View and Search Online Advice Book
Below is a listing of advices in the Online Advice Book. They are sorted and grouped by the date posted on our website, with the most recent additions showing first. You can enter a keyword to search for advices containing that term.
Advices posted during the month of June 2006
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Guru Devotion > The Guru/Disciple Relationship
A student who felt extremely devoted to Rinpoche wrote to him requesting him to be his guru.
Meditation and Retreat Advice > Calm Abiding Practice > Calm Abiding (Shi-nä) Practice
Rinpoche gave the following advice to a monk doing a shi-nä retreat at a retreat center.
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Lamrim Study and Practice > Training the Mind in Lamrim
A new student sought advice on which practices to do.
Emptiness > Advice on Emptiness Practice > Emptiness Meditation
A nun doing retreat requested prayers on how to realize emptiness and overcome obstacles in the retreat.
Path to Enlightenment (lamrim) > Guru Devotion > When the Guru Manifests Illness
Rinpoche wrote the following letter to two Tibetan monks who had served as attendants to a geshe. At the time of the letter, they were caring for the geshe after an operation for cancer.
Advices posted during the month of February 2006
Buddhist Practices > Practice Problems > Problems During One's Practice
A student wrote to Rinpoche regarding distractions in his practice. Rinpoche gave the following advice.
Buddhist Practices > Practice Problems > Problems During One's Practice
A woman wrote to Rinpoche saying she experienced intense pain and hardship during a Hayagriva retreat, but still managed to complete the retreat. Rinpoche sent the following reply.
Buddhist Practices > Practice Problems > Problems During One's Practice
A student wrote to Rinpoche confessing that he had not been practicing well over the last few years, now that he was living as a lay person. Previously, he had been a monk for many years.
Buddhist Practices > Practice Problems > Problems During One's Practice
A nun in long-term retreat, who had no money, wrote to Rinpoche wondering whether she should work, and asked whether Milarepa had made a mistake by eating only nettles.
Buddhist Practices > Purification Practices > Practices to Purify Negative Karma
A student wrote to Rinpoche saying that in 1990 Rinpoche’s attendant gave her a stupa, which she kept it on her altar for years. The top of the stupa broke, so she put it with her other Dharma materials that she was going to destroy. The next day...
Sickness and Health > Wind Imbalance / Lung > Wind Imbalance / Lung
A monk who had very severe lung wrote to Rinpoche asking for advice. Rinpoche wrote this card to him.
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Mind Training (lo-jong) > Tonglen: Taking and Giving
A student practicing tonglen wrote to Rinpoche saying she didn’t really understand what it meant to take on others' suffering.
Buddhist Practices > Vows and Commitments > Broken Vows and Commitments
An old student, who was very sick, checked with Rinpoche about fulfilling his commitments. He was attending lamrim teachings every day, but was experiencing head pains, nightmares, and had been admitted to hospital. During the day he could only...
Buddhist Practices > Practice Problems > Problems During One's Practice
A student wrote to Rinpoche about difficulties he was having with his practice. Rinpoche gave the following advice.
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Mind Training (lo-jong) > Tonglen: Taking and Giving
Rinpoche made the following comments on tonglen practice.
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Mind Training (lo-jong) > Tonglen: Taking and Giving
Rinpoche offered this advice concerning the practices of love and compassion.
Advices posted during the month of January 2006
Contemporary Issues > Dharma in Daily Life > Balancing Dharma Work and Worldly Work
A nun wrote to Rinpoche with questions about practice and expressing her concern at not being able to find time to study and do her practice commitments while she was working at a Dharma center.
Contemporary Issues > Dharma in Daily Life > Balancing Dharma Work and Worldly Work
Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student who teaches yoga, encouraging her to include Dharma in the yoga sessions.
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Advice for Sangha > Dealing With Negative Emotions
A nun wrote to Rinpoche saying she was having a hard time because she was very attracted to someone, and asked what she should do. Rinpoche replied as follows.
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Advice for Sangha > Dealing With Negative Emotions
A nun asked about problems with sexual misconduct. Rinpoche gave the following advice.
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Ordination Advice > Bhikshuni Ordination
A Western nun holding getsulma vows asked whether it was a good idea for nuns to aim toward taking bhikshuni, or gelongma, ordination, as it is called in Tibetan. She wanted to know whether it made a big difference for the mind...
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Ordination Advice > Bhikshuni Ordination
A nun requested Rinpoche’s permission to take full bhikshuni vows.
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Ordination Advice > Giving up Vows
A nun who taught at FPMT centers was having difficulties. She said that she was having many doubts, was not keeping her vows purely and felt that her vows were degenerating. When she taught, she felt she had to hide all these things and this made...
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Ordination Advice > Giving up Vows
Rinpoche offered the following advice to a monk who was considering giving up his vows. He had been very dedicated to serving others and working very hard for others. He had been a monk for some years, but recently his mind had become discouraged...
Sangha (Monks and Nuns) > Ordination Advice > Ordination Advice
Rinpoche gave this small note to a student who was taking two big suitcases of tsa-tsas on Rinpoche’s behalf to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She was going to take ordination from His Holiness.
