Various Infections

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling gems,
The government wants those who come back from the West, from outside the country, to stay at hotels and monasteries, and wants to check how many rooms you have.

I think it is a good opportunity to serve sentient beings, the mother sentient beings, the kind mothers, who have been kind to us since beginningless rebirths. Not only that, from beginningless rebirths we have received every single happiness from every hell being, every preta, every animal, every human being, every sura being and every asura being. We receive all our past, present and future happiness, temporary and ultimate happiness, up to the peerless happiness of enlightenment, from them. We receive that future happiness from every sentient being who comes here to stay. Of course, (and this is extra), Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, who we take refuge in, come from sentient beings. So, they are most precious, most dear, most kind and wish-fulfilling for us.

It is said by the great Shantideva of Nalanda in the Bodhicaryavatara [Ch. 1, v. 112], “The sentient beings and the victorious ones, the buddhas, are similar because we can accomplish Buddhadharma from them.” As it comes from the kindness of the buddhas, in exactly the same way, it comes from sentient beings. And as I mentioned before, the Buddha comes from sentient beings. As we respect the Buddha, why not the sentient beings who have been most kind and wish-fulfilling to us? This time we have the opportunity to serve them.

Here is just one example. When we are born to a bird, however many eggs are laid, every day that bird looks for worms and insects, and even if they are not completely dead, she feeds them to her chicks. She feeds her chicks so many times each day. If the mother bird kills one worm or insect, then, by killing that one, for five hundred lifetimes the mother bird will get killed five hundred times. This is besides the karmic result of rebirth in a suffering realm. And even when it is reborn as a human being and receives a human body, there will be so much suffering. The results of that action are unbelievable, just from killing one worm. From that example, we can understand that since the mother bird kills so many worms and other forms of life for us, it is unbelievable karma. And it is not just experienced for one day, but for an unbelievable number of lifetimes.

Also, other sentient beings have been our mother numberless times in numberless life forms. Wow, wow, so many sentient beings have been our mother. Even just as a human being, they had so much suffering and created so much negative karma, like rainfall, to look after us. They suffered from beginningless rebirths and also in the future. They experience unbelievable suffering for us.

Normally we should think this way, and also in this coronavirus situation. As I mentioned before, it is good to recite Vajra Armor mantra and the long-life Buddha’s mantra. And besides that, His Holiness advised us to recite Tara’s mantra and, by doing so, we receive the blessings of His Holiness. It is also good to recite Thangtong Gyalpo’s prayer for blessings against disease, [The Vajra Speech of Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo: The Blessed Prayer Known as “Liberating Sakya from Disease”] with refuge and to recite OM MANI PADME HUM for all sentient beings, and also Thangtong Gyalpo’s prayer to stop famine [The Speech of Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo: A Request to Pacify the Fear of Famine.] You should also follow the other advices that have been given.

Do your best at the beginning to protect yourselves from the virus, but if you do get it, think, “If something can be fixed, what is the benefit of disliking it?” That means fixing it. “If you can’t fix it, what need is there to dislike it?” There is no need and no benefit in doing that, which means you should accept it. [See Bodhicaryavatara, Ch. 6, v. 10.]

Here, since we have been born under the control of karma and delusions, we are in samsara. If we are able to actualize true paths and true cessations—to realize emptiness and the cessation of suffering and achieve the state of an arya bodhisattva, in which there is no old age, sickness, and death—everything will be OK. If we can’t achieve that, we have to die. We can’t live in this world without going through death. There is no one in this world who won’t die. In our world even Buddha showed the aspect of passing away. Since even aryas don’t have to die, of course, Buddha didn’t have to die, but he showed us this aspect in order to show us the need to practice and how to practice in order to become enlightened.

Therefore, rather than experiencing death with anger and big delusions and then being reborn in the lower realms for eons and eons, which can happen, the best thing is to die for the numberless sentient beings, for every sentient being. So, take all the sentient beings’ viruses, sicknesses, defilements, negative karmas, obscurations, the suffering of death and its cause, negative karma and defilements, all those collected from beginningless rebirths, into your heart and destroy the enemy, the self-cherishing thought and grasping at the I as real, and let sentient beings become enlightened. So, you should do that.

To die for sentient beings is the best death. His Holiness says that dying for sentient beings is the best death. Only dying of the virus and not dying otherwise is foolish thinking; you are deceiving yourself. Dying with full awareness and thinking in the most positive way is the happiest death. We collect skies of merit every time we do this and it is the quickest way to achieve enlightenment. Like a warrior who runs toward the bullets however many guns there are, we are a warrior of bodhicitta, which destroys the self-cherishing thought, our enemy. This is the quickest way for us to achieve enlightenment, so we can quickly free all sentient beings from suffering and bring them to enlightenment.

So, letting go of I and cherishing others is an unbelievably fortunate practice. By letting go of the I, all happiness comes. By cherishing others, however much we have to suffer, however much pain we experience for sentient beings, it becomes the quickest way to free sentient beings from samsara and bring them to enlightenment.

Thank you very much. So here you can enjoy the virus, since you are going to use it in the best way.

With much love and prayers ...

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I don’t know if students are doing this: I told Chinese students in Mainland China that they must do Vajra Armor to not get the disease, coronavirus (COVID-19). If they get the disease, by doing this practice they will recover, otherwise they may die.

Many people became great healers by reciting the Vajra Armor mantra in the past. There is one lama who helped an American monk’s father, a long time ago, before we got the land for Maitreya Institute in Bodhgaya. The monk’s father had cancer and I think this lama did some puja for him and maybe he recovered. So this lama became famous as a healer after doing that, and he healed other people too.

When this lama, who was known as a great healer, went to Holland, there was Drepung Loseling geshe at our FPMT center there, who asked him what mantras he used to heal people. The lama said White Tara, but he didn’t mention exactly the mantra. Then the geshe asked him for White Tara initiation, which that lama then gave him. Later in my room in Bodhgaya, the lama told me that actually the main mantra that he uses is Vajra Armor.

There are many healers at Sera Monastery. I met one man who was the father of Lama Pasang’s disciple. He became a great healer and he healed many people. I don’t know who he is. It seems he didn’t know much Dharma and lamrim, but he became a great healer by reciting this mantra. This is what I have come to know, that there are many healers who use this mantra.

If you recite one mala of the Vajra Armor mantra a day it is so powerful to heal people, besides giving protection.

hum vajra phat / OM PÄDMA SHAWA RI PHAT / NÄN PAR SHIG / NAGA NÄN / TAD YA THA / SARVA BI RI TA / HANA HANA / VAJRE NA rAKSHA RAKSHA SVAHA

The other practice is a prayer by the great yogi Thangtong Gyalpo. In the past there was this contagious disease that happened amongst the Sakya [practitioners] and many people died, so he wrote The Vajra Speech of Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo: The Blessed Prayer Known as “Liberating Sakya from Disease” and then all the Sakyas were healed from the disease. This amazing miracle happened. This prayer is good for oneself and also for China and other countries to not get diseases such as coronavirus, and to be healed if you have it. So this is good to recite to help, including for oneself.

The other practice is Black Manjushri but its OK if you mainly do these two things—Vajra Armor and The Prayer Liberating Sakya from Disease—unless you are doing Black Manjushri normally. It is very important to do these two practices, otherwise just reading this or just reading that, you are not doing much specifically for this disease.

Please tell the students at the centers, before they get too much suffering, before the disease comes to the centers and spreads to the centers. Please make an announcement. Tell the students, however you make announcements. Thank you very much.

If you get this disease, don’t worry. Anyway, without the disease we can die at any time. There are so many conditions and we can die at any time, even without the disease. Now with the disease, people come to know that we can die any time, just suddenly. This is what people who don’t know, who don’t think, who haven’t met the lamrim, who haven’t met Dharma, are afraid of. But as we are Dharma practitioners, we know about impermanence and death. We know we can die at any time—any day, any hour, any minute, any second. So, we have to think like that.

The essential idea is bodhicitta practice. If you get the disease, experience it on behalf of all sentient beings. Do tonglen, so then you die with tonglen, you die with bodhicitta. His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that this is the best way to die, with bodhicitta. So you die with tonglen, taking all the sufferings and their causes into your heart and destroying your mara, the self-cherishing thought, the ignorance holding the I.

Or at least you can recite this prayer by Choje Gotsangpa. He was a great Kagyu lama who didn’t like having a monastery or center or any group. He didn’t like that and he didn’t have that, so he went to other monasteries and groups of people; he went there but he never made a center or monastery himself. Anyway, he said:

By my experiencing this [disease]
May all sentient beings be free from disease and spirit harm,
May they be free from these conditions and their cause, created from beginningless rebirths—the negative karma and defilements.
May all beings be free from that and be totally pacified, and may they achieve enlightenment.

Recite this verse as if you are reciting OM MANI PADME HUM. Recite this verse in the same way you recite a mantra, reciting it as much as you can—for example, while you are walking—in the same way that Tibetans recite OM MANI PADME HUM. Probably Western people only recite mantras when they are sitting down, but Tibetan people recite them while walking or shopping. So you can recite prayers like that.

So do the meditation and the prayer that I just mentioned with bodhicitta, and make the best use of your death to achieve enlightenment quickly for sentient beings, so that sentient beings may achieve enlightenment quickly. You turn poison into medicine, into nectar, like that.

Thank you very much.

With much love and prayers ...

Rinpoche advised a Most Secret Hayagriva wrathful fire puja, to be done at Sera Je Monastery, India.

Individual students can do the following mantra recitation practice:

As a motivation before reciting the two mantras, Rinpoche said it’s best if people can do The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment), which is the daily motivation Rinpoche has put together. That is best. But if that is too much, then do the lamrim motivation, which is the beginning part of The Method up to the “Blessing the Speech” section. So at least do that part as a motivation before reciting the mantras.

1. Vajra Armor

Recite Vajra Armor mantra, which is a famous mantra for healing. You can do the entire Vajra Armor Protection Wheel if you want. Otherwise, just recite the mantra:

hum vajra phat / OM PÄDMA SHAWA RI PHAT / NÄN PAR SHIG / NAGA NÄN / TAD YA THA / SARVA BI RI TA / HANA HANA / VAJRE NA RAKSHA RAKSHA SVAHA

After you finish reciting the mantra, hold your hand in front of your mouth and blow the air up, so it goes into your nostrils.

2. Black Manjushri

Also recite Black Manjushri mantra. The Meditation-Recitation of Black Manjushri is also good to do if you want. Otherwise, just recite the mantra:

OM TRA SO / CHHU SO / DUR TA SO / DUR MI SO / NYING GO LA CHHO / KHA LA JAH KAM SHAM TRAM / BÄ PHAT SVAHA

Then at the end, do dedication prayers:

JANG CHHUB SEM CHHOG RIN PO CHHE
May the precious supreme bodhichitta
MA KYE PA NAM KYE GYUR CHIG
Not yet born arise.
KYE PA NYAM PA ME PA YI
May that arisen not decline,
GONG NÄ GONG DU PHEL WAR SHOG
But increase more and more.

GE WA DI YI NYUR DU DAG
Due to this virtue, may I quickly
LA MA SANG GYÄ DRUB GYUR NÄ
Become a Guru-Buddha,
DRO WA CHIG KYANG MA LÜ PA
And lead all transmigratory beings,
DE YI SA LA GÖ PAR SHOG
Without exception, to that state.

Due to all the merits of the three times collected by me, the numberless buddhas, and the numberless sentient beings, may all wars, sickness, famine, torture, poverty, and economic problems in the world, and all dangers of earth, water, fire, and wind, be pacified immediately, and may perfect peace and happiness prevail in everyone’s hearts and lives. May the Buddhadharma last for a long time, and may the sentient beings in this world meet the Buddhadharma and achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me and all the merits of the three times collected by the numberless buddhas and numberless sentient beings, which are completely empty of existing from their own side, may I, who am completely empty of existing from my own side, achieve the state of full enlightenment, which is completely empty of existing from its own side, and lead all sentient beings, who are completely empty of existing from their own side, to that state, which is completely empty of existing from its own side, by myself alone, who is completely empty of existing from my own side.

Additional advice

Rinpoche subsequently offered this additional advice for protection from coronavirus (COVID-19):

Rinpoche says that in addition to his earlier advice, people should also recite The Vajra Speech of Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo: The Blessed Prayer Known as “Liberating Sakya from Disease”. The prayer comes from the great yogi Thangtong Gyalpo (1385–1464) and is for healing from disease.

While reciting this prayer, students should look at an image of Thangtong Gyalpo. [Click here to view an image of Thangtong Gyalpo from a thangka in Rinpoche’s house.]

Rinpoche added, “the previous mantras are to protect yourself and others, but this prayer from Thangtong Gyalpo is to heal the disease in China and for it not to spread out to other countries. So it is to protect the country. And anyone in the world can recite this prayer.”

My very dear one,
I checked regarding any practices that may help him at this time. According to my observation, these are the practices that came out for your mother to do for him every day—while he is ill and if she would like to.

• Recite the eight goddesses prayer (Verses for the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones), five or six times a day.
• Also recite the White Umbrella deity prayer.
• The Sutra for Entering the City of Vaishali came out best for your mother to recite. She can do this every day or as she wants to.

I wanted to let you know that as soon as I heard about his illness, I recited the Vaishali Sutra five times, dedicated for him.

I just wanted to pass this on, if it’s helpful.

With much love and prayers...

My very dear one,
I am very sorry I fell asleep during my meeting with you.

I checked regarding your main deity to achieve enlightenment quickest in order to enlighten all sentient beings the quickest, and it came out that Cittamani Tara is your main deity. So when possible you can take Cittamani Tara initiation and later do the retreat and study the commentary. David Gonsalez has translated the commentary. I also tried to translate some of it and Ven. Pemo has, but it’s not finished.

Regarding your question about Lama Chöpa, the only way is to get up earlier. Start with The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment), so begin the day with that, also the mantras and blessing speech, etc.

If you are able to get up earlier, then do Lama Chöpa, which is one session of the Six-session Guru Yoga. If you can do that, then you are an incredibly, most lucky person. Already you are a most lucky person, very stable in your practice.

This is what needs to happen for Lyme disease:

• You need Dro mo yul do. This is an extensive puja, with Tara thread mandala, it involves a lot. It came out best for the Gyuto Monastery in Dharamsala to do this.
• Dedicate the puja for yourself to not have any sickness related to Lyme disease, to not be sick, to be healthy and to have a most meaningful life, to have realizations of bodhicitta and quickly to achieve enlightenment. To not be reborn in the lower realms and to quickly achieve enlightenment—for yourself as well as all sentient beings.
• Long-life pills: I’m not sure if anything is left over (tsampa ones) from the Light of the Path retreat.
• Long-life nectar: from the last day of the Light of the Path retreat.
• You need to wear White Umbrella and Most Secret Hayagriva protection. When you wear the protection, take it off when you shower so it doesn’t get wet and don’t wear it in bed otherwise you will lie on it, so that means take it off when you sleep and keep it next to you.
• You should read the Arya Sanghata Sutra six times, not only for you to get better but for all sentient beings to heal disease and for their enlightenment.
• I have some very precious salt that was blessed by Khadro-la in retreat, and the salt changed color. You need to take it four times.
• Mantra water: I will bless water for you to drink.

So this is my advice for now. Please continue to make your life most meaningful with the thought of bodhicitta.

With much love and prayers...

My most dear, most precious, most kind, wish-fulfilling one,
Billions of thanks for your heart practice and services. So now you can explain for those who have Ebola to recite the mantra "Liberating the Body, Speech and Mind from Bondage." [You can find links to the Dharani Extremely Conquering from Bondage in the FPMT Catalogue.]

Those people who are in the countries where there is Ebola can wear the mantra as a protection and also recite the mantra. It is very beneficial to make the mantra public, not only for general things, but especially for Ebola. General means problems, difficulties, being harmed by living beings, not necessarily only human beings. It is OK [doing] urgent work to help others.

My hope is that this mantra can reach those countries that have Ebola, for them to get the mantra. Practice the mantra as medicine. This is also what they need to have a healthy long life, so they can wear the mantra on the neck and also recite it. If they can hear how it benefited you, that would be great.

Thank you very much. If you tell people about your experience of this mantra then that gives trust, even though the mantra comes from Buddha and it is purely for us suffering people in the world, but without discrimination of this and that religion. Instead, practice the mantra as one takes medicine, so wear it on the neck and also recite the mantra.

Please have a meaningful and happy long life.

With much love and prayers ...

Lama Zopa

P.S. It might be OK just to recite the mantra five times every day, but according to your own experience of reciting it 25 times a day, then people can also try that. So this is my advice for people who already have Ebola, but for those who are in a lot of pain it may be difficult to recite the mantra that much.