The texts of these meditations are available as booklets in all Diamond Way Buddhist centres, where one can also receive the corresponding explanations from experienced members of the groups. The practices listed below are the most common meditations taught in our Diamond Way Buddhist centres and groups.
16th Karmapa Meditation
This form of ‘Meditation on the Lama’ (Skt. Guru Yoga, Tib. Lami Naljor) is a practical and comprehensive tool for enlightenment which was composed the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. The 16th Karmapa made Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl the holders of this practice, with the wish that it is always keep fresh and on the cutting edge of western minds. The emphasis is on actively continuing the pure view, obtained in meditation, into daily life. It is the basic practice of Diamond Way Buddhism. Click here for an interview with Lama Ole Nydahl on the 16th Karmapa Meditation.
The Four Foundational Practices
The Four Foundational Practices (Tib. Ngondro) are also known as the preliminary practices of the Great Seal (Skt. Mahamudra) as they lay the basis for realising the true nature of mind. Involving many repetitions, they create strong positive imprints, making one unshakeable. They may take several years to complete. They are a translation of a meditation text known as ‘The Vehicle for the Path of the Supreme’, composed by the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1555-1603), taken from his ‘Great Treatise of the Instructions of the Great Seal’. The four practices are: (1) Taking Refuge and Developing the Enlightened Attitude; (2) Diamond Mind Meditation (Skt. Vajrasattva; Tib. Dorje Sempa); (3) Mandala Offerings; and (4) Meditation on the Lama. Read more about the Four Foundational Practices here.
Loving Eyes Meditation
No character trait is finer than compassion, and the Buddha was very conscious of this. He frequently advised people to specifically develop this quality. The different forms of Loving Eyes (Skt. Avalokiteshvara, Tib. Chenrezig) manifest to help beings everywhere and represent the widest expression of kindness on the beyond-personal level. This meditation text was composed by the 12th Century Siddha Thangtong Gyalpo “King of a Thousand Valleys” (1361-1485). It is practiced according to the instruction given to Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl by Kalu Rinpoche in Sonada in 1970.
Black Coat (Mahakala)
This short invokation of the central protector of the Karma Kagyu school, Black Coat (Skt. Mahakala; Tib. Bernagchen), is a sung meditation. This particular text was composed by the Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje (1507–1554). It is a daily practice and is sung in Tibetan after public meditation sessions. Black Coat embodies the love and protective activity of unlimited space. Whoever recites the text daily will become fearless.
The practice texts of all these meditations are available as booklets in our Diamond Way Buddhist centres and groups, where one can also receive the corresponding instructions from experienced practitioners.
