Contemplating our own death will inspire us to use our life wisely by developing the inner refuge of spiritual realizations; otherwise we will have no ability to protect ourself from the sufferings of death and what lies beyond.
In our meditation session we invite all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to appear before us, accept our offerings and prayers, and help us in our meditation, so it is only natural that before we begin our session we should spend some time cleaning our meditation room.
Merit is the positive energy of virtuous actions. Just as well-fertilized soil will produce an abundant harvest, so if our mind is enriched with merit we will harvest a bountiful crop of spiritual realizations.
Just as rain can bring a desert to life, so if our mind receives the blessings of the holy beings our virtuous potentials will be activated and spiritual realizations will grow in our mind.
The practice of the mandala offering is a scientific method to attain the Pure Land of a Buddha. It contains the practice of the four complete purities mentioned in Tantric teachings – the complete purities of worlds, body, enjoyments and activities.
The practice of meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva is a scientific method to purify our mind and transform it from an impure mind into a pure mind using Tantric technology.
We definitely need to purify non-virtuous actions through purification practice. Buddha taught many different methods to purify these, and downfalls and broken commitments, but the supreme method is the practice of meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva.
Some humans experience so many outer and inner obstacles that they are unable to practice Dharma purely. These are also the results of the non-virtuous actions of rejecting the value of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in their previous lives.
Non-virtuous actions are the main causes of all our suffering in this life and countless future lives; and especially they are the main obstacles to attaining Dharma realizations. Therefore we definitely need to purify them through purification practice.
As a result of the non-virtuous actions of rejecting the value of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in previous lives, animals have no opportunity to listen to or practise Dharma.
The degree of purification we attain depends on the strength of the four opponent powers:
(1) The power of regret
(2) The power of reliance
(3) The power of the opponent force
(4) The power of promise
For our practice of purification to be complete all four powers must be present