When we do daily prayers or meditations or engaging into six perfections, one must include three things. i.e.
(1) Proper Motivation, (2) Proper Action, and (3) Proper Dedication.
Only then your prayers and any virtuous action is complete.
(1) Proper Motivation:
This depends on each individual. Normally divide into three different kinds of motivation. i.e.
A: Lower motivation.
One can generate motivation just aspiring to be able to be reborn into another fortunate rebirth so that one can continue our practice in our next life. Because if we fall into unfortunate rebirth like Hell, Hungry Ghost and Animal then we have no way to practice, but instead we have to suffer more and more. Practice of Dharma with this motivation is known as least motivation..
B: Medium Motivation.
Even if I am born in human rebirth or higher like Demi God, and God realm, I still have to face all kind of suffering, like, birth, aging sickness and death. These are the major suffering that I cannot escape from cyclic existence of samsara. Wherever I may be born I am forced to be born in Samsara by the force of my own negative karmic action. Therefore, I must come out of cyclic existence of Samsara and must achieve Nirvana or Self Realization, so that I don't have to be born with the force of my negative karmic action. Practice of Dharma with this motivation is known as Medium Motivation.
C: Highest Motivation.
Just achieving Nirvana or Self Realization for myself alone is not enough as all the mother sentient beings still remain in Samsara. I just cannot be a selfish Dharma practitioner. Therefore, I must practice Dharma to free all the mother sentient beings from their suffering and achieve ultimate happiness. Generate Bodhicitta or Mind
of Enlightenment for the welfare of all mother sentient beings and practice dharma with this motivation is known as Highest motivation.
This Highest Motivation had two divisions: Causal Perfection Vehicle and Resultant Tantric Vehicle.
In your Dharma practice if your motivation is any one of these three then your practice is considered true Dharma practice, though the first two Small/Least Motivation and Medium Motivation are for Hinayana Vehicle. If your concern of practicing Dharma is only for the achievement for this current life, then your practice is call Worldly Dharma. That means it is not true Dharma at all.
Therefore make sure when you generate motivation it must be at least any of these three but better still, strive with the Highest Motivation.
(2) Now the second part is Proper Action.
Here any Dharma practice like, recitation mantras, reading Dharma text, Meditation on any dharma topic, practicing in Six Perfection, doing any virtuous work, right action, and right speech, right thought. Any virtuous Actions are Proper Action.
(3) And finally Proper Dedication.
Right after finishing doing Proper Action one must dedicate properly. One can dedicate according to how one has generated one’s motivation at the beginning. Most of us fail in this part. We never do proper dedication. Most of our Merit is burned down before we dedicate by the 3 poisons of greed, hatred and ignorance in us. These delusions are the one who burn our Merit and create all kind of unwanted suffering. Therefore, immediately after finishing Dharma or Proper Action, one must dedicate immediately before those negative emotion arise. Without dedication would be like putting so much effort to obtain a drop of water and waste it by letting it drop onto dry sand. With proper dedication is like storing this very drop of water in the ocean, and it will remain there until the ocean dry.
Similarly in our practice of Dharma without proper dedication, the drop of merit we create will be burned by our own negative delusions. Therefore, we must pour the drop of Merit into the ocean of merit and the merit will remain until we achieve Buddhahood.
Otherwise, you may have doubt as to why you don't feel the difference in your Dharma practice. As we all know we try our best to do good actions. But we never feel the difference in our practice. Why? Simple answer is that we did not do our practice properly i.e. without all the 3 parts.
For some High Masters, we feel the energy and the power of their practice. Because their practice always complete with these three parts. That is why their merit is stored without damage or burn down by their fire of delusion. If we do the same then for sure we will feel the energy and finally achieve Buddhahood.
(This is an excerpts of a teaching given by Lama Phuntsho on 13 Sept 2009)
(This transcripts has been prepared, courtesy of Bro HP Lim)
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