Severe Arthritis

Severe Arthritis

Date Posted:
August 2009

A student with very bad arthritis wrote to Rinpoche asking what practices to do to help his condition.

Initial Advice for Long Life and Dispelling Life Obstacles
  1. Take a Long Life Initiation this year.
  2. Have the puja ‘Betraying the Death’ performed – this is a method to promote a long life.
  3. Make 50 long-life tsa-tsas (or ask the nuns in Aptos to make them on your behalf).
  4. Read the Long-life Sutra 100 times.
Advice for Reading the Long-life Sutra

You don’t need to read the evolution part of the sutra every time or the benefits. Read the whole sutra once and then recite the mantras for the subsequent readings. After some time, read the whole sutra again to refresh it in your mind and to rejoice in the benefits of being so fortunate to read it.

When reading visualize that Buddha Amitayus is granting you the mantra and that long life nectar flows from Buddha Amitayus and enters into your crown, purifying your delusions and karma, causes of death, obstacles to life, an untimely death, etc. Visualize your whole body filled with nectar and that you receive a perfect understanding of omniscience, compassion, and immortal realizations.

In your heart visualize a moon disc and Chenrezig or White Tara on the disc. There is a lotus and a BRUM syllable.

Then, visualize all your gurus there and other holy beings who are in this world only to benefit others, and that they all receive the nectar also.

Visualize all the Sangha also, and down below them your family members and all the people who do good things for others. All these also receive nectar. So, this practice is not only done for yourself but for others.

Before practicing, generate the attitude of bodhicitta: that the purpose of your life is to benefit others and that you should benefit all the other numberless sentient beings.

Generate the attitude that you need a long life in order to benefit others, to do service in the teachings of the Buddha.

Advice for Healing
  1. Take one of Geshe Lama Konchog’s Inner Offering pills every day for four months.
  2. Take two of Lama Yeshe’s Hayagriva Pills – break each pill into eight portions, as they are now very rare. Take these with water.
  3. Recite the Vajra Claw Sutra three times every day. Leave out the beginning part and the benefits – recite the mantras and prayers every day until your arthritis is better. Do this for four months. This will be very beneficial for you. Remember, Western medicine cannot see everything e.g spirit harm and karma.
  4. Recite half a mala of Black Garuda mantra for one week. Take the initiation first.

Purification also seems to be important; in particular, recite Vajrasattva mantra.

Advice for Following Your Dharma Path and Not Doing What Your Family Expects

(The student’s family did not know he was a Buddhist)

It’s important to tell your family that you are happy. See that your service is also a preliminary practice.