My precious Guru, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche,
I hope that Rinpoche receives this letter in good health and that all Rinpoche’s holy desires may be fulfilled immediately. I´m making innumerable offerings, actual and visualized, and pray for Rinpoche’s long and healthy life and for the success of all the FPMT projects.

I'm 25 years old, and a student in Madrid. Since I was small I have felt a strong and clear determination towards the Dharma, and when I heard the word "Buddhism" when I was 10 years old, I said: "I am a Buddhist." It was very clear to me that it was like that.

I remember that when I was 11, I was meditating in my own way, and saw His Holiness the Dalai Lama in my meditations. I felt a very strong attraction towards Tibetan Buddhism. I started to read books about Buddhism, many books by His Holiness, until when I was 17 years old I had the great fortune of discovering the Dharma center in Madrid, through some people I met on holiday. When I came home, I went immediately to the center, took refuge, and took the initiation of thousand-arm Chenrizig, thanks to the kindness of my mother, who paid for all the courses for me (my mother isn’t Buddhist). Since that time I have been going to the center, and when I have time I go to the courses and the teachings by visiting lamas, who with their incredible kindness come here and help us.

I practice at home, but I have never had a correct practice. Until the day that I saw you in Madrid, I had been looking for a guru. Seeing you, all my doubts vanished, I felt many wonderful sensations, and I was very impressed with the profundity of your teachings (though I don’t understand them). I also went to your teachings in Barcelona, and since that day I have been thinking of writing to you.

At this moment I’m doing nyung nä and today it’s Sakadawa. From the space of silence, making sure that my words are coming from my heart, I would like to request the most noble and precious Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche to accept me as his student and to please please guide me in my practice towards enlightenment. Until the end of samsara, I want to offer myself to my precious and kind guru, offer myself to his projects, and would like to work serving my guru. In this way, I can benefit all sentient beings, helping in the center as much as I can, but I also request my precious and glorious guru to please give me advice as to what exactly I should do in the center and within the FPMT.

When I look at my heart, I see there is no single doubt over wanting to serve sentient beings, the Three Precious Jewels, and the most sublime of all the masters, my guru.

I would like to take the fullest advantage of this human rebirth, because I don’t know when I will obtain one again. I would like my life, which now is full of imperfections, to be transformed into a precious jewel, into something which is of value not only for me, but which can serve all sentient beings.

I feel that your precious words inspire me to practice every day, and most of all, to fight against this terrible ego, which I want to destroy. Because of this I bow down to the holy feet of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, because I can’t support my own suffering, nor the suffering of all sentient beings.

I am not a good student, but I have the strong desire to become better, and for this I request Rinpoche’s help. I will tell you a bit about my practice:

• I have taken the thousand-arm Chenrezig initiation and the aspect of Chenrezig which Rinpoche gave the initiation for in Madrid.
• Vaisravana initiation
• Buddha Shakyamuni jenang and Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga
• four lay vows and the Bodhisattva vows. I study the five-year Basic Program correspondence course with a geshe in Barcelona.
• This is the second nyung nä I have done in this life, and I really would like to offer this practice to Rinpoche, for Rinpoche’s long life and good health, and for all Rinpoche’s projects. Please keep turning the wheel of Dharma and please do not leave us.

I'm also requesting Rinpoche to please advise me concerning my health, because I have a strange disease, and the doctors don’t know what it is. My liver at times transforms medicine into poison and toxins, in such a way that when this is happening it produces a very strong bodily reaction, and the doctors say that this could be fatal. They call it organic intolerance, but they don’t know much about it.

I suffered twice from pneumonia in the last two years, and had four operations on my knee. The geshe at my center told me that the problem with my knee was because I had killed people in past lives (how horrible).

Even though I am ignorant, I understand that it is very good to have purification, and I have tried with all my strength to see the sicknesses as something positive, but I don’t know if I should practice something else, because I’m very ignorant. For this reason I would like to request Rinpoche to also consider my health.

My very precious guru, I send you thousands of thanks for your infinite kindness, and I offer all my prayers and all offerings, and the entire universe.

I wish you a very long life, from the bottom of my heart, and that all your projects may be free of obstacles.

With love,
Amparo

Rinpoche replies...
My very dear Anna,

Thanks very much for your kind letter. Sorry for the many eons of delay in replying.

Regarding what practices you should do, you should practice Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga every day, also recite a lamrim prayer, such as the Foundation of All Good Qualities or the Three Principles of the Path (which I recently translated).

Guru yoga and lamrim practice are what direct one’s whole life to enlightenment. By reciting the lamrim prayer every day, each time you recite it you can meditate on the meaning. In this way, it also becomes a lamrim meditation, and each day you plant the seed of the whole path to enlightenment. Each time you recite these prayers it brings you closer to enlightenment, and that means closer to enlightening all sentient beings. So, you can see it has limitless skies of benefit. Along with reciting the prayer, you can also expand it by stopping at certain verses and doing longer lamrim meditations – whichever section you want to meditate on. Then you can go to another lamrim text, such as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, and use that as a basis to meditate more on that section, using quotations and reasonings, and in this way prove it to your mind. This is how one transform's one’s mind into the path. One needs to train one’s mind to go naturally into the subject, so this is why you need reasoning and quotations and to meditate on the subjects again and again, until the realizations are stable.

The guru yoga practice is the most important one in order to receive blessings from the guru, by looking at the guru and proving that the guru is the Buddha. Normally, one’s ordinary mind sees the guru and Buddha as separate. By seeing the guru as Buddha, as having no mistakes at all, through that, devotion arises, and this is how one receives the blessings of the guru in one’s heart and, from that, all the realizations of the path. This is the whole goal – to actualize the path in order to liberate numberless sentient beings from the ocean of samsara’s suffering and to bring them to enlightenment. That is the purpose of our lives, that is the main point.

Regarding your practice, in the morning, if you are able, do prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas.

At night, recite one mala of Vajrasattva mantra, or half a mala, or at least 21 times.

At the end of the day, dedicate using the prayer: King of Prayers.

Also, each day, do some Medicine Buddha practice and Chenrezig practice.

Regarding the prostrations, if you can, read the section on prostrations in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Also, I have given some teachings on prostrations, if you can find some of those and read them.

Before going to bed, recite Vajrasattva mantra, if not one mala, then half a mala, or at least 21 times. Recite it with the four opponent powers. Then, you can go to sleep with a very happy mind, confident that you have purified today's negative karma. Also, heavy negative karma from this life, as well as all one’s past lives, is purified. Then, even if death comes, one has no regrets, because one’s negative karma is purified. So, do a very strong confession practice.

Then, dedicate with the King of Prayers. This is a very extensive dedication practice, dedicating all one’s merit, collected today, in this life, and past lives, as well all the merit collected by all sentient beings, by all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. You dedicate all the merit to all sentient beings. At the end of the prayer it says that you give all the merit you collect by reciting the King of Prayers to all sentient beings. By reciting the King of Prayers you collect 10 times 100,000 merits. Also, you collect all the prayers of all the bodhisattvas numberless times. This is what you dedicate for sentient beings. This practice itself becomes unbelievably powerful purification. If you do this prayer every day, then at the time of death, without any difficulty, you will go to Amitabha’s pure land and it will be impossible to be reborn in the lower realms.

I accept to be your guru. Here are your preliminary practices. Do all these practices, especially, for world peace, happiness, and peace for all sentient beings. Especially dedicate like this when doing Chenrezig practice or reciting “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Dedicate especially to actualizing bodhicitta and generating compassion for all sentient beings.

Recite at least one mala of OM MANI PADME HUM every day, more is better, with meditation. Also, you can chant it while you are working. It may be difficult to recite it while you are eating or drinking unless you are reciting it in your heart. But recite it whatever you are doing, while you are walking, etc. You can visualize Chenrezig Buddha on your crown, with constant beams of nectar being emitted from him, entering your body and mind and purifying you. Also, beams of nectar go to all the sentient beings in the six realms, constantly purifying and liberating them from all sufferings. At the end of your recitation, think that they have become enlightened like Compassionate Buddha Chenrezig. You can also do Chenrezig meditation when you are doing sitting meditation (using an actual sadhana). You can also do it in the car while driving.

Medicine Buddha is another very important practice, very important for success, not just success in your job, but success in attaining the path to enlightenment and enlightening other sentient beings. This practice also helps whatever wishes you have to benefit others. This is a very good one to practice.

So, these practices are very important to do, as much as you can, every day. Then, follow the lamrim outline, doing lamrim meditation. You can also do this while you are working, it doesn't have to be always when you are sitting on your meditation cushion, it can also be when you are lying on the beach; you can still meditate on the lamrim.

One very easy way to do this each day is to read a lamrim text and, during that, meditate on the lamrim, learn the lamrim, and study the lamrim. This is very important in order to have realizations of guru devotion, the three principle aspects of the path, tantra, as well as the two stages, in order to enlighten all sentient beings.

For the rest of day, while you are working, also at break times (from sitting meditation, but not break time from Dharma), then live your life, do everything, as much as possible, with a bodhicitta motivation, living your life for other sentient beings. Also, during the break time from formal meditation practice, remember right view, emptiness, and meditate on dependent arising, as well as guru devotion. Also, depending on which delusion is arising, practice whatever the antidote is to that.

Your main deity with which to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible, so that you can enlighten each and every sentient being as quickly as possible, is:

Cittamani Tara – This is the highest yoga tantra aspect of Tara.

In the meantime, until you receive the initiation, you can recite the 21 Praises to Tara. When you recite, begin with refuge and bodhicitta, the four immeasurables, then at the end of each verse think that Tara absorbs into you and you receive all the qualities of that Tara (such as long life).

If you can, find a commentary on how to do this. There may be one from when I have given the initiation or there may be a book (also, you can ask the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive).

The way to visualize the 21 Taras is like this:

In the center of an ocean is a lotus trunk, with stems. On this is a moon disc. Tara is sitting in the center. Then, around the central Tara is 21 petals, going around. On each petal is a Tara. The first one is red Tara, the controlling one, sitting on the front petal facing the central Tara. The different Taras go clockwise around the petals. After each praise and prostration think that a replica of that Tara absorbs into you. After you have recited it one, two, or three times, then, at the very end, all the Taras absorb into the central Tara, the lotus trunk, stems, moon, etc. all absorb into the central Tara, and then the central Tara absorbs into you. Think that you receive all Tara’s qualities.

When the opportunity comes you can take the Cittamani Tara initiation, then study the whole path, do the retreat, do the practice every day, using the sadhana, and meditate on the practice, the two stages, the generation and the completion stage, which is very secret and most profound.

According to my observation, you have a very strong connection to Tara, so this is who you should rely on your whole life. When you die, you should rely on her completely, as inseparable from your guru. So, Tara is your guru, your best friend, your protector, everything.

Many lamas and great pandits, like Lama Atisha, relied upon and prayed to Tara, and were able to benefit limitless skies of sentient beings by relying on Tara. So many became enlightened by praying to Tara, and so many ordinary people received miracles and guidance from Tara. Also, by relying on Tara you can do healing for other people, as well as other various actions.

In order to receive the Cittamani Tara initiation, you first need to take another initiation of highest yoga tantra, such as Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, Heruka, Kalachakra (taken as initiation), or Hevajra.

Here is a list of preliminary practices for you to do. This is what came out best for you to purify obstacles and negative karma and to create extensive merit to then be able to actualize the path. lamrim is the main body of your practice – this is the actual path to enlightenment. Guru yoga is to receive the blessings and realizations. Then, also, if you can, recite “Om Mani Padme Hum.”

Attached is a practice sheet that has a lot more explanation and detail on how to do these practices.

• 20,000 prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas
• 100,000 refuge
• 40,000 bodhicitta, tonglen, giving and taking. This means taking on the suffering and the causes of suffering of all sentient beings and giving one's happiness and merits to all other sentient beings. If possible, you can do this while reciting OM MANI PADME HUM, to create the virtuous action of speech. But the main thing is to concentrate on generating bodhicitta, collecting virtuous action of speech is just along the way.
• 3,000 mandala offerings
• 100 nyung näs

I am not giving you so many practices, just a little. What came out the most is the nyung näs. You have already done two and know how powerful this practice is. It is a very powerful purification practice and it contains many other preliminary practices. Think that by doing these s this is your best gift to sentient beings, to repay the kindness of all your kind mother sentient beings. There are numberless sentient beings who have such unbearable suffering, have so many problems, including all the beings in this world, all the Spanish people, all the animals, etc. Especially think how all sentient beings are suffering.

You can do 100 straight in a row, or you can do 50 and then have a break, or you can just do some, and then do some more each year, depending on your work. Maybe you can take some holiday and do some. It is best if you can do them over the special Buddha days (Wheel Turning Days). In this way, you collect 100 times the merit. If you can, do them during Losar, the 15 days of miracles. This way, every day, you collect 100 times a million times merit. The other special Buddha days are just for one day, so during the first 15 days of Losar there are so many special days lined up.

Please read the Sutra of Golden Light. If you can, read it once a week until the end of your life; that would be amazing. Over time there will be different versions (as we are able to translate more and check each version). By reciting this you are bringing world peace and happiness to all sentient beings, especially in your country. Also, it brings protection to your country and the whole world. By reading it you are providing protection from enemies, from the country being attacked, also it gives healing to all the people in the country who are sick. There is unbelievable benefit, incredible benefit. You don't have to finish it all in one day. If you can finish it in one week, that would be extremely good. So, if you can read a little each day, then this will fulfill all your wishes.

The prostrations to the 35 Buddhas come out most beneficial for your health. Also, regarding your health, if western medicine becomes poisonous, then it doesn't make sense to take it, unless there is some other reason that you did not mention. What comes out very good for your health is to take Tibetan medicine. I checked and these precious pills came out as very good:

• 11 Rinchen Rigna (this is a black precious pill)
• 3 Rinchen Yu Nying-25

In the first week, take two in one week, then in the next week take one. Then start the Rinchen Rigna pill. Make sure there are three days between taking each pill.

With much love and prayers...