Visualization

Questions about Initiations (Empowerments) You said that after the preliminaries or preparation, then we take the empowerment. Does that mean that we have to have completed our ngondro before receiving an empowerment? That’s a very good question. It depends on what level we...

Review We have spoken about how it is possible to follow and practice tantra at a Dharma-Lite level in which we are thinking only about this lifetime and doing the practices in order to benefit this lifetime alone. In this case, our goal or objective is to attain enlightenment...

Visualizing the Closely Bonding Being After having dissolved the objects of refuge, we now want to build up the two enlightenment-building networks – that’s the two collections – because that was one of the five trainings of pledged bodhichitta. So now we again visualize our...

We have been discussing this practice which has been composed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama called The Yoga of the Spiritual Master Inseparable from Avalokiteshvara. And we have covered the taking of safe direction and reaffirming our bodhichitta motivation, and then the...

Let’s continue with our format, which is to speak about various topics within tantra based on your questions and interests. The Meaning of a Deity’s Hand ImplementsWhat about the weapon-like instruments that the various Buddha-figures are holding, is there a practical way that...

The Fourth Practice: Visualizing a Bountiful Field for Spiritual Growth The fourth of the six preparatory practices is to visualize a bountiful field for spiritual growth (tshogs-zhing, Skt. punyakshetra). That’s usually called the merit field, but there is a meaning to...

Making Offerings Now we’re up to making offerings. I present you with an ocean of clouds of assorted outer, inner, and hidden offerings: these I possess and those that nobody owns, both actually arrayed and mentally created. This fulfills the Amoghasiddhi bond to make...

Engaging in Enlightening Conduct  Once we take the bodhisattva vows, which are the essence of developing this engaged level of bodhichitta, we need to actually practice what’s called “enlightening conduct,” bodhisattva conduct. This is actually what bodhisattva vows shape;...

Many meditation practices involve visualization. “Visualization,” however, might be a bit of a misleading translation, because we’re not using our eyes. We’re working with our imagination, so it’s not just visual, but we have to imagine sounds, smells, tastes and physical...

The Difference Between a Healthy and Inflated Ego Firstly, some questions. There was one question during the break, which was what is the difference between the “self” and the “me,” or the “I.” I think that since this question was asked by a psychologist, and terminology is a...