My dear Nick,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. You are a stable and growing inspiration—not only for practicing Dharma but for dedicating your life to goodness—and liberating yourself and all other sentient beings. Also, you want to engage in ordination, which is taking a strong responsibility to liberate yourself from the ocean of samsaric sufferings. It is especially taking responsibility to liberate countless sentient beings from the ocean of samsaric sufferings, the continuation of which has no beginning.

My advice for making important decisions in your life is that the most crucial thing for you and all other sentient beings is to think well. One must see things thoroughly—not just for a few days or months. In the Tibetan tradition, ordination is until death. It comes down to the point of what happens to oneself by following attachment. Delusion can harm us, and all sentient beings. This is how it has been since beginningless rebirths. This effort (of following attachment) has been with us from time without beginning. So, by not following desire and delusion, you achieve liberation—everlasting happiness—and, of course, with bodhicitta, you reach enlightenment.

Not only that, you will be able to liberate countless sentient beings, from whom you have received all your past, present, and future happiness—from the oceans of samsaric suffering—delusions and karma.

Your main deity for quickly achieving enlightenment is Tara Cittamani—the highest yoga tantra aspect. Also, Kalachakra—you can take the initiation and do some practice with that, also some retreat. The main deity, though, is Tara. Practice mind training, lam-rim, and the three principal paths on the basis of Tara. Try to learn as much as you can, and then focus on generation stage and completion stage practices. At first, the main focus is lam-rim. After a few years, the main focus is generation stage.

The preliminary practices you should do to purify obstacles, negative karma, and delusions and create the necessary conditions to achieve realizations and to receive the blessings of the guru in your heart are as follows:

• 20,000 guru yoga—For blessings of the guru for the common realizations in the lam-rim, and the uncommon realizations of the tantric path;
• 300,000 tsa-tsas—Mostly Mitukpa, but then also do a few of the seven Medicine Buddhas, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, and the Thirty-five Buddhas.

Also, please read the Golden Light Sutra.

The objective or purpose of this life decision you are making is not just for your temporary happiness of this life, nor for your samsaric happiness of future lives. Of course, practicing Mahayana Buddhism has limitless amounts of benefit. Living in the ordination vows correctly makes it much easier to achieve this goal.

With much love and prayer. Take care of life with Dharma.

In the Dharma (bodhicitta)...