Practices to Purify Negative Karma

Practices to Purify Negative Karma

Date Posted:
November 2011

A student wrote to Rinpoche to check what practices she should do to purify negative karma and to clear obstacles to her Dharma practice, in order to benefit sentient beings.

My very dear Julie,
Your main deity for quick enlightenment and to be able to enlighten sentient beings soon, is Chakrasamvara (Five Deities). Kalachakra also came out well. It is very good to take Kalachakra initiation and do the Kalachakra Guru Yoga practice or at least chant the mantra every day after the initiation, if you wish. If you feel a stronger connection with Chakrasamvara, then do Chakrasamvara practice, because that is your main deity.

The following number of preliminary practices is to purify negative karma collected from beginningless rebirth and to collect extensive merit, so that you have the conditions for realization on the stages of the path to enlightenment for sentient beings.

  • Refuge: 300,000
  • Prostration: 1,700
    • It is very good to do some prostrations every day. Many practitioners do 100 prostrations every day. This is an unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable way to collect extensive merit. It is unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable, most powerful purification.
  • Vajrasattva: 600,000
    • You can do a large number of mantras in a retreat, otherwise at other times recite some in daily life, then again do retreat, to finish a larger number, then again do some mantras in daily life. You can do the mantras like this, or if you want to do everything in the form of retreat, this also can be done.
  • Dorje Khadro Fire Puja: 3,000
  • Water bowls: 7,000
  • Tsa-tsas: 100,000
    • The tsa-tsas can be divided among Mitukpa, Kunrig and Kalachakra. 
  • Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga: 300,000
    • Recite and count migtsema, therefore I hope you are here at the teachings.

Lamrim meditation:

  • Two months: lower path of lam-rim meditation
  • Four months: middle path
  • One month: bodhicitta
  • Four months: emptiness

Then after that, meditate on the graduated path topics, one-by-one, starting from the precious human rebirth. Try to achieve the realizations one-by-one, no matter how many weeks, months or years it takes.

With much love and prayers…