Prayers for Elderly Mother

Prayers for Elderly Mother

Date of Advice:
June 2017
Date Posted:
December 2021

A student asked Rinpoche about going to see her mother, who had had a fall. She was 97 years old and was receiving care in a facility. Rinpoche checked for some time and advised the following.

Maybe go there after five months, but the most important thing you can do for her is practice—recite the King of Prayers and mantras for her and for all sentient beings, but particularly for her. Pray for her not to be reborn in the lower realms, to die with bodhicitta, and then to either be reborn in a pure land and achieve enlightenment or to take a perfect human rebirth, meet a Mahayana guru, practice the path and by pleasing most the guru, achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

That is the most important thing you can do for her, and you can do that wherever you are, in Africa or in Tibet, etc. If she is being taken care of well, then the most important thing that you can do for her is to make prayers for her.

With much love and prayers ...