My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you very much for your kind letter expressing how the people in Lawudo have been kind to you. I am very happy to hear that.

I know you want to practice the Six Yogas of Naropa, the tummo explained by Lama Yeshe, but you need a Highest Yoga Tantra initiation first. This practice, the Six Yogas of Naropa, can only be read and studied if you have received a great initiation, which means an initiation that has vase initiation, secret initiation, wisdom initiation and word initiation. This plants the seed of the four kayas, it makes the mind ripen, in order to practice the generation stage and the unification of clear light and illusory body. That is what a great initiation is for. After you receive a great initiation then you can learn and practice this.

Life practice advice:

• Vajrasattva mantras: 200,000
• Dorje Khadro (burning offering) mantra: 10,000
• Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga mantras: Daily practice
• Chanting the Names of Manjrushri: Every second week
• Golden Light Sutra recitations: Each week until death

Reciting the text Chanting the Names of Manjushri has unbelievable, unbelievable benefits. It helps you to develop wisdom, to be able to understand the teachings and to not forget them.

By reciting the Golden Light Sutra there is no returning from enlightenment. Your life always goes toward enlightenment, there is incredible purification and great success, and it helps you bring so much peace and happiness in the world.

One week recite the Golden Light Sutra and then the next week recite Chanting the Names of Manjushri, so recite like that. You can read more than that but recite each one at least once in alternate weeks. Please make sure to motivation with bodhicitta before beginning and dedicate well afterwards.

TO GAIN EFFORTFUL LAMRIM EXPERIENCE, MEDITATE ON:

For you the main lamrim to focus on is Manjushri’s Words, [The Sacred Words of Manjushri] by the fifth Dalai Lama. This is the main lamrim for you. Of course, you can read other texts like Liberation in the Palm of your Hand, but the main lamrim for you to know is Manjushri’s Words, so please read this three times from beginning to end. Read it mindfully. When you read mindfully, it becomes meditation.

Write down any questions, whatever you don’t understand, and discuss with students who have studied the lamrim well, or ask a geshe.

The jangchub lamrim teachings [by His Holiness the Dalai Lama] are not yet published, but they will be coming out. If you are around a geshe you can request these teachings, until the translation is completed.

In the meantime use Liberation in the Palm of your Hand, and when you do the meditations, use Essential Nectar as a guide book, unless you get teachings from a geshe on Manjushri’s Words. That is different.

Meditate according to the lamrim outline:

• Correctly following the virtuous friend: seven months
• The graduated path of the lower capable being: three months
• The graduated path of the intermediate capable being: three months
• The graduated path of the highest capable being:
     - Bodhicitta: three months
     - Emptiness: four months

Go through this cycle four times, spending this amount of months on each subject, and then do effortless meditation.

Your main deity is either Vajrayogini and Most Secret Hayagriva. From these two, whichever deity you feel closest to, that is your main deity. Vajrayogini doesn’t have many arms and also the mandala is quite simple. Most Secret Hayagriva is very powerful for dispelling obstacles and for success, to benefit other sentient beings.

The reason you take Highest Yoga Tantra initiations and do these practices is because this is the quickest way to achieve enlightenment in this life for yourself, and then to be able to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to enlightenment quickest.