape from samsara by abandoning its cause, self-grasping. This wish is renunciation. 

PREPARATION

We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices. 

CONTEMPLATION

There now follow seven separate contemplations on the sufferings of samsara, each of which is designed to generate a mind of renunciation, which we then take as the object of meditation. It is not necessary to contemplate all there points in each session. Rather we should contemplate mainly those points that have the greatest impact on our mind and that help us to develop renunciation. When renunciation arises in our mind we should refrain from further contemplation and proceed to the meditation.

BIRTH

We have to spend the first nine months of our life cramped inside our mother’s womb. At the beginning the rapid growth of our limbs makers us feel as if we are being stretched out on a rack, and in the later months of pregnancy we feel as if we are squashed inside a small water tank full o filthy liquid. Makes us feel as if we are being stretched out on a rack, and in the later months of pregnancy we feel we feel as if we are squashed inside a small water tank full of filthy liquid. We are extremely sensitive to everything our mother does. For example, if she runs, our fragile body is severely jolted, and if she drinks anything hot if feels like boiling water scalding our skin. During all this time we are completely alone. Our mother does not know the suffering and fear  that we experience and, even if she did, she would be powerless to help us. 

When we finally emerge from the womb it is like being forced through a narrow crevice between two hard rocks into a harsh and alien world. We have forgotten all we knew in our previous life, and have no way of understanding what is now happening to us. It is as if we are blind, deaf, and dumb. Our skin is so tender that even so softest clothes feel abrasive. When we are hungry we cannot say ‘I need food’, and when we are in pain we cannot say ‘This is hurting me.’ The only signs we can make are hot tears and furious gestures. We are completely helpless and have to be taught everything-how to eat, how to sit, how to walk, how to talk. 

AGEING

As we grow old, our youthful vitality diminishes. We become bent, ulgy, and burdened with illness. Our eyesight becomes weaker and our hearing fails. we cannot derive the same enjoyment for the things we used to enjoy, such as food, drink, and sex. We are too weak to play games, and we are often too exhausted even for entertainments. When we are young we can travel around the whole world, but when we are old we can hardly walk to our own front door. We become took weak to engage in many worldly activities, and our spiritual activities are often curtailed. For example, we cannot make many prostrations or travel far to receive teachings. If we meditate we find it hard to gain realizations becomes our memory and concentrations are weak and we find it difficult to stay awake. Our intellect is less sharp than it was during our youth, and so when we try to study it takes much longer to understand things. 

Unable to do the work used we used to do, or help others in the way we would like to, we begin to feel uselsss to society and start to lose our self-respect. We are often neglected by our own children’s, and we watch helplessly as one by one our friends and contemporaries grow sick and die. Inexorably our loneliness deepens. If we did not practise Dharma while we were younger and had the opportunity, we pass our few remaining years with a growing fear of death and a deepening sense of regret for a wasted life. 

SICKNESS

Having been born human, it is almost impossible to escape having to experience sickness in this life. When we fall ill we are like a bird that has been soaring in the sky and is suddenly shot down. When a bird is shot, it falls straight to the ground like a lump of lead and all its glory and power are immediately distorted. Even a mild illness can be completely incapacitation. We cannot enjoy the food we like or take part in the activities of our friends. We may be told that we must never again eat our favorite food, drink alcohol or engage in strenuous exercise. If our disease is more serious we may have to undergo painful and possibly risky operations. Should these fail, we shall be told that the doctors can do nothing to cure us and that we have only a short time left to life. If we have not used our life to practise Dharma we shall be overcome by fear and regret. 

Young people in their prime may be struck down by an incurable degenerative illness and, though they remain alive for many years, they will have to watch themselves slowly deteriorate. Realizing that their most treasured hopes and dreams will never bo fulfilled they may wish they could die sooner. When we hear or read about the horrible disease experienced by others we must remember that the same could happen to us. While we remain in samsara we are never safe from the threat of sickness. 

DEATH

If during our life we have worked hard to acquire possessions and have become very attached to them, we shall experiences great suffering when we are separated from them at the time of death. Even now we find it difficult to lead one of our most treasures possessions to someone else, let alone to give it away. No wonder we become so miserable when we realize that in this hands of death we must abandon everything. 

When we die we have to part from even our closest friends. We have to leave our partner, even though we may have been together for many years and never spent a day apart. If we are very attached to our friends we shall experience great misery at that time of death, but all we shall be able to do is to hold their hands. We shall not be able to halt the process of death, even if they plead with us not to die. Usually when we are very attached to someone we fell jealous if they lea e us on our own and spend time with someone else, but when we die we shall have to leave our friends with others forever. If we have children we shall have to leave them when we die. We shall have to leave our Spiritual Guides and all the people who have helped us in this life. 

When we die, this body that we have cherished and cared for in so many ways will have to be left behind. It will become mindless like a stone and will be buried in the ground or cremated. If we have not practiced Dharma and cultivated virtuous actions, at this time of death we shall experience fear and distress, as well as bodily pain. 

HAVING TO PART WITH WHAT WE LIKE

Before the final separation at the time of death, we often have to experience temporary separation from the people and things we like. We may have to leave our country where all our friends and relatives live, or we may have to leave the job we like. We may lose our reputation. Many times in this life we have to experience the misery of parting form the people we like, or forsaking and losing the things we find pleasant and attractive, but when we die we have to part forever from all the companions and enjoyments of this life. 

HAVING TO ENCOUNTER WHAT WE DO NOT LIKE

We are often forced to live or work with people whom we find unpleasant, such as those who criticize us for no reason, or with those who continually interfere with our wishes. Sometimes we may find ourself in very dangerous situations such as in a fire or an earthquake, or attacked by a mugger or a rapist. If our country goes to war we may be called up fight, or be imprisonments if we refuse. Our home may be bombed and our relatives killed. Our life is full of less extreme situations that we find annoying. Our life is full of less extreme situations that we find annoying. On ho,I day it rains, but back in the office the heat is stifling. Our business fails, or we lose our job, or we use up all our savings. We argue with our partner, our children cause us many worries, and old friends suddenly turn against us, Whatever we do, something always seems to go wrong. Even in our Dharma practice we continually meet obstacles. When we sit down to meditate we are distracted by outside noise, the telephone rings, or someone comes to see us. Sometimes it seems that even though we have been practicing Dharma for years our delusions are stronger than ever. Even though we try so hard to be considerate, sometimes our family or our friends become unhappy about our Dharma practice. It is as if we are living in a thorn bush-whenever we adjust ourselves to make ourself more comfortable, the thorns only pierce us more deeply. In samsara, aggravation and frustration are the natural state of affairs. 

FAILING TO SATISFY OUR DESIRES

We have countless desires. Many cannot be fulfilled at all and others, when fulfilled, do not bring us that satisfaction for which we hoped. Many people are unable to satisfy even modest desires for the basic necessities of life such as adequate food, clothing, shelter, companionship, tolerable work, or a degree of personal freedom. Unfortunately, even if these basic needs are met, our desires do not end there. Soon we need a car, a more luxurious home, a better paid job. In the past a simple holiday at the seaside may have been sufficient, but our expectations continually increase and how we need expensive, foreign holidays. 

Ambition and competitiveness are a common cause of dissatisfaction. The ambitions schoolchild cannot rest cannot rest content until he or she comes top of the class, nor the businessman until he has made his fortune. clearly not everyone can come top. For one person to win, others must lose, but even the winners are rarely satisfied for long; their ambitions drives them on until they to are beaten, worn out, or dead. 

Another reason why we fail to satisfy all our desire is that they are often contradictory. For example, we many want both worldly success and a simple life, or fame and privacy, or rich food and a slim figure, or excitement and security. We may demand our own way all the time and still expect to be popular, or we may wish for Dharma realizations yet still covet a good reputation and material wealth. Our desires often involve other people, and this creates special complications. Many relationships break up because of unrealistic expectations and desires. 

We seek perfection-the perfect society, the perfect home, the perfect partner-but perfection cannot be found in samsara. Samsara promises much but can never deliver real satisfaction. It is not possible for impure, transient objects to provide the lasting joy we seek. This can be attained only by thoroughly purifying our mind. Ignorance is the fundamental cause of samsara, but worldly desires are the fuel that perpetuates it; therefore we need to reduce our worldly desires by recognizing their faults. 

MEDITATION

By contemplating these seven types of suffering we shall come to the conclusion: ‘I have experienced those sufferings over and over again in the past and, if I do not attain liberation, I shall have to experience them over and over again in the future. Therefore I must escape from samsara’ when this thought arises clearly and definitely in our mind we meditate on it for as long as possible. 

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. F

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

Throughout the meditation break we should maintain the wish to attain liberation from samsara. When we meet with difficult circumstances or see others experiencing difficulties, we should use these to remind ourself of the disadvantage of samsara. When things are going well we should not be deceived but recall that samsaric pleasures are short-lived and ensnare us if we become attached to them. In this way we can use all our experiences of daily life to strengthen our determination to escape from samsara and attain liberation. 

Avalokiteshvara

THE GREAT SCOPE

We should maintain the wish to escape from samsara day and night. It is the main path to liberation and the basis of more advanced realization. However, we should not be content with seeking merely our own liberation; we need also to consider the welfare of other living beings. There are countless beings trapped in the prison of samsara experiencing an unlimited variety of sufferings. Whereas each one of us is just one single person, other people are countless in number; therefore the happiness of others is much more important than our own happiness. For this reason we must enter Mahayana path, the supreme method for benefiting all living beings. 

1. Developing Equanimity

Our attitudes towards others are normally unbalanced. When we see a friend or someone we find particularly attractive we feel pleased, when we see an enemy or an unattractive person we feel dislike for them, and when we see a stranger or someone we find neither attractive nor unattractive we feel indifference. Such unbalanced attitudes are the main obstacle to developing unbiased love, compassion, and bodhichitta, which are the essential realizations of the Mahayana. For as long as we have these attitudes our mind will be like a rocky field that cannot support the growth of Mahayana realizations. Our first task, therefore, is to free our mind from these unbalanced attitudes and develop a genuine equanimity towards all living beings. 

• Preparation …

• Contemplation… we should think that in previous lives the person who is now our friend was often our enemy, while our present enemy has often been our closest friend. Even within one short life, friends quickly turn into enemies and enemies turn into friends. There is no certainty. Moreover, in the past we have been close to those we now regard as strangers, and there will come a time when we shall become estranged from those to whom we now feel close. Therefore, there is no sense in our being attached to some and feeling aversion or indifference towards others. By thinking in this way we can give up these unbalanced attitudes of attachment, aversion, and indifference, and cultivate instead a feeling of warmth towards all living beings.

• Meditation… By contemplating these points we arrive at three resolution. 1. I will free my mind from unbalanced attitudes. 2. I will not feel attached net, aversion, or indifference towards any living being. 3. I will develop and maintain a warm and friendly attitude towards all living beings equally. - we meditate single-pointedly on these three resolutions for as long as possible.

• Dedication… prayers.

• Subsequent practice… We should maintain these three resolution day and night, keeping in our heart a warm feeling towards everyone we meet or think about. If we do this there will be no basis for the problems of attachment or anger to arise, and our mind will remain at peace all the time.

Manjushri

1. Recognizing that all living beings are our mothers.

Having generated equanimity, we now need to generate love, compassion, and bodhichitta. These depend upon first generating affectionate love for all living beings. to generate affectionate love we begin by contemplating how all living beings are our mothers. 

• Preparation…

• Contemplation… since it is impossible to find a beginning to our mental continuum it follows that we have taken countless rebirths in the past, and if we have had countless rebirths we must have had countless mothers. Where are all there mothers now? They are all the living being alive today. .. it is incorrect to reason that our mothers of former lives are not longer our mothers just because a long time has passed since they actually cared for us. If our present mother were to die today, would she cease to be our mother? No, we would still regard her as our mother and pray for her patients. The same is true of all our previous mothers - they died, yet they remain our mothers. It is only because of the changes in our external appearance that we do not recognize each other. .. In our daily life we see many different living beings, both human and non-human. We regard some as friends, some as enemies, and most as strangers. These distinctions are made by our mistaken minds; they are not verified by valid minds. As a result of the different karmic relationships we have had in the past, some living beings now appear to us to be attractive, some unattractive, and other neither particularly attaractive nor unattractive. We tend to assent to these appearances unquestioningly. We tend to assent to these appearances unquestioningly, as if they were really true. We believe that those who now appear pleasant are intrinsically pleasant people, while those whom we find unattractive are actually unpleasant. This way of thinking is clearly incorrect. If the people whom we find attractive were intrinsically pleasant, everyone who met them would find them pleasant; and if the people whom we find unattractive were intrinsically unpleasant, everyone who met them would find them unpleasant; but this is not the case. Therefore, rather than following such mistaken minds it would be better to regard all living being as our mothers. Whoever we meet, we should think ‘this person I my mother.’ In this way we shall feel equally warm towards all living beings. .. If we regard all living beings as our mothers we shall find it easy to develop pure love and compassion, our everyday relationships will become pure stable, and we shall naturally avoid negative actions such as killing or harming living beings. Since it is so beneficial to regard all living being as our mothers, we should adopt this way of thinking without hesitation.

  • Meditation… We contemplate in this way until we develop the conviction that all beings are our mothers. then we meditate on this conviction single-pointedly to make it firm.

  • Dedication… We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers.

  • Subsequent Practice… In between sessions we should regard everyone we meet as our mother. This applies even to animals and insects, as well as to our enemies. Instead of identifying people as friends, enemies, or strangers, we should try to view them all equally as being our mother. In this way we shall over come the harmful attitudes of attachment, hatred, and indifference.

Vajrapani

10. Remembering the kindness of living beings.

Having become convinced that all living being are our mothers, we now contemplate their kindness to generate a feeling of affectionate love towards them. In this. Edit action we begin by contemplating the immense kindness we have received from each living being when they were our mother, and then we contemplate and meditate on the kindness they have shown us at other times. 

• Preparation…

• Contemplation… When we were conceived, had our mother not wanted to keep us in her womb she could have had an abortion. If she had done so we would not now have this human life. Through her kindness she allowed us to stay in her womb, and so we now enjoy a human life and experience all its advantages. When we were a baby, had we not received her constant charge and attention we would certainly have had an accident and could now be handicapped, crippled, or blind. Fortunately our mother did not neglect us. Day and night she gave us her loving care, regarding us as more important than herself. She saved our life many times each day. During the night she allowed her sleep to be interrupted, and during the day she forfeited her usual pleasures. She had to leave her job, and when her friends went out to enjoy themselves she had to stay behind. She spent all her money on us, gave us the best food and the best clothes she could afford. She taught us how to eat, how to walk, how to talk. Thinking of our future welfare, she did her best to ensure that we received a good education. Due to her kindness we are now able to study whatever we choose. It is principally through the kindness of our mothers that we now have the opportunity to practice Dharma and eventually at attain enlightenment.. Since there is no one who has not been our mother at some time in our previous lives, and since when we were their child they treated us with same kindness as our present mother has treated us in this life, all living beings are very kind.. The kindness of living beings is not limited to the times when they have been our mother. All the time, our day-to-day needs are provided through the kindness of others. We brought nothing with us from our former life, yet as soon as we were born we were given a home, food, clothes, and everything we needed - all provided through the kindness of others. Everything we now enjoy has been provided through the generosity of other beings, past or present.. We are able to make use of many things with very little effort on our own part. If we consider facilities such as roads, cars, trains, aero planes, ships, houses, restaurants, hotels, libraries, hospitals, shots, money, and so on, it is clear that many people worked very hard to provide these things. Even though we make little or no contribution towards the provision of these facilities, they are all available for us to use. This shows the great kindness of others.. Both our generate education and our spiritual training are provided by others. All our Dharma realizations, from our very first insights up to our eventual attainment of liberation and enlightenment, will be attained in dependence upon the kindness of others.

  • Meditation… We contemplate the great kindness of mother living beings until we develop a deep sense of gratitude. We then meditate on this feeling single-pointedly.

  • Dedication… prayers

  • Subsequent Practice… Throughout all our activities we should maintain the recognition that all beings are very kind to us. This special way of viewing living beings will prevent us from becoming involved in arguments or from criticizing others. We shall easily attain the realization of love, compassion and bodhichitta.

Maitreya

1. Equalizing Self and Others

To equalize self and others is to cherish others as much as we cherish ourself. Until now we have cherished only ourself. The aim of this meditation is to share our feeling of cherishing so that we come to cherish ourself and all living being equally. 

- Preparation… 

- Contemplation… We think: ‘There are three correct reasons why I should cherish myself and others equally: 1. All living beings have shown me great kindness in both this and previous lives. 2. Just as I wish to be free from suffering and experience only happiness, so do all other beings. In this respect I am no different from any other being: we are all equal. 3. I am only one, whereas other are countless, so how can I cherish myself alone while I neglect to cherish others? My happiness and suffering are insignificant when compared with the happiness and suffering of all other living beings.’

- Meditation… We contemplate these three reasons until a determination to cherish others as much as we cherish ourself arises strongly in our mind. We then meditate on this determination for as long as possible. 

- Dedication… WE dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

- Subsequent Practice… Whenever we meet someone, or think of someone, we should remember the determination we made in the meditation session and cherish them sincerely. We should feel affectionate love for all living beings and always value their happiness and freedom. If we train in this way many of the problems we experience in daily life will disappear, because most of our problems arise from regarding ourself as more important at than others. 

Ksitigarbha

1. The Disadvantages of Self-Cherishing

We usually regard ourself as especially precious and important, and feel that our own happiness matter most. This attitude, which is known as ‘self-cherishing’ , is a great obstacle to developing great compassion and bodhichitta. In this meditation we generate a strong determination to overcome our self-cherishing by considering its many faults and disadvantages. 

- Preparation…

- Contemplation… Motivated by self-cherishing we perform many negative actions - bodily, verbal, and mental. As a result of these negative actions we experience suffering and misfortune. All suffering, all fear, and all unfulfilled wishes are the result of negative karma, and all negative karma arises from self-cherishing.. If we hear even the slightest criticism we immediately feel pain because our self-cherishing mains wishes are the result of negative karma, and all negative karma arise from self-cherishing.. If a mother living being such as poor, hungry mouse were to come into our room searching for food, we would probably become unhappy, and instead of generating compassion we might even become angry. This is because our self-cherishing.. If a mother living being such as a poor, hungry mouse were to come into our room searching for food, we would probably become unhappy, and instead of generating compassion we might even become angry. This is because our self-cherishing regards only ourself as important and has no wish to benefit others.. It is generally assumed that self-cherishing is necessary for survival, and that is only because we cherish ourself that we look after other self at all. On the surface this seems to be true, but if we think more deeply, taking into account the laws of karma, we shall realize that the opposite is the case. It is the self-cherishing we harbour in our hearts that is responsible for all our problems and that consistently destroys our well-being, even threatening our very survival. For example, some people become so disappointed or angry when their wishes are not fulfilled that they kill themselves. Such anger or despair arises only from strong attachment to one’s own happiness, so indirectly self-cherishing is responsible even for suicide. Nothing causes us greater harm than this demon of self-cherishing; it is the source of all negativity and all misfortune.. We do not need self-cherishing to look after ourself, or to survive. If we regard our body as being in the service of others, we can eat, wash, work, rest, and so on without self-cherishing. Moreover, people who genuinely love others and have an unselfish, undemanding disposition are generally well-liked and readily receive assistance from others. 

- Meditation… We contemplate these points until we develop a strong determination to abandon our self-cherishing. Then we meditate single-pointedly on this determination. 

- Dedication… prayers. 

- Subsequent Practice… We should be ever mindful of the faults of self-cherishing and, by repeatedly recalling the determination we made in meditation, we should try to gradually to abandon it. Whenever we experience difficulties or suffering we should not blame other people or the external situation - rather we should remember that ultimately all our problems arise from self-cherishing. Therefore, when things go wrong we should blame only our self-cherishing mind. By practicing in this way our self-cherishing, the root of all faults, will gradually diminish and eventually cease altogether. 

Samantabhadra

1. The Advantages of Cherishing Others

Previously we generated affectionate love for all mother living beings. On the basis of this we now need to generate cherishing love, a mind that regards all living beings as important and feels them to be very special. In the meditation we generate a strong determination to cherish others by contemplating the many advantages of so doing. 

- Preparation… 

- Contemplation… If we think clearly we shall realize that all our present and future happiness depends upon out cherishing others. How is this? In our past lives, because we cherished others, we practiced moral discipline such as refraining from killing or harming others, and abandoning streaking from them. Sometimes out of fondness for them we practiced giving and patience. As a result of these positive actions we have now obtained this precious human life. Moreover, because something in the past we helped others and gave them protections, we ourselves now receive help and enjoy pleasant conditions.. If we sincerely practice charging others we shall experience many benefits in this and future lives. The immediate effect will be that many of our problems such as those that arise from anger and jealousy will disappear, and our mind will become calm and peaceful. Since we shall act in a considerate way, we shall please others and not become involved in quarrels or disputes. If we cherish others we shall be concerned not to harm them, so we shall naturally avoid negative actions. Instead, we shall practice positive actions such as love, patience, and generosity, and thus create the cause to gain a precious human life in the future.. If we make cherishing others our main practice, we shall gradually develop very special minds of great compassion and bodhichitta, and as a result we shall eventually come to enjoy the ultimate happiness of full enlightenment.

- Meditation… We contemplate these points until we arrive at the decision: ‘I must always cherish other beings because this precious mains of love will bring happiness to myself and others.’ We then hold this thought and meditate on it single-pointedly for as long as possible.

- Dedication… Prayers.

- Subsequent Practice… During the meditation break we should continue to keep in mind the advantages of cherishing others, and gradually improve our consideration, respect, and love for them. 

Sarvanivaranviskambini

1. Exchanging self with others means changing the object of our cherishing so that we give up cherishing ourself and cherish only other.

• Preparation… We for for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices.

• Contemplation… Since beginningless time we have cherishing only ourself. So strong has been our self-cherishing that we have never forgotten out own welfare for a moment, even during sleep. Again and again this attitude has caused us to create the karma to be reborn in samara and experience relentless suffering.. Buddha himself, and many of this followers, have understood the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others. They have realized that the main cause of the ultimate happiness of Buddha hood is exchanging self with others. Therefore they have abandoned self-cherishing, and have come to regard the happiness of all other living beings as supremely important, dedicating all their actions to the welfare of others. The result is that they have attained full enlightenment and have been able to rescue many living being from the suffering of samsara.

• Meditation… We contemplate these points until we gain a deep understand of them. Finally we come to the conclusion: ‘I must abandons self-cherishing and cherish only others because self-cherishing is the source of all suffering and root of samsara, and cherishing others is the source of all happiness and the rot of liberation and full enlightenment.’ When this determinations arises in our mind we meditate on it single-pointedly.

• Dedication… prayers

• Subsequent Practice… Be remaining mindful of the determination made in meditation, we should try not to folllowo our instinctive self-cherishing but instead try to cherish others. When we are familiar with exchanging self with others we shall become light the great Tibetan Bodhisattva, Geshe Langre Tangpa, who was able to accept happily any pain or difficulty such as illness, loss, or criticism, and to offer all his success and good conditions to others.

Akashagarbha

1. Great Compassion

Having developed cherishing love for all living beings, we now contemplate their suffering so that we can generate compassion for them. For this meditation we imagine that our parents of this life are beside us, and that they are surrounded by all living beings of the six realms. To help us visualize them we can imagine them all in human aspect, but we should remember that in reality they are beings of the six realms experiencing their own particular sufferings. 

- Preparation… We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices. 

- Contemplation… none of these poor beings around me wants to suffer. They all long to be free, but they do not know how to escape. They are confused about the real caused of suffering, so they cannot find the means to abandon it. Out of ignorance they continually perform actions that cause them to be reborn in samara. It seems as if their misery has no end.. Because they have taken rebirth in samara, all these beings are experiencing continuous suffering. For example, human beings are experiencing unbearable human suffering. Without any choice they have to experience the suffering of birth, aging, sickness and death. Again and again they have to part with what they like and encounter what they do not like. They are never able to satisfy their desires, but experience constant disappointment and frustration.. If we recall our contemplations on these seven sufferings from the meditation on renunciation and now apply them to others, we shall realize that all human beings are experiencing constant suffering. We can increase our awareness of human suffering. We can increase out awareness of human suffering by recalling tragedies that we ourself have witnessed, read about, or seen on television.. The suffering of animals is a hundred times worse than human suffering, and the suffering experienced by hungry ghosts is even worse. The most severe and long-lasting suffering is that experienced by hell beings.. Although the gods and Demi-gods generally enjoy better physical conditions than do humans, even they are not free from mental suffering, and in the future they will once again have to experience the immense suffering of the lower realms. 

- Meditation… We contemplate these points until there arises in our mind a strong feeling of compassion for all living beings. We generate the compassionate wish: ‘How wonderful it would be if all living beings were free from suffering’, and meditate on this wish for as long as possible.

- Dedication… We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

- Subsequent Practice… During the meditation break we should try to maintain a compassionate heart day and night. Whenever we see our hear others’ suffering we should try to strengthen our compassion. We must also try to help in practical ways wherever possible. For example, we can rescue animals whose lives are in danger, comfort those who are distressed, or relieve the pain of those who are sick. 

Aisha

1. Taking

Having developed the compassionate wish for all living beings to be freed from their suffering, we must now realize it is not enough to merely to wish for this to happen; we must personally take responsibility for making it happen. 

• Preparation… We go for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the other preparatory practices.

• Contemplation… We begin by generating the superior intention ‘I myself will liberate all beings from their suffering.’ Motivated by this superiors intention we pray: ‘May al the suffering, fears, and obstacles of every living being ripen upon me, and may they thereby be freed from all problems.’ We then imagine that all their sufferings, fears, and obstacles gather in the aspects of black smoke, which dissolves into our heart, destroying our self-cherishing mind and freeing all living beings from their suffering.

• Meditation… We develop strong convictions that all living being have actually been released from their suffering and that our self-cherishing mind has been completely destroyed. With this conviction we generate a feeling of great joy. We take this feeling of joy as our object of meditation and hold it with single-pointed concentration for as long as possible.

• Dedication… Prayers

• Subsequent Practice… During the meditation break we should put our compassionate intentions into practice by alleviating others’ suffering whenever we can. In this way we increase both our compassion and our merit. We should patiently accept whatever misfortune befalls us and use our own suffering as an example to help us develop sympathy for others. By practicing in these ways our self-cherishing will gradually diminish and we shall develop the courage actually to take on the suffering of others.

Dormtonpa

1. Wishing Love

In this meditation we once again imagine ourself surrounded by all living beings, with our parents closest to us. We then recall from our previous meditations the love that cherishes all beings equally. With this mind we contemplate how all the beings equally. With this mind we contemplated how all the beings around us have no real happiness. This naturally gives rise to the wish for them to find pure happiness. This wish is called ‘wishing love’.

• Preparation…

• Contemplation… Although all these beings desire real happiness they do not know how to obtain it. Instead of engaging in actions that cause real happiness they destroy whatever merit they have by getting angry, holding wrong views, or committing other negative actions.. No one in samsara enjoys real happiness. The happiness experienced by samsaric beings is simply worldly pleasure, which in reality is the suffering of change. IN samsara all pleasure are short-lived and eventually change into pain. For example, the worldly pleasure we experience in ordinary relationships is not real happiness, but a temporary diminshment of our loneliness. Sooner or later, problems arise in our relationship, or it comes to an end. Our pleasures never last.. We generally assume that rich people much experience true happiness because they can enjoy all the pleasures and luxuries we would like to enjoy, but the pleasure they experience is, in reality, merely a temporary reduction of the suffering of discontent which arises from their unfulfilled desires.

• Meditation… We contemplate these points until we generate a sincere wish: ‘how wonderful it would be if all beings could experience true happiness!’ We take this mind of wishing love as our object of meditation and hold it single-pointedly.

• Dedication… Prayers.

• Subsequent Practice… During the meditation break we should maintain wishing love day and night by constantly reminding ourself that these living beings whom we cherish so much have no true happiness. When our hearts are filled with pure love we cannot be disturbed by anger or jealousy.

Geshe Potowa

1. Giving

Having generated the wish for all living beings to be happy, we now train in actually giving them happiness. 

• Preparation…

• Contemplation… We begin by generating the intention: ‘Since I wish for all beings to enjoy true happiness, I must act to make this really happen.’ With this motivation we imagine that our body transforms into a wish fulfilling jewel from which light radiates and illuminates all six realms. From this light, humans receive whatever they desire, animals are freed from danger, hungry ghosts receive food and drink, beings in the cold hells receive warmth, and a cooling breeze refreshes those in the hot hells. Demi-gods are granted protection, and gods are blessed with uncontaminated happiness.

• Meditation… We generate a strong conviction that as a result of our practice of giving, all living beings experience and uncontaminated happiness and are completely satisfied. With this conviction we generate a special feeling of joy. We then meditate on this feeling for as long as possible.. Once we have become familiar with the practices of taking and giving as explained here, we can combine them by mounting them on the breath. To do this we must have the correct motivation of compassion and love for all beings. Breathing naturally, we imagine that when we breathe in we inhale, in the form of black smoke, all the suffering, delusions, and negative karma of all living beings. This black smoke enters through our nostrils and descents to our heart where it completely destroys our self-cherishing mind. As a result our mind transforms in uncontaminated bliss and our body becomes the pure body of a Buddha. As we breathe out we exhale white light, which blesses the minds of all living beings and grants them whatever they desire or need. We repeat this visualization with each inhalation and exhalation.. Since there is quite a lot of visualize in a short space of time, it is difficult to do this practice if we are not already familiar with the basic meditation on taking and giving. Once these are mastered, however, this practice is an exceptionally powerful method for developing and increasing our compassion, love, and bodhichitta.. The breath and the mind are closely related. If the breath is harnessed for virtuous purposes it will gradually be once pure, and as a result our mind will gradually become peaceful. Since we breathe all the time, if we use this method to keep our breath pure we shall easily be able to maintain peaceful and virtuous states of mind all the time.. More elaborate instructions on taking and giving can be found in the book Universal Compassion.

• Dedication… We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers.

• Subsequent Practices.. During the meditation break we should try to practice giving material things, giving Dharma, and giving fearlessness. Whenever we can, we should try to be of service to others. We should also make prayers and dedicate our merit so that all living being obtain pure happiness. In this way our wishing love as well as our merit will increase.

Je Tsongkhapa 

1. Bodhichitta

 The eleven meditations from equanimity to giving are the actual methods for developing bodhichitta. In general, there are two methods for developing bodhichitta: the method of the sevenfold cause and effect, and the method of equalizing and exchanging self with others. The system presented here is a syntheses of these two traditions. We generate a special bodhichitta. In particular, the superior intention generated through taking and giving directly induces an especially powerful bodhichitta. This is defined as a primary mind spontaneously wishing to attain Boddhahood for the sake of all living beings that is motivated by the special superior intention arising from exchanging self with others. 

• Preparing…

• Contemplation.. We recall the superior intentions generated in the meditation on taking and think: ‘I have assumed responsibility for liberating all living beings from suffering, but how can I do this without first attaining enlightenment myself? Only a Buddha has the power to protect all living beings and to bestow upon them uncontaminated bliss. Therefore, to fulfill my wish to liberate others form their suffering I must become a Buddha.’

• Meditation… When by contemplating in this way we arrive at the conclusion ‘I must attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all’, we hold it single-pointedly for as long as possible. If the thought begins to fade we renew it by repeating the contemplation.

• Dedication… we dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers.

• Subsequent Practice… We should try to maintain bodhichitta day and night. In particular, we should try to ensure that whatever actions we undertake are motivated by bodhichitta. In this way all our actions become powerful causes of Boddhahood… Having gained some experience of bodhichitta, we should bring it to completion by practicing the three night training of the Mahayana: training in the perfection of moral discipline by keeping the Bodhisattva vows purely; training in the perfection of mental stabilization by striving to attain tranquil abiding; and training in the perfection of wisdom by developing superior seeing.

Je Phabongkhapa

1. Tranquil Abiding

To release our mind form self-grasping, the root of all delusions, we need a direct realization of emptiness. This depends upon tranquil abiding. Without tranquil abiding our mind is unstable, like a candle flame exposed to the wind, and so we are not able to realize clearly and directly subtle objects such as emptiness. It is not just the direct realization of emptiness that depends upon tranquil abiding; we also need tranquil abiding to attain pure clairvoyance, miracle powers, and spontaneous realizations of renunciation and bodhichitta.. In general, whenever we experience pure concentration on any of the objects of the twent-one meditations our mind abides in a tranquil state, free from distractions. This is the function of pure concentration. However, actual tranquil abiding is a special concentration that is attained by completion the training in the nine levels of concentration - known as the ‘nine mental abiding’ - and which is conjoined with a special bliss of mental and physical suppleness. To train in tranquil abiding we first need to choose an object of meditation. We can use any one of the objects of the twenty-one meditations. If we choose an object of the twenty-one meditation. If we choose an objects such as equanimity, love, compassion, or bodhichitta, we first transform our mind into that particular state of mind by using the appropriate contemplations, concentration. If we choose an object such as emptiness, impermanence, or the preciousness of this human life, we first attain a clear mental image of the object by relying upon the appropriate contemplations, and then concentrate single-pointedly on that image.. When we are training in tranquil abiding we have to overcome five major faults: laziness, forgetfulness, sinking and excitement, non-application, and application. To do this we have to train in the eight opponents: faith, aspiration, effort, suppleness, mindfulness, alertness, application, and non-application. There are explained in details in Joyful path of Good Fortune. The instructions that follow explain how to begin to train in the tranquil abiding using great compassion as the object. If you choose a different object you can modify the instructions accordingly. 

• Preparation… We fo for refuge, generate a special bodhichitta motivation, and complete the the other preparatory practices.

• Contemplation… By recalling our previous meditations, we first bring to mind the love that cherishes all other living beings. With this mind we then think deeply about the suffering experienced by these poor beings. When as a result of these contemplations a strong feeling of compassion arise in our mind, we have found our object of tranquil abiding mediations.

• Meditation… Having transformed our mind into compassion, we now stop contemplating and hold this mind with strong concentration. This is the first of the nine mental abiding. When the object fades, or our mind wanders to another object, we return to the contemplations to bring objects back to mind. Then once again we discontinue our contemplations and hold the object with single-pointed concentration. We continue in this way. Alternation between contemplation and meditation, for the rest of the session.. We continue to import each our concentration in this way until we’ll are able to remain concentrated on our object for five minutes. At this point we shall have advanced to the second mental abiding. By improving our concentration we shall gradually progress through the nine mental abiding and eventually attain tranquil abiding itself. At this point, although we still have the body of a human being, our mind will be the mind of a form realm god.

• Dedication… We dedicate all the virtues we have acted in this meditation practices to the welfare of the live in being by reciting the dedication prayers.

• Subsequent Practice… The principle practice during the meditation break is carefully to observe pure moral discipline by relying upon mindfulness and conscientiousness. In this way we avoid tranquil abiding. Again and again we should think about the benefits of attaining tranquil abiding to increase our enthusiasm for the practice; and to improve our understanding we should read authentic instructions on tranquil abiding such as those found in joyful paths of good fortune and Meaningful to Behold. Once we have attained for the fourth mental biding we are ready to do a strict retreat on train quill abiding. In some cases, as this stage it is possible to attain actual tranquil abiding within six months. For our retreat on tranquil abiding to be successful we need to find a suitable place that is very quite and has all the necessary conditions. We must have few desires and be able to remain content all the time. During the retreat we should refrain from worldly activities and keep moral discipline purely, thereby reducing distractin conceptions. In brief, we must free ourself from all obstacles to developing concentration, and obtain all conducive internal and external conditions.

Kaybje Trijans Rinpoche

1. Superior Seeing

Superior seeing is a wisdom accomplished after the attainment of tranquil abiding that is held by a special bliss of suppleness produced by analyzing the nature of the object. The princely;e object of superior seeing is emptiness; therefore in the section we emphasize meditation on emptiness.. Emptiness is not nothingness, but lack of inherent existence. Inherent existence is mistakenly projected onto phenomena by our self-grasping mind. All phenomena naturally appear to our mind to b e inherently existent and, without realizing that this appearance is mistaken, we instinctively assent to it and hold phenomena to exist inherently, or truly. This is the fundamental reason why we are in samsara… There are two stages to realizing emptiness. The first stage is clearly to identify the way phenomena appear to our mind to be inherently existent, and how we firmly believe in the truth of this appearance. This is called ‘identifying the object of negation’. If our meditation on emptiness is to be effective it is essential that we begin with a very clear image of what is to be negated. The second stage is to refute the object of negation, that is, to prove to ourself using various lines of reasoning that the object of negation does not actually exist. In this way we shall come to realize the absence, or non-existence, or the object of negation, which is emptiness.. Because owe grasp most strongly at ourself and our body, we should being by contemplating the emptiness of these tow phenomena. We can do this by training in emptiness of the I, and Meditation on the emptiness of the body. 

FIRST CONTEMPLATION

The emptiness of the I, Identifying the object of negation

Although we grasp at an inherently existent I all the time, even during sleep, it is not easy to identify how to appears to our mind. To identify it clearly we must begin by allowing it to manifest strongly by contemplating situations in which we have an exaggerated sense of I, such as when we are embarrassed, ashamed, afraid, or indignant. We recall or imagine such a situation and then, without any comment or analysis, try to attain a clear mental image of how the I naturally appears at such times. We have to be patient at this stage because it may take many sessions before we gain a clear image. Eventually we shall see that the I appears to be completely solid and real, existing from its own side without depending upon the body or the mind. This vividly appearing I is the inherently existent I that we cherish so strongly. It is the I that we defend when we are criticized and that we are so proud of when we are praised.. Once we have an image of how the I appears in these extreme circumstances, we should try to identify how it appears normally, in less extreme situations. For example, we can observe the I that is presently meditation and try to discover how it appears to our mind. Eventually we shall see that although in this case there is not such an inflated sense of I, nevertheless that I still appears to be inherently existent, existing form its own side without depending upon the body or the mind.. Once we have an image of the inherently existent I, we focus on it for a while with single pointed concentration, and then w proceed to the second stage. 

Refuting the object of negation , If the I exists in the way that it appears, it must exist in one of four ways: as the body, as the mind, as the collection of the body and mind, there is no other possibility. We contemplate this carefully until we become convinced that this is the case then we proceed to examine each of the four possibilities: 1. If the I is the body, there is no sense in saying ‘my body’, because the possessor and the possessed are identical.. If the I is the body, there is no rebirth because the I ceases when the body dies.. If the I and the body are identical, then since we are capable of developing faith, dreaming, solving mathematical puzzles, and so on, it follows that flesh, blood, and bones can do this same.. Since non of this is true, it follows that the I is not the body. 2. If the I is the mind, there is no sense in saying ‘my mind’, because the possessor and the possessed are identical; but usually when we focus on our mind we say ‘my mind’. This clearly indicates that the I is not the mind.. If the I is the mind, then since each person has many types of mind, such as the six consciousnesses, conceptual minds, and non-conceptual minds, it follows that each person has just as many I’s. Since this is absurd, it follows that the I is not the mind. 3. Since the body is not the I and the mind is not the I, the collection of the body and mind cannot be the I. The collection of the body and mind is a collection of things that not the I, so how can the close toon itself be the I? For example, in a herd of cows none of the normals is a sheep, there for the herd itself is not sheep. In the same way, in the collection of the body and mind, neither the body nor the mind is the I, therefore the collection itself is not the I. 

You many find this point difficult to understand, but if you think about it for a long time with a calm positive mind, and discuss it with more experienced practitioners, it will gradually become clear to you. You can also consult authentic books on the subject such as Heart of Wisdom.

1. If the I is not the body, not the mind, and not the collection of the body and mind, the only possibility that remains is that it is something separate form the body and mind. if this is the case, we must be able to apprehend the I without either the body or the mind appearing, but if we imagine that our body and our mind were completely to disappear there would be nothing remaining that could be called the I. therefore it follows that the I is not separate from the body and mind.

We should imagine that our body gradually dissolves into thin air, and then our mind dissolves, our thoughts scatter with the wind, our feelings, wishes, and awareness melt into nothingness. Is there anything left that is the I? There is nothing. Clearly the I is not something separate form the body and mind. 

We have now examined all four possibilities and have failed for find the I. Since we have already decided that there is no fifth possibility, we must conclude that the truly existent, or inherently existent, I that normally appears so vividly does not exist at all. Where there previously appeared an inherently existent I, there now appears an absence of that I. This absence of an Inherently existence I is emptiness, ultimate truth. 

FIRST MEDITATION

We contemplate in this way until there appears to our mound a generic image of the absence of an inherently existent I. This images is our object of placement meditation. We try to become completely familiar with it by concentrating on it single-pointedly for as long as possible.. Because we have grasped at an inherently existent I since beginningless time, and have cherished at more dearly than anything else, the experience of failing to find the I in meditation can be quite shocking at first.. Some people develop fear, thinking that the have become completely non-existent. Others feel great joy, as if the source of all their problems is vanishing. Both reactions while, these initial reactions will subside and our mind will settle into a more balanced state. Then we shall be able to meditate on emptiness in a calm, controlled manner. .. We should allow our mind to become absorbed in space-like emptiness for as long as possible. It is important to remember that our object is emptiness, the absence of an inherently existent I, not mere nothingness. Occasionally we should check our meditation with alertness. If our mind had wandered to another object, or if we have lost the meaning of emptiness and are focusing on mere nothingness, we should return to the contemplation to bring emptiness clearly to mind once again. 

 We may wonder: ‘If there is no truly existent I, then who is meditating? Who will get up from meditation, speak to others, and reply when my name is called? Though there is nothing within the moody and mind, or separate from the body and mind, there is that I, this does not mean that the I does not exist at all. Although the I does not exist in any of the four ways mentioned above, it does exist conventionally. The I is merely a designation imputed by the conceptually mind upon the collection of the body and mind. So long as we are satisfied with the mere designation ‘I’, there is no problem. We can think ‘I exist’, ‘I am going to town’, and so on. The problem arise only when we look for an I other than the mere conceptual imputation, ‘I’. The self-grasping mind grasps at an I that ultimately exists, independent of conceptual imputation, as if there was a ‘real’ I existing behind the label. If such an I existed we would be able to find it, but we have seen that the I cannot be found upon investigation. The conclusion of our search was a definite non-finding of the I. This unfindability of the I is the emptiness of the I, the ultimate nature of the I. The I that exists as mere imputation is the conventional nature of the I. 

SECOND CONTEMPLATION

The emptiness of the body, Identifying the object of negation

The way to meditate on the emptiness of the body is similar to the way we meditate on the emptiness of the I. First we must identify the object of negation… Normally when we think ‘my body’, a body that exists from its own side and is a single entity not depending upon its parts, appears to your mind. Such as body is the object of negation and is non-existent. ‘Truly existent body’, ‘inherently existent body’, and ‘body that exists from its own side’ all have the same meaning, and all are objects of negation. If the body exist as it appears, it must exist in one of two ways: as its parts or separate from its parts; there is no third possibility… If the body one with its parts, is it the individual parts or the collection of its parts? If it is the individual parts, then is it the hands, the face, the skin, the bones, the flesh, or the internal organs? By checking carefully ‘Is the head the body? Is the flesh the body?’ And so on, we shall easily see that non of the individual parts of the body is the body… If the body is not its individual parts, is it the collection of its parts? The collection of the parts of the body cannot be the body. Why? The parts of the body are all non-bodies, so how can a collection of non-bodies be a body? The hands, feet, and so forth are all part of the body, but not the body itself. Even though all these parts are assembled together, this collection remains simply parts; it does not magically transform into the parts-possessor, the body… We should recall how out body appears to us when it is praised or insulted. It appears to be, from its own side, a distinct unit. It does not appear to be, from its own side, a distinct unit. It does not appear as something that is merely designated as a unit but which is in fact made up of many separate parts, like a forest or a head of cows. Although the body appears as a single entity that exists from its own side without depending upon the limbs, trunk, and head, in reality it is merely designated tot the collection of these parts. The collection of the parts of the body is an aggregation of many distinct elements that function together. This aggregation may be thought of as a unit, but that unit has no existence independent of its constituent parts… If the body is not its parts, the only other possibility is that it is separate from its parts; but if all the parts of the body were to disappear there would be nothing left that could be called the body. We should imagine that all the parts of our body melt into light and disappear. First the skin dissolves, then the flesh, blood, and internal organs, and finally the skeleton melts and vanishes into light. Is there anything left that is our body? There is nothing. There is no body separate from its parts… We have now exhausted all possibilities. The body is not its parts and it is not separate from its parts. Clearly, the body cannot be found. Where previously there appeared an inherently existent body, there now appears an absence of that body. This absence of an inherently existent body is the emptiness of the body. 

SECOND MEDITATION

Recognizing this absence to be the lack of an inherently existent body, we meditate on it single-pointedly. Once again, we should examine our meditation with alertness to make sure that we are meditating on the emptiness of the body and not the nothingness. If we lose the meaning of emptiness, we should return to the contemplations to restore it.

As with the I, the fact that the body cannot be found upon investigation does not imply that the body does not exist at all. The body does exist, but only as a conventional imputation. In accordance with accepted convention, we can impute ‘body’ to the assembly of limbs, trunk, and head; but if we try to pinpoint the body, hoping to find a substantially existent phenomenon to which the word ‘body’ refers, we find no body. This unfindability of the body is the emptiness of the body, the ultimate nature of the body. The body that exists as mere imputation is the conventional nature of the body… Although it is incorrect to assert that the body is identical with the collection of the limbs, trunk, and head, there is not fault in saying that the body is imputed upon this collection. Even though the parts of the body are plural, the body is singular. ‘Body’ is simply an imputation made by the mind that imputes it. It does not exist from the object’s side. There is no fault in imputing a singular phenomenon to a group of many things. For example, we can impute the singular ‘forest’ to a group of many trees, or ‘herd’ to a group of many cows… All phenomena exist by way of convention; nothing is inherently existent. This applies to mind, Buddha, and even to emptiness itself. Everything is merely imputed by the mind. All phenomena have parts because physical phenomena have physical parts, and non-physical phenomena have various attributes that can be distinguished by thought. Using the same type of reasoning as above, we can realize that any phenomenon is not one of its parts, not the collection of its parts, and not separate from its parts. In this way we can realize the emptiness of all phenomena… It is particularly helpful to meditate on the emptiness of objects that roused in us strong delusions such as attachment or anger. By analyzing correctly as shall realize that the object we desire, or the object we dislike, does not exist from its own side - its beauty or ugliness, and even its every existence, are impute by mind. By thinking in this way we shall discover that there is no basis for attachment or anger.

DEDICATION

We dedicate all the virtues we have created in this meditation practice to the welfare of all living beings by reciting the dedication prayers. 

SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE

During the meditation break we should try to recognize that whatever appears to our mind lack true existence. In a dream things appear vividly to the dreamer, but when the dreamer wakes he or she immediately realizes that the object that appeared in the dream were just mental appearances that did not exit from their own side. We should view all phenomena in a similar way. Though they appear vividly to our mind, they lack inherent existence. 

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche

CONCLUSION

Having developed a good heart towards all living beings, we should engage in the Bodhisattva’s way of life by keeping the Bodhisattva vows and practicing the six perfections. In particular, we should train in the union of tranquil abiding and superior seeing observing emptiness. By practicing in this way we shall gradually progress from being an ordinary person to becoming a Bodhisattva. Finally we shall become a fully enlightened being, a Buddha. 

APPENDIX I

A SPECIAL BREATHING MEDITATION 

Generally, the purpose of breathing meditation is to calm the mind and reduce distractions before engaging in a practical meditation such as any of the twenty-one meditations described in this book. A simple breathing meditations described in this book. A simple breathing meditation such as the one explained on page 18 will help us to do this, but the meditation explained here also performs many other functions. It helps us to improve our motivation, to develop a good heart and a controlled mind, and to increase our energy for practicing Dharma. It is also a special method for ripening our Buddha seeds, and for preparing us for Highest Yoga Tantra meditation… In this meditation we combine our breathing with the recitation of the mantra OM AH HUM, which is called the ‘mantra of all buddhas’. There are many different mantras, but they are all contained within three groups: vajra body is OM, the Mantra of vajra mind. The Mantra of Vajra body is OM, the mantra of vajra speech is AH, and the mantra of vajra mind is HUM. Therefore if we recite these three letters with faith we shall receive the blessing of the body, speech, and mind of all Buddhas… A Buddha is someone who is completely free from all faults and limitations, and who is completely free from all faults and limitations, and who has developed all good qualities to perform Tian. Therefore a Buddha possesses special qualities of body, speech, and mind that are not possessed by ordinary beings. When we recite this mantra we should have deep faith in these qualities, and generate a strong with to develop them ourself… Even the most exalted ordinary beings such as kings and queens possess only one body, but a Buddha possesses many bodies. A Buddha’s actual body is his omniscient mind. This is called the ‘Truth Body’. Because only other enlightened being can see this body, the Truth Body manifests a subtle Form Body called the ‘Enjoyment Body’. This body, however, is very subtle, and can be seen only by Superior Bodhisattvas, those who have a direct realization of emptiness. To be able to communicate directly with ordinary beings, the Enjoyment Body emanates countless gross From Bodies called ‘Emanation Bodies’. There are two types of Emanation Body; Supreme Emanation Bodies and Emanation Bodies appearing as ordinary beings. Ordinary beings have ordinary minds, and so they see everything, even an emanation of Buddha, as ordinary… A Buddha’s speech also possesses many good qualities. Unlike the speech of ordinary beings, which does not have much power, the speech of a Buddha has the power to help all living beings. Everyone wishes to be free from suffering and to experience pure happiness, and Buddha’s speech explains how to fulfill this wish. Even though we are constantly seeking happiness, we never find it. Buddha explains that this is because we are trapped in samsara. True happiness can be found only outside samsara. True happiness can be found only outside of samsara. If we want to experience this happiness we must escape from samsara by relying upon the spiritual paths taught by Buddha. Then we shall experience a permanent cessation of suffering, and uninterrupted peace and happiness. Buddha’s speech, therefore, is the key that releases us from the person of samsara and fulfills our wish for happiness… Buddhas also possess. Any unique qualities of mind. A Buddha’s mind is completely free from ignorance and its imprints, like a sky free from clouds. Because their minds are utterly unobstructed, Buddhas know directly and simultaneously all phenomena of the past, present, and future. The mind of Buddha is the highest level of mental development… We all have the seeds of a Buddha’s body, speech, and mind; and if we practice pure spiritual paths we can cause these seeds to ripen and accomplish special qualities. If we then continue to train in pure spiritual paths, eventually we shall become a Buddha. In Mahayana Buddhism our way of relying upon Buddha is not simply asking Buddha to help us, but striving ourself to become a Buddha to be able to help others. Therefore we should try gradually to reduce our faults of body, speech, and mind, and to develop all good qualities instead. As our faults diminish and our good qualities increase we shall come closer and closer to Buddhahood. Eventually we shall become a fully enlightened being. Many thousands of Mahayana practitioners in the past have attained enlightenment in this way… Contemplating these points we should think: How wonderful it would be if I became a Buddha and attained the good qualities of a Buddha’s body, speech, and mind! At the moment I have no power to help others, but if I become a Buddha I shall be able to help all living beings without exception. Therefore I must become a Budddha… This motivation is bodhichitta. With this motivation we should engage in the recitation of the mantra OM AH HUM, while remembering it’s meaning. Until we become used to the mantra we should recite it verbally; then we can combine it with breathing meditation… To do this we breathe gently and naturally through both nostrils. As we inhale we mentally recite OM. We then hold the breath briefly at our heart and mentally recite AH. Then, as we gently exhale, we mentally recite HUM. We repeat this cycle as many times as we wish, all the time remembering the meaning of the mantra with a mind of faith. The ‘heart’ that is referred to here is the spiritual heart, not the physical heart. It is located in the center of the chest. To begin with we shall be able to hold our breath only for a short time, but with familiarity we shall be able to hold it for longer and longer without discomfort… This meditation produces many good results. It clams out mind and causes our distracting conceptions to subside. it strengthens the life-supporting wind at our heart, there by increasing our lifespan and protecting us from premature death. Because we do this meditation with the motivation to attain the good qualities of a Buddha’s body, speech, and mind, we are also training in bodhichitta, accumulating merit, and receiving Buddha’s blessings. it causes our Buddha seeds to ripen, and it prepares us for Highest Yoga Tantra meditation, Making it easy to attain completion stage realizations in the future. Therefore, it is far more powerful than ordinary breathing meditation… The effects of this practice remain even when we rise from meditation. If we do this meditation regularly we shall find that our mind gradually becomes more positive and more controlled. It will become like a well-trained horse that does whatever the rider wishes. If we wish to meditate, our mind will remain on the object without distraction. If we wish to do prostrations, it will engage happily, without procrastination or laziness. As our mind becomes more controlled we shall find it easier to refrain from negative actions of body, speech, and mind, and to practise virtue. We shall experience peace and happiness day and night, in life after life; and be able to share the benefits of this experience with others. This is the real meaning of the Buddhist way of life… Understanding the many benefits of this special breathing meditation, we should try to do it whenever we can. 

Appendix II

THE COMMITMENTS OF GOING FOR REFUGE

When we go for refuge we undertake to observe twelve special commitments. By observing these sincerely we protect our mind of refuge, and it gradually becomes more powerful. These commitments lay the foundation for all the realizations of the stages of the path. Realization this, we should not regard them as a burden, but practice them joyfully and sincerely. 

Within the twelve commitment there are six specific commitments and six general commitments. The six specific commitments are so called because they are related specifically to each of the Three Jewels. There are two commitments related to Buddha, two related to Dharma, and two related to Sangha. In each case there is one thing to abandon and one thing to practice. The remaining six commitments apply equally to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. There twelve commitments will now be briefly explained. 

THE TWO COMMITMENTS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO BUDDHA

1. Not to go for refuge to teachers who contradict Buddha’s view, or to samsaric gods.  By going for refuge to Buddha we have a commitment to abandon going for ultimate refuge to teachers who contradict Buddha’s view, or worldly gods. This does not mean that we cannot receive help from others; it means that we do not rely upon other to provide ultimate protection from suffering. 2. To regard any image of Buddha as an actual Buddha. By going for refuge to Buddha we also have a commitment to regard any image of Buddha as an actual Buddha. Whenever we see a statue of Buddha, whether it is made of gold or anything else, we should see it as an actual Buddha. We should disregard the material or the quality of the craftsmanship, and pay homage by making offerings and prostrations, and by going for refuge. If we practice like this our merit will increase abundantly. 

THE TWO COMMITMENTS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO DHARMA

3. Not to harm others. By going for refuge to Dharma we have a commitment to abandon harming others. Instead of treating others badly we should try, with the best motivation, to benefit them whenever we can. We first need to concentrate on reducing harmful thoughts and generating a beneficial intentions towards those who are close to us, such as our friends and family. When we have developed a good heart towards these people we can gradually extend our practice to include more and more people, until finally we have a good heart towards all living beings. If we can abandon harmful thoughts and always have a beneficial intention, we shall easily attain the realizations of great love and great compassions. In this way we begin to increase our compassion, which is the very essence of Buddhadharma, from the very beginning of our practice of going for refuge. 4. To regard all Dharma scriptures as the actual Dharma Jewel. By going for refuge to Dharma we also have a commitment to regard all Dharma scriptures as the actual Dharma Jewel. Dharma is the source of all health and happiness. Since we cannot see actual Dharma jewels with our eyes, we need to regard dharma texts as actual Dharma Jewels. Actual Dharma Jewels arise only as a result of learning, contemplating, and meditating on the meaning of the scriptures. We need to respect every letter of the scriptures, and every letter of explanation of the Buddha’s teaching. Therefore, me must treat Dharma books with great care and avoid walking over them or putting them inappropriate places where they might be damaged or misused. Each time we neglect or spoil our Dharma books we create the cause to become more ignorant because these actions are similar to the action of abandoning Dharma. Once the great Tibetan Teacher Geshe Sharawa saw some people playing carelessly with their Dharma books and he said to them: ‘You should not do that. You already have enough ignorance. Why do you want to make your selves even more ignorant?’

THE TWO COMMITMENTS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO SANGHA

5. Not to allow ourself to be influenced by people who reject Buddha’s teaching. By going for refuge to Sangha we have commitment to stop being influenced by people who reject Buddha’s reaching. This does not mean that we should abandon these people, merely that we should not let their views influence our mind. Without abandoning love and consideration for others, we need to be vigilant and make sure that we are not being led astray by their bad habits and unsound advice. 6. To regard anyone who wears the robes of an ordained person as an actual Sangha Jewel. By going for refuge to Sangha we also have a commitment to acknowledge anyone who wears the robes of an ordained person as an actual Sangha Jewel. Even if ordained Sangha are poor, we still need to pay respect to them because they are keeping moral discipline, and this is something very rare and precious. 

THE SIX GENERAL COMMITMENTS

7. To go for refuge to the Three Jewels again and again, remembering their good qualities and the differences between them. Dharma is like a boat that can carry us across the ocean of samsara, Buddha is like the skillful navigator of the boat, and the Sangha are like the crew. Remembering this, we should go for refuge again and again to the Three Jewels. 8. To offer the first portions of whatever we eat and drink to the Three Jewels, while remembering their kindness. Since we need to eat and drink several times each day, if we always offer the first portion of our food to drink to the Three Jewels remembering their kindness, we shall greatly increase our merit. We can do this with the following prayer: I make this offerings to you, Buddha Shakyamuni, Whose mind is the synthesis of all Buddha Jewels, Whose speech is the synthesis of all Dharma Jewels, Whose body is the synthesis of all Sangha Jewels. O Blessed One, please accept this and bless my mind. OM AH HUM (3x) … It is important always to remember Buddha’s kindness All our happiness is a result of Buddha’s kindness because all Buddha’s actions are pervaded by compassion and concern for others, and it is there actions that enable us to perform virtuous actions that are the cause of our happiness…. Without Buddha’s kindness we should not know the real cause of happiness, or the real cause of suffering. Buddha taught us how all happiness and suffering depend upon the mind. He showed us how to abandon those states of mind that cause suffering and cultivate show stages of mind that cause happiness. In other words, he taught us perfect methods for overcoming suffering and attaining happiness. No one else taught us these methods. How kind Buddha is!… Our own human body is proof of Buddha’s kindness. It is by virtue of Buddha’s blessing and instructions that we were able to create the cause to take rebirth in a human form, with all the freedoms and endowments necessary for spiritual practice. If we are now able to learn Dharma and meet spiritual Guides, it is only through Buddha’s kindness. We can now practice the methods that lead to full enlightenment and gain spiritual realizations only because Buddha was kind enough to turn the Wheel of Dharma and show his example in this world. Even the small wisdom we possess to discriminate between what is beneficial and what is harmful, and to identify Buddha’s teaching as worthwhile, is a result of Buddha’s kindness… We should not think that Buddha helps on only those who follow him. Buddha attained enlightenment to benefit all living beings. He manifests in many different forms, sometimes even as non-Buddhist teachers, to help others. There is no living being who has not benefited from the kindness of Buddha. 9. With compassion, always to encourage others to go for refuge. We should always try to help others to go for refuge, but we should do so skillfully. If we know someone who is interested in Dharma we should help them to develop the causes of going for refuge: fear of suffering and faith in the Three Jewels. We can talk to them about impermanence - how the conditions of this life change and how our body will grow old and decay - and we can talk about the suffering of ageist, sickness, and death. We can talk about what will happen after death, about the different types of rebirth, and about how all types of rebirth are in the nature of suffering. If we skillfully introduce these things into our conversations, the other person will begin to lose his complacency and, when he start to feel uneasy, he will naturally want to find out what can be done. At this point we can explain about Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and how they Cana help us. Then we can explain how to go for refuge… If we he,p someone else tactfully in this way, without being arrogant or impatient, we shall being them real benefit. If is never certain that the Material gifts we give to others will actually help them; sometimes they even cause more problems. The best way to help others is to lead them into Dharma. if we cannot give elaborate explications, we can at least give proper advice to those who are happy, and help them to solve their problems by means of Dharma. 10. To go for refuge at least three times during the day and three times during the night, remembering the benefits of going for refuge. So that we never forget the Three Jewels we should go for refuge once every four hours, or at least three times during the day and three time during the night. If we never forget the Three Jewels and regularly contemplate the benefits of going for refuge, we shall gain realizations very quickly. We should be like a businessman who never forgets his projects even while he is relaxing. 11. To perform every action with complete trust in the Three Jewels. We should rely upon the Three Jewels in everything that we do. In this way all our actions will be successful. There is no need to seek the inspiration and Billings of worldly gods, but we should always try or receive the blessing of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha by making offerings and requests. 12. Never to forsake the the Three Jewels, even at the cost of our life, or as a joke. We should never abandon the Three Jewels, because going for refuge is the foundation of all dharma realizations. Once a Buddhist was taken captive and his enemy said to him ‘give up your refuge in Buddha or I will kill you.’ He refused to forsake his refuge and was killed, but when clairvoyants looked they saw that he had immediately been reborn as a god. 

Appendix III

A SUGGESTED RETREAT SCHEDULE

When we do retreat on the twenty-one meditations it is best if our retreat is at least one week long. If possible we should do four sessions each day. The first session should be early in the morning, the second before lunch, the third in the late afternoon, and the fourth in the evening. We can make the sessions as long as we wish, from half an hour up to two hours each. We should behind each session with the preparatory preparatory practices and then engage in the contemplations and meditations according to the sequence suggested below. At the end of teach session we should dedicate our merit for the welfare of all living beings, and in between sessions we should try to engage in the subsequent practices with strong mindfulness. If the retreat is longer than one week we can repeat the cycle each week. In this way, each week we shall cover all twenty-one meditations, from relying upon a spiritual Guide to superior seeing. 

DAY ONE 

• Session 1, Meditation 1 - Relaying upon a Spiritual Guide

• Session 2, Meditation 2 - Our precious human life

• Session 3, Meditation 3 - Death and Impermanence

• Session 4 Meditations 4, 5, & 6 - The danger of Lower rebirth, refuge practice, and actions and their effects

DAY TWO

• Session 1, Meditation 7 - Developing renunciation, using the first four contemplations: birth, aging, sickness, and death.

• Session 2, Meditation 7 - Developing renunciation, using the remaining three contemplations.

• Session 3, Meditation 7 - Developing renunciation, using all seven contemplations

• Session 4, Meditation 7 - Developing renunciation, using all seven contemplations

DAY THREE

• Session 1, Meditations 8 - Developing equanimity

• Session 2, Meditation 9 - Recognizing that all living beings are our mothers

• Session 3, Meditation 10 - Remembering the kindness of living beings

• Session 4, Meditation 11 - Equalizing self and others

DAY FOUR

• Session 1, Meditation 12 - The disadvantages of self-cherishing

• Session 2, Meditation 13 - The advantages of cherishing others

• Session 3, Meditations 14 - Exchanging self with others

• Session 4, Meditation 15 - Great compassion

DAY FIVE

• Session 1, Meditation 16 - tackling

• Session 2, Meditation 17 - Wishing Love

• Session 3, Meditation 18 - Giving

• Session 4, Meditation 19 - Bodhichitta

DAY SIX

• All Four Sessions, Meditation 20 - Tranquil abiding, using either our chosen object or bodhichitta as our meditation object.

DAY SEVEN

• All Four Sessions, Meditation 21 - Superior Seeing, meditation on emptiness

GLOSSARY

Alertness, A mental factor which is a type of wisdom that examines our activity of body, speech, and mind and know whether or not faults are developing. See understanding the mind.

Aspiring bodhichitta, A bodhichitta that is a mere wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings. 

Blessing, ‘Jin Gui lab pa’ in Tibetan, The transformation of our mind from a negative state to a positive state, from an unhappy state to a happy state, or from a state of weakness to a state of strength, through the inspiration of holy beings such as our Spiritual Guide, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas. 

Bodhichitta, Sanskrit word for ‘mind of enlightenment’. ‘Bodhi’ means “enlightenment’, and ‘Chita’ means ‘mind’. There are two types of bodhichitta - Conventional bodhichitta and ultimate bodhichitta - Generally speaking the term ‘bodhichitta’ refers to conventional bodhichitta, which is a primary mind motivated by great compassion that spontaneously seeks enlightenment to benefit all living beings. There are two types of conventional bodhichitta - aspiring bodhichitta and engaging bodhichitta. Ultimate bodhichitta is a wisdom motivated by conventional bodhichitta that directly realizes emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena. See also Aspiring bodhichitta and Engaging bodhichitta. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Meaningful to Behold. 

Bodhisattva, A person who has generated spontaneous bodhichitta but who as not yet become a Buddha. From the moment a prectitioner generates a non-artificial, or spontaneous, bodhichitta he or she becomes a bodhisattva and enters the first Mahayana path, the path of accumulation. An ordinary Bodhisattva is one who has not realized emptiness directly, and a Superior Bodhisattva is one who has attained a direct realization of emptiness. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Meaningful to Behold. 

Bodhisattva Vows, See Vows

Buddha, In general, ‘Buddha’ means’ Awakened One’, someone who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and see things as they really are. A Buddha is a person who is completely free from all faults and mental obstructions. There are many people who have become Buddha’s in the past, and many people will be once Buddhas in the future. 

Buddhadharma See Dharma

Buddha Seed  The root mind of a sentient being, and it’s ultimate nature, Buddha seed, Buddha nature, and Buddha lineage are synonyms. All sentient beings have Buddha seed and therefore the potential to attain Buddahood. 

Buddha Shakyamuni, The Buddha who is the founder of Buddhis religion. See Introduction to Buddhism.

Changing suffering, For samsaric beings, every experience of happiness or pleasure that arises from samsara’s enjoyments is changing suffering, because there experiences are contaminated and have the nature of suffering. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune. 

Clairvoyance, Abilities that arise from special concentration There are five principal types of clairvoyance: the clairvoyance of divine eye (the ability to see subtle and distant forms), the clairvoyance of divine ear (the ability to hear subtle and distant sounds), the clairvoyance of miracle powers (the ability to emanate various forms by mind), the clairvoyance of knowing previous lives, and the clairvoyance of knowing others’ minds. Some being, such as bardo beings and some humans and spirits, have contaminated clairvoyance that is developed due to karma, and these are not actual clairvoyance. 

Completion stage, Highest yoga tantra realizations developed in dependence upon the winds entering, abiding, and dissolving within the central channel through the force of meditation. See Tantric grounds and paths and Clear Light of Bliss. 

Conscientiousness A mental factor that, in dependence upon effort, cherishes what is virtuous and guards the mind from delusion and non-virtue. See Meaningful to Behold.

Delusion A mental factor that arises from inappropriate attention and that functions to make the mind unpeaceful and uncontrolled. There are three main delusions: ignorance, desirous attachment, and anger. From these arise all the other delusions, such as jealousy, pride, and deluded doubt. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune. 

Dharma, Buddha’s teachings and the inner realizations that are attained in dependence upon practicing them. ‘Dharma’ means ‘protecting’. By practicing Buddha’s reaching we protect ourself from suffering and problems. 

Emptiness, Lack of inherent existence, the ultimate nature of all phenomena. See Heart of Wisdom.

Energy winds, See Inner winds. 

Engaging Bodhichitta A bodhichitta held by the Bodhisattva vows, See Also Bodhichitta. 

Enlightenment, Omniscient wisdom free from all mistaken appearances, See Transform Your Life and Joyful Path of Good Fortune. 

Generic Image, The appearing object of a conceptual mind. A generic image, or mental image, of an object is like a reflection of that object. Conceptual minds know their object through the appearance of a generic image of that object, not by seeing the object directly. See Understanding the Mind. 

Geshe Langre Tangpa (AD 1054-1123) A great Kadampa Teacher who was famous for his realization of exchanging self with other. He composed Eight Verses of Training the Mind, See Eight Steps of Happiness. 

Giving, A virtuous mental decision to give, or a bodily or verbal action of giving that is motivated by a virtuous state of mind. There are three types of giving: giving material things, giving Dharma, and giving fearlessness. See Introduction to Buddhism. 

Guru, See Spiritual Guide. 

Highest Yoga Tantra A Tantric instruction that includes the method for transforming sexual bliss into the spiritual path. See Tantric grounds and Path. 

Hinayana, Sanskrit word for ‘Lesser Vehicle’. The Hinayana Goal is to attain merely one’s own liberation from suffering by completely abandoning delusions. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune.

Inner Winds, Special subtle winds related to the mind that flow through the channels of our body. Our body and mind cannot function without these winds. See Tantric Ground and Paths. 

Intermediate state, ‘Bardo’ in Tibetan. The state between death and rebirth. It begins the moment the consciousness leaves the body, and ceases the moment the consciousness enters the body of the next life. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune. 

Kadampa, A Tibetan word in which ‘Ka’ means ‘word’ and refers to all Buddha’s teachings, ‘dam’ refers to Atisha’s special Lamrim instructions, known as the ‘stages of the path to enlightenment’, and ‘pap refers to a follower of Kadampa Buddhism who integrates all the teaching of Buddha that they know into their Lamrim practice. 

Karma, Sanskrit word referring to ‘action’. Through the force of intention we perform actions with our body, speech, and mind, and all of these actions produce effects. The effect of virtuous actions is happiness and the effect of negative actions is suffering. See Joyful path of Good Fortune. 

Lamrim, A Tibetan term, literally meaning ‘stages of the path’. A special arrangement of all Buddha’s teaching that is easy to understand and put into practice. It reveals all the stages of the path to enlightenment. For a full commentary, see Joyful Path of Good Fortune.

Liberation, Complete freedom from samsara and its causes, the delusions. See joyful path of Good Fortune. 

Lineage, A line of instruction that has been passed down from Spiritual Guide to disciple, with each Spiritual Guide in the line having gained personal experience of the instruction before passing it on to others. 

Living being, See Sentient being. 

Lojong, A Tibetan term, literally meaning ‘training the mind’. A special lineage of instructions that came from Buddha Shakyamuni through Manjushri and Shantideva to Atisha and the Kadampa Gashes that emphasize the generation of bodhichitta through Manjushri and Shantideva to Atisha and the Kadampa Geshe that emphasize the generation of bodhichitta through the practices of equalizing the exchanging self with others combined with taking and giving. See Universal Compassion and Eight Steps to Happiness. 

Mahayana, Sanskrit word for ‘Great Vehicle’, the spiritual path to great enlightenment. The Mahayana goal is to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings by completely abandoning delusions and their imprints. See Joyful Path of Goddd Fortune. 

Mantra, A Sanskrit word, literally meaning ‘mind protections’. Mantra protects the mind from ordinary appearances and conceptions. See Tantric Grounds and Paths. 

Mental image See Generic image

Mental suppleness A flexibility of mind induced by virtuous concentrations. See Understanding the Mind. 

Merit The good fortune created by virtuous actions. It is the potential power to increase our good qualities and produce happiness. 

Mindfulness, A mental factor that functions not to forget the object realized by the primary mind. See Understanding the Mind. 

Miracle powers See Clairvoyance. 

Nine mental abiding, Nine levels of concentration leading to tranquil abiding. These are: placing the mind, continual placement, replacement, close placement, controlling, pacifying, completely pacifying, single-pointedness, and placement in equipoise. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune.

Non-virtuous actions, Non-virtuous actions are countless, but most of them are included within the ten: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, hurtful speech, idle gossip, covetousness, malice, and holding wrong views. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune. 

Pure Land, A pure environment in which there are no true sufferings. There are many Pure Lands. For example, Tsushima is the Pure Land of Buddha Maitreya; Sukhavati is the Pure Land of Buddha Amitabha; and Dakini Land, or Keajra, is the Pure Land of Buddha Vajrayogini and Buddha Heruka. See Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully. 

Purification, Generally, any practice that leads to the attainment of a pure body, speech, or mind. More specifically, a practice for purifying negative karma. See Joyful path of Good Fortune and The Bodhisattva Vow. 

Realization, A stable and non-mistaken experience of a virtuous object that directly protects us from suffering. 

Sangha, According to the Vinaya tradition, any community of four or more fully ordained monks or nuns. In general, ordained or lay people who take Bodhisattva vows or Tantric vows can also be said to be Sangha. 

Self-cherishing, A mental attitude that considers oneself to be supremely important and precious. It is regarded as a principle object to be abandoned by Bodhisattvas. See Eight Steps to Happiness.

Self-Grasping, A conceptual mind that holds any phenomenon to be inherently existent. The mind of self-grasping gives rise to all other delusions, such as anger and attachment. It is the root cause of all suffering and dissatisfaction. See Heart of Wisdom. 

Sentient being, Synonymous with ‘living being’. Any being who possesses a mind that is contaminated by delusions or their imprints. Both ‘sentient being’ and ‘living being’ are terms used to distinguish beings whose minds are contaminated by either of these two obstructions from Buddhas, whose minds are completely free from these obstructions. 

Sevenfold cause and effect, A method for generating bodhichitta in which affectionate love is developed primarily by recognizing all sentient beings as our mothers and remembering their kindness. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune.

Six perfections, The perfections of giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, mental stabilization, and wisdom. They are called ‘perfections’ because they are motivated by bodhichitta. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Meaningful to Behold. 

Spiritual Guide, ‘Guru’ in Sanskrit, ‘Lama’ in Tibetan, A Teacher who guides us along the spiritual path. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Great Treasury of Merit. 

Stages of the path, See Lamrim.

Suppleness, See Mental Suppleness

Three Jewels, The three objects of refuge: Buddha Jewels, Dharma Jewel, and Sangha Jewel. They are called ‘Jewels’ because they are both rare and precious. See joyful Path of Good Fortune. 

Training the Mind, See Lojong. 

Tranquil abiding, A concentration possessing the special bliss of physical and mental suppleness that is attained by dependence upon completing the nine mental abidings. See Joyful Path of good Fortune. 

Vajra, Generally the Sanskrit word ‘Vajra’ means indestructible like a diamond and powerful like a thunderbolt. In the context of Secret Mantra it can mean the indivisibility of method and wisdom, omniscient great wisdom, or spontaneous great bliss. It is also the name given to a mental ritual object. See Tantric Grounds and Paths. 

Vajra posture, A perfect posture for meditation, in which the legs are crossed in the full vajra posture, with the left foot placed sole upwards on the right thigh and the right foot sole upwards on the left thigh. The right hand it placed on top of the left hand with both palms facing upwards, and the two thumbs are raised and touching at the level of the navel. The back is straight and the shoulders are level. The mouth is gently closed, the head is inclined very slightly forwards, and the eyes are neither wide open nor tightly closed but either slightly open or gently closed. See Joyful Path of Good Fortune.

Valid cognizer, A cognizer that is non-deceptive with respect to its engaged object. There are two types: inferential valid cognizers and direct valid cognizers. See Understanding the Mind. 

Vows, Promises to refrain from certain actions. The three sets of vows are the Pratimoksha vows of individual liberation, the Bodhisattva vows, and the Secret Mantra vows. See The Bodhisattva Vow and Tantric Grounds and Paths. 

Wishfulfilling jewel, A legendary jewel that grants whatever is wished for.