Cardiovascular Disease
Pujas for Hole in Heart
A student wrote that she had hole in the heart and had lost consciousness. She asked Rinpoche if she should have an operation to fix it and what pujas and practices she should do.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I checked and according to my observation it’s best to have the hole in your heart closed. You need to have some pujas done:
The Prajnaparamita—all three collections of texts, so that means the verses collected in twelve, three and one volumes—should be recited by the Kopan Lama Gyupas. You need to explain well the problems you have and the gekö [disciplinarian] should announce this in the puja so they understand what they need to pray for.
In addition they should pray with the following dedication. You can pass this dedication on to them, saying it is from me.
Dedicate that as she has this perfect human rebirth just one time, may it not to be emptied or wasted and may she have a meaningful long life by generating bodhicitta. May she not harm sentient beings and may she only bring the greatest benefit to sentient beings. May everything that she does become the cause of enlightenment and may everything she experiences—happiness or suffering—be utilized in the path to enlightenment. If she doesn’t become enlightened in this life, may she be born in a pure land where she can be enlightened, or receive a perfect human body, meet the Mahayana teachings, meet a perfectly qualified guru and by only pleasing the guru’s mind, achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.
Ask the monks to make this dedication, as well as the specific prayers for your health.
The extensive Medicine Buddha puja by the Fifth Dalai Lama should be done before you have the operation to close the hole in your heart. This should be done by the monks at Samtenling Monastery, the Gelugpa gompa near Boudha [in Kathmandu, Nepal]. Request them to do this. You should go there and mention the same dedication to them and explain that you have to do this operation. This [puja] is for the operation to be successful and to not have any danger. They should also do the same dedication that I made, as above.
You also need to read Golden Light Sutra four times. It is best if you can read this yourself.
With much love and prayers ...
Puja for Heart Attack
A student had a heart attack and asked Rinpoche for advice on what practices to do.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I checked and you need one puja done: mamo trükang. This puja needs to be done by a geshe.
According to my observation, your life is not in danger at this time.
There is also a short meditation for long life. It isn’t translated yet, but I will translate it. This came out very good for you, to do before sleeping.
With much love and prayers ...
Pulmonary Embolism
This practice advice was sent to a student with a pulmonary embolism (a blockage in one of the arteries in the lungs).
My most dear, most kind, most precious wish-fulfilling one,
I hope you are feeling better or getting better. I did some checking, and this is my advice.
If you can, do Vajrasattva meditation with 200,000 mantras. Do this when you can, along with the four opponent powers etc.
Also do 100,000 prostrations to the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas. If you can’t do the physical prostrations, then do it with your hands in the mudra of prostration. The reality is that every merit field is a manifestation of the root guru.
Visualize [the merit field] as large as you can, imagine it covering the whole earth. Beams are emitted from the merit field purifying all the negative karma committed with the body, speech and mind since beginningless time, and especially the negative karma which has been committed with the guru, as this is the heaviest.
At the end of each mala think that all your negative karmas, which are in the form of darkness within you, are immediately gone, when sunbeams are emitted from the merit field to you. Then you can think that the six-realm sentient beings are purified. This is very important purification.
You also need to liberate fifteen animals. If you are liberating insects, it could be many more. Generally, if you can buy many insects that is good, however, because the number is fifteen that usually means larger animals.
I am planning to buy some land in south India to build a chicken retirement home. I want to liberate them from the commercial chicken farms where they are treated extremely badly and then killed when they are of no use.
Try to read the Sutra of Golden Light little by little and recite the Diamond Cutter Sutra once a week. Make sure to do this with bodhicitta motivation.
With love and prayers ...
Heart Condition and Internal Bleeding
A student had a serious heart condition for many years and now had internal bleeding. The doctors were unsure how to proceed, as treatment to stop the bleeding could weaken the heart and lead to heart failure. If untreated, the heart could also become too weak, leading to death. Rinpoche checked and advised the following.
If possible, go to Bangalore and follow the Tibetan doctor there. Also Ayurvedic medicine comes out best.
In addition, liberate 33 animals from being killed. Do this animal liberation according to my advice. You can read the Liberating Animals book or ask someone who is familiar with animal liberation by reciting mantras and taking them around holy objects, and so forth. This can be done anywhere, even in India or anywhere else.
The puja called mamo trü kung should be done by the Lama Gyupas at Kopan Monastery. They can pray for your sickness, spirit harm, negative karma and obscurations to stop immediately, and for you to have a meaningful life and to generate enlightenment for sentient beings.
Tibetan medicine, jüng nga: take four a day for four days.
The precious pill, rinchen ril nag: take two a day for three days. Take one in the morning and one in the evening.
This is my advice.
Heart Condition
A student with a serious heart condition asked Rinpoche for advice. A medical checkup had shown that the student’s heart was enlarged and the aorta valve was not functioning well, resulting in high blood pressure and some misfires.
According to my mo [divination] it is good if you can do the following:
- Have the monks at Kopan Monastery read the Kangyur.
- Recite, study and meditate on the Heart Sutra. You can use His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s commentaries for this.
- Read Liberating From Bondage of Body Speech and Mind. You need to read this for a while, four weeks or more. [Find links to the Dharani Extremely Conquering from Bondage in the FPMT Catalogue.]
Breathing Difficulties and Cardiac Arrest
A student had experienced three heart stoppages in one month and had been unconscious for some time. He continued to have many health problems and several months later he was admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties. His airway had narrowed and a tube was inserted through his throat. His doctor had advised that an operation was not possible as he could lose his life or his voice.
My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
I am very sorry how long it took to reply, many eons. I checked and this is what needs to be done:
- Medicine Buddha puja: performed five times by the Kopan nuns.
He should practice Medicine Buddha by reciting the eight Medicine Buddha names—the seven Medicine Buddhas and Guru Shakyamuni Buddha—and the Medicine Buddha mantra. This is who he should rely on and practice.
There might be a new Medicine Buddha short practice. In the meantime he can do the mid-length puja or if that is too long then the sadhana is a very short way to do. He should do this as much as he can.
I am also making prayers for him.
With much love and prayers...