The great meditators, the highly realised yogis, all followed outlines in their practice. This was their skill; this was how they attained enlightenment quickly. And this is the great treasure that they passed on to their disciples, to people like us. Thus, they have made it easier for us gain realisations quickly, with less hindrance.

For example, when you study the teachings on the precious human rebirth - how valuable it is, its great usefulness, how difficult it is to receive - everything is connected; one topic leads to another. Therefore, when you practise the different meditations within this topic, you have to do them in the right order. First, you have to meditate on the preciousness of the human rebirth; having done that, when you meditate on its great usefulness, you will more easily be able to see how useful it really is. Then, when you have understood the great usefulness of the precious human rebirth, you will more easily be able to understand how difficult it is to receive. In other words, realisation of the preceding meditation makes it easier to realise the one that follows.

When you first encounter the Lam Rim teachings, neither the teachings themselves nor the outline make much sense to you. But as you continue to practise analytical meditation on the various topics and gain experience of them, even just remembering the outlines will give you a fantastic feeling. The entire path, everything the Buddha taught, will come home to you without your having to go through all the countless words. Just bringing the outline to mind will be such a strong, powerful experience. At the moment, even when you do read the many detailed words, it takes a long time and you don't feel much, but you have to be patient. Through perseverance, all realisations will come in time.

This teaching is given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

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