15 Apr not for happiness
Do you meditate because you want to feel good? Or to help you relax and be “happy”? If these are your reasons, frankly, according to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, it's far better to have a full body massage than to try to practice Dharma.
Genuine spiritual practice, especially ngondro, or so-called preliminary practices, does not provide the kind of comfort and tranquility that most worldly people desire, quite the contrary. But if your ultimate goal is enlightenment, ngondro practice is essential, and Not for Happiness is the perfect guide, as it contains everything the practitioner needs to get started, including advice on:
– how to develop the “renunciation mind”
– discipline, meditation and wisdom
– how to use imagination in visualization practice
– why it is necessary to have a guru