6. Cultivating the Samādhi

Overall Teaching

The Buddha instructs Candraprabha to make offerings to the Buddha selflessly, without notions of giver or receiver, dedicating the ensuing merit to enlightenment. Realising the absence of birth, death, or distinct bodhisattvas shields them from the influences of māras.

Summary

• Bodhisattvas who enjoy this particular meditation should begin by cultivating it as their initial practice.

  • The initial practice involves making diligent offerings to the Buddha, irrespective of his presence in the world. These offerings include flowers, incense, ointments, banners, music, dance, food, and medicine.

    • These offerings are made not for worldly gains like beauty, wealth, or heavenly rebirth but solely dedicated to the meditation and not seeking any rewards or self-benefit. The offerings are dedicated toward achieving the highest awakening.

    • Through these pure offerings, bodhisattvas gain inconceivable merits and progress quickly towards supreme awakening, highlighting the selfless nature of their practice and the purity of their dedication.

• A gāthā emphasizes that those who make offerings dedicated to wisdom and enlightenment leave the lower realms for countless kalpas and gain significant spiritual merits and patience.

• The Buddha teaches that true offering and patience do not involve physical items or visible rewards but entail a deeper understanding of the Dharma and the non-existence of self.

  • The text details the qualities and insights that define true bodhisattva patience, such as understanding the emptiness of dharmas and acting without ego or attachment to self.

  • The Buddha exhorts the practice of true offerings and living the Dharma, contrasting this with the ordinary, worldly understanding of offerings and spiritual practice.

• The chapter concludes with a reiteration of the transformative power of correctly understanding and practising the Dharma, which leads to the highest spiritual attainments without being swayed by worldly desires or misunderstandings.

Commentary

According to Thrangu Rinpoche, this chapter focuses on the practice of samādhi by overcoming obstacles and enhancing practice strength through accumulating merit and purifying karmic misdeeds and obscurations. The Buddha emphasizes the importance of making offerings such as musical instruments, banners, and parasols without seeking samsaric pleasures but rather dedicating these offerings to the attainment of complete awakening. The chapter also highlights the role of patience and forbearance under negative circumstances in applying Dharma teachings. It implies the visualisation of lavish worldly offerings in traditional maṇḍala ceremonies as a method to gather vast merit. Additionally, it also implies the purification of negative karmic impacts through the Vajrasattva practice, which involves visualising Bodhisattva Vajrasattva and the cleansing flow of nectar that purifies past misdeeds and obstacles, facilitating a more profound engagement with samādhi. This practice is seen as essential for advancing in samādhi by clearing away hindrances linked to past negative actions.

Discussion

• What does it mean to dedicate offerings to the practice of a specific samādhi?

• The text suggests that true offerings involve the realization of no-self and no-receiver. How does this concept challenge or enhance your understanding of generosity and offerings in a spiritual context?

• Considering the initial practices mentioned for bodhisattvas, what practical steps can we take to incorporate these teachings into our daily routine?

• Offerings such as music, dance, and song are mentioned. How do cultural elements influence our spiritual practices, and how can we ensure they align with the teachings of the Dharma?