Completion of a Retreat
Yamantaka Retreat
A student had completed Yamantaka retreat and offered it to Rinpoche, who gave this advice.
My very dear Mia,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. I am very, very happy that you were able to do the Yamantaka retreat. I am also very happy that Ven. Dolma guided you. She has studied the Basic Program at least twice, so it’s very, very good that she guided you. I am sure she can guide and take care of you very well.
I am sure that you did the retreat with a very good motivation, so that it didn’t just become Dharma—if you did it with bodhicitta then it becomes the cause to achieve enlightenment, to benefit all sentient beings, to bring great benefit to sentient beings, to pacify obstacles, to practice Dharma and ultimately to achieve the path to enlightenment.
His Holiness Zong Rinpoche said that the first retreat in our life should be Yamantaka, and then whatever other practices we do, there won’t be obstacles. So Yamantaka retreat has two benefits: 1) to pacify obstacles, and 2) to develop wisdom.
When I did my first Yamantaka retreat at Buxa in India, even though I did retreat just in words, before that I didn’t understand so much the teachings, the philosophy, but after this retreat, I seemed to have a little more understanding of these words; I got a great feeling of the words.
When I did the retreat I didn’t get to read any commentaries, as they were very hard to find at that time, so I just made up how to do it by myself and did the mantra recitation. Perhaps I had a little good motivation, but this retreat had a great effect on my life. It was also great protection. I used to experience a spirit pressing down on me; it was quite bad, but after this retreat then one night this happened without any effort: I was in my bed whenYamantaka the same size as my body suddenly appeared. This was at night time when I was lying down on my bed with a mosquito net. Suddenly it happened—there was the appearance of Yamantaka and then the spirit suddenly left. This only happened after I did the retreat, so this means that Yamantaka became closer. It means the deity is helping to pacify obstacles; it shows that.
I’m not talking about having any realization; seeing myself as Yamantaka. I just saw the appearance of Yamantaka, so it was definitely the blessing of Yamantaka, but I am not talking about me having any realization or seeing myself as deity.
Thank you very much for your kind heart and please live your life every second with bodhicitta.
With much love and prayers...
Nuns’ Retreat
Rinpoche sent the following letter to nuns who had completed an annual Mani retreat.
My most very dear nuns,
I am very happy to hear of what you have done. This is really “GREAT!” I will dedicate the merits and pray for every one of you who participated in the mani (not money) retreat. I offer my thanks and greetings to all of you from here in Mexico.
We are doing a retreat here, with about 300 people attending, mostly Mexicans. The retreat is about nine days long and on the lamrim. At the end is the Great Medicine Buddha initiation. The facility is a Jesuit monastery, which is very nice, in the countryside. There are 13 Jesuit priests staying here. I met with them and we had a nice discussion about spirituality.
There are about seven centers here in Mexico. They are very nice people, very devoted.
I am very happy to come for the retreat and will confirm in the near future.
With much love and prayers...
Hayagriva Retreat
Rinpoche wrote the following, on a number of small cards, to a student who had completed a Hayagriva retreat, and had written to Rinpoche letting him know.
My dear John,
I have received your wonderful letter. I'm very happy you got the opportunity to do Hayagriva retreat and that you have recited the Golden Light Sutra, the Arya Sanghata Sutra, and, especially, the King of Prayers—that is one of my favorite prayers. Each time you recite this you collect 10 times 100,000 merits. So, why not recite it? If one doesn't recite this bodhisattva prayer, one is losing skies of wish-fulfilling jewels, not only zillions of dollars.
Even more merit can be created by writing the Arya Sanghata Sutra. When you write it, you are also reading it. You can also write the Golden Light Sutra. However, the main thing is to read a few pages every day or read it at least once a month, and dedicate it to world peace, to stop all famine, disease, sickness, torture, poverty, and danger of fire, wind, water, and earth (earthquakes). It becomes healing for the whole city. Also, when you are reading the sutra, it gives power (to benefit others) to the king or the president of your country, as well as protection. It also gives protection to the country where you are living. If many people in the United States read this, then you don't need to be afraid of terrorists or another country or enemy attacking you.
It directs your life towards enlightenment, with no return. When you read it you must pay attention to the benefits; they are unbelievable. Please tell other students, friends, even the bees and mosquitoes about this. HA HA!
This is one way you can create peace and happiness in the world and for all sentient beings, also how you can give protection to the country, and to other people. This is how you can fulfill all their wishes and happiness. You become like Father Christmas; you become the most precious treasure of happiness and success.
I think I should stop talking and writing here. I'm lucky to have met you—you are such a sincere, wonderful, goodhearted, devoted, practitioner, human being, Westerner, and, of course, American.
Please do continue to pray for the quickest success of the Maitreya project and all the projects within the FPMT.
With much love and prayers to you,
Lama Zopa
PS I have written this with the help of my secretary: my hand and fingers; they help as my secretary during my retreat.
Thank you so much.