Caring for the Dying

My most dear, most beloved Mary,
I hope you are well. Among the practices you have been doing for your father, Medicine Buddha seems to be of most benefit. [See the FPMT Shop for this practice booklet.] Generally, for any difficulty, you can do the middle-length or short Medicine Buddha practice, where you visualize the seven Medicine Buddhas above your head or the other person's head and purify the person. You should visualize the Medicine Buddhas on your father's head and recite each Medicine Buddha’s name.

The best thing, to make his life meaningful and for him to have a long life, is to chant the names in his ear. But even if he were to recover, if there was no change in his mind and he continuously created negative karma, he would live his life continuously creating the cause to be reborn in the lower realms. Also, you can chant Maitreya Buddha's mantra so that he can hear it and Medicine Buddha's mantra. Chant or sing them nicely in front of him. It would be good to recite the Heart Sutra or lamrim prayers, to leave a positive imprint on his mind, so that in the near future he can meet and practice Dharma, actualize the path, and achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible. When reciting the Medicine Buddha mantra, think that it will bring him rebirth in a pure land or a perfect human rebirth in which he can meet a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru and Mahayana teachings and quickly achieve enlightenment.

So, please perform Medicine Buddha puja for him. The Gyuto monks can do it for you, or you can ask the people at Land of Medicine Buddha, who perform the practice every morning, or at Nalanda Monastery. Ask them to read his name at the beginning as well as at the end of the practice, so that the people can dedicate it to him while they are doing the practice. Or, you could also arrange for a large puja to be performed at Kopan Monastery, Sera Me Monastery (where they generally perform the practice), or Sera Je Monastery. Having the puja performed at those large monasteries would collect much more merit. Or you can perform the puja with the Sangha at the house in Aptos. My way of performing Medicine Buddha puja would be to include making extensive offerings.

Dedicate all the merits to your father getting well and meeting and actualizing the Dharma, or if it is better, to pass away quickly and be born in a pure land.

With love bigger than the Dharamsala hills and a very small prayer...