What is Lamrim?
Lamrim means “the stages of the path to enlightenment”.
It is a special set of instructions that includes all the essential teachings of Buddha – and is the heart of Kadampa Buddhism.
The Lamrim instructions were compiled by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha, who was invited to Tibet by King Jangchub Ö in AD 1042, and who spent the rest of his life there spreading pure Dharma.
There is a completely pure and unbroken lineage of these Lamrim instructions from Buddha Shakyamuni up 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 completely free from all of them.
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.
Twenty-one meditations
There are 21 Lamrim meditations, which are usually practiced in a three-week cycle as a daily meditation practice:
Our precious human life
Death and impermanence
The danger of lower rebirth
Refuge practice
Actions and their effects
Developing renunciation for samsara
Developing equanimity
Recognizing that all living beings are our mothers
Remembering the kindness of living beings
Equalizing self and others
The disadvantages of self-cherishing
The advantages of cherishing others
Exchanging self with others
Great compassion
Taking
Wishing love
Giving
Bodhichitta
Tranquil abiding
Superior seeing
Relying upon a Spiritual Guide
These meditations, along with instructions on how to practice and essential background material can be found in The New Meditation Handbook.