KECHARA

FEATURES • DORJE SHUGDEN 57
• New Guide to Dakini Land,
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
(2013) Tharpa Publications
(New Guide to Dakini Land
is only to be read by
those with Vajrayogini
initiation)
IV. PRELIMINARY PRACTICES
The purpose of preliminary
practices is to purify ourselves
of the grossest level of obstacles
and build up positive forces so
that our studies and meditations
will be more efficacious in
bringing us to enlightenment.
These practices are traditionally
performed during retreats to
achieve 100,000 mantras for each
of the individual practice or for
the specific offerings of each
practice. These retreats are also
done specifically in preparation
to receive highest tantric initiation
like Vajrayogini. The retreats are
done to shore up the merits so
our practice of Tantra would be
successful.
Positive force or ‘merit’ refers
to the suitable internal state
that results from constructive
or ‘virtuous’ actions of body,
speech, mind and heart.
The preliminary practices that are
commonly enumerated:
1 Prostrations: We prostrate
to the 35 Confessional
Buddhas, while reciting their
names and the confessional
prayer.
2 Butterlamp: Traditionally,
butterlamps are offered
to increase our wisdom. It is
considered more meritorious
to be using butterlamps
because the offering would
involve cleaning the
butterlamps, making and
placing the wicks and
filling the butterlamp with
butter/wax.
3 Mandala Offerings:
We recite the Refuge and
Bodhicitta prayers and
the mandala offering verses,
while visualising offering the
entire universe and
everything beautiful that
we are attached in it to
the Buddha, Dharma
and Sangha.
4 Vajrasattva (Dorje Sempa)
Mantra: We recite the
100-syllable Vajrasattva
mantra along with
Vajrasattva practice and
the accompanying
visualisations.
5 Water Offerings: This
involves offering bowls
of water to the Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha,
together with the
accompanying visualisations.
6 Guru Yoga: We meditate
on the inseparability of
the Lama Tsongkhapa’s
mind, the Spiritual Guide’s
mind and our own mind,
together with visualisation
and mantra recitation.
7 Tsa-tsas: We create
clay or plaster images of
the Buddhas.
reference: christian-eriksson.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BuddhistScriptureRandomix.jpg