Dear Tony,
I am sorry this has taken some time to do. I am very concerned that you receive this advice as soon as possible. I checked regarding where you could do your long retreat and Shiné Land (Land of Calm Abiding) in California came out very good, and so did Chamdo Geshe's house at Tushita.
Following is a general guideline for lifetime practice:
- In the beginning, while doing the preliminary practices, meditate on the lam-rim.
- For the first three months, focus on the beginning of the lam-rim up to the section on karma.
- Then do five months on the middle scope, the nature of samsara.
- Then do seven months on bodhicitta, and then five months on emptiness.
- Every day do some meditation on guru devotion until you gain a stable realization, that from your side you see all your gurus as Buddha.
Specific preliminaries to do are:
- 200,000 recitations of the Heart Sutra
- 20,000 Samayavajra (Damtsig Dorje)
- 900,000 Guru Yoga
The main deity for you to practice, particularly with the practice of shi-nä, is Most Secret Hayagriva. Focus on the generation stage of this practice. For success with shi-nä we need a lot of merit, and the preliminary practices are good for that. Shiné Land has come out particularly good as a place for you to do retreat, but you can choose between that and Tushita.
Remember, this is general guideline for lifetime practice.
Much love...
