My very dear one,
Thank you very much for your comments about the mandala offering. Many high lamas have made comments on this. The main purpose is to create merit, so it’s important that your visualization is good quality and most extensive. Otherwise, there is not much reason to do it. Lama Tsongkhapa explained mandala offerings in the Lamrim Chenmo. The key thing regarding mandala offerings is to visualize clearly and as much as possible. The essence is clear and plenty, to create merit.

All the enjoyments in all the realms is the result. There are two ways to visualize numberless offerings—you can do both. Visualize offerings on every atom (like Samantabhadra) and then from each of those atoms, beams are emitted and carry mandala offerings that fill the sky and become numberless. Everything you visualize should be big, huge!

I heard that one lama takes more than an hour to visualize the mandala. This is a great lama.

When you go to Bodhgaya you see people in the temple offering mandalas, usually lay people, and they don’t even offer the seven heaps. It appears they don’t really know how to do it. I doubt they do the visualization even once! And they have done 100,000 like this. If this is true then it is very sad—not knowing the practice due to ignorance.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama often disputes the explanation of the mandala in the Abhidharma, but I think it has purpose. Western science disputes this model. Tibetan lamas are now discovering different things from being in the western world, for example, that the world is round. I consulted with Geshe Sopa Rinpoche regarding this and Geshe-la said there is an explanation. Of course, according to the Kalachakra the world is round. So, it is different for sentient beings. Near is flat, far is round, so maybe it is not contradictory. One person’s face is beautiful and others see it as ugly, according to their different karma. Noses also can be seen differently according to different cultures.

In the visualization of the pure land there is no suffering and everything is wish-fulfilling. The more you can visualize, the more merit you create.

Sorry, I am rushing this a little as I am at an airport between flights. I hope it makes sense and gives you an idea. I have a little more to say but will write it later.

I do really appreciate all that you are doing. I think translation is very worthwhile, something I want to do very much. Thank you.

I think teaching at Kopan is very good as long as you also see the benefit. I think what you are doing is good.

With much love and prayer...