FPMT BASIC PROGRAM

Lam Rim
Meditation Outlines
by Venerable Sangye Khadro

Composed for the Masters Program

one month Lam Rim retreat
September 2009

AN FPMT MASTERS PROGRAM MATERIALS PROJECT

© ILTK, Sangye Khadro, & FPMT Inc., 2009

 LAM RIM MEDITATION OUTLINES

PART I: How to rely on a virtuous spiritual friend

(i.e. Guru Devotion)
MEDITATION 1: The need for a guru; the qualities of a guru

a) Why do we need a guru/ spiritual friend?

Even to learn ordinary things—e.g. how to drive a car, use a computer, cook an egg, build a house, etc.—
we need someone to teach us, and in order to go a place we have never been before, we need someone
to show us the way. Likewise, in order to know how to practice Dharma and travel the path to
liberation and enlightenment – places we have never been since beginningless time—we definitely need
a teacher. It is not enough to learn Dharma from books; we can get an intellectual understanding of
the path to enlightenment by reading books, but we need more than that; we need to attain actual
realizations of the Dharma. In order to attain realizations, we need a qualified teacher, and also we
must rely on our teacher in the proper way.

b) The qualities to look for in a guru

The ten qualities of a Mahayana guru, according to Maitreya’s Ornament for the Mahayana Sutras:
1. A mind subdued or controlled through the higher training in ethics
2. A mind pacified and undistracted through the higher training in concentration
3. A mind thoroughly pacified through the higher training in wisdom (i.e. the wisdom of
selflessness of persons)
4. Having greater knowledge than the disciple
5. Having perseverance
6. Having a wealth of scriptural knowledge.
7. Having a realization of suchness (i.e. the selflessness of phenomena)
8. Being skilled in teaching the Dharma
9. Having love and compassion
10. Having abandoned discouragement and laziness in teaching the Dharma

If you cannot find a guru with all ten qualities, try to find one who has at least five:
1-3. A mind subdued by the three higher trainings: ethics, concentration, and wisdom
4. Having love and compassion
5. Having a realization of suchness

If you cannot find a guru with these ten or five qualities, try to find one who has at least the following
three qualities:
1. More good qualities than faults
2. More concern for others than for himself/herself
3. More concern for future lives than this life

Conclusion: In order to attain enlightenment (and even to obtain good rebirths in future lives and liberation from
samsara), we need to rely on a qualified spiritual teacher. And we need to check carefully to make sure that a
teacher is properly qualified before making the decision to reply upon him/her as our guru.

2
MEDITATION 2: The qualities of the disciple; advantages of relying on a guru;
disadvantages of not relying properly

a) The qualities of the student who relies upon the teacher

1. Being honest, not attached to one’s own group and hostile to others (i.e. having a
balanced, impartial mind free from aversion and attachment)
2. Having the wisdom to know right from wrong (i.e. ability to distinguish what is to be
abandoned and what is to be adopted)
3. Having strong aspiration and enthusiasm to learn Dharma and to practice it
4. Having great respect for the teacher and the teachings
5. Listening attentively, with good motivation, to teachings and advice given by the
spiritual teacher
Conclusion: in order to properly rely upon a guru and make progress on the path, we need these five qualities;
generate the determination to develop them.

b) The advantages of relying on a qualified spiritual friend

1. We will come closer to buddhahood (by practicing our guru’s advice, and by making offerings
to and serving our guru.)
2. We will please all the buddhas (the buddhas love us as a mother loves her child; they manifest
in the form of gurus to help us by teaching us the Dharma, thus the buddhas are pleased when
we rely properly on our gurus.)
3. We will not be harmed by maras or evil friends
4. Our delusions and negative actions naturally cease
5. Our realizations of the paths and grounds increase
6. We will not be deprived of virtuous spiritual friends in future lives
7. We will not fall into the lower realms
8. We will effortlessly accomplish all temporary and ultimate goals

c) The shortcomings of not relying on a guru, or not relying properly

If we do not rely on a virtuous spiritual friend, we will not receive the eight benefits mentioned above.
In addition, if we establish a relationship with a guru, and then fail to rely on him/her properly (e.g. if
we criticize, disparage, or abandon our guru), and do not confess and change our negative thoughts
and actions, then we will experience the following eight shortcomings:
1. If we criticize our guru, we criticize all the buddhas
2. If we get angry at our guru, we destroy eons of merit equal to the number of moments of our
anger, and we create the cause to be born in the hells for the same number of eons
3. Even though we practice tantra, we will not achieve the sublime realizations
4. Even if we practice tantra with much hardship, it will be like attaining hell and the like
5. We will not develop new qualities, and qualities that we have already developed will degenerate
6. We will experience sufferings like illnesses and spirit harm in this life
7. We will experience the sufferings of the lower realms in future lives
8. We will be without virtuous spiritual friends in our future lives

Conclusion: generate the determination to do your best to rely properly on your teacher and never disparage or reject
him/her, and confess/purify any mistakes you might make.

3
MEDITATION 3: How to rely on the guru with thought (part 1)

a) The root: training our mind in devotion to the guru

• Why we should see our guru as a buddha: because we want profit, not loss; we need the guru’s
blessings to attain realizations, and if we see our gurus as buddhas we receive many blessings,
but if we see them as ordinary we receive no blessings.
• Why we are able to see our guru as a buddha: because the guru has many good qualities; also,
our mind can be trained to focus more on the good qualities rather than the faults.
• How to see our guru as a buddha
1) There is nothing to trust in our own view
2) Even now all the buddhas and bodhisattvas are working for all beings
3) The guru is the doer of all the buddhas’ actions
4) Shakyamuni Buddha and Vajradhara said that in the future they would
manifest as spiritual teachers

[What to do if we see faults in the guru:

• Check: is it really a fault? What some see as a fault, others see as a good quality. Also, the
reason why we see faults in others is because we ourselves have faults.
• The guru may be manifesting faults to benefit us, or to teach us something we need to learn.
• We don’t have the pure karma to see the Complete Enjoyment Body or the Supreme
Emanation Body, so the buddhas must manifest in ordinary aspects to teach/help us.
“Ordinary aspects” means displaying faults, e.g. getting sick, growing old, being impatient, etc.
Thus they are extremely kind to show such aspects, otherwise we would have no one to guide
us!]

Conclusion: Once we have decided to take a particular person as our guru, we must train in seeing that teacher as
the Buddha, contemplating their good qualities again and again. Also, we must understand the disadvantages of
seeing faults in the guru, and learn to stop finding faults. If we do happen to conceive of faults in the guru, we
should confess this and refrain from doing it again.

4
MEDITATION 4: How to rely on the guru with thought (part 2); how to rely with
actions

b) Developing respect by remembering the guru’s kindness

1) The guru is kinder than all the buddhas (infinite buddhas have appeared in the world and
liberated countless beings, but we are still here, in samsara. In this degenerate time, it is our guru
who is staying in the world to guide us on the path).
2) Teaching us the Dharma
3) Blessing our mind-stream
4) Inspiring us to practice the Dharma through material gifts

Conclusion: It is in dependence on our spiritual teachers that we are able to free ourselves from all suffering and
its causes, and to attain peace and happiness, especially the highest state, enlightenment – even in this lifetime!
Generate a strong feeling of respect and reverence, and concentrate on that.

How to rely on the spiritual friend with actions

There are three ways to achieve what pleases our gurus:
1. Offering material gifts
2. Respecting and serving with body and speech
3. Practicing according to the guru’s advice and teachings

Conclusion: Generate the wish to practice these three ways of relying on your gurus through your actions, and
think about how you can do it.

5
 PART II: The Stages of Training the Mind

The Precious Human Rebirth

Meditation 5: The eight freedoms

Contemplate each of these eight states: What would it be like if I was born in these situations? Would I be able to
practice the Dharma?

The four leisures that pertain to non-human states:

1. Freedom from birth in the hell realm
2. Freedom from birth in the hungry ghost realm
3. Freedom from birth in the animal realm
4. Freedom from birth as a long-life god

The four freedoms that pertain to human states

5. Freedom from being born at a time when no buddha has appeared in the world
6. Freedom from being born in a remote country where there are no Dharma teachings
7. Freedom from being born with impaired mental or physical faculties
8. Freedom from holding wrong views, such as denying the existence of enlightenment, the Three
Jewels, karma, past and future lives, and so on

Conclusion: Generate joy that you are free from these inopportune situations, and focus single-pointedly on that
experience.

Meditation 6: The ten endowments

The five personal endowments

1. Being born as a human being
2. Being born in a central region: a place where the Dharma teachings are established
3. Being born with complete faculties (one is thus able to listen to Dharma teachings, think about
them, and meditate on them)
4. Having not committed any of the five extremely heavy negative actions (killing one’s father,
killing one’s mother, killing a foe-destroyer, drawing blood from a buddha, or creating a schism
in the Sangha)
5. Having faith in the foundation (the three baskets: Vinaya, Sutra, and Abhidharma)

The five endowments that depend on others

6. Being born in a time when a buddha has appeared
7. That buddha has taught
8. His Teachings remain in the world
9. There are practitioners who follow his teachings
10. There are people who have loving kindness for others (and who are thus willing to take care of
and support Dharma practitioners)

Conclusion: If you recognize that you have these ten, recognize how fortunate you are. Generate great joy, like a
beggar who has found a precious jewel, and focus your mind single-pointedly on that joyful feeling.

6
Meditation 7: The great value of a precious human rebirth, and how it is rare and
difficult to obtain

Contemplate how the precious human rebirth is of great value because:

1. We can observe the law of cause and effect—e.g. refraining from the ten non-virtuous actions
and practicing the ten virtuous actions—and in that way we can achieve the temporary goals of
good rebirths, happiness, good experiences, etc. in our future lives.
2. We can achieve the ultimate goals of (i) liberation (by developing renunciation and practicing
the three higher trainings), and (ii) complete enlightenment (by developing bodhicitta and
practicing the six perfections).
3. Each moment of our life can be made meaningful, e.g. by doing actions with the bodhicitta
motivation, practicing mindfulness, helping others, etc.

Contemplate how the precious human rebirth is rare and difficult to obtain:
1. In terms of its causes: it is difficult to create the causes for a precious human rebirth, namely
pure morality, generosity, patience, and stainless prayers.
2. In terms of numbers:
• Among all migrations the happy migrations are rare, and
• Among happy migrations a precious human rebirth is rare.
3. In terms of an analogy: The Buddha said that obtaining a precious human rebirth is more
difficult and rare than for a blind turtle—who lives on the bottom of a great ocean and comes
up once every hundred years—to put its head through a golden yoke floating on the surface.

7
 The Small Scope
The stages of the path shared with persons of small capacity
Impermanence and Death
Meditation 8: The disadvantages of not being mindful of death, and the benefits of
being mindful of death

The disadvantages of not being mindful of death:

1. You will not remember the Dharma.
2. Even if you remember the Dharma, you will not practice it.
3. Even if you practice Dharma, you will not practice it purely (because your practice will be
mixed with the eight worldly dharmas).
4. Your practice will not be persistent.
5. You will create many unwise, negative actions.
6. You will have many regrets at the time of death.

The benefits of being mindful of death:

1. Your actions will become very beneficial.
2. Your spiritual practice will become very powerful.
3. It is important at the beginning of your practice.
4. It is important in the middle of your practice.
5. It is important at the end of your practice.
6. You will die with a peaceful, happy mind, free of regrets.

Meditation 9: Death is definite

Contemplate the first three points of the nine-point meditation on death, which come under the heading of “death
is definite”:
1. Everyone has to die
2. Your lifespan is continuously decreasing
3. The amount of time you have for spiritual practice is very little
Conclusion: develop the determination to use your life to practice the Dharma.

Meditation 10: The uncertainty of the time of death

Contemplate the second three points of the nine-point meditation on death, which come under the heading of “the
time of death is uncertain”:
1. Human life-expectancy is uncertain
2. There are many causes of death
3. The human body is very fragile
Conclusion: generate the determination to start practicing Dharma now, as the future is so uncertain.

Meditation 11: Only spiritual practice can help you at the time of death
Contemplate the last three points of the nine-point meditation on death, which come under the heading of “at the
time of death, only Dharma can help”:
1. Your loved ones cannot help
2. Your possessions and enjoyments cannot help
3. Your own body cannot help
Conclusion: Make the decision to practice the Dharma purely, without being mixed with the eight worldly
concerns..

8
The Lower Realms of Samsara

Meditation 12: The three lower realms

It is certain that we will die, but we do not know when death will occur. When we die, our mind does not cease,
but will take rebirth in either a happy or unhappy migration. We have no choice or control regarding which type of
rebirth we take; it will happen according to our karma. If we have created many negative karmas in this life, or
past lives, one of these could ripen at the time of death and propel us to a rebirth in one of the three unfortunate
realms. Contemplate these three realms to get a sense of how completely undesirable it would be to be born in them.

The hell realms– There are eighteen hells: eight hot hells (where the beings experience intense fire,
torture, etc), eight cold hells (where the beings are in the midst of ice, without any source of warmth),
the neighboring hells (e.g. the Pit of Embers; these lie outside the hot hells), and the occasional hells
(for example, having ordinary experiences during the day and hell-like sufferings during the night, or
vice-versa).
The animal realm—animals in the wild suffer from hunger, thirst, heat, cold, getting killed and eaten
by other animals or by people, etc. Domestic animals may also experience some of these sufferings, but
even if they are well taken care of, they lack freedom to go where they want, etc. The worst suffering of
animals is their lack of intelligence, such that they cannot practice Dharma.

The hungry ghost realm—three types:

1. Those with external obstacles—e.g. beings with weapons prevent them from getting food and drink,
or the food and drink turns into pus and blood
2. Those with internal obstacles—e.g. they have huge stomachs but tiny mouths and are thus unable to
get enough to eat and drink
3. Those who have obstacles within the food and drink—e.g. whatever they eat bursts into flames,
burning them.

9
Taking Refuge
Meditation 13: The causes of taking refuge
Contemplate the following two causes of refuge, and generate them sincerely in your mind:
1. Fear of the sufferings of the lower realms
2. Conviction that the Three Jewels can protect you from the lower realms:
• Buddha, who is free from all that is negative and perfect in all that is positive, is the founder of
refuge
• Dharma, his liberating teachings, is the actual refuge
• Sangha, those who follow the teachings, guide and inspire us

The reasons why the Buddha is a worthy object of refuge:

• He himself is free from all fears
• He is skilled in the means of liberating others from fear
• He has great compassion for all beings without exception
• He works for the welfare of both those who help and those who do not help him

Meditation 14: The way to take refuge

Contemplate the following excellent qualities of the objects of refuge in order to generate faith or confidence in them:
The excellent qualities of the Buddha
• The excellent qualities of the Buddha’s body: it is beautifully adorned with the 32 signs and 80
exemplifications, which result from his practice.
• The excellent qualities of the Buddha’s speech: e.g. being able to answer the questions of all the
beings in the universe with just a single word.
• The excellent qualities of the Buddha’s mind: e.g. every consciousness of the Buddha is
omniscient, seeing all conventional truths and all ultimate truths; also, the Buddha has perfect,
unconditional love and compassion for every being throughout the universe.
• The excellent qualities of the Buddha’s enlightened activities: the exalted activities of his body,
speech, and mind are spontaneous and uninterrupted, and benefit all beings.

The excellent qualities of the Dharma:

The limitless qualities of the Buddha come from meditating on and realizing the Dharma, i.e. he
actualized true cessations, thereby eliminating all faults, and meditated on true paths, thereby attaining
all excellent qualities. The Dharma is therefore able to give rise to all the realizations and
abandonments of the path, up to enlightenment.

The excellent qualities of the Sangha

The main Sangha are the aryas, those who have directly realized the emptiness of true existence, the
reality of all phenomena. The Sangha study, practice, and uphold the Dharma, and teach it to others
with compassion.

We should take refuge

• in the Buddha as the teacher of refuge;
• in the Dharma as the actual refuge;
• in the Sangha as those who assist us to attain refuge.

We can also think of Buddha as being like a doctor who diagnoses our illness and prescribes the
medicine, the Dharma as being like the medicine that cures us, and the Sangha as being like nurses
who help us while we are recovering.

10
Meditation 15: Commitments and benefits of refuge

Proscriptive and prescriptive precepts of refuge:

After taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, we should avoid:
1. Taking ultimate refuge in worldly gods such as Brahma and so on;
2. Harming any being, either directly or indirectly;
3. Entrusting oneself to and keeping company with negative friends;

And we should practise:

1. Seeing images of the Buddha as being actual Buddha, and pay respect to them,
2. Seeing Dharma texts as being the actual sublime Dharma, and treating them respectively,
3. Regarding even one member of the Sangha as being the actual Sangha, and treat all members
of the Sangha community, and even their robes, with respect.
4.
General advice after taking refuge
In general, there are four points to the practice of Dharma:
1. One should rely upon holy beings, listen to the holy Dharma, and after correctly
comprehending, follow the Dharma and practice it.
2. One should not let one’s senses become excited (that is, one should control the senses when in
danger of creating negative karma), and take as many vows as one is capable of keeping.
3. One should have a compassionate attitude towards sentient beings.
4. When eating or drinking, one should first offer it to the Three Jewels.

Also, it is good to make three prostrations to the Triple Gem in the morning and evening, and to take
refuge three times in the morning and three times in the evening, by reciting a refuge prayer.

The benefits of going for refuge

1. One becomes a Buddhist (an “inner being”)
2. One becomes qualified to take other vows (Pratimoksha, Bodhisattva, and Tantric vows)
3. It reduces and exhausts the obscurations due to previously accumulated karma
4. One quickly accumulates a vast amount of merit
5. One does not fall into the bad migrations
6. One is not harmed by obstacles, either human or non-human
7. One attains everything one wishes
8. One attains buddhahood swiftly

11
The Law of Cause and Effect/Karma

Meditation 16: The general characteristics of karma

1. Karma is definite – non-virtuous actions bring suffering, never happiness, and virtuous actions
bring happiness, never suffering. Conclusion: “In order to achieve happiness in the future and
avoid suffering, I must practice virtue and avoid non-virtue.”

2. Karma increases – even small actions can bring immense results, just as one small seed can
bring a huge tree bearing many flowers and fruits. Conclusion: “I must try my best to refrain
from even small negative actions, and to create even small virtuous actions.”

3. One does not experience the results of actions that one does not do – one does not
experience sufferings for which one did not create the causes, and one cannot expect to
experience happiness for which one did not create the causes. Conclusion: “There is no way
that I will experience good results in the future unless I create the causes for them, and I will
not have to experience bad results as long as I avoid creating the causes of those.”

4. Actions done do not disappear – once an action has been created, an imprint is left on one’s
consciousness which will bring results in the future when the right conditions have come
together, even after many lifetimes. The exceptions are that virtuous karmic seeds that have not
been dedicated to enlightenment can be destroyed by anger, etc., and non-virtuous karma can
be purified with the four powers. Conclusion: “I must purify whatever negative karma I have
created, and dedicate whatever virtuous karma that I create to enlightenment.”

Meditation 17: The varieties of karma

The ten non-virtuous actions to be avoided

Each of these has four factors: (1) basis, (2) attitude (which has three parts: discrimination, affliction, and
motivation), (3) performance, and (4) culmination. For an action to be complete, all four factors must be complete.

Three of the body

1. Killing – (1) basis: a sentient being other than oneself; (2) attitude: the discrimination must be
unmistaken, one of the three poisons (greed, hatred, or ignorance) must be present, and one has the
wish to kill; performance: one either does the action oneself or orders it to be done; (4) culmination: the
sentient being dies.

2. Stealing – (1) basis: another’s possession; (2) attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken, one of
the three poisons must be present, and one has the wish to steal; (3) performance one takes the object by
force, by cheating, by stealth, etc., or orders someone else to take it; (4) culmination: the thought “It is
mine” arises in oneself or in the person one ordered to steal.

3. Sexual misconduct – (1) four bases: wrong person, wrong bodily parts, wrong place, wrong time; (2)
attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken (for someone who does not have a vow of celibacy, but
need not be unmistaken for someone who has a vow of celibacy), one of the three poisons must be
present, and one has the wish to engage; (3) performance: one does the action oneself (some texts say
one can also order it to be done); (4) culmination: meeting of the organs.

12
Four of speech
4. Lying – (1) eight bases: the seen, the not seen (eyes); the heard, the not heard (ears); the experienced,
the not experienced (other sense-consciousnesses); the known, the not known (mental consciousness);
(2) attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken, one of the three poisons must be present, and one
has the wish to misrepresent; (3) performance: oneself indicating by speaking, not speaking, or with
bodily gestures, or one orders it to be done; (4) culmination: the other person understands.

5. Divisive speech – (1) two bases: sentient beings in harmony or those already in disharmony; (2)
attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken, one of the three poisons must be present, and one
has the wish to divide, further divide, or impede their reconciliation; (3) performance: oneself expressing
pleasant or unpleasant facts or non-facts for one’s own or another’s purpose, or ordering someone else
to do it; (4) culmination: the other person understands.

6. Harsh speech – (1) basis: a sentient being towards whom one feels hostile, and who could be hurt by
one’s words; (2) attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken, one of the three poisons must be
present, and one has the wish to speak in an offensive manner; (3) performance: saying something
unpleasant (which could be true or false) about the person’s characteristics; (4) culmination: the other
person understands.

7. Idle talk – (1) basis: a meaningless topic; (2) attitude: one perceives the topic about which one is
going to talk, one of the three poisons must be present, and one has the wish to talk without a
meaningful purpose; (3) performance: expressing the words to someone else or to oneself; (4)
culmination: having finished speaking.

Three of the mind

8. Covetousness – (1) basis: another’s possession; (2) attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken,
one of the three poisons must be present, and one has the wish to appropriate; (3) performance: striving
to appropriate; (4) culmination: deciding to make it one’s own.

9. Malice – (1) basis: a sentient being towards whom one feels hostile, and who could be hurt by one’s
words; (2) attitude: the discrimination must be unmistaken, one of the three poisons must be present,
and one has the wish to give harm; (3) performance: having that thought; (4) culmination: deciding to
bring about that harm.

10. Wrong view – (1) basis: an existent object such as the law of cause and effect; (2) attitude: one
perceives that one’s denial of the object is correct (e.g. one really believes that there is no karma), one
of the three poisons must be present, and one has the wish to deny the object; (3) performance:
beginning to deny the object; (4) culmination: the certainty that one has denied the object.

The ten virtuous actions to be adopted

The ten virtuous actions involve understanding the faults of the ten non-virtuous actions and
restraining oneself from creating them. They also have the four factors: for example, the virtuous
action of refraining from killing involves (1) basis: another sentient being; (2) attitude: seeing the faults
of killing and wishing to give it up; (3) performance: the activity of correctly restraining oneself from
killing; and (4) culmination: the action of completing the correct restraint.
The remaining nine virtuous actions can be understood in a similar way.

Conclusion: Generate the strong determination to avoid creating the ten non-virtuous actions and to create the ten
virtuous actions as much as possible; concentrate on this thought.

13
Meditation 18: The results of karma; purification with the four powers

Factors that make non-virtuous or virtuous actions weighty

1. Nature – killing is the heaviest among physical actions, lying among verbal actions, and wrong
views is the heaviest among mental actions
2. Attitude – strong presence or absence of mental poisons
3. Performance – e.g. killing in such a way that causes great suffering to the victim
4. Basis – actions done in relation to gurus, the Three Jewels, parents, etc. are more weighty
5. Habit – frequency and continuity
6. Absence of an antidote – if one does no virtue, non-virtue becomes very heavy

Meditate on these factors until you are clear about how to avoid powerful non-virtuous actions and how to make a
virtuous action as powerful as possible.

The four results of non-virtuous actions

1. Fruitional result – according to the strength of the affliction involved, great non-virtues lead to
rebirth in hell, middling to rebirth as a hungry ghost, and small to rebirth as an animal

2. Results similar to the cause

a. Experience – later, when born as a human being, one will experience:
• a short life, as a result of killing
• a lack of resources, as a result of stealing
• your spouse or partner will leave you, as a result of sexual misconduct
• much slander, as a result of lying
• loss of friendships, as a result of divisive speech
• hearing unpleasant words, as a result of harsh speech
• others not listening to you, as a result of idle speech
• predominance of attachment, as a result of covetousness
• predominance of hostility, as a result of harmful intent
• predominance of confusion, as a result of wrong view

b. Habit – one will be born with the tendency to commit the same action again

3. Environmental result – the character of the misdeed is reflected in the environment, e.g.
• due to killing: food, drink, and medicine have little power
• due to stealing: a shortage of food, droughts, or hailstorms
• due to sexual misconduct: the environment is filthy and bad-smelling
• due to lying: your work will not be successful; there will be disharmony and deceit among
your workers
• due to divisive speech: the ground is uneven and difficult to travel on
• due to harsh speech: the environment is full of thorns, sharp stones, dangerous animals
• due to idle gossip: crops will fail and rain will fall at the wrong time
• due to covetousness: all excellent things will deteriorate day by day, year by year
• due to harmful intent: war, sickness, famine, dangerous animals and people
• due to wrong view: resources will disappear; you will have no home or protector

14
The four results of virtuous actions

1. Fruitional result – great virtuous actions lead to rebirth as a god in the form and formless
realms, middling to rebirth as a desire realm god, and small to rebirth as a human
2. Result similar to the cause
a. Experience – long life, plenty of resources, harmony with your spouse, etc.
b. Habit – one will be born with the tendency to commit the same action again
3. Environmental result – food, drink, and medicine have great power, etc.

The four opponent powers of purification

1. The power of regret (repudiation): feeling regret for the negative actions we have done; this
purifies the result similar to the cause as an experience (#2a above).
2. The power of reliance (basis): taking refuge and generating bodhicitta; this purifies the
environmental result (#3).
3. The power of remedy (applying all antidotes): There are 6 recommended remedies: reciting
sutras, meditating on emptiness, reciting mantras (e.g. Vajrasattva), making buddha images,
making offerings to holy objects, and reciting names of buddhas and bodhisattvas; this purifies
the fruitional result (#1).
4. The power of resolution: making the determination to refrain from negative actions in the
future; this purifies the result similar to the cause as habit (#2b).

Conclusion: Generate the strong determination to live your life in such a way that you create virtuous karma as
much as possible, to refrain from non-virtuous karma as much as possible, and to purify whatever non-virtuous
karma you have created in this life and previous lives, in order to avoid its painful results.

15
 The Middle Scope
The stages of the path shared with persons of medium capacity
True Sufferings

Meditation 19: The eight types of suffering

1. The suffering of birth – birth itself is painful; one is born with afflictions; after taking birth, one
will experience aging, sickness, and death; one encounters objects towards which one generates
afflictions that disturb the body and mind.

2. The suffering of aging – one’s beautiful body deteriorates; one’s strength declines; one’s sense
powers and mental power decline; enjoyments become less enjoyable; the more one’s life
deteriorates, the more one comes to worry about death.

3. The suffering of sickness – one’s body becomes disfigured; one experiences pain and anguish; one
loses desire for attractive things; one must undergo unpleasant treatments and procedures; one
loses one’s vital energy (life force).

4. The suffering of death – one has to separate from attractive objects, from one’s relatives and
friends, and from one’s body; one experiences pain and anguish at the time of death.

5. The suffering of encountering the unpleasant – upon encountering an enemy, pain and anguish
arise; one fears punishment by him; one fears malicious words; one fears death; one fears that
one will have a bad rebirth due to having acted contrary to the Dharma.

6. The suffering of separation from the pleasant – in one’s mind there is sorrow; with one’s speech,
one laments; one does harm to one’s body; one is sad because of missing what one has lost; one
can no longer go back to what one has lost.

7. The suffering of not getting what one desires (the same sufferings as in #6).

8. The suffering of the five appropriated aggregates – they are vessels for future suffering; they are
vessels for suffering in this life; they are vessels for the suffering of suffering, the suffering of
change, and pervasive compounding suffering.

Meditation 20: The six types of suffering

1. Uncertainty—everything in samsara is uncertain; due to impermanence, everything changes and

will come to an end, e.g. relationships, wealth, youth, health, etc.
2. Unsatisfactoriness—no matter how much we have, we are never satisfied
3. Dying and abandoning our body again and again
4. Taking rebirth again and again—the amount of milk we have drunk from our mothers’ breasts,
and the amount of tears we have shed, are greater than all the water in the oceans
5. Going repeatedly from high to low—we have been in high positions (rulers, famous artists,
athletes, etc) and have fallen from them. No one can stay on top forever!
6. Being alone—we are born alone and die alone, and in times of great pain or great joy, no one
can truly share that experience with us

16
Meditation 21: The three types of suffering

1. The suffering of suffering – unpleasant feelings (plus the main minds and mental factors that
accompany them) and their objects. For example, physical pain and sickness, emotional
suffering such as grief, loneliness, etc.
2. The suffering of change – pleasant feelings (plus the main minds and mental factors that
accompany them) and their objects. Pleasant feelings are not happiness by way of their own
entity since they arise due to a relief of suffering—e.g. after we have been sitting for a long time,
standing up feels pleasant, because the suffering of sitting has been relieved. Also, pleasant
feelings are impermanent; they slowly transform into suffering—e.g. if we continue to stand,
eventually it becomes unbearable.
3. Pervasive compounding suffering – contaminated neutral feelings (plus the main minds and mental
factors that accompany them) and their objects. They arise from karma and delusions, and co-
exist with karma and delusions (which will give rise to more suffering in the future), therefore
they are in the nature of suffering.
The five appropriated aggregates are pervasive suffering since they are the basis for the
other two types of suffering, due to being associated with negative tendencies…. From the
crown of one’s head to the soles of one’s feet, the body is pervaded by suffering…. Every place
in samsara, from the Peak of Existence down to the hell of Unrelenting Torment, is pervaded
by suffering

The four aspects of true sufferings

Contemplate the four aspects of true suffering, using the example of your own five aggregates:
1. Impermanence: both our body and our mind are changing every moment.
2. Suffering/misery: we experience physical pain and discomfort; we also experience mental suffering,
such as depression, disappointment, irritation, grief, etc.
3. Emptiness: Although it seems that, within our body-mind complex, there is a self/I which is
permanent, unitary, and independent of causes and conditions, such a self is an illusion.
4. Selflessness: we believe that there is a self-supporting, substantially-existing self—a self that seems to
exist within the aggregates, but is independent of them, like a “boss” or controller of the aggregates—
but such a sense of self is false, an illusion.

Conclusion: generate deep conviction that any kind of existence that is together with contaminated aggregates is
suffering in each moment, and develop the wish to become completely free, forever, from such suffering states.

17
True Origins

Meditation 22: The ten delusions/afflictions

The five root afflictions that are non-views

1. Attachment – A mind that observes a contaminated object and, thinking that it is pleasant or
attractive, wishes to have it.
2. Anger – A hostile mind that, in response to a basis of suffering such as sentient beings or thorns etc.,
wishes to inflict harm on it.
3. Pride – A puffed-up mind, based on the view of the transitory collection, that is an attitude of
superiority regarding one’s own internal or external qualities.
4. Ignorance – An afflicted non-knowing due to an unclear mind with regard to the nature of the
four truths, actions and their results, and the Three Jewels.
5. Doubt – A two-pointed mind that wavers with regard to whether the four truths, actions and their
results, and the Three Jewels exist or do not exist.

The five root afflictions that are views

6. The view of the transitory collection * – An afflicted wisdom which observes the appropriated aggregates
and views them as a self, thinking ‘I’ and ‘mine.’
7. The view holding to an extreme – An afflicted wisdom that observes the self apprehended by the view of
the transitory collection, and views it either as permanent and eternal, or as ceasing at death.
8. The view holding a [bad] view as supreme – An afflicted wisdom which observes any of the three—the
view of the transitory collection, the view holding to an extreme, or a wrong view –and holds them to
be supreme.
9. The view holding [bad] ethics and modes of conduct as supreme – An afflicted wisdom which observes [bad]
ethics and modes of conduct (e.g. sitting in the middle of five fires) as being the cause of liberation
from cyclic existence.
10. Wrong view –An afflicted wisdom that denies the existence of something that does exist—e.g. past
and future lives, actions and their effects, etc.— or asserts the existence of something which does not
exist—e.g. someone such as Ishvara being the creator of the world.

* The Prasangika Madhyamikas assert that the view of the transitory collection and ignorance are the same,
meaning that the root of all the mental afflictions is the view of the transitory collection. Their definition of the
view of the transitory collection is: “an afflicted wisdom that observes the mere I of one’s own continuum and
conceives of it as inherently existent.”

Meditation 23: The order in which afflictions arise; causes of the afflictions

The order in which the afflictions arise

First there is ignorance conceiving an inherently existent “I” and “mine” – this is the view of the transitory
collection. From that arises the discrimination of inherently existent “others.”
From that arises attachment to that which belongs to or supports oneself, and hatred towards that which
belongs to or supports others. Observing an inherently existent self, pride arises.
Based on the view of the transitory collection holding to an inherently existent I, one develops
an extreme view that this I must be either permanent (e.g. like an eternal, unchangeable soul) or
completely annihilated (when one dies). Based on that, one thinks that the view of the transitory
collection and the extreme view [or a wrong view] are superior views, and one views bad ethics and
modes of conduct associated with such views as superior ethics and modes of conduct. Similarly, one
develops the wrong view that the law of cause and effect, the Three Jewels, and past and future lives do
not exist, or else doubt about whether they exist or not.
18
The six causes of afflictions
1. Basis: the seeds or latencies in our mind-stream, left there by previous negative actions, previous
experiences of that affliction.
2. Object: encountering an object of the six senses, or just remembering an object, can cause an
affliction to arise.
3. Society: the influence of other people, especially those with bad habits.
4. Explanations: listening to wrong teachings; this can also include other sources of information, such as
books, newspapers, magazines, TV, movies, the internet, conversations, etc.
5. Familiarity: the afflictions we are most familiar with are those that will arise most easily.
6. Inappropriate attention: focusing our mind on the object of our affliction and exaggerating it, e.g.
thinking over and over again about someone you’re angry at, what he did, what he said, etc. This
causes the affliction to become stronger.

Meditation 24: The faults of the afflictions

Think of an affliction that often arises in your mind and see if you can recognize that it has the following faults or
disadvantages:
• the mind becomes disturbed
• the mind is mistaken with regard to its observed object
• they reinforce familiarity with afflictions and leave seeds for them to re-occur
• you harm yourself, others, or both
• you commit misdeeds in this life, future lives, or in both
• you experience pain and anguish
• you feel joyless, apprehensive, and lacking confidence in society
• your notoriety spreads in all directions
• excellent persons such as teachers rebuke you
• they create the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death
• they destroy virtue and deplete resources
• they destroy the hope for a good rebirth
• they take you far from liberation
• you die with regret
• your aims remain unfulfilled
• after death you are born in a bad migration

Gon-ba-wa said: “To eliminate afflictions, you must know the afflictions’ faults, their characteristics,
their remedies, and the causes for their arising. After you have recognized their faults, regard them as
defective and consider them as enemies. If you do not recognize their faults, you will not understand
that they are enemies.”

Conclusion: Generate the strong determination to free yourself completely from all afflictions and their seeds.

19
Meditation 25: The twelve links

The 12 links:
1. ignorance: a mental factor confused about reality.
2. compositional action: action motivated by ignorance that is able to project a future rebirth.
There are three types of karma according to the type of rebirth they bring:
1) Non-virtuous/non-meritorious karma—this is karma accumulated out of concern mainly
for the happiness of this life; it leads to rebirth in the three lower realms.
2) Meritorious (movable) karma – this is karma accumulated out of concern mainly for
sensual pleasure in future lives; it leads to rebirth as a human or desire realm god.
3) Immovable karma – this is the cause of rebirth in the form and formless realms.
Focusing on a meditative object for the sake of the bliss of concentration leads to
rebirth in one of the first three concentrations of the form realm. If one becomes weary
of meditative bliss and creates the karma for neutral feelings, this leads to rebirth in the
fourth concentration or one of the four formless absorptions.
3. consciousness on which the latency of the second link is deposited
4. name and form: the aggregates established at the time of conception of the future rebirth,
simultaneous with the link of birth
5. six sources: the sense powers at the time when, even upon the aggregation of the object,
consciousness, and power, one is unable to utilize the object
6. contact: the mental factor of contact at the time when, upon the aggregation of the object,
consciousness, and sense power, one is able to utilize the object but is unable to experience
feelings
7. feeling: pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feelings
8. craving: attachment that nourishes the latency deposited by the second link
9. grasping: an intensified form of craving that further nourishes the latency
10. existence: the latency that has been fully nourished
11. birth: the moment of conception of the future life
12. aging and death: degeneration of the aggregates starting in the second moment of life, and the
final abandonment of the aggregates at the end of the life.

Conclusion: each rebirth we take in samsara is the result of a compositional action created due to ignorance, and is
part of a set of these twelve links. And we are continuously creating more compositional actions, and thus more sets
of twelve links, and thus perpetuating our existence in samsara. Generate the strong determination to become free
from this situation by overcoming ignorance, the root of samsara.

20
Meditation 26: The four aspects of true origins; renunciation; true cessations

True origins of sufferings—i.e. afflictions and karma—have four aspects:

1. They are the causes of suffering: e.g. when anger arises in our mind, our mind becomes disturbed;
we may also express it verbally or physically, thus creating negative karma, which will bring more
suffering in the future.
2. Afflictions and karma are also origins, because they produce sufferings again and again, many times
each day, all throughout our life.
3. They also strongly produce suffering, e.g., when our mind becomes completely overwhelmed by a
delusion such as hatred or obsessive attachment, and we behave destructively, without control.
4. Attachment to samsara acts as a cooperative condition producing suffering, and not allowing us to
become free from samsara.

As long as we remain in samsara, we will continue to be under the control of true origins, and will
continue to experience true sufferings, again and again. Generate the deep, sincere attitude of
renunciation: seeing samsara as being like a horrible prison, and not wishing to remain in it, but
wishing only to become free from it, by attaining the cessation of all sufferings and their causes.

True cessations are the complete elimination of the afflictions such that they will never arise again.
They have four aspects:
1. Cessation of sufferings— imagine what it would be like to be in state where you would never again
experience any physical or mental sufferings.
2. Pacification of the afflictions—imagine what it would be like to be free from the afflictions, such
that anger, attachment, pride, jealousy, etc. would never again arise in your mind.
3. Sublimity—this cessation of sufferings and their causes is sublime in the sense that there is nothing
more blissful, nothing more beneficial.
4. Definite emergence—this state of cessation is a state of freedom/liberation which is final,
irreversible—you will never lose it or fall back from it.

Conclusion: generate the strong wish to attain true cessations, and concentrate single-pointedly on that wish.

Meditation 27: True paths

True cessations are attained by attaining true paths, which are arya paths. The main true path is the
wisdom directly realizing selflessness, the direct antidote to ignorance, the root of samsara. In order to
attain this wisdom, we must develop concentration, and developing concentration depends on pure
ethics. Thus the path to liberation consists of these three higher trainings:
1. The higher training in ethics – weakens the afflictions and enables us to overcome external
distractions;
2. The higher training in concentration – suppresses the manifest afflictions and enables us to
attain a calm, single-pointed mind;
3. The higher training in wisdom – eliminates ignorance and the other afflictions, and enables us
to attain liberation/nirvana.

The higher training in ethics:

Benefits of practicing it: as the earth is the basis of all the good things existing upon it, ethics is the basis
of all excellent qualities and realizations. It’s the source of all happiness, and the main cause of higher
rebirths.
Disadvantages of not practicing it: rebirth in lower realms; suffering even in the human realm; no
attainment of good qualities and realizations of the path, up to liberation and enlightenment.

21
 Ethics mainly involves refraining from harming others, e.g. avoiding the ten non-virtuous
actions, and taking vows, such as the five precepts or monastic vows.

How to train in ethics:

The four causes of the occurrence of downfalls and their respective antidotes:

Not knowing what is proper ethical
discipline
Non-conscientiousness, i.e. being
careless and reckless
Lack of respect
Many mental afflictions
Understand what is involved in ethical discipline (e.g. the
vows) through studying them
• mindfulness of what to adopt and abandon
• introspection that investigates the three doors
• shame from the perspective of oneself and the Dharma
• embarrassment through thinking of others
• fear of the fully ripened effects of faulty conduct
Having respect for the Buddha, his rules, and those who
observe them perfectly
Examine your own continuum and endeavor to apply the
antidote to whatever mental affliction predominates

True paths has four aspects:

1. Path— the main true path is the wisdom directly realizing selflessness; this wisdom is a path, because
it leads out of samsara and to the state of liberation/nirvana.
2. Suitability—this wisdom is suitable for us to learn about and meditate on, because it is the antidote
to ignorance, the root cause of suffering….
3. Achievement—this wisdom is an achiever, because it realizes the true nature of the mind directly
and unmistakenly.
4. Deliverance—this wisdom is a deliverer, because it enables us to attain the state of irreversible
liberation, such that sufferings and afflictions will never return.

Conclusion: Seeing clearly the benefits of attaining true paths, generate the determination to attain them, by
practicing the three higher trainings – ethics, concentration, and wisdom—to the best of your ability.

Meditation 28: Antidotes to attachment

1. Contemplate the faults of attachment:

• It is a disturbed state of mind, full of unrealistic expectations.
• It doesn’t see the object realistically, but exaggerates, fantasizes, makes projections.
• It leads not to satisfaction, but to dissatisfaction and disappointment.
• It can lead to other afflictions, such as anger, jealousy, competitiveness, fear, etc.
• It motivates us to create karma that leads to bad rebirths and more samsara.
• It’s an obstacle to attaining concentration, wisdom, and other realizations, and thus an obstacle to
liberation and enlightenment.

2. Counteracting the four erroneous conceptions (using your body as an example):

(1) Seeing what is unclean as clean—contemplate that your body is made of skin, blood, organs, etc.
(2) Seeing what is impermanent as permanent—your body is constantly changing and aging, and
eventually it will die.
(3) Seeing what is suffering as pleasant—contemplate the many sufferings the body experiences.
(4) Seeing what is selfless as having a self—e.g. your body is empty of inherent existence.

22
 The Great Scope
The stages of the path for persons of great capacity

Meditation 29: The benefits of bodhichitta

1. You enter the only entrance to the Mahayana

2. You become a son or daughter of the buddhas
3. You surpass hearers and solitary realizers
4. You become an object of offerings and prostrations of gods and humans
5. You instantly accumulate vast amounts of merit
6. You instantly purify vast amounts of negativities
7. All your wishes will be fulfilled
8. You won’t be harmed by hindrances
9. You will quickly accomplish the paths and grounds
10. You will become a source of peace and happiness for all sentient beings
* * * *

The 11-point method for developing bodhicitta

Meditation 30: Equanimity

1. Equanimity – visualize a friend, an enemy, and a neutral person in front of you…. Check your
reasons for having different feelings for these three; are those good reasons?... Relationships are
impermanent: friend can become enemy, enemy can become friend, neutral person can
become either. …

Conclusion: There is no reason to cling to our present relationships and our biased feelings towards others as being
permanent. As every being has been a friend, an enemy, and a stranger to us, we should develop unbiased
equanimity towards them.

Meditation 31: All beings have been our mother

2. Recognising that all beings have been our mother – samsara is beginningless, and we have had
countless lives, and thus countless mothers. Our mother of this life has not always been our
mother; other beings have been our mother… in fact, every being has been our mother!

Conclusion: Try to generate confidence that every being has been your mother. If this is difficult, try to at least feel
that it might be true, because you can’t disprove it!

Meditation 32: The kindness of our mothers

3. a. Thinking about the kindness of sentient beings when they were our mother – Contemplate
what your mother of this life did for you: carried you in her womb, went through the pain of
giving birth, completely took care of you when you were small and helpless, taught you the
most basic skills such as eating, bathing, dressing, talking, walking, etc.

Conclusion: Strongly feel the kindness of your mother of this life; contemplate that everyone else—your father, other
relatives, friends etc.— has also shown you this kindness, not once but many times; and they will do the same in the
future.

23
Meditation 33: The kindness of sentient beings when they were not our mother

3. b. Thinking about the kindness of others at other times/in other ways – other provide us with
everything we use and enjoy: food, clothing, shelter, etc. They also serve as objects for our
practice of dharma: giving, ethics, patience, etc. Thus we are dependent on others for all of our
happiness, temporal and ultimate—up to enlightenment!

Conclusion: Generate the awareness that all of our happiness and good experiences comes from others; strongly feel
their kindness, and concentrate on this experience.

Meditation 34: Repaying the kindness of others

4. Wishing to repay their kindness – recall the incredible kindness of others and generate the
wish to repay their kindness. How? We can help other beings as much as possible in our
present life, but just giving food, clothing, medicine, etc. will give only short-term benefit. The
best help we can give is to lead them to liberation and enlightenment.

Conclusion: generate the strong wish to help all beings to become free from samsara, and to attain the peace and
happiness of liberation and enlightenment.

Meditation 35: The equality of self and others

5. The equality of self and others – visualize a friend, enemy, and neutral person in front of you.
Contemplate that all three, just like you, want to be happy and not suffer…. If all three were
sick and you were a doctor, would it be right to help one and not the others? If all three were
hungry, would it be right to give food to one and not the others?... If the “enemy” were an
enemy from his own side, the buddhas would see him that way, but buddhas love all beings
equally. No one is a friend, an enemy, or a stranger, from their own side. “Friend, enemy, and
stranger” are just labels that we give to people, depending on our point of view.

Conclusion: strongly feel that every living being is just like you in that they all want to be happy, and do not want
to suffer. There is no good reason to discriminate among them.

Meditation 36: The disadvantages of cherishing oneself

6. The disadvantages of cherishing oneself – whatever problems we experience are the result of
negative karma created in the past, motivated by self-cherishing…. Self-cherishing is also the
cause of many problems in this life, e.g. in relationships… and it will bring more problems in
the future, e.g. bad rebirths…. It’s a major obstacle to developing loving-kindness, compassion,
and bodhicitta, and thus to the attainment of enlightenment.

Conclusion: feel convinced that the self-cherishing attitude is the cause of nothing but problems and suffering, and
generate the determination to work on eliminating it.

Meditation 37: The advantages of cherishing others

7. The advantages of cherishing others – all happiness and good experiences are the result of good
karma, created on the basis of cherishing others; cherishing others brings happiness in this life,
and future lives; it is essential for success on the path, up to enlightenment.

Conclusion: feel convinced that cherishing others is beneficial, both to yourself and others, and resolve to work on
changing your attitude, to be less self-centred, and more concerned for others.

24
Meditation 38: Taking the suffering of others with great compassion

8. Meditating on great compassion and taking on the suffering of others – visualize one (or more)
being who is suffering; contemplate their suffering and generate compassion: wishing them to
be free from their suffering; then generate the wish to take their suffering. Imagine their
suffering in the form of dark smoke, which you take in (you can breath it in if you wish); it
comes to your heart and destroys your self-cherishing attitude.

Conclusion: Recall the benefits of tong-len, and generate the wish to practice it as much as you can.

Meditation 39: Giving our happiness to others with great love

9. Meditating on great love and giving our happiness to others – visualize one (or more) being in
front of you and generate loving-kindness: wishing them to have the happiness they long for.
Generate the wish to give them whatever they need to be happy. Imagine your own happiness,
good qualities, good karma, etc. in the form of light and send it to them; it becomes whatever
they need in order to be happy both now and in the future, up to enlightenment.

Conclusion: Recall the benefits of tong-len, and generate the wish to practice it as much as you can.

Meditation 40: The extraordinary intention; bodhicitta

10. The extraordinary intention – Think that it is not sufficient to merely wish sentient beings to
be happy; if you do not take the responsibility upon yourself to take care of your dear mothers,
who else will? Generate the resolve: “I myself will provide sentient beings with happiness and I
will liberate them from all suffering!”

11. Bodhicitta – Think that in your present state, you cannot liberate yourself, let alone all other
sentient beings. The only one who is able to do that is a fully enlightened buddha. Increase
your faith in the buddhas by thinking about the good qualities of their exalted body, exalted
speech, exalted mind, and enlightened activities, and generate the wish from the bottom of
your heart to attain these qualities. Therefore think: “I must become a buddha in order to be
able to benefit all sentient beings, my mothers.” Recall the two aspirations that are concomitant
with bodhicitta: (a) the aspiration to benefit others, and (b) the aspiration to attain
enlightenment.

Conclusion: Generate this wish to become enlightened for the benefit of all mother sentient beings, to the best of
your ability, and concentrate one-pointedly on it as long as possible.

25
The six perfections and four means of gathering disciples
Meditation 41: The perfection of generosity
Its entity: The intention to give and the actions of body and speech motivated by it.
Benefits of generosity: attaining good rebirths with sufficient resources (so that we can continue to
practice generosity and the path to enlightenment); attaining enlightenment; bringing benefit and
happiness to others; greater peace of mind in this life, etc.
Faults of miserliness: unfortunate rebirths (e.g. as a hungry ghost); lack of resources in this and future
lives; problems and conflicts with others; unhappiness here and now, etc.
Divisions of generosity:
1. The generosity of material things
2. The generosity of protection from fear
3. The generosity of the Dharma

Generosity should be practiced with the bodhicitta motivation, and in conjunction with the other five
perfections.

Conclusion: Seeing the benefits of practicing generosity and the faults of not doing so, generate the sincere wish to
practice generosity as much as you can.

Meditation 42: The perfection of ethics

Its entity: the virtuous thought to abandon harming others, and to abandon even the thoughts that lead
to harming others.
Its benefits: good rebirths; foundation of all good qualities and realizations; one’s actions of body,
speech, and mind are gentle and considerate; others are attracted to you and feel safe with you; you are
a good example/role model for others; your mind is happy and peaceful (free of guilt and fear);
ultimately, attaining enlightenment.
Disadvantages of not practicing ethics: bad rebirths; perpetuating bad habits and attitudes; continuously
circling in samsara; being unable to help others; obstacle to enlightenment.
Its divisions:
1. The ethics of restraint from misdeeds – abandonment of the ten non-virtues, keeping
pratimoksha vows (e.g. 5 lay precepts, vows of monks and nuns, etc.)
2. The ethics of gathering virtue – e.g. practicing the six perfections, making prostrations and
offerings to holy objects, studying and meditating on the Dharma, etc.
3. The ethics of enacting the welfare of sentient beings – accomplishing their benefit and freeing
them from non-virtue; any action we do with the wish to benefit others

Ethics should be practiced with the bodhicitta motivation, and in conjunction with the other five
perfections.

Conclusion: Seeing the benefits of practicing ethics and the faults of not doing so, generate the sincere wish to
practice it as much as you can.

26
Meditation 43: The perfection of patience

Its entity: A mind that (i) remains undisturbed by harm done by others, (ii) is able to accept suffering,
and (iii) upholds one’s appreciation for the Dharma.
Benefits of practicing patience: your mind is peaceful; you have few enemies and many friends, and your
relationships are healthy & harmonious; you create much merit, and your merit is protected; you
exhaust previously created non-virtue and do not create new non-virtue; you die without regret, and
obtain a good rebirth; you will be able to attain liberation and enlightenment.
Faults of not practicing patience, i.e. faults of anger: your mind is disturbed, you lack joy, confidence, and
happiness, it’s difficult to relax and sleep; you have many enemies and few friends, and even your
friends might abandon you; your merit is destroyed; you create much non-virtue; you will die with
regret, and fall to an unfortunate rebirth; you will be born ugly, and with poor discrimination of right
and wrong; you will have obstacles to attaining liberation and enlightenment.

Three types of patience:

1. The patience of not retaliating when harmed by others—e.g. contemplate that the harm was
created by your own karma; if you get angry, you create the cause for more suffering, but if you
practice patience you create the cause of happiness; contemplate that the other person is like
someone suffering from mental illness because he/she is under the control of karma and
delusions, and therefore deserves compassion rather than anger.
2. The patience of enduring suffering/problems—problems are not necessarily bad, but can be
used in our practice: to generate renunciation, conviction in karma, and compassion, and to
reduce pride; by learning to accept small problems, eventually we can accept bigger ones;
Santideva said, “If it can be remedied, why be unhappy about it? If it cannot be remedied, what
is the use of being unhappy about it?”
3. The patience of certainty in one’s attitude towards the Dharma—being willing to continuously
listen to/study the Dharma, think about it, and meditate on it, bearing whatever difficulties are
involved. We can develop this by remembering the benefits of learning and practicing Dharma.

Patience should be practiced with the motivation of bodhicitta, and conjoined with the other five
perfections.

Conclusion: Understanding the benefits of practicing patience and the faults of not doing so, generate the sincere
wish to practice it as much as you can.

27
Meditation 44: The perfection of joyous effort

Its entity: Delight in virtue.

Its advantages: we will be able to practice Dharma continuously, steadily, and with much enthusiasm;
we will attain all excellent qualities and achieve all goals, including the two types of siddhis; our good
qualities will not degenerate.
Disadvantages of its opposite, laziness: due to laziness, we do not accomplish anything; we do not develop
good qualities; we do not think about the welfare of others; it is the basis for all mental afflictions;
enlightenment will take a long time.
How to overcome the three types of laziness:
1. Laziness of procrastination that thinks “There is still time!”—contemplate impermanence and
death, the sufferings of the lower realms, the difficulties of attaining a precious human rebirth.
2. Laziness of attraction to meaningless activities—reflect on the results of negative karma (e.g. idle
talk), and the faults of samsara.
3. Laziness of discouragement/self-contempt that thinks “Attaining enlightenment is too hard—I
can’t do it!”—contemplate that the Buddha said that even bugs can attain enlightenment; all
buddhas were once ordinary beings like us, and attained enlightenment by practicing gradually; we
can start with easier practices and gradually progress to more difficult ones; once we are
bodhisattvas, staying in samsara to help others is not difficult, but delightful!

Three divisions of joyous effort:

1. Armor-like joyous effort—“Whatever difficulties I encounter, and however long it takes, I will
persevere until I attain enlightenment.”
2. Joyous effort in accumulating virtuous dharmas—the six perfections, etc.
3. Joyous effort in enacting the welfare of beings

Four favorable conditions for joyous effort:

1. aspiration to cultivate virtue—arises from conviction in the law of cause and effect
2. continuity—developing the habit of completing what we start
3. joy—taking delight in what we do, like a child playing
4. rest—knowing when it’s time to take a break, to avoid burn-out
Practice joyous effort with the motivation of bodhicitta, and conjoined with the other five perfections.

Conclusion: Seeing the benefits of joyous effort and the faults of laziness, generate the wish to cultivate and
practice joyous effort as much as you can.

28
Meditation 45: The last two perfections; the four means of gathering disciples

The perfection of meditative stabilization:

Its entity: A virtuous, one-pointed mind that stays fixed on its object without being distracted to other
things.
Its divisions (by way of function):
1. concentrations that cause one to abide in bliss in this life
2. concentrations that cause the attainment of virtuous qualities (those shared with hearers e.g.
the clairvoyances, totalities, etc.)
3. concentrations that accomplish the welfare of others (the 11 activities for others’ welfare)
Its benefits: we can direct our mind wherever we wish (virtuous objects) and stop it moving to other
objects; the virtue we cultivate is much more powerful; the object of our meditation is more clear.
Disadvantages of not having concentration: Santideva said that one with a distracted mind lives
between the fangs of the afflictions; practices done with a distracted mind are pointless/weak.

Meditative stabilization should be practiced with the bodhicitta motivation, and conjoined with the
other five perfections.

The perfection of wisdom:

Its entity: The correct discernment of an object under investigation.
Its divisions:
1. the wisdom that realizes the ultimate (emptiness)
2. the wisdom that realizes the conventional (the five sciences: Buddhist knowledge, grammar,
logic, arts, and medicine).
3. the wisdom knowing how to enact sentient beings’ welfare (in the present and future lives)

Benefits: it is the root of all good qualities; due to it a bodhisattva is not perturbed by adverse
circumstances; one with wisdom can act in ways that would entangle ordinary beings in cyclic
existence; one will understand that emptiness and dependent arising are compatible; one will be able
to reconcile seemingly contradictory statements of the Buddha in different contexts.

Disadvantages of not having wisdom: without wisdom, the other perfections will be “blind” and unable to
attain enlightenment; the other perfections would not be pure, but contaminated; one would not be
able to eliminate ignorance and thus will remain bound in samsara

Wisdom should be practiced with the motivation of bodhicitta, and conjoined with the other five
perfections.

The four means of gathering disciples

1. Giving material things
2. Speaking pleasantly
3. Getting one’s disciples to practice
4. Acting in accordance with what one teaches

Conclusion: Clearly understand the benefits of the last two perfections—of concentration and wisdom—and generate
the determination to work on cultivating them to the best of your ability.

29
Special Insight

Meditation 46: Lack of a permanent, unitary, independent self

Such a self, if it existed, would be permanent (not changing moment by moment), unitary (not made
up of parts), and independent (not depending on causes and conditions). Such a self seems to be
completely separate from the aggregates, the body and mind; it seems to hold or carry the aggregates,
like a person carrying a load.
(Note: there is no innate conception of such a self; this conception arises in dependence on studying tenets. But it’s useful to
meditate on the emptiness of a permanent, unitary, independent self; Geshe Tenphel said that this helps us to understand the
emptiness of a self-sufficient, substantially existent self, and that in turn helps us to understand the emptiness of a truly-
existing self.)

Get in touch with your sense of self or I, especially at times when you feel strong emotion. Check:
Does it seem to be permanent, unchanging, something that has always been there and always
will be there? For example, do you feel that the I who exists right now is the exact same I that existed
yesterday?... last year?... when you were a child?... And when you think about the future, do you feel
that the I who exists right now is the same I who will do things in the future?.... If you do have a sense
of a permanent I, then try to find it, in your body… or in your mind….
Is your I something unitary, not made up of parts? If the I was unitary, then we could not talk
about different parts of our body like our head, our hands, our legs, and so forth… we could not talk
about different parts of our mind, such as happiness, unhappiness, love, anger, etc….
Is your I independent of causes and conditions? If so, that means that you did not depend on
your mother and father giving birth to you ... It also means that you could exist without food, water,
clothing, air to breath, and so forth—is that the case?....

If there were a permanent, unitary, independent self, would it be able to: perform actions? …create
karma? …accumulate merit? … purify obscurations, and attain liberation and enlightenment?

Conclusion: based on what you understood during this meditation, ask yourself if there can be a self/I that is
permanent, without parts, and independent of causes and conditions, or if such a self is a complete fabrication,
something non-existent?

30
Meditation 47: The emptiness of a self-sufficient, substantially existent self

This is a sense of a self that appears to be the controller of the aggregates; it seems to exist within the
aggregates, but is still somewhat separate from them—like a head salesman among junior salesmen.
(Note: We all have an innate conception that the person exists in such a way; it is the coarse conception of a self of persons,
and, according to the Autonomists, it is what causes us to circle in samsara.)

When you strongly think, e.g., “my body”, check:

• Does the I appear as merely imputed on the body and mind, or does it appear as though it
were its own substance existing within the body and mind, and controlling the body and
mind?
• Does the I appear as if it depends on the body and mind, or does it appears as if it were
there in the first place and that the body and mind depend on it?

If a self-sufficient, substantially existent self did exist, it must be found as a substance independent of the
aggregates, either within the aggregates or separate from them—generate conviction that there are only
these two possibilities, that there is no third possibility. Then check:
• If the I is the body, how can I think? If it is the body, how does it possess the body?
• If the I is the mind, how does it walk? If it is the mind, how does it possess the mind?
• If the I is both body and mind, is it two different substances? If it is both body and mind, how
does it possess body and mind?
• If the I is separate from body and mind, where is it seen when body and mind are
eliminated?

Conclusion: based on what you understood during this meditation, check if you think that your self/I is something
that is self-sufficient and substantially existent?

31
The emptiness of an inherently existent self
Meditation 48: The four-point analysis:

An inherently-existent self a sense of a self/I that seems to be completely independent of anything else.
It seems to exist completely from its own side, not merely designated by the mind. It seems as if it were
findable in the bases of designation (the aggregates) and does not depend on mental designation.
The conception of inherent existence is the root of samsara (according to the Prasangikas), and
is counteracted by developing the wisdom realizing emptiness.

The four-point analysis:

1) Ascertaining the object of negation: the inherently existing self -- make the mind calm and undistracted.
Then recall an experience of strong emotion, and look for the I that lies behind the emotion.
Alternatively, you can check the way the I appears at this moment: an I that appears to exist from its
own side, completely independent, not merely labeled by the mind.

2) Determining the pervasion: if such an inherently existing self did exist, it must exist either within the
aggregates (one with the aggregates), or completely separate from the aggregates. Generate conviction
that there are only these two possibilities; there is no third possibility.

3) Determining that the inherently existing self does not exist within (one with) the aggregates.
If there were an inherently existing I which is one with the aggregates, it would have to be inherently one
with the aggregates, which means identical in all ways of appearance and existence; it would have to be
identical in all ways with (i) one of the aggregates, (ii) part of an aggregate, or (iii) the collection of all
aggregates. If an inherently existing I was identical with the aggregates, there would be the following
faults:
• Since there are five aggregates, there should be five I’s.
• Or, since there is only one I, there should be only one aggregate. If that were the case, when
I get fat, my mind should also get fat!
• Is the I the body, or a part of the body? If so, could I say “I think”?
• Is the I the mind, or a part of the mind? If so, could I say “I am eating”?
• It would be redundant to talk about an I, since it is synonymous with the aggregates.
• One could not say “my body,” “my mind,” etc.
• When the body dies, the consciousness and I would also die, be cremated, etc.
• Alternatively, if the consciousness continues to the next life, the body should also go to the
next life.

4) Determining that the inherently existing self does not exist separate from the aggregates.
If the inherently existing I were separate from the aggregates, it would have to be totally separate from
the aggregates. That means that if we were to remove the body and the mind—all the parts that make us
up—we should be left with the I, existing completely on its own, independent of the body and mind.

Conclusion: If you are unable to find the I that appeared so vividly at the beginning of the meditation in any of
those places, conclude that the inherently-existing I simply does not exist. The non-finding of the object of negation
is the meaning of emptiness. Concentrate single-pointedly on that experience.

(Note: If the I does not inherently exist, how does it exist? The thought “I” is merely imputed from the side of the
mind on its respective valid basis of designation, due to which the combination of basis and label comes to fulfill
the function of the person.)

32
Meditation 49: Chandrakirti’s sevenfold reasoning
Part 1: analyzing a car (with apologies to Chandrakirti, who used a chariot)

Begin by identifying the object of negation: e.g. an inherently existent car.

Then ascertain the pervasion: If a car were inherently existing, it should exist in one of these seven
ways:

1) Is a car inherently one with its parts? If so, there should be only one part, since there is one car; or
there should be many cars, since there are many parts. Also, we should be able to point to something—
some part of the car— and say “this is the car”—is that the case?

2) Is a car inherently separate from its parts? If so, we could remove all the parts and still have the car; or
we could sell the car, but still keep all the parts!

3) Does the car possess its parts? There are two ways that one thing can possess another:
(i) the way a person possesses a nose (the possessor and object possessed are one entity). If the car
possessed its parts in this way, then the car and its parts would be inherently one entity (because here
we are examining inherent existence), and thus there would be the same faults as in #1.
(ii) in the way a person possesses a dog (the possessor and object possessed are different entities). If the
car possessed its parts in this way, the car and its parts would be inherently different/separate, and
there would be the same faults as in #2—e.g. we should be able to see the car and its parts separately,
just as we can see a person and his dog separately.
(Note: Conventionally, the car does possess its parts, but not inherently.)

4) Is the car inherently the base of its parts? It may seem that the parts of the car exist within the car—that
the car is like a container that holds or supports the parts, in the same way that a bowl holds yogurt. If
the car and its parts did inherently exist in this way, they would have to be completely separate, and
thus there would be the same faults as in #2.

5) Are the parts of the car inherently the base of the car? It may seem that the car exists within its parts, like
a person in a tent—the parts are like the tent, and the car is like the person inside. If the car and its
parts did inherently exist in this way, they would have to be completely separate, and thus would have
the same faults as in #2.

6) Is the car the collection of its parts? If this were the case, we could take the car apart and put all the
parts in a heap and it would still be a car—is this true? Also, the parts of the car are the bases of
designation of the car, and therefore they cannot be the car; an object designated (e.g. “car”) cannot be
the basis of designation.

7) Is the car the shape of its parts? If so, it would have to be either the shape of the individual parts, or the
shape of the parts put together. Are the shapes of the wheels, engine, etc. a car?... And when we put the
parts together, they do not take on new shapes, so can we say that the shape of the parts assembled is a
car? Furthermore, if the shape were the car, we should be able to drive the shape!

Conclusion: If a car cannot be found to exist in any of these seven ways, then it does not exist inherently. The non-
finding of the object of negation is the meaning of emptiness. Hold your mind single-pointedly on that emptiness,
the absence of inherent existence. (Note: A car is merely labeled in dependence upon its parts. “Merely labeled”
means that nothing can be found when we search for a real thing that is it.)

33
Meditation 50: Chandrakirti’s sevenfold reasoning
Part 2: analyzing the I

Begin by identifying the object of negation: the inherently existent self/I.

Then ascertain the pervasion: If the self were inherently existing, it should exist in one of these seven
ways:

1) Is the self inherently one with its parts, the body and mind/the aggregates/? If so, there should be only one
aggregate, since there is one I; or there should be many Is, since there are many aggregates. Also, we
should be able to point to something—some part of our body or mind— and say “this is me/I”—is that
the case?

2) Is the self inherently separate from its parts? If so, we could remove all the parts of our body and mind,
and still have the I. Also, my body and mind could be sitting on my cushion meditating, and I could be
in the kitchen cooking a meal!

3) Does the self possess its parts? There are two ways that one thing can possess another:
(i) the way a person possesses a nose (the possessor and object possessed are one entity). If the self
possessed its parts in this way, then the self and its parts—the body and mind— would be inherently one
entity (because here we are examining inherent existence), and thus there would be the same faults as
in #1.
(ii) in the way a person possesses a dog (the possessor and object possessed are different entities). If the
self possessed its parts in this way, then the self and its parts—the body and mind—would be inherently
different/separate, and there would be the same faults as in #2—e.g. we should be able to see the I and
its parts separately, just as we can see a person and his dog separately.
(Note: Conventionally, the self does possess its parts, but not inherently.)

4) Is the self inherently the base of its parts/the aggregates? It may seem that the aggregates exist within the
self—that the self is like a container that holds or supports the aggregates, in the same way that a bowl
holds yogurt (the aggregates existing within the person like yogurt in a bowl). If the self and the
aggregates did inherently exist in this way, they would have to be completely separate, and thus there
would be the same faults as in #2.

5) Are the aggregates inherently the base of the self? It may seem that the self exists within the aggregates
like a person in a tent—the aggregates are like the tent, and the self is like the person inside. Again, if
the self and aggregates did inherently exist in this way, they would have to be completely separate, and
thus would have the same faults as in #2.

6) Is the self the collection of the aggregates? If this were the case, we could take the aggregates apart and
put all the parts in a heap and it would still be a self—is this true? The aggregates are the bases of
designation of the self, and therefore cannot be the self. The self is the object designated—it is merely
imputed on the aggregates—and thus cannot be the bases of designation: the collection of the
aggregates. An object designated cannot be the basis of designation.

7) Is the self the shape of the aggregates? The self cannot be the shape of the aggregates (i.e. the body),
because the shape is just physical, whereas the self also has consciousness. Also, the shape does not
inherently exist because it is merely imputed on the collection of shapes of the individual parts.

Conclusion: If the self cannot be found to exist in any of these seven ways, then it does not exist inherently. The
non-finding of the object of negation is the meaning of emptiness. Hold your mind single-pointedly on that
emptiness, the absence of inherent existence.
34
Colophon:

These outlines were compiled by Sangye Khadro for the 2009 ILTK Masters Program Lam Rim retreat from
various sources: Lam Rim retreat outlines composed by Ven. Birgit Schweiberer for the ILTK Basic Program
retreat in 2005, Meditation on Emptiness by Jeffrey Hopkins, The Great Treatise on the Stages of the
Path to Enlightenment by Lama Tsong Khapa, Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka
Rinpoche, The Path to Enlightenment in Tibetan Buddhism by Acharya Geshe Thubten Lodro, and The
Heart of the Path by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Any mistakes in the outlines are my own.

Sangye Khadro, Pomaia, Italy, October 2009

35