My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you for your email.  I am sorry for the long delay. Read Liberation in the Palm of your Hand if you can, especially the section on guru devotion.

Also think, “I may die this year, this month, this week or today. There are so many human beings who die in the mother’s womb, right after birth or as children. They die when they are young or when they are old, at all kind of ages. This could be me.” Think like that.

After death, even though the body disintegrates, the consciousness continues. There is no third way; there are only two ways—either rebirth in the lower realms or a higher rebirth. If negative karma is what we have done the most and that is the strongest, then we will be reborn in the lower realms. That is karma. If good karma is what we have done more of, then mainly we will receive a higher rebirth.

We ordinary beings try to practice Dharma, but it’s difficult for it to become pure Dharma. We can understand how this is not easy by examining our actions from morning to night, whether they become Dharma or not. Just because we are doing prayers it doesn’t mean that is Dharma. It depends on the mind. Just doing prayers or meditation and so forth doesn’t define Dharma; it depends on the mind.

If the mind becomes Dharma then our actions of body, speech and mind become Dharma. For the mind to become Dharma it needs to be unstained by attachment to this life, therefore first we need to generate renunciation. We can see that praying and meditation doesn’t define our Dharma practice, it’s our mind that defines whether something is Dharma or not. If the mind is not Dharma then all the actions of our body, speech and mind also don’t become Dharma.

There are so many people in the world, every day, who have no thought that they are going to die at all. They think they are going to live for many years; [they have that] motivation. They believe that their life is permanent and that they will live for many years, but many people will die today with that belief. Think, “I could be one of them.”

There is no need for you to be sad or depressed, because you have met the Buddhadharma. Other people in the world have not had this opportunity. They don’t believe in reincarnation, karma and haven’t met the Dharma, so they are only depressed. They don’t know how to help the situation, but you have met the Dharma and you know how to purify and collect merit, therefore you are very fortunate.

If you can, recite OM MANI PADME HUM with bodhicitta motivation, for all sentient beings to be free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and to bring them to peerless happiness, the omniscient mind. That includes yourself. To really be able to benefit all sentient beings you need to achieve enlightenment also. Think more about the suffering of numberless sentient beings and then recite OM MANI PADME HUM. This is the essence of Dharma. It is very good, very rich.

It is very important to think like this every day.

Please read the section of the lam-rim on guru devotion and enjoy life with bodhicitta, with the good heart. Live your life with a good heart, benefiting sentient beings. You will always enjoy life with that. Thank you very much.

With much love and prayers...