Lam Rim Quick Guide: Key steps on the Path to Freedom

Stages The Goal: Full Buddhaood. Round central courtyard open to the sky. Sunlight. Proud teacher. Perfect ageless beautiful body of light with innite capacity. Tantric Path Feelings Perfectly and ecstatically happy. Tremendous overpowering love for all beings. Realizations I have achieved a perfect understanding of the nature of reality with Bodhicitta in my heart, which among other things brought about complete omniscience, an escape from time, and an ability to appear anywhere in the universe to offer help to any suffering being, with whom I understand perfectly that I am connected. I am not a me. I have gone beyond the beyond. Vowed morality with the right intention is the way to free myself and others. I must perfect my Ethics, Giving, Patience, Joyful Effort, Meditative Concentration, and most of all my Wisdom about the way things are REALLY working. I must do all these for the purpose of helping all suffering beings. Everything I know of, even the things I currently consider my causes for happiness, are actually in the nature of suffering because they cannot last or keep me happy. Everything I experience is a perfect reection of my own actions, so if I am especially careful of what I do, say, and think, I may create the causes for ultimate happiness. Tomorrow is not promised to me. I must strive to purify my actions in this life and to take refuge in the things I know to be true, the teacher, the teachings, and those who have succeeded, so I may at LEAST not take a lower rebirth in the next life. Find a teacher. Learn how to think about them and act towards them. Recognize your leisure and fortune. I have nally found my holy teacher, and they are my only chance at true freedom. I must serve and follow my teacher as the image of perfection in my life. I have everything I need and also the freedom to pursue this goal. and I WANT to pursue it. This isnt working. Im hurting myself and others, I need a different way

Steps shared with those of greater scope: Hexagonal Room. Gift. Waterfall into still pool. Bonsai Tree. View of children playing. Microscope. Diamond. Sweet incense permeating the room. The Mother gure Steps shared with those of medium scope: Hall of impermanence. All your best acquaintances and possessions fail fade and wither in time. Room full of mirrors and fragile statues on unsteady pedestals.

Condence. Enthusiasm. Understanding. Energy. Intellectual and spiritual stimulation. Ability. Connectedness. Peace. All feelings infused with an extraordinary sense of personal responsibility to help others. Bittersweet recognition of the eeting nature of even our best joys in this kind of life. Ownership. Inability to blame others for our perceptions. Real sense of imperative for extreme cautiousness in every moment. Face death without fear. Finally recognize life and death as part of a cycle. Get a little scared then relieved realizing your good and bad deeds dont disappear, Hope. Amazement. First moments of clarity. A small bit of relief. A sense of impending lifechanging consequence. Perspective on the opportunity offered. gratitude, reverence, faith, trust.

Steps shared with those of lower or foundational scope: Triangle room. Cofn. Your own corpse. Black and White deeds. Purication re. Refuge robe. Seeing your teacher: Shoreline. Holy Castle across water. Your Teacher. Boat of Leisure. Turtle & gold ring of fortune.

The Dark Forrest: Lost, alone, angry, Life without a spiritual path. vengeful, irritable, guilty, stuck, scared, confused