Atisha’s Lamp

To do analytical meditation requires some study, reading of the scriptures, and listening to teachings. Study must precede your meditation session so that you know what to meditate on. Otherwise you won’t know what to do. For example, if you are trying to produce a strong trust and reliance on your spiritual teacher, you cannot meditate by just repeating, ‘This is my guru; this is my guru,’ or ‘Guru! Guru! Guru!’ or something like that. That will not accomplish anything. When meditating on this first topic of the lamrim—and it is the same with the advanced stages of the path—you need to examine different points of view in a concentrated, focused way. This analysis is not just a dry intellectual exercise. It develops a powerful understanding joined with a special kind of mental attitude. You are very fortunate to read these teachings, but an intelligent student should not just blindly jump into them without applying some critical thought and judgment. We have an expression in Tibetan, ‘When a hungry dog finds a chunk of meat, he gobbles it up without checking to see if it is poisoned.’ It is not necessary for you to act that way when you first hear the teachings! First you should listen. Then you should examine what you have heard; think about it from many different angles. Then, once you have built up a certain confidence in the teachings, you have to put them into practice. A serious practice comes from a good foundation, a strong background, and a firm mental attitude. You can establish this foundation by studying the broad and deep view of the path that is presented in the Lamrim Chenmo. Then eventually, through analysis and contemplation, you will get a certain feel and understanding. With this firm trust you can make a decision to actually enter the path of practice. This decision is serious; from that point on you don’t just listen in order to hear something interesting that you can tell your friends. Now you are listening in order to use these teachings to develop your mind. You listen to try to get something out of these teachings by integrating them into your daily life. —Geshe Lhundup Sopa

Based on the belief that it is essential to understand the Dharma in order to practice it, you may attempt to dispel your lack of learning by just taking studying as your main goal. However, mere study does not prevent afflictions such as attachment, anger, pride and jealousy. Through the force of negative karma motivated by those afflictions, you will fall into the lower rebirths. Or, based on that belief that it is essential to tame your mental continuum in order to practice the Dharma, you may attempt to take only meditation as your main practice without paying attention to your lack of learning. However, to do so would be a serious mistake too, for your ignorance of the obligations stipulated by the three vows will lead to your mind being tainted by downfalls. Therefore, in brief, you must render your mind malleable toward all classes of virtue impartially. —Second Panchen Lama

When your respect for the spiritual guide leading you on the path seems to wane, since relying on the spiritual guide has been explained as the root of all excellences, you should strive in it. Similarly, when your enthusiasm for practice dwindles, principally meditate on the topics of the precious human rebirth endowed with the freedoms and privileges. If you find yourself obsessively caught up with this life, principally meditate on impermanence and the drawbacks of the lower realms. If you seem to neglect the obligations you have pledged to honour, meditate mainly on karma and its results. If your disillusionment with samsara is feeble, since your striving for liberation has come to nothing but empty talk, reflect on the drawbacks of samsara. If your desire to enact the welfare of sentient beings is not fervent no matter what you do, since wishing bodhicitta is said to be the root of the Mahayana, train in it along with its causes. If you have taken the bodhisattva vows and yet seem to be tightly fettered by grasping at sings when you train in the bodhisattvas’ deeds, destroy such apprehension with the rational consciousness that targets grasping at signs and train in space-like emptiness and illusion-like emptiness. If your mind cannot rest on the object of observation and seems to fall under the sway of distraction, train mainly in single-pointed stability. These nuggets of advice have been provided by earlier masters. Based on the above illustrations, you should deduce how to avoid the pitfalls that I have not explicitly addressed. —Second Panchen Lama

Your meditation on the lower paths should fuel your desire to attain the higher paths. When you listen to explanations that elucidate the higher paths, your desire to practice the lower paths must be intensified. When meditating on the paths, you must, by eliminating conceptualisations, keep your mind balanced. —Second Panchen Lama

With much devotion to lamrim and inspiration to practice it, your mind changes. If you don't have this devotion and inspiration, you become thick-skulled and careless. When you hear different lamrim subjects, if you think: ‘Oh, yes, yes, I know that! I have heard that a hundred times!’, no matter how much you listen, the teachings won't move your mind. Your mind will be like a rock under the ocean, which can stay there one billion years but still be the same rock. The outside gets wet, but nothing else happens. Even if you hear lamrim and thought-training teachings a hundred times, your mind will be like this. If you have much devotion to lamrim, you have much wish to practice. Because of this practice, your mind changes, realisations come and you are able to make your life highly meaningful. It is very important to have devotion to the lamrim teachings. —Lama Zopa Rinpoche

If one has the notion that one’s practice of dharma contributes toward the dharma, or does a favor for the dharma, that is a wrong attitude. —Keutsang Jamyang Rinpoche

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche used to say that the force behind our negative actions is irresistible, like a falling boulder, and the force behind our virtuous actions is just like leading a donkey uphill. —HHDL

A proper confession requires the four powers: (1) the power of the basis; (2) the power of repentance; (3) the power of the actual antidote; and (4) the resolve never to indulge in the actions again. The force of repentance is the most important of the powers. You have to really regret the negative actions committed, from the depths of your heart. We have committed many negativities in our past lives and even in this lifetime. Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche used to say that the force behind our negative actions is irresistible, like a falling boulder, and the force behind our virtuous actions is just like leading a donkey uphill. This is very true. Our practice of virtue in this lifetime is really very weak, but the negative actions are very strong and complete in all aspects—the motives, the preparations, and the actual acts themselves. Even for those weak virtues that we do accumulate, there are many obstacles. In addition, because we have very strong faith and interest in the dharma, we try to grab at the highest teachings without considering our own abilities; there is a danger of actually committing negativities even in that way. Therefore, we must have committed all sorts of negativities out of our naturally ignorant tendencies. Just as explained in the Bodhisattvacharyavatara, although we resolve that we shall purify all sentient beings’ negativities and their imprints, we still let ourselves come under the influence of negative actions and continue to indulge in them. This is really sad. The method for purifying all the past actions is the practice of confession. Therefore, at this juncture, as you know how to purify and have the capacity to do so owing to the kindness of the guru, you should engage in the practice of confession, which will make you feel free and relieved at the end. And then, being mindful of the great qualities of the body, speech, and mind of the buddhas, you should generate the intention: I shall never hide from you all the negativities that I have committed, but rather, disclose them and purify them. Although there may be certain types of negativities which you are prone to committing, nevertheless it is very important at this point to resolve that you shall never indulge in them again, even at the cost of your life. It is said that although they might be easily committed again, resolving thus does not constitute lying. This strong resolve is very important, as it helps to purify the negativities. —HHDL

When I investigated if confession could purify the negativities, I found that it is repentance which cleanses them. —Milarepa