My very dear one,
I hope you are well. I should have written to you before. I am very, very sorry that I didn’t get to write to you to explain what I promised for a long time, even though I did remember from time to time what I promised to send to you.

Regarding the meditation of Chenrezig, the Compassion Buddha, reciting OM MANI PADME HUM is very important. It is one of the most important things in life. Even the mosquitoes, even the leeches, even the ants, since they want happiness and don’t want suffering, even they need to recite OM MANI PADME HUM, but they can’t because they don’t have a human body which would allow them to do so. And they don’t have a human mind therefore they can’t think much or too deeply, as they are animals.

Reciting this mantra purifies negative karmas and obscurations collected from beginningless rebirth and you also collect extensive merits. For example, by reciting OM MANI PADME HUM, each drop of water in the Pacific Ocean can be counted but the benefits of OM MANI PADME HUM cannot be counted. The benefits are numberless and cannot be counted even by the buddhas. The number of dust particles of the earth can be counted, but the benefits of reciting OM MANI PADME HUM cannot be counted. The number of blades of grass on the earth can be counted, but the benefits of OM MANI PADME HUM cannot be counted. Every sand grain of the oceans can be counted, but the benefits of OM MANI PADME HUM cannot be counted.

Especially if you recite OM MANI PADME HUM with bodhicitta, the precious thought of enlightenment, to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to the peerless happiness, the state of omniscient mind, and then for oneself to achieve the peerless happiness, the state of omniscient mind. This is the precious thought called bodhicitta. If you recite OM MANI PADME HUM with that motivation then no question there is far greater merit, unbelievable, most unbelievable. It is so great. If it was materialized the merit would be greater than the sky, even if you recite the mantra only one time with bodhicitta.

You can see that this makes it a quick way to actualize the path to buddhahood, the state of omniscient mind and particular to develop compassion for the numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless suras, numberless asuras and numberless intermediate state beings. Then to generate bodhicitta, to free them from the oceans of samsaric suffering, to free everybody and bring them to the peerless happiness, the total elimination of obscurations and completion of all the realizations.

I gave you a picture of Chenrezig, but please don’t think it’s just a picture. Think it is the actual living Chenrezig, huge as a snow mountain or like Mount Everest. Think it is actually living, the formation of light, not just material but the actual living compassion of numberless buddhas. This is the manifestation of numberless buddhas’ omniscient mind—the perfect understanding and perfect power to be able to do perfect works for all the sentient beings, including you.

I am hoping to soon make a book of Chenrezig meditations with a different Chenrezig prayer to read each day and then recitation of OM MANI PADME HUM. I have a book called Teachings from the Mani Retreat, so read this if you can. 

Meanwhile if you are going to recite only one mala of OM MANI PADME HUM, then visualize Chenrezig out of great compassion sending beams to you, like rays of the sun. When the beams are received by you, your mind becomes unbelievably blissful and peaceful. You experience this, then your body becomes totally white, like the nature of light. You are totally purified of all negative karmas and obscurations collected from beginningless rebirths, and all the sickness and spirit harms of this life are purified. Chenrezig also sends beams to all the sentient beings—numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless suras, numberless asuras and numberless intermediate state beings—from whom you receive all your beginningless past happiness, and all the collections of goodness. You receive all the past, present and future life collections of goodness from them, as well as ultimate happiness, liberation from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. Think that they are totally purified.

Recite OM MANI PADME HUM with the mala I gave you, one-pointedly looking at Chenrezig. Try not to be distracted or to think of anything else during that time, as much as possible.

If you have received the Chenrezig Great Initiation (this is a two-day initiation) then for the first mala mainly think you are purifying yourself. Then you become Chenrezig, the formation of light, having Chenrezig’s holy body with all the qualities, and with the perfect omniscient mind, with perfect power, infinite compassion for sentient beings and perfect power to guide sentient beings. Send light from your heart—from the syllable HRIH and the mantra garland—to numberless sentient beings. They are purified and they all become Chenrezig. While you are doing that, recite OM MANI PADME HUM. For the second mala of mantras you visualize yourself as Chenrezig and all sentient beings as Chenrezig, enlightened.

If you have not received Chenrezig Great Initiation, then you can’t visualize yourself as Chenrezig. Instead mainly think you are purifying yourself and at the same time all sentient beings are purified. For the next mala, you mainly think you are receiving all the qualities of Chenrezig, and at the end sentient beings receive all the qualities of Chenrezig. You can do like that, but if you want to recite more mantras, for example five malas, then for half think you are purifying yourself and sentient beings and then for the next five malas yourself and sentient beings are being purified. The next ten malas think all the qualities of Chenrezig are received by yourself and all sentient beings. Mainly concentrate on sentient beings being purified and then receiving all the qualities. If you haven’t received the great initiation, then do like this.

If you want to think of people who are sick, who have died or who are dying and want to do a prayer for them, then visualize beams emitted from Chenrezig and purifying that person. That helps those people who are sick, dead or dying so much. Also you can think of your loved ones and especially your enemies, the people who hate you.

At the end dedicate like this:

Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, all the three times' merits collected by numberless sentient beings and by numberless buddhas, may bodhicitta, the precious thought of enlightenment, be generated in the heart of the six realm sentient beings—the numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless suras, numberless asuras and numberless intermediate state beings, and especially every living being in this world, including my family and myself, without delaying even a second. May the bodhicitta which has already been generated in myself and others be increased.

Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me, and all the three times' merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, may I become Chenrezig as quickly as possible and bring all the sentient beings into Chenrezig’s peerless happiness, the state of omniscient mind, by myself alone.

Then you can dedicate the merits to not harm others and also for any positive wishes and successes to benefit sentient beings and the teachings of the Buddha.

Thank you very, very much and I hope to see you again.

If you want to hear teachings and practice meditation, then please go to our center in Bangalore. It is very good to participate and join in. They will be very happy. You can contact the director. She is very good, very dedicated to benefitting sentient beings and the teachings of Buddha and dedicated to my wishes being successful.

Thank you very much.

With much love and prayers...

If you have so many practices to do, get a statue of Dorje Khadro, then you don’t have to visualize the deity—you can just look at the statue.

This is a very powerful purification practice and you collect numberless merit. Using a statue, you can do the practice very quickly; it makes it very easy. You don’t have to visualize the deity, so it doesn’t become an effort; it becomes very easy.

The statue can be ordered from Nepal. You can ask the monk you know at Kopan Monastery. You can also do this practice if you are staying in different places.

Note: The Dorje Khadro sadhana and a commentary on the practice by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche are published on the LYWA website. The Preliminary Practice of Dorje Khadro and other practice materails are available from the FPMT Foundation Store.