Prayers and Practices for the Deceased

Dear Sangha,

We believed there was real Kunsang and now that real Kunsang is not there, but that's the reality, and like that all the phenomena, yourself, action and object, all phenomena, samsara and nirvana are like that.

Please right now when you get this, please to do the short Medicine Buddha sadhana and Padmasambhava prayer Sampa Lhundrupma (The Prayer to Guru Rinpoche that Spontaneously Fulfills All Wishes).

Dedicated to Ven. Kunsang (Henri Lopez) who has just passed away in India at 11:46 a.m.

Dedicate that he may be immediately born in pure land where he can achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible or to receive at least a perfect human rebirth, meet the Mahayana teachings, meet a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru who reveals the path to enlightenment, and by pleasing the holy mind of the virtuous friend, then by himself to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible.

With much love and prayers ...

You need to have the Prajnaparamita recited for your mother. If it is not possible for you to sponsor the Prajnaparamita, then please read these mantras from the Kangyur and Prajnaparamita for her. [The mantras were sent to the student.]

If you can sponsor the recitation of the Prajnaparamita, then it should be recited by monks at Sera Je Monastery in India. That means you have to make offerings of tea, bread, etc.

Then recite these eight prayers three times, dedicated for her.

Also recite four malas of the Lotus Pinnacle of Amoghapasha mantra: OM PADMO USHNISHA VIMALE HUM PHAT, dedicated for your mother. Recite a few malas each day until you get a good dream about her.

I tell people that the FPMT organization is here to help. I think it is so fortunate that we, the FPMT, are able to provide help at the time of death, because death is really a most difficult, most hard time. So the benefits provided by the organization to help at that time is so good. It’s very good to do, it helps people in the world very much, and especially students. In the world, especially in Western countries, I don’t think there are other organizations who put together all the ways to help with death, to help people who are dying.

Of course those who have realizations, who have good heart, they don’t go to the lower realms, they have a happy mind, they know where they’re going. But for most people there’s only suffering.

If you are able to help the person dying, not only to save the person from the lower realms, but also to help the rest of the living family, it’s big, it makes them so happy. Wow! Somebody is able to help.

You can do prayers and things, but generally speaking help to the person is another thing. Whether you do help or not is another question. I’m not talking about specific Buddha’s teaching, but I’m talking generally. You know, if somebody can do prayers, if somebody can do this or that, that doesn’t mean it will help.

To help the person dying, the student, it makes the rest of the family so happy, if somebody really can help. To achieve the Buddha’s omniscient mind, there are many teachings, help, from Hinayana, from sutra, from tantra, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, so much to help. What the center can do to help, that also makes people so happy. So it’s good. I often say to help them is very good. When someone dies, [their family] is very sad [and feels such] loss. They don’t know what to do and also especially don’t know what to do about death. So it's very good we can help.

There was a family in Taiwan whose mother died of cancer and so we tried to help, and then all her daughters, her whole family came to see me, and they also wanted to do practice. Before they were not involved, but because we helped their mother they all wanted to practice. This help we gave made them happy, makes them have more faith. So that’s really good. Otherwise, the family doesn’t know what to do, so sad, and then they’re sad for years, very sad life. What to do? It's the nature of samsara.

That our own organization is making tsa-tsas or statues specifically for the person who died, that’s a great, great, great help for their good rebirth, to be free from birth in the lower realms and then to get a higher rebirth or birth in a pure land—so, so, so good.

Thank you.

• Guhyasamaja tsa-tsas: make four of these.
• Heruka tsa-tsas: make ten of these.
• Lama Chöpa tsog: to be performed fifty times, with tea, by the Kopan monks and nuns.
• Tara tsa-tsas: make twenty-one.
• Jang-wa puja: to be performed on the ashes.
• Stupa tsa-tsas: make thirty of these.

Make these for your teacher:

• Five Kadampa stupa tsa tsas
• Four Guru Rinpoche statues, the large size tsa tsas

If you are not able to do Medicine Buddha puja, then do a short Medicine Buddha practice:

Visualize the Medicine Buddhas, inseparable from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, stacked up above the head [of the person who has just passed away].

Do the motivation, then recite the seven-limb prayer at least seven times for each of the limbs. Recite the limbs for offerings and rejoicing extensively, in order to collect a lot of merit.

Then recite each Medicine Buddha's name seven times and make request for [the Sangha person who has just passed away] to be born in a pure land or gain a perfect human rebirth and meet with Dharma at a young age and actualize the path in that life.

After reciting each name, that Medicine Buddha absorbs to the one below. When the last Medicine Buddha has been requested and is on the crown of the Sangha person who has passed away, recite the very long mantra three times, followed by a round of the short mantra. Light rays radiate out from the mantra at the Medicine Buddha's heart, purifying and blessing the person who has passed away and all sentient beings. Then the Medicine Buddha absorbs to the heart of the person who has passed away.

Finally there is a requesting prayer to Medicine Buddha and dedications.

Afterwards, recite the King of Prayers and Lama Tsongkhapa's Prayer for the Beginning, Middle and End of Practice.

This gives some idea of what Sangha can do when somebody dies. Do the short Medicine Buddha practice with meditation. You can do the longer one, but with this shorter one there is more meditation.

Otherwise you can do Lama Chöpa and when you get to the powa prayer [v. 112], just repeat it three times, chanting it slowly. The main thing is the visualization. As you recite the powa prayer, visualize the consciousness going up to the heart of Maitreya Buddha.

[You can find links to these practices in the FPMT Catalogue.]