My dearest Tom,
How is your Mum?

Probably you might have heard that Roger has stopped eating meat. I wanted to tell you how it happened, also maybe to inspire others, because so many centers and people knew that he ate meat.

Quite some time ago, when Roger was quite thin, we discussed his eating meat, and I thought he should eat meat because he was weak, things were so hard for him, and he seemed to need protein.

Then, two years ago I was in Nepal, going up the hill to Kopan Monastery. There is a butcher on the way. As we were driving past the butcher I looked and saw two goats’ heads on a table. This is not the first time I have seen goats’ heads, but I got a very strong feeling of the very awful, terrible suffering. The thought came to me to tell Roger not to eat meat, but I didn’t tell him right away, it took some time to mention it (two years).

Then you sent me the Shabkar Sung Bum. I have read a few Shabkar texts, but not completely. I had one or two Shabkar texts before, regarding the disadvantages of eating meat and drinking alcohol. I don’t remember which section of the Shabkar Sung Bum is on the shortcomings of women. Maybe you know. If so, can you let me know which volume it is in or the index, then I can look for it.

Of course, this is one way of practicing, but there is also the practice of pure appearance—looking at how others act and their behavior as a pure appearance, even when others engage in non-virtuous actions. If someone is eating meat or drinking alcohol, etc., whatever others do, you practice seeing it as a pure appearance. There are great yogis who appear impure but in reality greatly benefit sentient beings, showing them how to achieve the quick path to enlightenment. Thinking in this way brings harmony, especially to the four traditions, and it helps one not to create negative karma towards great yogis and sentient beings in general—you don’t create negative karma by criticizing. Also, you don’t harm others, you bring peace and happiness to others as well as to yourself.

Thank you very much for sending the great, enlightening Shabkar texts to me. I dedicate the merits to your becoming Shabkar. I am keeping the last two pages, which are like the essence, with me, and traveling with them. It might be good to translate these two pages into English. Maybe it has already been done. Do you know? Also, it would be good to put these two pages in Mandala magazine.

You mentioned in your letter about a geshe who has written a text and promised to print or translate it. I mentioned this to him some years ago. When I read the text there were some things in it that I did not agree with. For example, if one recites a mantra and blows under one’s feet, then any sentient being you step on gets reborn in the realm of 33. Geshe-la contradicted this. He said it only works if you are a high yogi. Also, when you eat meat, if you recite a mantra, then the animal receives a good rebirth. He also contradicted this, and said it only has an effect if you have high realizations, only then does it work. This is not correct. This does not mention at all the effect of the mantras. There is unbelievable benefit from the mantras, from so many mantras. If he says this, then there is no hope for any of us. It means that all the other mantras also don’t have an effect unless you have high realizations. So, then there is no hope for ordinary people, until they have high realizations. This discounts all the benefits Buddha explained. I mentioned a little bit about this to Geshe-la and he kind of accepted. I was going to ask someone to translate it, but that needs to be changed first.

It is like the story of a protection to wear that protects you from drowning. A man in Tibet put the protection on his horse and then led his horse into the river, and the horse drowned. Just because it didn’t protect the horse that time doesn’t mean it is untrue, that it has never protected anyone from drowning. It does not mean that. Some people have very strong karma—it doesn’t mean it is the same for all sentient beings, and that the same thing will happen to all sentient beings. Similarly, a medicine cures some sicknesses, but that doesn’t mean it will work for everybody. It depends on how heavy the person’s karma is.

Mantras have benefit, but they depend on having strong faith, and also on dependent arising.

As I was reading the two pages from Shabkar, I remembered what I wanted to mention to Roger two years ago in Nepal, that it would be good if he stopped eating meat, so I mentioned this to Roger and he immediately accepted and stopped, without any questions. I wanted to tell you what happened, the effect of the texts arriving, the benefit it caused, especially to Roger,

With much love and prayers,

Lama Zopa

PS. Sorry I don’t have more time to chat with you. Tomorrow I have to go to San Francisco and then I have to go to Nepal for the Kopan course. There are so many things I have to do now, but I look forward to chatting another time.

Thank you very much for all your service.