Living in the Dharma

My dear one,
I discussed with your friend, and she thought to set up her mind in a proper way—not going to extremes and not engaging in the heaviest negative karma, only thinking of others’ faults. Instead of putting the blame for her own difficulties and problems on others, thinking in the proper way, to have a healthy mind and body so she can practice Dharma from life to life.

Therefore, I am very happy that both of you came to see me this time. I understand that it’s not an easy life, because the mind is not easy. One minute we think this way according to guru devotion, then next minute, the opposite. This is quite normal for us sentient beings.

My suggestion for you is to read lamrim and really stick with that. If you stick with lamrim, you will achieve a lot of peace and happiness and satisfaction, in this life and beyond. In this life you will have good relationships and happiness, and you will be able to offer service to others. Otherwise you will suffer so much and also cause many difficulties to others. Even living together, there will be lots of fights and much suffering; you will not really have peace.

So my idea is, if you could please read Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand well, from beginning to end, especially guru devotion, which is the root of the path—our obstacles or successes depend on that. Then also read the perfect human rebirth, karma, and the suffering of samsara, each realm. This is very, very important. Then the extensive kindness of sentient beings and the mother is also very important. Then renouncing samsara and then bodhicitta, as much as possible. So, read well from beginning to the end, and meditate on it. Please read well two times. Read slowly and well, relating it to your life, and meditating on it when you read.

After that, spend five months meditating on guru devotion, two months on perfect human rebirth up to karma, five months on the gradual path of the middle capable being, seven months on bodhicitta, the gradual path of the higher capable being, and nine months on emptiness. So this is what your focus should mostly be on, during that number of months. Then whatever realization you didn’t have, go back again and again for that number of months. Do this based on Guru Puja, Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga or Six-session Guru Yoga.

Please remember to rejoice every morning when you wake up. Think, “I didn’t die today. Life is very short. I don’t think I will live very long.” If you think that you will live long, then problems will arise—attachment, anger, and the selfish mind will increase problems in your life, and then you will harm others. So, it’s important to think about impermanence and death, because it is very sure that death can happen any day. Then everything becomes very quiet; all the disturbing emotional thoughts go away. The mind becomes very quiet, with more Dharma in the heart, then there is the sincere help to others and you don’t waste time. So please try to follow this as much as you can.