A Burst Appendix

A Burst Appendix

Date Posted:
December 2011

Rinpoche sent this card to a student who nearly had a burst appendix. The student works for the Maitreya Project.

My very, very dear Toby,
What happened to you is like overcoming just one tiny little atom of the shortcomings of samsara, for the time being.

However, what a miracle, what incredible joy—although the lower realms could have come, you still have a human body. Because of this human body you can create the cause to achieve happiness in all future lives and, even more important than that, you can attain liberation from all suffering. Finally, most importantly, you can create the cause for future happiness for numberless sentient beings and liberate them from the ocean of suffering. You can bring them to full enlightenment.

Why can you do this? Because you have achieved a precious human rebirth, which is so rare, and you have met the Mahayana teachings, which is most rare, and because you have met the perfectly qualified Mahayana virtuous friends, which is most extremely rare. That is why you can do all this.

You can be so excited about that and enjoy it day and night. You can enjoy it a billion, trillion, zillion times and rejoice in all the service you have offered since you appeared at the second Kopan course as a nice teenager, sitting in the middle of the room, from what I remember, on a cheap, rolled-up sleeping bag.

With much love and prayers, and a billion, zillion thanks to you.

PS: Hopefully we will see the Maitreya statue before we take off from this life. HA HA.