Prayers and Practices for the Deceased

I read your letter and was very, very happy that you did the Vajrasattva retreat.

Regarding your question about sur practice, it was Geshe Lama Konchog who said that once we start sur then we need to continue.

Geshe Lama Konchog used the example that if we give food to a beggar, then the next day the beggar would expect it again. Once we gave food to them, they would expect it every day. It is logical reasoning. So, you can figure it out from there.

But some people do sur just for 49 days after someone passes, and after 49 days they stop.

Anyway, you can do it as much as possible. Even if you can’t promise to do it every day, please do it as much as you can.

Dear Sangha,

We believed there was real Kunsang and now that real Kunsang is not there, but that's the reality, and like that all the phenomena, yourself, action and object, all phenomena, samsara and nirvana are like that.

Please right now when you get this, please to do the short Medicine Buddha sadhana and Padmasambhava prayer Sampa Lhundrupma (The Prayer to Guru Rinpoche that Spontaneously Fulfills All Wishes).

Dedicated to Ven. Kunsang (Henri Lopez) who has just passed away in India at 11:46 a.m.

Dedicate that he may be immediately born in pure land where he can achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible or to receive at least a perfect human rebirth, meet the Mahayana teachings, meet a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru who reveals the path to enlightenment, and by pleasing the holy mind of the virtuous friend, then by himself to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

With much love and prayers ...

You need to have the Prajnaparamita recited for your mother. If it is not possible for you to sponsor the Prajnaparamita, then please read these mantras from the Kangyur and Prajnaparamita for her. [The mantras were sent to the student.]

If you can sponsor the recitation of the Prajnaparamita, then it should be recited by monks at Sera Je Monastery in India. That means you have to make offerings of tea, bread, etc.

Then recite these eight prayers three times, dedicated for her.

Also recite four malas of the Lotus Pinnacle of Amoghapasha mantra: OM PADMO USHNISHA VIMALE HUM PHAT, dedicated for your mother. Recite a few malas each day until you get a good dream about her.

I tell people that the FPMT organization is here to help. I think it is so fortunate that we, the FPMT, are able to provide help at the time of death, because death is really a most difficult, most hard time. So the benefits provided by the organization to help at that time is so good. It’s very good to do, it helps people in the world very much, and especially students. In the world, especially in Western countries, I don’t think there are other organizations who put together all the ways to help with death, to help people who are dying.

Of course those who have realizations, who have good heart, they don’t go to the lower realms, they have a happy mind, they know where they’re going. But for most people there’s only suffering.

If you are able to help the person dying, not only to save the person from the lower realms, but also to help the rest of the living family, it’s big, it makes them so happy. Wow! Somebody is able to help.

You can do prayers and things, but generally speaking help to the person is another thing. Whether you do help or not is another question. I’m not talking about specific Buddha’s teaching, but I’m talking generally. You know, if somebody can do prayers, if somebody can do this or that, that doesn’t mean it will help.

To help the person dying, the student, it makes the rest of the family so happy, if somebody really can help. To achieve the Buddha’s omniscient mind, there are many teachings, help, from Hinayana, from sutra, from tantra, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, so much to help. What the center can do to help, that also makes people so happy. So it’s good. I often say to help them is very good. When someone dies, [their family] is very sad [and feels such] loss. They don’t know what to do and also especially don’t know what to do about death. So it's very good we can help.

There was a family in Taiwan whose mother died of cancer and so we tried to help, and then all her daughters, her whole family came to see me, and they also wanted to do practice. Before they were not involved, but because we helped their mother they all wanted to practice. This help we gave made them happy, makes them have more faith. So that’s really good. Otherwise, the family doesn’t know what to do, so sad, and then they’re sad for years, very sad life. What to do? It's the nature of samsara.

That our own organization is making tsa-tsas or statues specifically for the person who died, that’s a great, great, great help for their good rebirth, to be free from birth in the lower realms and then to get a higher rebirth or birth in a pure land—so, so, so good.

Thank you.

• Guhyasamaja tsa-tsas: make four of these.
• Heruka tsa-tsas: make ten of these.
• Lama Chöpa tsog: to be performed fifty times, with tea, by the Kopan monks and nuns.
• Tara tsa-tsas: make twenty-one.
• Jang-wa puja: to be performed on the ashes.
• Stupa tsa-tsas: make thirty of these.

Make these for your teacher:

• Five Kadampa stupa tsa tsas
• Four Guru Rinpoche statues, the large size tsa tsas