From my study, reflection, meditation, and experience, I have found that the following are meaningful elements to consider for one’s spiritual practice. These are written from a Buddhist perspective – however, a number of the elements can have counterparts in other faith traditions.

Because we are each unique, each person’s specific spiritual practice will also be distinctive to them. While the guidance of a qualified spiritual teacher is vital, one’s individual practice will nevertheless evolve in a unique way over time.

Although one’s spiritual path may be enriched by insights from another faith tradition, there is no need to abandon one’s own spiritual or faith tradition.

The following, then, are elements that may enrich one’s existing spiritual practice:

(1) Four Common Preliminaries that Turn the Mind Toward Spiritual Practice

(2) Five Extraordinary Preliminaries that Sow the Seeds of the Profound Path in Five Stages

(3) Meditation: Becoming Familiar with the Nature of Mind

(4) The Bardos: Living Mindfully in Relation to Both Life and Death

(5) Understanding the Path – From Here to Enlightenment

(6) Mind-Training (Tibetan: lojong)

These six elements are presented in more detail in the following pages of this section.