A student had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer. Rinpoche did prayers for the student, specifically on the day of their operation, and recited Dukkar (Skt: Sitatapatra; White Umbrella deity) many times. Rinpoche also checked and gave the following advice.
Rinpoche gave this advice to a student whose father had prostate cancer.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
As well as Medicine Buddha puja, also liberate one hundred animals. They can be insects that would otherwise be killed, for example, eaten by another. So liberate about one hundred animals for his long life according to my advice on how to do animal liberation. This includes going around holy objects, sprinkling blessed water on the animals and so forth.
I will read the Diamond Cutter Sutra for your father and also do a puja called chag sum.
The puja she nyin dü dog needs to be done by Samtenling, the Gelugpa monastery near Boudha Stupa.
The best puja for your father to recite is this:
By my experiencing this sickness or cancer, may all sentient beings be totally free right now from disease, spirit harm, negative karma and defilements.
Your father should keep on reciting like that, just as Tibetan people recite OM MANI PADME HUM, like on a mala. That is the best practice, the best purification, the most powerful way to collect merit and the quick way to achieve enlightenment.
With much love and prayers ...
Rinpoche recommended Tibetan medicine for a student with lung cancer.
Rinpoche got your message and said you should take:
This was Rinpoche's advice. Rinpoche said the advice he sent previously on tonglen is most important.
A student’s father had liver cancer and cirrhosis. Rinpoche checked extensively and gave this advice.
Read the Diamond Cutter Sutra: Share among the family, and read the sutra one hundred times in total
Chanting the Names of Manjushri (Tib: Phag pa jam päl gyi tshän yang dag par jö pa): To be read by the monks at Chabri Khangtsen and Tsawa Khangtsen at Sera Je Monastery in south India. This prayer should be recited 6,000 times in total, so it needs to be divided between these two khangtsens.
He should take five jüng nga pills for three days. These can be posted to you from Aptos and then if you can, arrange to get them to your father.
Lu zong puja: four times.
Rinpoche advised these pujas and practices for a student who was suffering from colon cancer.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I checked and Amitayus Long Life Sutra (tse do) needs to be recited for him by Chabri khangtsen.
Yes, of course, his life is in danger.
Also he needs to have Hayagriva Tsog Kong [Extensive Most Secret Hayagriva puja] done for him at Sera Je Monastery quite soon. The monks need to know his name and what the problem is and dedicate for him to recover from the disease immediately and to have a meaningful, long and healthy life; to purify all the defilements and negative karma, to never ever get reborn in the lower realms and to be born in the pure land where he can achieve enlightenment.
You must ask the monks to do this; it is very important. Even if you can’t sponsor separately it can do together when I do this puja at the end of the next Tibetan month. It should be done soon. It’s best if it can be sponsored separately, but the monks have to pray well for him.
Also, he should do tonglen as much as possible. He can read my advice on how to do this.
He should also recite three malas of Black Manjushri mantra every day if possible. He can visualize Black Manjushri in front of him emitting beams that heal and purify everything—the disease and spirit harm collected from beginningless rebirths, as well as the negative karma and defilements—for him and for all sentient beings and anyone who has cancer.
Please pass on this advice to him. I have also been making prayers for him.
With much love and prayers
A student with lung cancer wrote to Rinpoche for advice. The prognosis was poor, with a small chance of survival.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you very much your kind letter.
Even if you have a disease of the body, the most important thing is that your mind is OK. That is the most powerful and most important thing. If your mind is OK, that means you are practicing Dharma, it is the sign you are practicing Dharma. If you are not practicing Dharma, then your mind can be more painful than your physical body.
For your health, to help the sickness and for purification, you need to have the Prajnaparamita read—all three versions—the twelve volumes, the three volumes and the shortest is one volume. This needs to be read at Shelkar Monastery, a branch of Sera Mey Monastery in Nepal. This is most important for your healing and purification.
If this is difficult for you, due to the cost of sponsoring the reading, and if you can’t afford it, then you can recite the mantras from the Prajnaparamita. Recite these mantras quite a bit, or recite them every day if you can. But it’s best if you can sponsor the puja, if possible.
You need to recite Guhyasamaja root text. Unfortunately this is not translated yet, but if someone can at least do the phonetics, you could recite that. You need to recite it every day.
You should do the short Medicine Buddha practice every day.
You need to receive the long-life initiation for Buddha Amitayus.
During the long-life initiation, when the lama recites DZA HUM BAM HO this is absorbing Buddha Amitayus, so if this can be done five or ten times for you, then you receive that many number of initiations.
On the Tibetan 8th —you can check when that is—you need to have someone draw a White Tara thangka. The drawing of the body of White Tara has to be completely done in one day. You can check at your center, or outside the center, if there is someone who can draw White Tara on that day. Just roughly finish the body on that day. It also has to be consecrated by a geshe on the same day. That’s the practice. This is to be dedicated for your long life.
You should read my book How to Enjoy Death and my advice on Practicing the Five Powers Near the Time of Death, and practice that.
I am also making prayers for you.
With much love and prayers ...
