How to Prepare for Meditation: Six Preparatory Practices | Vibe with Venerables Ep 49

Has this ever happened to you? You sit down to meditate, and within five minutes you remember all the outstanding errands on your to-do list.

In Ep 49 of Vibe with Venerables, Venerable Damcho ( @sravastiabbey ) takes the higher training in concentration (samādhi) back to basics. Before the mind can focus, it needs a warm-up, the same way the body does before a run. Drawing on the Lamrim (stages of the path) teachings, she walks through the six preparatory practices, the traditional steps for setting up a meditation session so the mind has a real chance to settle. 🧘

In this episode, learn about:

• How to set up a meditation space and altar, and what doesn’t belong on it
• Why we make offerings to a Buddha who doesn’t need them
• Why comfort matters more than getting posture perfect
• How reciting the four immeasurables (appamaññā) point the mind in a virtuous direction
• Why setting down regrets before you sit makes concentration easier
• How to request inspiration and connecting to the lineage of teachers

Stay for the ex-boyfriend who first got Venerable Damcho to the cushion, two meditation buddies who kept each other going for years, and the vehicle Meng plans to offer the Buddha. 🦇

Additional Resources

• The Foundation of Buddhist Practice (The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, Vol. 2) by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Venerable Thubten Chodron: https://thubtenchodron.org/books/the-foundation-of-buddhist-practice/
• Guided Buddhist Meditations: Essential Practices on the Stages of the Path by Venerable Thubten Chodron: https://thubtenchodron.org/books/guided-buddhist-meditations/ | https://www.shambhala.com/guidedbuddhistmeditations/
• Commentary on Shantideva’s Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds (Bodhicaryāvatāra): https://thubtenchodron.org/commentaries/shantidevas-engaging-in-the-bodhisattvas-deeds/
• The Way of the Bodhisattva (translation of the Bodhicaryāvatāra): https://www.shambhala.com/the-way-of-the-bodhisattva-1660.html

Donation

This series is freely offered by Buddhism.net. If you’d like to show your appreciation and gratitude to the teaching Venerable, Venerable Chodron, and Sravasti Abbey, you may make a donation to Sravasti Abbey (https://sravastiabbey.org/donation/). We thank you for dāna, the practice of cultivating generosity.