Rejoicing in Pain

Dear LeeAnne,
I used to rejoice each time I heard Lama Lhundrup had a headache in the past, when I was staying at Kopan Monastery in the old days. He is the abbot of Kopan Monastery. I actually felt good, like rejoicing, because I recognized that it is great purification, because 24 hours a day, whatever he does is for Lama Yeshe. Looking after Kopan monastery, cleaning etc., each action he performs is according to the advice of Lama Yeshe, so it becomes the most powerful means for purifying negative karma, collecting vast amounts of merit, and getting closer to enlightenment. It is like an atomic bomb; it is so powerful for purifying negative karma, and liberating us from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. Of course, an atomic bomb cannot destroy delusions, it can only destroy substantial things, but not the cause of suffering, the mental phenomena. It cannot destroy the negative imprints from where all the sufferings come from, the delusions and karma. Countless atomic bombs cannot destroy these, but Dharma practice, especially obtaining the guru’s advice and fulfilling his wishes, can do that. So, his headaches are the result of his practice of following Lama Yeshe’s advice 24 hours a day.