Effortful Lamrim Meditation and Preliminary Practices
Rinpoche gave this life practice advice to a student.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling daughter,
In essence, these are your life practices. Your main deity is Heruka body mandala deity practice.
The main lamrim text for your study and practice is Lama Tsongkhapa’s Middle-Length Lamrim. Read this mindfully so that it becomes a meditation. Read it five or six times.
Then you need to practice effortful meditation by following the lamrim outline. Meditate for eleven months on correctly following the virtuous friend; five months on the graduated path of the lower capable being and three months on the graduated path of the middle capable being.
Spend three months on bodhicitta, dividing this into three sections, week-by-week, if that is suitable. Meditate on the extensive kindness exchanging self and others, and then the seven point cause-and-effect instruction. The third division is receiving the protection and happiness of having a house, clothing and food, and that we have freedom because of that. Remember the numberless sentient beings who died, were killed or created negative karma, and the evolution of each aspect, for example, for one plate of vegetables, one grain of rice, one piece of clothing, and even the foundation for the house. Think how beings are involved, how they suffer and create negative karma for our protection, happiness and freedom. Then do effortful meditation for one month on emptiness.
Repeat this cycle three times. [Read more here about effortful lamrim meditation.] For these lamrim meditations you can use the outlines from the Middle-Length Lamrim or The Essential Nectar. After having studied, you can read different commentaries, and from that, integrate that knowledge into your practice. So you cycle through the effortful practice three times.
Regarding the preliminaries:
- Four immeasurables: 60,000.
- Tsa tsas: 50,000, of Dorje Chang, Thirty-five Buddhas and Medicine Buddha.
- Vajrasattva: 70,000.
- Mandala offering: 100,000.
- Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga (Ganden Lha Gyäma): 100,000 with meditation. Do Lama Chöpa in the morning, then do sessions with Ganden Lha Gyäma counting the number of migtsemas.
- Chanting the Names of Noble Manjushri: Recite this once each day if possible.
- Golden Light Sutra: Recite this once each day if possible. If that is not possible, then recite half of both Chanting the Names of Manjushri and Golden Light Sutra on one day, and recite the other half the next day.
What makes your life most meaningful is meditation on the lamrim, and to live your life with bodhicitta motivation. This is the best.
With much love and prayers ...