My very dear Anna,
Thank you very much for your kind letter, I was very happy to receive it and read your news. Please find attached my advice for your practice, what you should focus on for your life.

It is very important to meditate every day on the lamrim, this is very important. Also recite one lamrim prayer, such as The Foundation of all Good Qualities, The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, etc, every day, reading the prayer slowly to go over the meaning.

Lamrim is what you need to actualize, no matter how long it takes, so please put your effort into that. You are probably doing Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga every day. If so, this is excellent; if not, then you can start doing this now. Stop and do the lamrim meditation before the guru absorbs into you. Stop and meditate on whatever section of the lamrim you are up to.

One meditation that you must try to do every day is on guru devotion. If you miss it sometimes, that’s ok, but then just continue. There is no question of time, it is up to you what fits.

Then continue with whatever lamrim topic you are on, doing the meditation every day and going through the subjects slowly. Whatever meditation you did in the morning, continue with that mind during the day, so that your mind is in lamrim all day.

Please try to meditate on the lamrim based on guru yoga like this 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 to enlighten them. That’s the real project, the real goal of one’s life.

So please practice as much as you can. Life is not long; the nature of this life is impermanent and death can happen at any time. This is the foundation of Buddha’s teachings, and this was the last advice Buddha gave, before showing the aspect of passing away.

What makes your life most meaningful is meditation on the lamrim, then living your life with bodhicitta motivation. This is the best.

With much love and prayers...