Lamrim

Learning to meditate is a creative process of persistent enthusiastic effort in becoming familiar with functional minds such as the minds of compassion and the wisdom the knows emptiness. Being able to meditate deeply is not something that will naturally happen over night. Would you expect to become an artist or musician after just one lesson?

Artists and musician’s have their tools of the trade, as do meditators. What are these tools? Below is a list along with short explanations of each. However the list is by no means an exhaustive list.

There are external tools for meditation such as

1. A dedicated room or place within a room.
2. Cushion.
3. Blanket.
4. Table for books and meditation manuals.

and there are internal tools for meditation such as

1. An appreciation of the benefits of meditation.
2. Awareness of attention.
3. Enthusiasm.
4. Patience.
5. Knowledge.

So lets now expand on each of these a little.

A dedicated room or place within a room for meditation
It is useful to have a dedicated place for your meditation practice. By having a dedicated place for meditation you are saying to yourself:

I believe meditation is an important and worthwhile activity. I see the advantages it can bring to my life, my family and everyone I engage with throughout my life. For this reason I believe it is important enough to have it’s own dedicated space.

You will also be reminded every time you walk by the room. There are other benefits also besides these for instance; When I was young my grandfather, who we called “green pa” because he had a green car, had a shed in his backyard. My grandmother knew that when he was in his shed he could not be disturbed. My grandfather use to build things for people out of wood. It was like a meditation for him. So similarly, we need our own shed - a meditation shed. A place where we can build things like the minds of compassion, wisdom, equanimity and develop the skills to really help others.

Meditation Cushion
You don’t need to sit on the floor or in a crossed legged position to meditate. Meditation is a mental activity not a physical one but, you do need to be comfortable. If you are not comfortable it will be difficult to develop a deep and stable practice. So when you are first starting out, pay attention to how your body feels. If pain arises, try and fix it by adjusting your position slightly. However don’t fuss over this process. Don’t spend too much time worrying about the pain or discomfort. Otherwise this checking could itself become an obstacle to meditation.

Also, sitting in a chair is permissible. However sitting as the great meditators of the past did is best if you can. Why? Because adopting a cross legged position is a powerful signal to yourself that it is now time to meditate. However if you are sitting in a chair make sure it is not the same chair you use to have afternoon naps, as your meditation will probably just turn into more sleeping.

Also the cushion is to keep you comfortable. It is not a fashion item, or a decorative piece. Don’t turn your meditation practice into another worldly activity.

Meditation Blanket
There are two types of meditation blankets. One to keep you warm and one for keeping your hands comfortable. If you are too warm by having too many blankets wrapped around your body this can induce sleep. So make certain you are comfortable and warm while leaving some space for the air to flow around your body. Remember your meditating not sleeping!

The second type is for your hands. Place a soft piece of fabric or a fold of your blanket under your hands, this will help your mind relax. The sooner you relax the quicker your meditation will develop. However meditation is not just about deep relaxation, so don’t allow yourself to fall into the abyss of sleepiness. It is very much like tuning your mind. Too tight and conceptualization will occur, too loose and you will end up wasting time in the fogginess of laxity. In this regard meditation is a creative ongoing process of adjusting between too tight and too loose. So have fun learning to meditate!

If you live in a noisy area try using ear plugs.

Meditation Table
This tool is simply to allow you to read guided meditation manuals or writing notes without having to get up from your meditation seat. Not all meditation is about only focusing the mind. You can meditate on subjects that are quite subtle and difficult to understand. So you might need a couple of books handy in order to consult.

An appreciation of the benefits of meditation
This tool cannot be overemphasized. However an appreciation of the benefits of meditation can only develop over time as you see first hand the benefits. So given this some what difficult premise, that is, an appreciation of the benefits of meditation can only come after you see the benefits of meditation, try and research articles or stories of the benefits of meditation in order to inspire. If you like biographies, read the biographies of great yogis like Milarepa. If you are a science type, find articles on the science of meditation or http://www.danielgoleman.info/blog/2008/01/01/the-inexplicable-monks/ to inspire you. The point is, many have said there is benefits in learning to meditate. However the only way you can verify these benefits is to learn to meditate yourself.

Reading inspiring stories will help develop an aspiration to engage in meditation. Aspiration is the key to a successful practice. Without an aspiration to engage in meditation, even if you have all the external tools of the trade, the best cushions, a dedicated room, a beautiful meditation table made of fine antique timber, you will still find yourself watching television or finding some excuse to not meditate. It’s amazing just how sophisticated some excuses can be. Don’t get fooled by them.

Awareness of attention
Are you aware of your thoughts right now? Probably not. As you are reading this your mind is engaged in the process of reading. But, there are other things going on that you may not be aware of. I’m not just talking about being mindful per se but, rather a broader class of attention. It might even be classified as intention. I think it is more like being attentive of your intentions. What does that mean? If your intention is to sit down to meditate, be certain that is what you end up doing. Don’t spend your time worrying about money, or your job, or your children or your broken finger nail or whether your football team is going to win on the weekend. If you come up with some cool new idea for a project that will help get you a great new job. Jot down the idea while remaining seated, then continue meditating until you finish. Then start thinking about the idea after that. Actually this can be an issue. Because as your meditation deepens you will find that creativity can increase. So watch out for this one. Don’t let yourself go off day-dreaming or speculating about the future. Be attentive of your intention to meditate.

Through this, stability will develop. Stability is a lack of being here, there and everywhere! Stability will arise at the same time as conceptualization decreases. But conceptualization can only decrease if you do not engage it. It is a little like ignoring someone who is standing near you asking the same questions over and over again. If you ignore them long enough they will eventually go away.

For this reason it is also good to meditate at the same time of day, each day. This will allow you to develop the habit of meditating rather than spending this time stressing over things that can, in the end, be dealt with later.

Enthusiasm
This tool is the meditators engine. It is the one thing that will get you out of bed early every morning to meditate. It is closely linked with appreciation. So when you feel your enthusiasm waning, go back to internal tool # 1 and read something inspiring.

The more you appreciate the results of meditation, the more your enthusiasm will increase. But, be careful because too much meditation can be a large factor in destroying enthusiasm for meditation. So be smart with how much meditation you do. If you are new to meditation aim to meditate everyday for at least 20 minutes and, build from there. The goal would be 3-4 hours a day everyday. When you get to this point. The problem won’t be trying to meditate it will be stopping.

Patience
Patience is a necessary ingredient to a successful meditation practice. It is not only a willingness to practice. It is a steadfastness in the face of difficulties. When meditation gets boring, patience will be that voice in your head encouraging you to keep trying. It can be your best friend in meditation. Always there with kind words to help and encourage you along. When you have patience you can except difficulties without resistance. And if you have no resistance you will become irresistible! Just joking.

The point is be patient, with the right motivation, meditation can be the best thing you can do with your life. Wisdom, compassion and knowledge of how to help others will develop naturally. Then you can be of use to both yourself and others. Does that sound like something worth campaigning for? Geshe Loden my teacher often says, most people only campaign for this life. Thinking about having more money, a better car or a better looking body. Not so many campaign for better future lives! Which one do you want to be?

Knowledge
The topic of Buddhist wisdom used as both a method for the use within meditation and as the result of meditation, will be covered in an upcoming post entitled Buddhism as Philosophy.

But I will leave you with a quote from DromTompa the famous disciple of Atisha

Some think, Meditators do not need to study; those who teach need to study. Actually, learning is more necessary from the meditator; teachers may just incur the fault of explaining something incorrectly.

Do you see his point? I will let you think about it and explain what I think he is saying in the post on Knowledge.

So you want to be a great meditator. You want your life to improve and you want realizations, correct?

Below are 5 basic characteristics you need to cultivate.

1. Honesty
2. Wisdom
3. Enthusiasm
4. Respect
5. Listen

1: Honesty
Being honest means not just telling truths. It mean having the ability to discern personality faults with pragmatism. This may seem obvious but, the ability to see subtle psychological traits is like seeing something from the corner of your eye. If there is not even a willingness to look, there will not be a willingness to see these traits as faults. How will you remove something that you don’t see as a fault?

2: Wisdom
So you have looked into the corner of your psyche now what! Wisdom is the capacity not only to see faults as faults but, also to see qualities as qualities. To know what to cultivate and encourage in our thoughts and emotions and what to remove to a type of wisdom. Simply put, it is knowing right from wrong.

3: Enthusiasm
Without enthusiasm your practice will be like Melbourne weather. Sunny one minute, raining the next.
Without enthusiasm laziness and a lack of joy for practice will easily creep in. Next you will be saying…meditation…what’s that? To combat laziness and engender enthusiasm, one need to see clearly the benefits of the goal at hand. If you are studying difficult philosophical texts or in meditation retreat, the greater appreciation you have for the benefits of your efforts, the less likely that problems will arise when you meet with difficulties…and you will meet them…trust me. Doubt, frustration and negative thoughts will arise, you need to seeing them as just difficulties and move on.

4: Respect
Respect for your teachers, parents, friends, strangers, enemies and yourself is the foundation of compassion. If you do not respect your own life, how can you expect to generate this for others. If you cannot generate genuine respect, how can you expect to generate compassion. Enough said!

5: Listen
Listen to your teacher, this is an easy one right? Anyone that has spent time with high Lamas will know that to really listen is not so easy. Many times when we seek the benefits of a teacher, we do so with baggage from past relationships. We can simply and without even knowing so, try to make the teacher become the father we never had. This approach will not work. To listen means to listen with an open mind and a willingness to do what your told. If you ask a question about how to practice or whether to accept a job. Ask the question with an openness that is willing to do whatever they say regardless of the answer. If you are not willing to do this, don’t ask questions.

Buddhism is not just a religion; it is a pragmatic description of life that details our very existence and shows us methods for eliminating the dissatisfactory nature of much of our everyday experiences. The Buddha showed us the true nature of conditioned existence. It can be said the teachings of the Buddha are a set of mind training instructions that lead anyone who diligently practices these trainings to lasting happiness. Not just the happiness found through physical stimuli but, a happiness that is far deeper and meaningful than can be found through ordinary activities, money or fame.

The Buddhist Path

The Buddhist path is rich in history and has many different methods used in training the mind. In fact, the Buddhist canon extends to 84,000 different teachings. All of those 84,000 teachings are presented with one goal in mind, to eliminate suffering at its source so that the conditions that give rise to these dissatisfactory experiences will never return again. The Buddha showed us in his enumeration of the Four Noble Truths; that conditioned life bound by karma and delusion is by nature dissatisfactory – true suffering. That the source of this dissatisfactoriness is a basic belief in a non-existent imaginary – true existence – and that by employing certain methods – true paths – one can permanently eliminate the true source of our problems - delusions such as anger, attachment, pride, jealousy and so forth.

The Buddhist path could be summarized as having two main aspects. The removal of dysfunctional states of mind, such as anger, attachment and ignorance and the development of functional minds such as compassion and wisdom – the wisdom knowing the nature of reality.

Why are minds such as anger dysfunctional? Because, although wishing for happiness the mind of anger in fact produces an agitated experience. Often when we get angry we lash out either physically or verbally, thinking this will make things somehow better but, in fact these actions often make things worse. For this reason the mind of anger does not function as we intent and is therefore dysfunctional. In contrast to this the mind of compassion and wisdom are functional because they operate in way that is concordant with our fundamental intentions.

The purpose of prayer in Buddhism

Buddhist Prayer and by extension chanting, as chanting is nothing more than rhythmic vocalization of prayer, are guided meditations used to remind us of the internal knowledge that prayer can render. They are also affirmations, by reciting them with heartfelt devotion the spiritual aspirant is reaffirming their commitment, not to some deity or another person, but to the development of ideal inherent in the prayer. For instance, the purpose of this prayer composed by Shantideva in his famous text Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds

For as long as space endues

and for as long as living beings remain

may I too remain,

to eliminate the suffering of the world

is the generation of compassion and the universal responsibility that is a prerequisite to the development of Bodhichitta. Matireya’s Ornament for Clear Realisations defines Bodhichitta as: Bodhichitta means for the sake of others, wishing to achieve complete, perfect enlightenment.

By reciting this prayer the spiritual aspirant is implicitly endorsing compassion and bodhichitta - the mind of enlightenment - and reaffirming their commitment to the development of these minds. All Buddhist art, literature and music has the same intention. Even the folds in a monks robes have symbolic meaning related to the Buddhist path.

So does this mean there is no benefit in praying to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? No, there is benefit but, if the Buddha is omniscient and has infinite compassion, they, all Buddhas, are already helping us whether we ask for it or not! By praying to these beings for help and inspiration we are opening ourselves to their influence even more than if we do not pray and, we are also implicitly saying, I think the qualities of the enlightened beings is useful. I would like to have these qualities myself. Therefore I will practice the methods that are the causes of these qualities.

I have heard people ask this question before. I’ve even seen friends and relatives turn away in fright when the subject of death meditation comes up. But the purpose of meditating on death is not to be morbid, negative or to induce fear. Anytime you think that Buddhism is being negative, I can guarantee you that you have misunderstand something. Buddhism is about replacing dysfunctional states of mind with functional minds. So the question is really what is the purpose of meditating on death.

Generally speaking we are so busy with our lives that finding time to sit down and practice is not an easy task. Even when we really want to meditate, life can get in the road! This is where death meditation come into play as it is a powerful motivating force. Why, because death is final! Once you are dead you aint got no more time to practice…the jig is up!

So just as sports people us different techniques to motivate themselves and their team mates, Buddhist use the finality of death to motivate themselves, and to reinforce a sense of urgency about the real situation.  

So you can see that it is not something to be frightened by but, in fact it can be the rocket fuel that will help you become a great meditate. Of course if you have read this far then you are less likely to issues with death meditation. So lets get into the meaty stuff.

Developing an aspiration for benefiting future lives

Qualm: Why do I need to develop an aspiration to benefit a life that has not even come into being!
Answer: By not doing so you run the risk of becoming too focused on this life and in doing so you can weaken your practice. Sure you need to take care of your family, friends, you need to work to pay the bills. This is not what is meant by too focused.
Being too focused means you become more concerned with how other people see you and so your reputation becomes very important to you. This in turn mans you start to act in a way that you think they will like! You seek the approval of others.

That one example, another might be money. Many people worry unnecessarily about money. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about it, work in order to get more. It means worrying about it is unless! Worry and doubt are very be problems and quite a debilitating mind. A disease of the mind, in that it can rot your mind getting worse and worse over time.

The faults of not meditating on death

By not meditating on death you will not remember the dharma. Of course even if you do remember the dharma you won’t practice as you think something like…ah I’ll do it after dinner or when I retire or over the weekend. Even if you practice the dharma you will not do so purely because you are focused on this life. You might think something like by learning meditating I will become very peaceful and attractive and then everyone will love me.  It’s clear that mediating with a motivation like that is not good in fact from a Mahayana point of view this would not even be regarded as a Buddhist meditation. My teacher says that meditating like this is selfish, meditation is about benefiting both yourself and others.

Without an awareness of your own immortality you will lack persistence with meditation and are much more likely to perform non-virtuous actions as you will mistaken think that there is plenty of time to fix it later. Or you might just not care!

Unfortunately without this awareness you will die with regret. Now I have seen this happen first hand. Someone coming to our center year in year out. Dies of cancer with the thought I could have done more! Oh god I wish I had practiced more!

This is very sad to watch someone struggle like this.

Below is a 9 round death meditation. It is made up of 3 propositions, 9 reasons and 3 decisions.

How to meditate on death

Death is definite

1: Death will definitely come, nothing can stop it.

2: Life span is continuously decreasing

3: Death will come regardless of whether you have made time to practice or not

Decision: It is definite that I will die and so I must practice dharma!

Time of death is uncertain

1: The life span of beings is this world is uncertain

Shantideva, Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds

Remaining nether day nor night,
This life is constantly slipping by
And never getting any longer.
Why will death not come to one like me!

2: There are more factors conductive to death than life
    a: External factors
    b: Internal factors
    c: Things that generally support life can become the cause of your demise

3: Our bodies are very fragile

Decision: As I am not sure when I will die, I must practice dharma now!

At the time of death, only the dharma can help

1: Friends cant help - you have to leave by yourself.

2: Your wealth cant help you - you cant take your money with you or buy a first class seat into the next life.

3: Body cannot help you through the death process.

Decision: As nothing but the dharma can benefit me at my time of death. I must practice dharma purely!

In Buddhism there is the notion of a rebirth that provides us with a wonderful opportunity to change the course of our lives forever. Traditionally this is called a perfect human rebirth endowed with leisure and fortune. We have the leisure to practice and this is very fortunate indeed. Of course this topic is set within the context of a number of Buddhist beliefs including rebirth, karma, nirvana and so forth. Buddhism assert we have had limitless past lives. In some of these past lives we were born as humans, and in others we were not so lucky. A human rebirth in which one has meet the teachings of the Buddha and sees the value of these teachings is a perfect human rebirth.

A human life gives us the opportunity to read books on Buddhism, go to lectures and engage in meditation retreats. In terms of the different specifies of animals on this planet, this can only be done by humans. So our lives are precious and should not be taken for granted nor wasted by excessive meaningless activities. Is there a need for relaxation? Sure, go and enjoy yourself with friends and so forth. But not at the exclusion of study and meditation.

Buddhism asserts that we have the power to change our life, and that we not simply a victims of circumstances. The world that seems to throw itself at you, is in fact co-created by you, and so you can change your world by changing your mind! The intention behind of the subject of leisure and fortune is presented in order to motivate you, to get you to realize just how precious this opportunity is, and to help you develop the state of mind that says:

My life is immensely meaningful, I have a rare and wonderful opportunity to free myself from ignorance and to be of the greatest benefit to other living beings. I hereby make the determination to practice dharma now!

Many people think, ok this sounds good but, I’m too young or busy or I simply don’t have the time as I have a family. I will practice…just not now…I will start when I retire. So ask yourself which will come first, retirement or the next life? Given that none of us really know when this life will end. Surely we can spend 30 minutes a day meditating on the path to enlightenment!

In almost all traditions of Buddhism the teacher or guru or lama is seen as a vital ingredient to success in ones dharma practice.

Although the role and style of the teacher is different in many of the traditions, at the heart of our practice is the guru.
Guru Yoga is the root of the path, but this is often either overlooked or misunderstood. Sometimes students think they have to be just like their teacher in every way, sometimes down to mimicking his/her body language and style. One of my teachers has a very different personality compared to his teacher. This shows that what you are gaining from the relationship is internal qualities not behavioral gestures. The other extreme is through not understanding the point of Guru Yoga, the student simply ignores the practice altogether. This is even worse, as my teacher often says you become a boiled rock. What he means is that no matter how long you boil a rock (listen to teachings) the rock never softens (you will not gain realizations of dharma). Keep an open mind - Don’t be a boiled rock!

The guru is …

1. The one who reveals the path.
The guru is the source of all our wisdom, our empowerment’s and is therefore for students practicing Vajrayana the source of all our realizations.

2. Who embodies the teachings.
In Ornament for the Mahayana Sutras Maitreya’s lists 10 qualities that one can use as a guideline for the appraisal of a teacher.

Rely on a guru who is Controlled, pacified,
completely pacified, Who has more knowledge than you,
Perseverance, a wealth of scriptural knowledge,
Realization of suchness, Is skilled in teaching, has love
And has abandoned being discouraged from teaching.

3. Who is the Buddha entering our awareness.
By viewing the guru as a Buddha your practice becomes far more powerful. Think about it, imagine two different people going to hear HH the Dalai Lama speak. One perceives him a nice old Tibetan monk. While the other sees him as an emanation of the Buddha of Compassion, which one is more likely to integrate his words into their life? I’d say the latter. That’s not to say that the former got nothing out of the experience, of course they got something from it but, in terms on practicing Buddhism the latter would be listening to the teachings with a greater willingness to practice what they were hearing.

So you can see just how important to evaluation of a guru is. If you are currently in the process of evaluating a teacher, don’t in a rush. Because once you have accepted someone as a Mahayana teacher, make certain you are efficient with your practice by listening and following the advise and teachings of the guru.

Ten Qualities of a Perfect Mahayana Guru
1: Controlled by pure morality.
2: Pacified by the practice of concentration.
3: Completely pacified by discriminating wisdom.
4: Has more knowledge than you.
5: Has perseverance.
6: A vast knowledge of the scriptures.
7: Has realized emptiness.
8: Has great skill in teaching people.
9: Has unbiased love and compassion.
10: Has abandoned laziness in regards to teaching the dharma.

Has ten qualities are actually quite rare but, they are around.

From another perceptive the guru is like a caring therapist pointing out subtlety, with patience and care in order not to harm us, our most hidden psychological blind spots. Those areas of our personality that we don’t always see but, nonetheless need to be transformed. In Tibet there is an old saying It’s easier to see the flee on another’s back than to see the elephant on your own. This is so true, not because we are stupid or lazy but, because these psychological blind spots are what makes us, us!

For me this is what makes guru yoga such a fascinating practice. I can’t tell you how many time’s I have heard Geshe Loden say something to me and I find myself thinking hmm is he talking about me? Nah he couldn’t be…surely I’m not like that! Then hours or sometimes days latter, I realize the truth
These moments are like little gold nuggets where ones practice can really progress rapidly.

So the purpose of guru yoga

tags: Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist, meditation, Lamrim

Lama Zopa Rinpoche says that just study and reading is not enough. If you want Dharma to change your mind and your heart, then you need a tool that can do the job correctly. He said recently…

Students who are not interested in retreat and practice should realize if they want something for their heart, if they love themselves and want to do something to affect their heart, and fill their hearts with great satisfaction, deep joy, and meaning, then this comes from retreat and practice.

Without the right tools it is difficult to change a rough diamond into a piece of jewelry. Similarly it is difficult to shape our mind without meditation, no matter how well you understand the meaning of the Buddha’s teachings.

Sometimes I fear that the word meditation is misunderstand and associated with new age hippies or happy-clappy types, especially when talking with ordinary people. There seems to be the general perception that meditation is a new-age "lets all hold hands, sit in a room and chant OM" but, in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this is so far from the truth that it is almost funny.

Meditation could be described as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool employed by individuals using introspection and refined mental attention to stabilize the mind, in order to alleviate dysfunctional states of mind. For some this may seem to cold and dry…perhaps too clinical…but I am only trying to give an alternative description to meditation. Meditation on Loving-Kindness for example alleviates the dysfunctional minds of anger, malice and so forth, minds that arise from the ignorance not understanding dependant-arising. The wonderful feeling generated from the meditation on loving-kindness is still generated regardless of how you describe meditation.

Preliminaries

· Guru Yoga.

1. Who reveals the path.

2. Embodies the teachings.

3. Who is the Buddha entering our awareness.

· Leisure and Fortune.

1. Through meeting the teachings of the guru, our rebirth becomes a perfect rebirth.

2. We have the opportunity and capacity to practice dharma.

3. Temporary Value – Health, wealth and good conditions.

4. Ultimate value – Complete release from Samsara.

5. Value in every instant – The opportunity of utter joy of each moment of life through joining it with Dharma. With Love, Compassion, generosity, patience, joy, equanimity, wisdom, concentration and so forth.

Small Scope

· Impermanence

1. Death is definite - Reflect that such a life is impermanent, like a bubble in water.

2. Time of death uncertain – With limited time we know we must practice dharma.

3. Only Dharma can help – Therefore we must do the thing that is of most value to ourselves and other. Practice dharma now, in this moment, at this instant. Generating the minds of love, compassion and wisdom now! Practice dharma now!

4. Practice Dharma properly and purely – As dharma is the only thing that can help us in this life and the next we must practice properly and purely and so we take refuge in the 3 Jewels.

· Refuge

1. Buddha Jewel – As the embodiment of the goal of refuge.

2. Dharma Jewel – As the means to its attainment.

3. Sangha Jewel – As the community of supporting practitioners.

· Karma

1. Abandoning the negative.

2. Cultivating the positive.

3. Deconditioning the mind from negative karma of the past.

4. Purifying negative karma through the 4 opponent powers.

5. Constantly directing ourselves the positive, to virtue.

Medium Scope

· Suffering – 4 Noble Truths

1. True Suffering –

§ 8 Sufferings

· Birth.

· Aging.

· Sickness.

· Death.

· Meeting the unpleasant.

· Separation from the pleasant.

· Not gaining what is desired.

· The 5 contaminated aggregates.

§ 6 Sufferings

· Uncertainty.

· Dissatisfaction.

· Discarding your body again and again.

· Being reborn again and again.

· Constant change of status.

· Loneliness.

§ 3 Sufferings

· Manifest suffering.

· Changeable suffering.

· Pervasive suffering.

§ Paranoid and painful states of the hell realms.

§ Grasping states of the preta realms.

§ Ignorant states of the animal realms.

§ Confused states of the human realms.

§ Competitive states of the demi-god realms.

§ Indulgent states of the god realms.

2. True Source

§ Suffering is created by us not by others, not by those that seem to afflict us but, by the mind that engages them improperly through the force of delusion and karma. Thus the true source of suffering is our own delusion.

· Attachment.

· Anger.

· Pride.

· Ignorance.

· Doubt.

· Deluded View.

1. View of the Transitory Collection.

2. Extreme View

3. Holding a false view as supreme.

4. Holding false ethics and conduct as supreme.

5. Preserve View

§ All of these arise from not understanding the nature of reality. From not realizing emptiness. From an ignorance adhering to inherent existence which is a non-existent imaginary.

3. True Cessation

§ By knowing true suffering we strive for true cessation a state free from karma and delusion. A state no longer obscured by any form of ignorance. A state utterly free, utterly at peace and completely blissful.

§ True Cessation is the state where complete extinguishment of true suffering and true sources to the point that they will never return.

4. True Path

§ True Paths are the means for attaining True Cessations.

§ Just as a state of health is to be attained by the sick and the medicines to attain that state are to be relied upon, so True Cessations are to be realized and
True Paths are to be relied upon. True path are minds such aslove, compassion and wisdom and the 3 Higher Trainings.

§ The 3 Higher Trainings.

· Higher training is Wisdom – The wisdom that eliminates the ignorance that is the source of any form of suffering. The wisdom that cuts through the basis of samsara. The higher training in wisdom depends itself upon the higher training in concentration.

· Higher Training in Concentration – Which in turn depends on higher training in ethics.

· Higher Training in Ethics – The ethics of restraining from harm, of actively helping others and of cultivating virtue such as the
8 Fold Noble Path –

1. Correct View.

2. Correct Realization.

3. Correct Speech.

4. Correct Actions.

5. Correct livelihood.

6. Correct Effort.

7. Correct mindfulness.

8. Correct Meditative Stabilization.

Great Scope

· The Mind of Enlightenment.

1. With love for being that wishes them happiness, with compassion that would free them from suffering, we determine to become enlightened, to be of ultimate value to every living being, to be able to release them from suffering and bring them happiness.Ornament for Clear Realisation – Maitreya
Bodhichiita means: for the sake of others,
Wishing to attain complete, perfect enlightenment.

· The 6 Perfections -

1. Generosity.

§ Giving materially.

§ Giving love.

§ Give the dharma.

§ Give protection.

§ Conjoining with Bodhichitta and Emptiness, Generosity becomes the Perfection of Generosity.

2. Ethics.

§ Restraining from harming others.

· 10 non-virtues.

· Breaking vows.

§ Actively seek to help those in need, those that are suffering, those that are confused, those that are on the wrong path, those that are on the right path. The sick, homeless, those that are suffering.

§ Practice the ethics of consciously cultivating virtuous states or generating positive minds.

§ Conjoining with Bodhichitta and Emptiness, Ethics becomes the Perfection of Ethics.

3. Patience.

§ Not retaliating to the harm from others.

§ Voluntarily bearing suffering.

§ Remaining definitely immersed in the dharma.

§ Definitely thinking of dharma.

§ Definitely generating the minds of love, compassion and wisdom.

§ Conjoining with Bodhichitta and Emptiness, Patience becomes the Perfection of Patience.

4. Joyous Effort.

5. Concentration.

§ Generating Clam Abiding by removing agitation, excitement and dullness. Of achieving great steadiness, utter peacefulness of mind.

§ Conjoining with Bodhichitta and Emptiness, Concentration becomes the Perfection of Concentration.

6. Wisdom.

§ Then with this concentration we then actively remove the obscurations to liberation and the obscurations to omniscience by focusing our meditation on emptiness, on ultimate truth, on the non-affirming negative which is the final nature of all phenomena – their emptiness of inherent existence.

§ This emptiness implies dependant arising, ultimate truth implies conventional truth. Ultimate and conventional truths, emptiness and dependant arising are utter non-contradictory and support each other.

§ With Bodhichitta motivation our meditation on emptiness becomes the Perfection of Wisdom.