Meditation guides
Following are a series of meditation guides given by Khenpo Ngawang Dhamchoe during Shamatha practices at Sakya Tharpa Ling, to help us with our reflections on the four common foundations and the four immeasurables.
The four common foundations - recognising the difficulty in obtaining human rebirth; the impermanence of all phenomena; the infallability of cause and effect; and the suffering nature of cyclic existence - these are the foundations of meditation that help us to turn our minds towards practising the Dharma.
Reflecting on the four immeasurables, equanimity, loving kindness, compassion and joy, helps us cultivate bodhicitta - the wish to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. The four immeasurables are found in a single prayer:
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
May all sentient beings never be parted from the joy which is sorrowless, and
May all sentient beings live in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.
- Meditation on the four common foundations (April 2001)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables (April 2001)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (June 2001)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (October 2003)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - loving kindness (October 2003)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - compassion (October 2003)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (November 2003)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - compassion (November 2003)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (November 2003)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - loving kindness (November 2003)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (November 2003)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - equanimity (November 2003)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (December 2003)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - joy (December 2003)
- Meditation on the four common foundations (2004)
- Meditation on the four immeasurables - loving kindness (2004)
