Lamrim Meditation

Lamrim means the stages of the path to enlightenment. It is a special set of instructions that includes all the essential teachings of Buddha, structured in a comprehensive way that is easy to understand and put into practice. The Lamrim presentation lies at the very heart of Kadampa Buddhism. The Lamrim instructions were compiled by the great Buddhist Master Atisha, an Indian scholar and meditator who was invited to Tibet by King Jangchub Ö in AD 1042 and became one of the main figures in bringing Buddhism to Tibet. There is a completely unbroken lineage of these Lamrim instructions from Buddha Shakyamuni down to our present day Spiritual Guides.

The instructions of Lamrim are easy to understand and practice, and can readily be applied to solving the problems of daily life. If we gain deep experience of Lamrim there will be no basis for these problems; we shall be able to solve them through the power of our inner peace. First we must understand the benefits that Lamrim offers, and develop a strong desire to practice it. Then by joyfully and patiently doing these meditations we shall gradually experience the fruits of Lamrim practice. Eventually we shall attain freedom from all suffering and the unchanging peace and happiness of enlightenment. There are 21 Lamrim meditations, which are usually practiced in a three-week cycle as a daily meditation practice and explained in The New Meditation Handbook.

These meditations, along with instructions on how to practice and essential background material can be found in The New Meditation Handbook. An extensive presentation of Lamrim can be found in Geshe Kelsang’s book (available at tharpa.co.uk) Joyful Path of Good Fortune or Modern Buddhism. If you would like to attend meditation classes near you and learn about Buddhism, visit the meditation classes, meditation courses & retreats or study programmes pages of the website.