Bipolar Disorder and Suicidal Thoughts
Rinpoche gave the following advice to a person who was suffering from bipolar disorder and felt suicidal as a result. The student also suffered from chronic back pain.
You should read the Golden Light Sutra every day, however much you can. This is the most precious teaching of the Buddha. As long as this is in the world, we have the teachings of the Buddha. When this is no longer in the world, then the teachings of the Buddha don’t exist in this world.
Reading this purifies all the negative karmas. It causes only good rebirths in future lives. By reading this your life moves only towards enlightenment, not returning to samsara.
You need a blessing protection called ka.go performed for you by a good practitioner. It needs to be done with you present.
You also need a puja called gyab-shi to be performed. I will read this special text by the Buddha to protect from danger of death, sickness, degeneration, and so forth. Five times at least.
It came out most beneficial for you to listen to the Sutra for Entering the City of Vaishali,* for helping with the pain. You must listen to it every time you start to experience pain, unless you want to practice lojong, thought transformation, and utilize it to practice bodhicitta.
The heart of the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha, the Vajra Cutter Sutra, should be read to you nine times.
To achieve enlightenment means to enlighten all suffering sentient beings–this is unbelievable.
[*You can find the audio for this sutra as an MP3 file Recitations for Alleviating Pain. Go to FPMT Catalogue and scroll down to Audio Materials, then click on “Sadhanas, Prayers and Practices.”]