Pujas for Motor Neuron Disease (ALS)
Date of Advice:
Date Posted:
A student had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease (ALS), a progressive terminal illness. The student wrote that if the disease progressed as expected, he would still have the capacity to make a connection with the guru that could help with openness to Dharma and the accumulation of merit in order to have another human rebirth. The student also hoped to be able to continue meditating right up to the time of death. Rinpoche advised the following practices.
My most dear, precious, kind, wish-fulfilling one,
These are the pujas that will be useful for your particular condition:
- The Tengyur needs to be recited by the monks and nuns of Trulshik Rinpoche’s monastery in Nepal. The Tengyur is the collection of commentaries on the sutras of Buddha. It’s quite extensive.
- The Vajra Cutter Sutra should be recited by you four times. Your center can give you the text.
- Chag sum puja should be done at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, five times.
- Mamo trü kang puja to be done by Gyume Tantric College in south India.
- Yum gye trung (?) should be recited four times. These are all the wisdom sutras and can be recited by Kopan Monastery once, Trulshika Monastery once and Sera Je Monastery twice.
- Ksitigarbha sutra should be recited five times by Ganden Jangtse Monastery in India.
- You need to do Red Loma Gyönma [Skt: Parnashavari] practice yourself. You can start reciting the mantra as soon as you receive it, but Rinpoche should be able give you the lung sometime soon. This means you hear Rinpoche say the mantra and then you repeat it. This is an oral transmission of the mantra, which makes it more powerful. [Find links to this practice in the FPMT Catalogue.]
- Rinpoche checked for the Chinese medicine you are using and said it is good to continue.