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Introduction to the seven-limb practice

Introduction to the seven-limb practice

This practice is a method to purify and accumulate merit from The King of Prayers: The Extraordinary Aspiration of the Practice of Samantabhadra, which contains all aspects of the bodhisattva practice. These talks were given at the Mid-America Buddhist Association (MABA) in Augusta, Missouri, USA on May 5 and May 12, 2002.

Introduction

  • Purpose of the practice
  • Establishing the bodhisattva practice
  • Purifying our mind and accumulating positive potential

Seven-limb practice 01: Purpose (download)

Prostration: Part one

  • Bowing—the practice of paying homage
  • Prostrating with body, speech, and mind
  • Energy and aspiration for bodhisattva way
  • Bowing mentally, visualizing the Buddha
  • Bowing verbally

Seven-limb practice 02: Prostrating (download)

Questions and answers

  • Understanding anger
  • The relationship of ignorance to anger
  • Looking at the mind

Seven-limb practice 03: Understanding anger (download)

Prostration: Part two

  • Significance of mothers in Buddhism
  • Seven ways to purify the mind and to accumulate positive potential (merit)
  • Prostrating with body, speech and mind

Seven-limb practice 04: Prostrations (download)

Offering

  • The purpose and ways of making offerings
  • How to overcome miserliness and stinginess

Seven-limb practice 05: Offerings (download)

Day 2 this series of talks can be found here.

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.