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Book: A Complete
and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma
- Book: A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True
Buddha Tantric Dharma
- Title: Preliminaries to Formal Practice
- Written by: Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by: Janny Chow
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PRELIMINARIES TO FORMAL PRACTICE
Each time before doing the practice, one must first "purify
the body." What does this mean? It is a kind of preliminary
preparation for the actual practice itself, and many people know
that it refers to "taking ablution and avoiding eating excessive
and unnecessary food." "Taking ablution" means washing
the body, and "avoiding eating excessive and unnecessary food"
means eating a pure and simple meal. One's stomach should not be
too full or too empty. If one does meditation right after a meal,
the stomach will be so distended that it can cause the same kind
of distraction as does a growling, empty stomach. So meditation
should be done at a time when one is neither too full nor too hungry.
One should at least rinse the mouth, brush the teeth, and wash
the hands. It is best, of course, to take a shower or bath. By cleansing
the body and consuming only a simple meal, one is preparing oneself
physically, emotionally, and mentally for the practice.
When one enters into the Tantric shrine, one's mind should be solemn,
respectful, and restful. In other words, both the mind and body
should be relatively relaxed. It is very important to be relaxed,
but one should not be so relaxed that one is ready to take a nap
at the shrine! On the other hand, if one comes directly from jogging
or running and one's heart is still racing, when one sits down at
the Tantric shrine to do meditation, it will be very hard for the
mind to become quieted.
Furthermore, if one has just had a heated argument with a family
member, so that one's blood is still boiling and one's face is contorted
in anger, it will be very difficult, under such circumstances, to
achieve a quiet mind even if one goes to the Tantric shrine to attempt
the practice. There are also situations where, after hearing some
bad news, one's mind is full of anxieties and worries. If one chooses
to do a practice at such a time, it will be very difficult to achieve
a "spiritual response" or spiritual union with the Deity
on which one is meditating.
Therefore, when one enters into the Tantric shrine, one's body
should be clean and one's mind should be as calm as the mirror-like
surface of a lake without ripples. Such preliminary preparation
predisposes one to achieve spiritual response during the practice.
If one's mind is agitated, angry, or full of complicated thoughts,
achieving a spiritual response will be very difficult. When one
is both physically and mentally relaxed and not bothered by any
business, one can then enter the Tantric shrine to do the practice.
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