A Daily Meditation on Shakyamuni Buddha eBook

Book excerpt: Lama Zopa Rinpoche compiled A Daily Meditation on Shakyamuni Buddha specifically for beginner Buddhist practitioners to use as the basis of a formal meditation practice. In this revised version, Rinpoche has reorganized some of the prayers and, in particular, has added an extensive explanation of the visualizations to be done while taking refuge. Drawn from Phabongkha Rinpoche’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, for each of the objects of refuge—Guru, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—there are visualizations for purifying negative karma, increasing qualities, and coming under the guidance of that object of refuge. Subtitled “How to Meditate on the Graduated Path to Enlightenment,” it includes the preliminary practices of generating a bodhicitta motivation and blessing the offerings, and the actual practice of taking refuge in the Three Rare Sublime Ones, meditation on the four immeasurables, the seven-limb practice, and mandala offering, followed by making requests to the guru and Foundation of All Good Qualities. These practices prepare the mind for lamrim meditation by purifying negative karma and collecting extensive merits, and making requests to the guru. This practice can also be used as a basis for engaging in the preliminary practices, such as accumulating 100,000 prostrations, mandala offerings, and water bowl offerings. 2022 edition.