Prayers and Practices for the Deceased

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you so much for your kind offering. I checked regarding pujas for your late father and aunt, and these are the pujas that came out most beneficial for them:

• Extensive Medicine Buddha Puja, to be done by all the monks at Sera Lachi Monastery in Karnataka, India.
• Vajra Cutter Sutra, to be read twice by every monk at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Karnataka, India.
• Extensive Medicine Buddha Puja, to be done by all the monks at Drepung Loseling.

For your husband’s parents, the pujas that came out most beneficial are:

• Zungdu (a collection of dharani from the Kangyur), to be recited three times by Chuwar Monastery (where there is Milarepa statue) in Nepal.
• Extensive Medicine Buddha Puja, to be recited by monks at Kopan Monastery, Nepal.
• Arya Sanghata Sutra, to be recited five times by the Kopan Lama Gyupas.
• Guhyasamaja root text, to be recited eight times by the Gyuto monks in Dharamsala, India.

With much love and prayers ...

I did prayers and felt your mother’s mind has passed into the intermediate state. What is needed and comes out very good for her are:

• For you to sponsor one hundred nyung näs. Either one person can do the nyung näs or many people can accumulate that number together. One place this could be done is at Institut Vajra Yogini.
• Your mother has a connection with Maitreya, so anything you offer or help you give to that project, you can dedicate the merit for her also.
• Recite the King of Prayers, etc., for her.
• Sponsor the reading of the Tengyur, the commentaries on the Buddha’s teachings. It comes out best for Thubten Chöling Nunnery, which is near Drepung Monastery [in south India], to do this.

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I checked, and for your father you need the Eight Prayers at the death time to be recited fifty times by Tsawa Khangtsen [at Sera Monastery].

First discuss the appropriate offering with Tsawa Khangtsen and whether you can offer tea, etc. Please ask them to dedicate for your father and for all sentient beings.

If you can, have a Vajrasattva statue made. It should be nine inches high. Dedicate for your father and mother, as well as for all sentient beings.

With much love and prayers ...

• Read the Diamond Cutter Sutra for your partner thirty times. [Rinpoche will do some and also the monks who are around Rinpoche.]
• Sponsor five nyung näs, dedicated for your partner.
• Recite Chanting the Names of Manjushri three times.
• You need to do strong tonglen practice. This is the best.

• Mitukpa mantra: This can be recited while making water offerings to the pretas.
• Prajnaparamita: Recitation of all three texts (small, medium and large) at Drepung nunnery.
• Nyung näs: Three students can do eight nyung näs each, twenty-four in total. [Students’ names advised by Rinpoche].

I read your letter and was very, very happy that you did the Vajrasattva retreat.

Regarding your question about sur practice, it was Geshe Lama Konchog who said that once we start sur then we need to continue.

Geshe Lama Konchog used the example that if we give food to a beggar, then the next day the beggar would expect it again. Once we gave food to them, they would expect it every day. It is logical reasoning. So, you can figure it out from there.

But some people do sur just for 49 days after someone passes, and after 49 days they stop.

Anyway, you can do it as much as possible. Even if you can’t promise to do it every day, please do it as much as you can.