A Day of Dharma Practice
 Motivation and conduct are the foundation for Dharma practice. As everything is included in those two principles, they are extremely important to contemplate. First, let your body, speech, and mind be at ease, and then think of what it means to have achieved this precious human body, this extraordinary support for Dharma practice. Contemplate its significance and profound value. As we do so, we will come to think that as a decent person one cannot live with just one’s own personal benefit in mind. Instead we must by all means be able help and provide for others. It is necessary that we develop that kind of altruistic outlook.
Next, in order to make our body, speech, and mind workable, we assume the sevenfold posture of Vairochana. It is important that we sit erect, for when the body is well balanced, the flow of prana becomes balanced too. And when the prana is in balance, so is the mind.
As a key-point of speech, expel the stale breath. With your left thumb, apply pressure on the channel that runs along your ring finger, and so place your left hand on your left thigh. Close your right nostril with your right long finger and inhale through your left nostril, pressing the breath downward.
As you exhale, think that all evil and obscuration that you have created since time without beginning now leaves you in the form a black wind. Repeat this three times, and then shift to breathing in through your right nostril, while having your right hand on your thigh and closing your left nostril in the same way as before. Again, repeat this procedure three times. Finally, place both of your hands on your thighs while your thumbs press on your ring fingers. Inhale and exhale three times in the same way as before. This nine-fold expelling of the stale breath is an important method of purification. It is as if we were washing a vessel. The key-point of the mind is to engender an altruistic intent. We do this by wishing that whatever goodness, subtle or great, that may arise through our practice, may become the cause of happiness and well-being for all sentient beings, both temporarily and ultimately.
This is what is known as “the motivation of a great individual” or “Bodhicitta.” Having given rise to that, we then practice to the best of our capacity, beginning with the foundation for the entire path, which is going for refuge. After that we may continue with mind training, the preliminaries, etc. At the end of the session it is important that we dedicate all virtuous factors toward enlightenment.
Sometimes we may also want to go to a sacred place were there are representations of the Three Jewels. With a pure intention, we give rise to Bodhicitta and offer prostrations. Having taken refuge and engendered the enlightened outlook, we then, relying of the four powers, recite the 100 syllable mantra (or alternatively the concise mantra) of the single embodiment of all the Victors, the glorious guru Vajrasattva. The length of the practice session is up to ourselves. At the end of the session, we must however make sure to dedicate all virtue towards in enlightenment. We can then proceed with whatever activities we have planned for the day.
In short, the moment we wake up we should commit ourselves to practice by thinking, “Whatever I do today, I will make sure that it is in accord with the sacred Dharma.” When the day is over and we lay down to sleep, we should then examine what we did during the day. When we were acting in accord with the Dharma we should acknowledge and appreciate that. When this was not the case, we regret it and confess our shortcomings.
In short, whether we practice the Dharma depends on ourselves. We are free to make our own choices. But if we do practice, it is important that we practice with a pure motivation. The Dharma is like a mirror in which a reflection of ourselves appears. With the help of the mirror of the Dharma, we can become aware of our own mistakes, and so succeed in correcting them.
Offered on the 28th of September 2008 by the wandering monk, Sherab Sangpo.
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