Common questions
Where should I begin?
Start with refuge, actions and their consequences, compassion and dedication. One section at a time is enough; you do not need to master all the imagery or rituals first.
Continue →Must I report completion after a pledge?
No. The pool counts pledges. Carry out your chosen act and dedicate it yourself; its figures do not represent completed practices.
Continue →Can I dedicate in my own words?
You can express a simple wish that your good actions benefit those held in your heart and all beings. When following a liturgy, use its dedication as instructed.
Continue →Can I practise every ritual found online?
Availability online does not establish permission to practise. Check the particular text’s empowerment, transmission, instruction and commitment requirements with a qualified lineage teacher.
Continue →How can I learn about the four traditions?
Compare their histories, texts and lineages. BlessFu has a Gelug focus while introducing other traditions. Do not combine unrelated ritual instructions into your own system.
Continue →Why are some resources external or in English?
Links retain the original source and available translations. Languages and access conditions can change. Use the feedback section below if something is unclear or unavailable.
Continue →Can I take part without chanting aloud or kneeling?
Choose a kind intention, an act of kindness or a comfortable respectful gesture. Work within your circumstances without comparing physical ability or counts.
Continue →Do my reading settings sync across devices?
Reading position and text size stay in the current browser and do not sync between devices. Clearing browser data can remove them. The pool’s public totals are held on the server.
Continue →A small glossary
Aspiration
An intention to cultivate goodness and act on it. Making a pledge does not mean the practice is complete.
Dedication
Directing the merit of a wholesome act toward the wellbeing and awakening of beings, often at the end of a practice.
Merit
Wholesome qualities and benefits associated with ethical conduct and practice, not credits that a website can measure or exchange.
Beneficial results
Beneficial results traditionally associated with wholesome actions. An aspiration is not a transaction or a guarantee of a particular outcome.
Refuge
Taking Buddha, Dharma and Sangha as guides. Learn the commitments of formal refuge from a qualified teacher.
Bodhicitta
The wish to attain complete awakening for the benefit of all beings, central to the Mahayana path.
Empowerment
A Vajrayana initiation associated with particular practices and sometimes vows. Reading a page or hearing a recording is not automatically an empowerment.
Oral transmission
A lineage transmission of a text, distinct from empowerment and detailed instruction. Confirm requirements with the relevant teacher.
Lamrim
A graduated presentation of the path, especially important in systematic Gelug study.
Mindfulness
Remembering and attending to the object of practice. Begin with awareness of what you are doing, then study its fuller doctrinal meanings.
Rejoicing
Taking joy in your own and others’ wholesome actions and wishing them to grow, without turning practice into competition.
Impermanence
Conditioned things change. This can encourage appreciation and care; it should not be used to dismiss another person’s grief.
Karma and consequences
Karma concerns intentional actions and their consequences. It is not a reason to blame people for suffering.
Renunciation
The wish for freedom from affliction and cyclic suffering, rather than hatred of others or neglect of responsibilities.
Emptiness and dependent arising
Emptiness is not mere nonexistence. Study it alongside dependence on causes and conditions.
Study, reflection and meditation
Learn, examine questions, then cultivate familiarity and apply what you understand.
Teachers and reliance
Examine lineage, teachings and conduct before establishing reliance; retain questions and personal boundaries.
Thangkas and ritual objects
Read attributes in their specific context. Appreciating art differs from learning ritual procedures.
These introductory explanations are not exhaustive; consult the source text and its lineage context for formal study.
Sources for further study
These resources provide further context; the everyday exercises are BlessFu’s own editorial work.