Various Infections

My very dear, most precious, most kind, most dear, wish-fulfilling one,
Here I have one thing to ask: to build a Naga King statue. This is one of the Thirty-five Buddhas, called the Naga King. If there are a lot of infectious skin diseases in an area, it is often caused by nagas. So building a statue of the Naga King, even a small statue, stops those kinds of diseases.

I checked a few times what to do to stop the Ebola disease and one thing is to build a Naga King statue one and a half stories high in the area where there is Ebola. This came out in my observation as very useful to prevent the disease. I also explained to __ about this.

The Naga King has a white head and the rest of the holy body is blue, and the hands are in a different mudra from Shakyamuni Buddha. Reciting the Naga King mantra is very powerful, and if one recites the mantra 100,000 times it can stop leprosy disease. [The name mantra of the Naga King is Lu wang gyi gyäl po.]

So to prevent Ebola it came out very good for this statue to be built in the area [where there is Ebola]. I don’t mean directly in the exact area, just in the general area, if you are able to find suitable land. If there is a place, then it would need to be checked first, to see if it is the correct area to have the benefit.

What do you think? I am sure people there wouldn’t want to sponsor the statue. I am sure they would have no understanding why they should build a Buddha statue, it’s so difficult, but maybe you can get help from Chinese or Western students.

With much love and prayers...

PS. The statue material could be made in Nepal. [It can be similar to statues Rinpoche has had made in Kopan. Rinpoche can give example.] Before going to that level, the first thing would be to know if a statue can be built in the area where the Ebola is spreading. If it’s not possible to build the statue there, then no need to take it further. One way would be to see if you can somehow contact the leaders of the area and see if land can be given for a statue to be built. If they are wise, they will do anything to stop Ebola, but it depends on their mind and how open they are.

Build a one-storey or 1½ to two-storey statue of the Naga King (from the Thirty-five Buddhas, this is the buddha with a white head and blue body) in the country where the outbreak is happening. Then any sickness caused by nagas doesn’t cause harm, and it can help to stop the disease.

It is good to do the practice of Vajra Armor. 

My very dear Loretta,
Thank you very much for your kind letter and offering.

The first thing you should do is think that all your sicknesses are the result of past negative karma. Accept this as purification and then it is also healing. Think that the sickness is also bringing inner peace and on top of that incredible joy. When you take all the suffering on or when you experience the sickness you have for others, with strong compassion, then it can bring incredible happiness.

Sometimes, also perform Medicine Buddha puja. If you can, practice the middle-length version.

It comes out best for you to practice Vajrapani/Hayagriva/Garuda and also to practice Secret Vajrapani for the Lyme Disease.

If a lama is giving either of these two initiations, you can take them. Usually they don’t have a sadhana commitment, unless the particular lama is giving that.

Secret Vajrapani came out best for you to do for healing the Lyme Disease. It is good if you don’t just recite the mantra but also do the visualization purifying all your sickness, disease, spirit harm, and negative karma, with a strong meditation.

After you receive the initiation, then you can visualize yourself as the deity. The ten direction buddhas, who are the deity, emit beams of nectar, which absorb into your heart. Nectar emits from that, illuminating you and purifying the four things (sickness, disease, spirit harm, and negative karma). Then, you receive all the realizations up to enlightenment.

Recite the long mantra 21 times or more, then the short mantra as much as you can. After each mala generate strong faith that everything is purified. Before you finish the 21 recitations, think that you are purifying other sentient beings. Beams emit from you, the deity’s heart, and they all achieve enlightenment through you.

As far as your practice, you are a very sincere and wonderful person that you are able to do all this practice. However, if you have difficulties continuing to do all the practices, then do most of what you can in the morning and the rest in the evening before you go to bed, or anytime in the night.

My suggestion, first, is that everyone should recite OM MANI PADME HUM to develop bodhicitta in order to enlighten all sentient beings. Also, everyone should recite Medicine Buddha mantra for success and to purify.

These two mantras are fundamental to practice every day. After that, perform any other commitments you have been given by other lamas. If you don’t have commitments for the other practices that you do, then just do them when you have time and are able, but the main thing is to do the practices that you have a commitment to do, try as much as possible, and if you miss them then continue the next day.

I recommend you put all your effort into what the lama has given you or advised you to do. The practices usually have long, middle, and short sadhanas, so for the deities you can do the short sadhana, except for the deity with which you have strongest connection with. For that one, it is good if you are able to do the long sadhana. In each sadhana the main thing is to focus on the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya meditations. These are the three practices you should focus on. According to His Holiness Serkong Rinpoche, you should do more practice and perform the longer sadhana of whichever deity is your main deity. If you don’t have much time, you can practice the other deities quickly, but in each sadhana focus on the three kayas.

It is important to remember death each day, that life is short, even though you are doing practices and pujas and taking medication for your sicknesses to prolong your life. In your mind you should use the sickness in the path to enlightenment, not just in the path to happiness. This is caused by experiencing all sicknesses for the benefit of all sentient beings, or on behalf of all sentient beings.

With much love and prayers...

Dear one,
My advice is as follows:

1. Recite two malas a day of the Secret Vajrapani mantra.
2. Recite the Vajra Armor mantra. [Find the practice in the FPMT Catalogue.]
3. Make offerings to the Buddha and the ten pandits.
4. Take the "eating mantra for healing" three times a day for eight weeks.
5. Wear protective seeds.
6. Take three mani pills a day.

Please do this practice for your tuberculosis. Recite the following Black Manjushri mantra:

OM TA SOD CHU SOD TUR TA SOD TUR MI SOD NGING GO LA CHOD KHA LA TSA AM TAM BAD PHET SOHA SARWA JORA LOCA DURA BUDDHANAM KOPATARE SHIN TING KURU SOHA

Recite this, follow this sound, and if you have devotion there will be great benefit. Black Manjushri mantra is highly beneficial for healing ulcers, tuberculosis, and so forth. Generate a bodhicitta motivation by thinking:

"I have received all my happiness from countless transmigratory beings, who have been my father and mother numberless times, and have been extremely kind numberless times. I must lead them to enlightenment, and therefore I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore, I am going to recite this mantra to benefit the transmigratory sentient beings who are devoid of happiness and who are tormented by suffering.”

Then, thinking in this way, recite the mantra.

Visualize Black Manjushri and calm, clear nectar being emitted and purifying your negativities and all disease, negative karma, and defilements, and then generate strong faith that when you stop reciting the mantra you have received all Manjushri’s qualities within you.