The Importance of the Four Preliminaries

Written by Lian-Shen Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu

Translated by Cheng Yew Chung
Edited by Victor Hazen
True Buddha Foundation Translation Team

 

“What is the most important practice?”

“The Four Preliminaries” I replied.

“Why?”

“The Four Preliminaries Practice is the very foundation of Tantric Buddhism. If the foundation is weak, all cultivation is simply like building castles in the air.”

When we begin our cultivation of the Tantric practices, we must first build the foundation, as preparation for the ground of cultivation is needed, hence, the Preliminaries.

The Four Preliminaries are each embedded with profound significance. I shall elucidate on them:
The Fourfold Refuge.
The Great Homage.
The Great Mandala Offering.
The Vajrasattva Practice.

The Fourfold Refuge Practice is the recitation of the Fourfold Refuge Mantra to strengthen one’s spiritual conviction. The Great Homage functions to remove our karmic hindrances. The Great Mandala Offerings is performed to increase merits and wisdom, and the Vajrasattva Practice is practiced for the repentance of wrong doings.

To practice the Tantric teachings, one must gather a sufficient stock of blessings and wisdom. If both of these measures are insufficient, coupled with a lack of spiritual conviction, it will result in the growth of Mara hindrances. Such an individual is not qualified to cultivate the Tantric practices.

A Tantric scripture states, “If one wishes to attain buddhahood without the accumulation of merits and wisdom, it is like trying to extract oil by cooking sand.”

Many have taken up the study of Tantric teachings for many years, and the more Tantric practices they learn, the more hindrances they face. In the end, they simply give up and leave. This is pathetic. It simply reveals that the individual has not built a firm foundation with the Four Preliminaries, and may not have had any results through them. Those who have gained spiritual responses through the Four Preliminaries would never give up and leave.

Never look down upon the Four Preliminaries. It is of vital importance to strengthen our spiritual conviction, remove karmic hindrances, repent our wrongdoings, and increase blessings and wisdom. Thus, we need to practice the Four Preliminaries truthfully, and practise them to perfection.