Depression and Suicidal Thoughts

Depression and Suicidal Thoughts

Date of Advice:
July 2018
Date Posted:
May 2020

A student wrote to Rinpoche about her twenty-year-old daughter, who was experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts. The depression had started a long time ago but it had become more serious and the student said her daughter felt trapped, worthless and hated herself. The student requested Rinpoche’s help and protection.

My most dear, most kind, most precious wish-fulfilling one,

Thank you very much for your kind letter.

I checked and I need to do one puja called Drugchuma for your daughter. So I will do this for her.

Probably she doesn’t want to do this, but what came out best is if she can do a nyung nä. You can say that I was advising her or begging her to do it, saying, “Please,” with my ten fingers together, begging her to do it, not only for herself but for all sentient beings who are suffering and obscured, to be free from that.

You should pray very strongly to Chenrezig and recite OM MANI PADME HUM. Pray very strongly to Chenrezig for your daughter to be totally recovered immediately and to have a most meaningful life, to generate bodhicitta and to be able to free the sentient beings from suffering  and its causes and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

You should also recite Vajra Armor mantra. After each mala blow over a bottle of water or a jar of water, then your daughter should drink that water. Whenever she drinks water, she can just drink the blessed water you make. This mantra seems very helpful for her. It is very powerful, and so many healers became famous and are able to heal people using this mantra.

If your daughter can recite the Golden Light Sutra eleven times, this is best. You can also recite it, but actually it needs to be her that recites it. See if she will try it. She can take as long as she wants to do this.

What makes your life most meaningful is meditation on the lamrim, and to live your life with bodhicitta motivation. This is the best.

With much love and prayers ...