Preparing for Death

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
In the morning, noon and evening please do the Thirty-five Buddhas practice if possible. This can be recited with your hands in the mudra of prostration if prostrating is difficult.

Do Vajrayogini self-initation as much as you can.

You need to have mamo trükang puja done.

Please start reading these two texts: Practicing the Five Powers at the Time of Death and How to Enjoy Death. Anyway, it is good for all of us to become familiar with this.

This is my advice at this time, I am doing prayers for you.

With much love and prayers

My most dear, precious, kind, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you very much your kind letter. Numberless thanks for your sincerity and for your confession, which I accept.

Of course, as you know I am your guru, but not Heruka or Buddha. It doesn’t mean you can’t visualize that. Of course, you can visualize—that is tantra practice.

Confessing causes so much negative karma to be purified. It makes it very clean when you confess all the things that you can remember. Thank you very much.

It’s good for you to do Vajrayogini tsog, as you are doing the sadhana, as much as you can.

At night do Vajrasattva practice, then you can do the Thirty-five Buddhas practice, maybe in the morning and evening time, and if possible during the day, at around twelve or before that, if possible. It’s good if you can do it during the day, but do it mindfully.

With much love and prayers ...

Student’s letter

You are everything to me and, at this time, I am drawn to you because you are so special to me. I want to tell you that I am dying...I want to die at home and I have asked Geshe-la to come and do the po-wa ceremony when it is time. He has kindly agreed to do so.

I love you so much, dearest Rinpoche. I have your images everywhere, around my bed and on the ceiling with images of the Seventeenth Karmapa and the merit field. Every time I close my eyes, you are with me, everywhere. When I reach the bardo I will have your name on my lips, followed by the refuge prayer, over and over again. And I will have Amitabha's pure land as my destiny.

I remember the first day you arrived here for the special party, over twenty years ago, and I listened to your wonderful teachings. I have remained committed to you and your Dharma center here since that time. I took care of the gompa at the center for ten years, until my health started to fail. I did this with great joy in my heart. My health has not permitted me to offer physical service these past few years, but I have been fortunate enough to be in a position to make some financial offerings to the center as a means of offering service to you. This has also been done with great joy.

I love you so much, precious Guru, I bow down to you. I imagine myself bowing down to you and looking into your eyes. Is there anything that I can do for you, precious Guru, before I die?

I love you, I love you, I love you. I miss you so much. I know we will meet again.

Rinpoche’s response

My very dear one,
Thank you very, very much. Skies of thanks for your positive mind, even though you have such a heavy sickness, whereas some other normal, ordinary person would be so scared and worried. 

[Ordinary people are] so fearful and worried, with attachment, about separating from the family, possessions, children, wife, husband and even from their own body, having all the worries due to heavy negative karma. They are worried about what’s going to happen, about the next life and because they didn’t practice Dharma, they didn’t purify and didn’t collect merits, they have so many mountains of problems. But in your case it’s very simple. You have a very simple life, taking care of the gompa for ten years, serving and collecting so much unbelievable merit, and making offerings every day. That’s very good.

Now it’s good to think that you are already in Amitabha’s pure land and always to think you are in Amitabha’s pure land. When you wish to go to a pure land, it is advised that wherever you go, even in daily life, you should think you are going to the pure land, to train the mind. Think you are already there and visualize everything very clearly as much as possible, thinking that you are in front of Amitabha Buddha.

Visualize that you are in a lotus in front of Amitabha Buddha and he is giving you teachings. At other times, think Amitabha Buddha is giving teachings, radiating and in the form of red light, in the nature of red light and full of compassion for you. There is lapis lazuli ground, which is blissful, so stepping over it is not hard. It is like a spring flower bed with beautiful flowers, like the size of a room, petals, full of various beautiful flowers and ponds, and rainfalls of flowers and incense, and birds and wind moving in the trees. The birds that are going around are all making the sound of Dharma and even the wind blowing through the trees is making a Dharma sound.

You can think that I am Amitabha Buddha. I’m not advertising to you that I am Amitabha Buddha, but since we have a Dharma connection and since you have very, very strong thoughts about me, you feel so close, and you practice Mahayana teachings and tantra, so you can think about Amitabha Buddha, but not separated from me; you can think one, guiding you. Think that your life is in Amitabha Buddha’s hands, guiding you, completely, totally guiding you. So think that.

I am sending you two photos of Amitabha Buddha. I blessed water on the same night I read your email and it will be sent to you tomorrow. Also there are some other prayers that I will be reciting for you.

Practicing the Five Powers Near the Time of Death is very important to read and to think about at this time.

With much love and prayers...

My most dear one,
Thank you very much. According to my observation, if death happens, it’s best and if death doesn’t happen, it’s not so good. His Holiness and other lamas wanting to take you away is a good dream. It is not an evil spirit, but His Holiness, the embodiment of the Compassion Buddha, and other lamas, so it’s a very good dream. You’ll be going to a pure land, so pray for us, don’t give us up, we are in the suffering world.

With much love and prayer...

My very dear Ani-la,
Thank you for your letter. I think it is very, very, very important to read Pabongka Rinpoche’s advice on impermanence, Heart-Spoon [now revised and renamed The Heart's Utmost Need]. This is the very, very heart advice, so read it after blessing the speech and mala.

Even if death happens today, it should be OK. Death can happen anytime, so we need to cut attachment to the family and everything else. It’s very important to continuously practice the Dharma and not to be stubborn. If possible, focus on cultivating bodhicitta.

Much love and prayers...

My dearest Ani Tenzin,
You are having the best time at Amitabha Pure Land. Think about going to Amitabha Pure Land and think about Guru Amitabha all the time. If you think Amitabha is the guru, this becomes guru yoga. Think you are in Amitabha’s Pure Land and are completely taken care of. Don’t cling to anything here in this world. Everything is the best there and you will receive teachings continuously from Guru Amitabha.

I am not saying I am Amitabha, but visualize in that way. I think you lived a good life after I met you. The best, most meaningful method for your quest for enlightenment is to think I am the Buddha. For me this is very uncomfortable, but for you, the student, it is the best thing for gaining enlightenment and all other happiness. Continue with strong faith and think that you are already in the Pure Land.

With much love and prayer...

A billion, zillion thanks to you.