Like molding dough in your hand, you can definitely turn your mind whichever way you want for any happiness in life, including achieving full enlightenment – peerless happiness.

If you are happy, make it beneficial for sentient beings. If you are suffering, use it as the cause to bring happiness to others. This way, whatever kind of life experience you have, you can use it on the path.

Rinpoche gave this advice to his physiotherapist at Kopan Monastery, Nepal. 

My most dear Julie, Thank you very much for your kind letter and for doing everything I told you, such as the practices. I am extremely happy about this.

From the student’s original letter:

My very dear Lily,Please find attached the practices for you to focus on. However, of all of them, your main meditation should be the lamrim, the graduated path to enlightenment.

Rinpoche gave the following advice to a new student.

In this advice sent to a new student, Rinpoche explains the ultimate goal of the Buddhist path, which is to bring every sentient being to enlightenment.

My Very Dear Luke,

My very dear one,Thank you very much for your kind email, and I am very sorry for the many eons of delay in replying.Please find attached the instructions on how to do the preliminary practices and what came out most beneficial for you to practice, f