We will now show how the instructions which have been passed down through this lineage are put into practice.

 

According to the great whispered lineage they are divided into preparation, main part and conclusion, whereas according to the Seven Points, they are divided into:

1. the preliminaries, the basis for practice
2. the main part, training in twofold bodhichitta
3. transforming adversity into the path to awakening
4. applying the practice throughout one’s life
5. the measure of mind training
6. the commitments of mind training
7. the guidelines for mind training

 

1. The Preliminaries, the basis for practice

 

In the vajra verses of the whispered lineage, it says:

First, train in the preliminaries.

When the meaning of this is put into practice, there are the following five themes to focus on:

1. Guru yoga, as a means of swiftly receiving blessings
2. Reflecting on the difficulty of finding the freedoms and advantages, as a means of developing the intention to make this life meaningful
3. Reflecting on death and impermanence, as a means of swiftly spurring yourself on to diligence
4. Reflecting on the cause and effect of actions as a means of adopting and abandoning in the correct way
5. Reflecting on the defects of samsara, as a means of developing a special attitude of renunciation