Instructions for Meditation on Relative Bodhichitta

• Guru Yoga:

I pray for your blessing, my guru, great and completely worthy spiritual friend.

I pray that you will cause love, compassion and bodhicitta to arise in my mind.

• Preparation: Meditate on love and compassion.

  • Imagine one’s own mother’s love and compassion.

  • Imagine each sentient being as one’s own mother.

    • Friends, spouse, relatives, lower realms, the poor, hell beings.

    • Enemies, people who hurt you, demons.

  • Imagine all sentient beings as one’s own mother.

• Meditation: Tonglen Taking & Sending

Daily Life:

At all times, recognize the compulsive attachment, aversion, and stupidity as they arise from pleasantness, unpleasantness, and indifference in daily life.

Think “Contain & Be Free”:

• May every bit of every sentient beings’ attachment/aversion/stupidity be contained in this attachment/aversion/stupidity of mine.

• May all sentient beings have the seed of virtue of being free from attachment/aversion/stupidity.

• May this attachment/aversion/stupidity of mine contain all their disturbing emotions and, until they attain buddhahood, may they be free of such disturbing emotions.

Three Virtues: Generosity, Loving-kindness, Wisdom