A Beneficial Life

A Beneficial Life

Date Posted:
October 2005

Rinpoche sent the following letter to a student who had recently had a baby.

My very dear Gina,
How are you? I am sure you are in bliss all the time, ecstatic. I hope you, John, and baby James are well. I hope you are having a great time with your Buddha baby, who you gave birth to. How is he doing?

I am sure you are learning a lot from him, all the time, every day, learning about life, learning about the mind, learning about samsara and the nature of samara, learning the importance of liberation, nirvana, and enlightenment, learning about compassion for all sentient beings, learning how sentient beings are suffering.

Since you gave birth to this precious living being, who is one, among numberless beings, who is the most kind, precious sentient being, from whom one receives all one’s past, present, and future happiness, realizations, and enlightenment. Of course, the child has his own karma, but both of you have full responsibility as parents to bring up the child as a very good human being, full of compassion for all human beings, full of Dharma wisdom, all these precious qualities of the mind, universal responsibility, forgiveness, tolerance, etc.

The more the child develops his mind on the path, not harming living beings, bringing happiness to all living beings, he will have not only temporary happiness but ultimate happiness—everlasting happiness, liberation, peerless happiness, and full enlightenment.

Even it is not possible to bring this to everyone, at least he must not harm others and bring happiness to others. That would be so good. Dear Gina, you are a very good human being, so I am sure your child will easily become like that, due to your example, inspiration, and blessing, your model.

I will pray for his long life and health and for him to have a most beneficial life. Thank you very much.

With much love and prayers...