Vajrasattva Retreat 2005:

On 5 January 2005, a three-month Vajrasattva Retreat was held at Sravasti Abbey. During the retreat, each morning the participants took turns leading their fellow retreatants in cultivating a good motivation for their meditation that day. You may want to read one of these motivations each morning to inspire your practice

Motivations by Aida Jimenez - Feb 27, 2005

Just a few months ago (October 04) his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, was in Mexico. One of the things he said in his teachings was that just like on a physical level our bodies have the capability to defend themselves against sickness. Likewise on a mental level we have the capability to counteract unhappiness and restlessness. He talked about the four marks of phenomenon:

1. All conditioned phenomenon are impermanent.
2. All phenomenon are in the nature of suffering.
3. All phenomenon lack inherent existence.
4. Nirvana is peace. It's the state where suffering no longer occurs.

On that occasion he defined Nirvana as "the cognition that can perceive the lack of inherent existence of an I." He also clarified that valid cognition can't coexist with invalid cognition (wrong views). In the middle where one increases, the second decreases. It's like hot and cold, where one increases, the second decreases and visa versa.

So for our motivation this morning, I invite you to deeply desire that the intense Vajrasattva practice that we are doing together, in the retreat, be the cause so that our invalid cognition (wrong views), and those of all sentient being decrease. And also that the valid cognition increase as quickly as possible until we reach the state of Buddhahood.