- Continue reading the Required Readings.
- Focus deeply on the Seven Limb prayer. Spend a few days concentrating on each of the practices making sure you understand the meaning and that you can practice it spontaneously and with all your heart.
Discussion question:
What is the purpose of the six preparatory practices? Can you make these a meaningful part of your daily practice or are they just empty rituals? Why, or why not?
Topic of the Nov 21 class: Integrating Buddhism into daily life – every day dharma; tong len meditation.
DB students only: the recording of the 10/31 class is now available on the restricted web page.
I think the purpose of the six preparatory practices is to help settle and prepare the mind for meditation. I later read in the book, “Steps on the Path to Enlightenment” Vol. 1 by Geshe Lhundub Sopa, that the preparatory practices are like cultivating good soil so that the seed of wisdom can take root and flourish. I like that analogy as it helps me understand more deeply the meaning of preparatory practices.
Initially I felt uncomfortable with the preparatory practices as I was relying on notes quite a lot and worried more about getting things right. Now that I’ve been doing this regularly, I feel more connected to these practices. Day by day they’re becoming more meaningful and from the heart.