Various Illnesses

Various Illnesses

Practices for Child with Cystic Fibrosis
Date of Advice:
July 2018
Date Posted:
August 2023

A thirteen-year-old student wrote that she would like to become a nun when she turned eighteen. She had cystic fibrosis and prayed every day. She asked Rinpoche what else she could do.

My most dear, most kind, most precious wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you very much for your kind letter, I was very happy to receive it. I am sorry it took so long to reply to you.

According to my observation it’s very good if you take the Tibetan medicine called gurchung. Take one pill a day for five days. You should also drink blessed mantra water. I will bless the water and send it to you.

You should do the Vajrapani Hayagriva Garuda practice [Meditation and Recitation of the Threefold Wrathful One], which means to recite the mantra and do meditation. You cannot arise as the deity, but do all the meditations with the deity above your head, etc.

If you still want to become a nun, then plan to do it when you are twenty years old.

The other practice that is very good for you is to visualize the refuge merit field and then with Shakyamuni Buddha visualization, recite Shakyamuni Buddha’s holy name and mantra. If you can, do three malas every day of Shakyamuni Buddha’s holy name and mantra.

Another practice to do every day is the daily motivation, How to Make My Lives Wish-Fulfilling: The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness. This also has the blessing of the speech and daily mantras.

It is very important to meditate on the lamrim every day. This is very important. You could also recite one lamrim prayer every day. Read it slowly, going over the meaning. Lamrim is what you need to actualize, no matter how long it takes. Please put your effort there.

Please try to meditate on the lamrim based on guru yoga and on this basis you will get all the realizations and the most success in your life. It is important to try to achieve all the realizations in order to actualize enlightenment. This is in order to liberate numberless sentient beings and enlighten them. That’s the real project, the real goal of our life.

You need to have the Guhyasamaja root text recited for you five times. It isn’t translated yet; we only have it in Tibetan phonetics.

Recite the Vajra Cutter Sutra seven times.

What makes your life most meaningful is meditation on the lamrim, and to live your life with bodhicitta motivation. This is the best.

With much love and prayers ...

Crohn’s Disease
Date of Advice:
July 2016
Date Posted:
May 2023

Rinpoche advised the Thirty-five Buddhas and other practices for a student with Crohn’s Disease. The symptoms included inflammation of the small intestine, chronic pain, low-grade fevers, skin rashes, fatigue, etc. The student also felt stressed, had episodes of rage, was unable to feel pleasure and had a general feeling of being "poisoned."

My most dear, most kind, most precious wish-fulfilling one,

Thank you for your emails. I am very sorry it took so long to reply.

Regarding practice, reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas [Confession of a Bodhisattva's Downfalls to the Thirty-Five Buddhas], even if you do just a few prostrations correctly, it collects the most unbelievable merits.

If you can't do the actual prostrations— even just a few— then you can do them with your two hands in the mudra of prostration and visualize numberless bodies, as tall as mountains covering the whole ground, while doing prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas or to Lama Chopa merit field, which has the Thirty-five Buddhas there. The essence is the guru, so if you have received teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, then you can think that all the buddhas are manifestations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Recite the prayer, the names, and physically put your hands in the mudra of prostrations. If you have received a great initiation then you can visualize yourself as Thousand-arm Chenrezig, the size of a mountain, filling all the four corners [four directions], covering all the ground as you lie down and stand up. As much as you can, visualize that. Lama Tsongkhapa said in the Lamrim Chenmo that it collects the same amount of merit as if you actually had that many bodies doing prostrations.

Lama Tsongkhapa did 700,000 prostrations by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddha and then he received realizations so easily, like rainfall. So many of the lineage lamas of the lamrim and Lama Tsongkhapa regarded this practice as extremely special, so powerful, to recite the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas and to prostrate. So anyway at least you should be reciting the names, with your hands in the mudra of prostrations and visualizing. At least do that, and if you can do a few actual prostrations that is very good, if possible.

But you are not only reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names; you can also visualize nectar coming from them, white nectar purifying yourself and all sentient beings. This is very good.

Regarding your health, I checked and there needs to be a puja done, called jung shi torma [torma of the four elements]. I will do this for you. It needs to be done at least three times, so I will do this for you.

You also need to have the whole Kangyur recited and dedicated for you. This comes out best to be done at Kopan Monastery. You could email them and get the cost, as offerings are made to all the monks who do the recitation. If you can't afford this, then it could be combined with someone else who needs the same recitation. You can email back and Holly can let you know when someone else needs this, so that you could join in with them. [Just to let you know this doesn't come out often, so it could take some time until it comes up again for someone else. – Holly] If you don’t have enough money to sponsor this by yourself, then when others need the Kangyur read, you can combine with them, so all the monks should think of your name when reading and then you can give some donation toward the recitation. [This would probably need to be discussed with the other person who is sponsoring it.]

One monk needs to read the Sutra for Entering the City of Vaishali five times for you. 

This is my advice at this time. Please try it.

With much love and prayers ...

Weakened Immune System
Date of Advice:
May 2016
Date Posted:
March 2023

Rinpoche gave this advice to a student who wrote about a lack of energy and weakened immune system.

Rinpoche checked and said these things important to do: 

  • Ling Gesar and Gyaltsen Tsemö Pung Gyen prayer flags: Put these up in a high place, like on a mountain. 


 

Lupus and Fibromyalgia
Date of Advice:
January 2019
Date Posted:
September 2022

A student had been diagnosed with lupus and advanced fibromyalgia. The medication was very strong, affecting many inner organs, the nervous system and general health. Rinpoche checked and advised the following.

Take one ratna samphel precious pill, have three days’ break and then take another ratna samphel. Take four pills like this, with three days between each pill. Take the pill before breakfast and do not expose it to the light.

Take rinchen mangjor precious pill in the same way. Take four pills in total, with a three-day break between each pill. Do not take them on the same day.

Recite half a mala of the following mantra every day:

OM HRIYADHE SARWA TATHAGATA HRIDAYA GARBHE / DZOLA DHARMADHATU GARBHE / SANG HARANA AYUH SANGSHODHAYA / PAPAM SARWA TATHAGATA SAMENDRA USHNIKHA BIMALE BISHUDDHE SWAHA

You can find this mantra in The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment).

Also recite one mala each day of the Celestial Mansion Extremely Secret Sublime Success mantra.

Recite the mantras with bodhicitta, so they're not just for your healing but for all sentient beings.

Read my advice and commentary in Practicing the Five Powers Near the Time of Death. Even if you live for one hundred years, you need to do this.

[Find links to these practices in the FPMT Catalogue.]

Pujas for Kidney Cysts and Other Health Issues
Date of Advice:
September 2013
Date Posted:
April 2022

A student had kidney cysts, high cholesterol and high blood sugar level. Rinpoche gave this advice.

My very dear one,

Thank you for your kind email. You can request Geshe-la to do Luzong puja and Gegtor puja for you. I am also making prayers for you.

With much love and prayers ...

Copper Toxicity
Date of Advice:
January 2014
Date Posted:
December 2021

A student had a genetic disorder which had depleted their zinc and vitamin B levels and resulted in copper toxicity. It was triggered by stress and the symptoms could worsen and become completely debilitating, both mentally and physically.

My most dear, most kind, precious, wish-fulfilling one,

I am sorry for the long delay in replying to your email. I checked and this is what came out:

  • Ratna samphel, a Tibetan medicine: Take one in the morning every six days (a total of six pills).
  • Mani rilbus precious pills: Take five every day for five months.
  • Gyab shi and mamo trü kang pujas: three times.
  • Heruka Body Mandala incense puja: Rinpoche did this today for you at Kopan.
  • Vajra Cutter Sutra: Rinpoche will recite this five times for you.

With much love and prayers ...

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