- Liberate 100 animals
- Recite the Diamond Cutter Sutra eleven times
- The puja lü-dang-sadag-gi-don-drol [Liberating from the harm of the naga and landlord] needs to be done
- Pacifying fire puja and controlling fire puja
A student with life obstacles that year needed to do the following practices.
Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student who had obstacles to her life.
I received the letter from your students, asking for you to stay in the area. I read it all. Then I checked for quite a long time. It seems that you may have some life obstacles in the near future, so I checked what was best for you to do to overcome these:
Regarding teaching at the center and around the town, this came out as very good.
A student with obstacles to his life wrote to Rinpoche asking for advice. The student’s son needed to have an operation, so he also asked for advice regarding this situation.
Regarding your situation, it looks like about six months from now there will be some obstacles, but they appear lighter than before. What needs to be done is:
1) White Umbrella deity torma called Torkya—a very large torma is made, there is a puja, and it is thrown into the fire. This could be done at Kopan.
When this is done, it can be dedicated to your situation, as well as also to the organization (Maitreya Project and FPMT), so it makes it more beneficial. The main thing is that it’s for you personally.
2) As well as this, it is important for you to recite Black Manjrushri mantra.
3) Do the short practice of Amitayus. The main thing is to recite the long mantra, whatever you can manage, each day.
Regarding the operation for your son, it looks bad to do the operation, but it also looks bad not to do it, which means there is an obstacle. Something has to be done first.
One thing that should be done straight away is the liberation of 20,000 animals.
Generally, for some reason, his situation looks difficult. Of course, you want to help him as much as possible, so I think the best thing is to leave good imprints on his mind as much as you can. If he can recite mantras or hear mantras or sutras, awhatever you can manage, that leaves good imprints, and this is very important for him for the future. Also, if he can read the Heart Sutra and listen to it, and also read or hear short lamrim prayers, or you could read them with him each day, this would be excellent.
Another thing that will really help is special blessed water from places like Maratika or Mount Kailash. If he can sip a little bit of this blessed water, it will help.
Rinpoche gave the following advice regarding practices to do, for a geshe who had life obstacles.
A student was experiencing many obstacles and wrote to Rinpoche asking for advice.
I have checked, and there will also be obstacles next year. The following are the pujas that should be performed. The most beneficial thing for you to do to eliminate these obstacles and health issues for now and next year is reciting the Arya Manjushri Sangita Sutra as much as you can.
Then, you need to have the recitation of the Prajnaparamita (all three versions) performed. You can request this to be done by Kopan Monastery or Bati Khamtsen.
Also, you should do White Heruka long-life practice regularly.
Then, have Namgyal Tsechog performed, also by either Kopan or Bati Khamtsen.
Next year you need to take a long-life initiation. Lama Tsongkhapa is the best.
The pujas can pacify the very, very bad year ahead. For the price of 100 momos I will make a phone call to Yama to sort out the mess. I will explain to Yama your wish to benefit others and become enlightened.
A student had some health problems and had been told that someone had cast black magic on her. She also described feeling very lonely, and thought she might have received some signs of pending death. The woman said she needed to live another year, so her niece could finish university, her daughter could get married, and so she could look after her mother.
According to my Mickey Mouse divination, it comes out that you will stay alive for 10 years, but not more than 10 years.
To try and prolong your life, you need to liberate 500 or more animals every month. [See the Advice Book section on Benefiting Animals.] You can do that with the students at your local Dharma center, or you can organize to do it with your friends. Causing animals to have long lives is one method to create the cause for your own long-life, so this practice is very good for someone who has life obstacles, or a possible untimely death.