My very dear one,
How are you these days? I’m sure you are very happy with your daily Dharma practice, with your Dharma mind.

I have sent a card to your daughter. I have suggested some practice to do every day, with Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga, Foundation of All Good Qualities or the short lamrim prayer. This plants the seed of the whole path to enlightenment every day, and means every day making preparation to achieve enlightenment—the complete cessation of defilements, gross and subtle, and the completion of all the realizations. This makes our life so meaningful and so productive every day. I thought that would be very good for her.

Whether we have a good day or a bad day, a good month or a bad month, it doesn’t matter; it is beneficial to keep some practice every day. Even though she is a young girl, in one way, generally speaking, if she has a long life it is important to make it more beneficial and to create more merit, by planting some seeds for enlightenment by reciting prayers. So it is very profitable. Even if she has a short life, then it becomes even more important. At least to do some short practice like this.

Anyway, human life is very precious, especially being Buddhist and having faith in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Generally I would say, as I mentioned above, even if in general life one is a butcher or a prostitute, whatever it is, whatever is involved, at least do some short practice like this, that contains lamrim, the whole path to enlightenment. Doing that means a lot; it means huge preparation for enlightenment and for the future life, to have a higher rebirth, liberation from samsara, full enlightenment. Maybe she is doing something with the group every day, but this is my suggestion. This is also a chat with you, my chat.

We are so fortunate, but life is very short and it can end at any time, so as I mentioned to your daughter, it’s important to do some essential practice and to do as much as possible with bodhicitta. That is the best life—our life gets filled up, inner happiness, then the future is like sunshine. It makes the future like sunshine.

With much love and prayer...

[The following message was on the back of the postcard, which featured a photo of Boudhanath Stupa]

This is Boudha Stupa.The construction of this stupa was instrumental in the spread of Buddhadharma in Tibet and because of this we have Tibetan Buddhism in the West. The stupa was built by a chicken farmer lady and her four sons. She lived to see the stupa built up to the dome and the pinnacle top was completed by her four sons, who made many prayers upon its completion. All the wonderful prayers then came to fruition. So every time you see this picture of the stupa, take the opportunity to make prayers as much as possible. These will definitely come to pass. Even at the time of death have this picture of the stupa in your view and make prayers for your future life.