My very dear Nanette,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. It is true we haven’t met for a long time. Yes, I remember that you took care of Lama Yeshe, that you were one of the nurses. Thank you very much for all the help you have given in the past.

There is no problem regarding the sash. You can use it to help others whenever you feel that is useful – that is completely OK.

I am living with my friend diabetes; it has not become very bad. I was going to go to New York to receive His Holiness’s teachings, but then I started receiving unbelievable teachings on the Tantric Grounds and Paths from Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche at Vajrapani Center. People are so amazed by the teachings, their minds are being blown away, and people are enjoying it so much. So, then I changed my plans to stay and complete these teachings and also to receive private teachings and rare oral transmissions from Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche.

Regarding your question on how to make your Vajrayogini practice more in-depth, what you need is guru devotion, renunciation, bodhicitta, and emptiness. The more lamrim you practice, the more profound your Vajrayogini practice will become and through this it becomes the quickest path to enlightenment. It is very important for you to practice Vajrayogini with renunciation, bodhicitta, right view, method, and wisdom.

Also, you should study the various commentaries on Vajrayogini and every day do some meditation on the lamrim and read the lamrim. If you haven’t read Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, that may be easier for you to read. You should study it from the beginning to the end, also Lama Tsongkhapa’s Lamrim Chenmo. Maybe the part on emptiness is too elaborate for you, but you can still read it, even if you don’t understand it. It still leaves very positive imprints on your mind, and sooner or later, from the imprints, you can realize emptiness by eliminating all the defilements and negative imprints. When you achieve enlightenment you will be able to do perfect work for sentient beings.

After you have read these lamrim books, you should start from the beginning again, read a little every day, with mindfulness, and relate it to your own life. In this way, it becomes meditation. Also, you can study the different Vajrayogini commentaries a little every day and practice the meditations.

In case you are not doing this already, you should recite one lamrim prayer every day. If you are not already reciting one, then when you do your six session guru yoga you can insert a lamrim prayer in it, before the guru absorbs into you. If you are doing Lama Tsongkhapa guru yoga, then it has a lamrim prayer in it. Reciting a lamrim prayer every day prepares your mind, planting seeds in your mental continuum to achieve the whole path to enlightenment. Read the lamrim prayers mindfully and relate them to your own life. This is the very very best, this is what makes your life meaningful, and is better than even reciting 100 million “Om Mani Padme Hum’s.” Then, also you should do purification practice in the evening, recite 21 long Vajrasattva mantras, with the four powers, or 28 short mantras. Or you can recite 21 long mantras and the rest short mantras.

Please continue to make your life most beneficial with bodhicitta and wisdom.

With much love and prayers...