Practices Before Surgery

• Sixty recitations of the Long Life Sutra.
• Middle-length Medicine Buddha puja.  
• Drolma Yuldog puja [a practice relying on Tara to avert obstacles]. To be done by Drubthob Rinpoche’s monastery or Gyume Monastery.
• Reading of the Prajnaparamitra Sutra by Drubthob Rinpoche’s monastery or Gyume Monastery.

Dear one,
You should read the Arya Sanghata Sutra twice. Start reading the sutra right now, so you can finish it before the surgery.

You can also look at a painting of the Buddha, and visualize beams are emitted from the Buddha, who is looking at you with loving kindness and compassion. Beams are emitted from the Buddha and enter you and all sentient beings, purifying you and all beings, and liberating every sentient being from all the sufferings, negative karmas and defilements. Then every sentient being, as well as yourself, becomes in the nature of light, becomes a buddha and receives all the qualities of the Buddha. Then at the end, Buddha absorbs into you and all sentient beings.

Recite Guru Shakyamuni Holy Name and Mantra:

LA MA TÖN PA CHOM DÄN DÄ / DE ZHIN SHEG PA DRA CHOM PA YANG DAG PAR DZOG PÄI SANG GYÄ / PÄL GYÄL WA SHA KYA THUB PA LA CHHAG TSHÄL LO / CHHÖ DO KYAB SU CHHI O / JIN GYI LAB TU SÖL

TADYATHA OM MUNE MUNE MAHA MUNEYE SVAHA

To Guru, Teacher, Bhagavān, Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Complete Buddha, Glorious Conqueror Shakyamuni, I prostrate, make offerings, and go for refuge. Please grant me your blessings.

Please recite this every day, not just for the healing, but also for enlightenment for sentient beings. Everything should be done with that motivation. Recite at least two malas every day if you can.

You also need Lu Zong puja, to be done twice at Kopan.

Please recite the Verses for the Eight Noble Auspicious Ones (Tashi Gyepa) every day if you can.

You also need to wear the blessed strings that you would have received during long-life pujas, etc. Put them on and wear them during the surgery.

Rinpoche spent quite a bit of time checking and said these practices need to be done at Kopan Monastery:

• Chag sum puja
• Diamond Cutter Sutra: To be recited seven times
• Arya Sanghata Sutra: To be recited eight times

Also if you can participate in doing some recitations of the Diamond Cutter Sutra and Arya Sanghata Sutra, please do what you can.

You should wear the White Umbrella protection, plus another special protection. This protection is not only for this disease, but also to give you general protection from harm. You should always wear it on the body, however, do not put it in your trouser pocket; then it goes down and that is not good. [See the FPMT Catalogue for links to White Umbrella deity (Skt:Sitatapatra) materials.]

It doesn’t come out to do operation right now, but to delay it for one week.

You also need a puja called chagsum.

Rinpoche out of great concern automatically started doing his own observations and advised the following practices should be done prior to the operation:

• Tendrel Nyesel [a short prayer to Padmasambhava]: Recite this seven times.
• The Noble Sutra on Entering the Great City of Vaishali: Geshe-la to recite the sutra five times, reading it loudly so she can hear it.
• Prajnaparamita in 8,000 verses: To be recited thirteen times by the Gelug Monastery in Boudhanath, Nepal.
• If possible, the wrathful torma, White Umbrella Deity torma offering for dispelling harm. It’s a few days puja, to be done by Shekar Monastery in Nepal.
• It seems the obstacles to her life are very heavy, so she needs to take a long-life initiation.

Che trul puja: to be done for you by Geshe-la. He should do the puja on the basis of whichever deity he has done the retreat for.

Before the operation:

• Recite the Diamond Cutter Sutra twice
• Lu zong puja: to be done by Geshe-la.