My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you very much for your kind letter and for expressing yourself. I am sorry for the delay in replying.
 
Yes, we have received this most precious human life just about one time, as it is mentioned in the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha said that each day, each hour, each minute, each second, however many sentient beings get reborn as hell beings from the intermediate stage, it is like the number of dust [particles] on this earth. The number of sentient beings who get reborn as pretas, hungry ghosts, is like the sand grains in the Pacific Ocean, and the number of sentient beings who get reborn as animals is like the number of [blades of] grass growing on the mountain and on the ground, everywhere. 

Then the number of sentient beings who are reborn as devas or human beings is so rare; it’s like when you scratch the earth with your fingers, how much dust collects beneath your fingernails, it’s that rare. Receiving a deva or human rebirth is like that. When we have a human rebirth we are able to receive more happiness, especially with a perfect human rebirth, which is qualified with eight freedoms and ten richnesses. 

You should try to learn, to find out what the eight freedoms are and what the ten richnesses are. This perfect human rebirth is unbelievably rare. If you throw grain at a glass window, no grain stays there; it is so difficult for the grain to stick to the glass window. It is like that. Or if you have a needle standing up and you throw grain at the needle, no grain will stay on it. It is so difficult to receive, then especially the perfect human rebirth, which we have received now. 

What we can achieve with this human rebirth if we practice Dharma—if we learn Dharma and if we practice Dharma, we are able to purify negative karma, which is the cause of lower realms. Through Dharma practice we are able to achieve the higher rebirths as a deva or as a human being, and we can even go to a pure land. We can be reborn in a pure land by taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and by relying upon them and protecting our karma, we abandon negative karma and practice good karma.

Generally you need to avoid the ten nonvirtues and practice the ten virtues, then you can take precepts, the five lay vows. So you can take all five vows or four or three or two or one vow, or even just the refuge vow, the upasaka refuge vow, if not all five vows. There are also the eight Mahayana precepts. 

It is through the practice of the three higher trainings—the higher trainings of morality, concentration and wisdom—that we can become free from samsara and achieve nirvana, the total cessation of suffering and its cause. We can be free from samsara and its causes forever. Then by generating compassion through the numberless sentient beings, by generating bodhicitta and practicing the six paramitas we can achieve full enlightenment, buddhahood, the total cessation of obscurations and completion of all realizations. We can achieve this for the numberless sentient beings of the six realms, then we can liberate them from the oceans of samsara’s sufferings and bring them to buddhahood. So we can achieve the three different levels of happiness—the meaning of life—through Dharma practice. 

Therefore you should rejoice that you have this perfect human rebirth and what you can achieve with it. Please understand this and think about this.

It is very, very important for you to do the morning motivation every day, The Method to Transform a Suffering Life into Happiness (Including Enlightenment).

I want you to read the lamrim book Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. Please study this book and read it four times from beginning to end if you can. Reading this text is like reading the whole essence of Buddhadharma. Each time read it mindfully; that is your meditation. Read it from beginning to end and anything you don’t understand you can write down in a book and ask a student who has studied the lamrim a lot or ask a geshe.

There are two types of meditation, analytical and fixed. After doing analytical meditation, for example on the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, you realize that your life is so precious. Then hold that feeling for a little while—that is fixed meditation.

At this stage just start with this, and practice this for now. Please also read my advice on how to meditate on the lamrim.

There is one Tibetan medicine, a precious pill called Ratnasamphel, which also came out as beneficial for you. Take one pill each week for five weeks if you are able to get Tibetan precious pills. When you take the Tibetan precious pill you can’t expose it to light or to the blue sky. That is why it is wrapped in cloth, so you can crush it in your mouth with your teeth. If you can’t do that, you can soak it in warm water (but do this in the dark, not exposing the pill to light) and in the early morning maybe drink the water and slowly crush the pill after it is softer. 

You need to practice a deity for purification called Dorje Namjom (Skt: Vajravidarana). We don’t have the full practice translated yet, but you may be able to find it on the internet and also a photo of the deity.

Anyway, you visualize the deity above your crown, sending nectar with love, kindness and compassion to you and all sentient beings. Dorje Namjom sends nectar to you and purifies all the disease, spirit harm, negative karma and defilements collected from beginningless rebirths. Think these are totally purified, then with that visualization, recite the mantra of Dorje Namjom:

NAMAH TSENDRA BENZA KRODAYA  HULU HULU DITA DITA BENDA BENDA HANA HANA AMITAY HUM PHAT SVAHA

It is very important at the end to dedicate with the correct dedication prayers:

“Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me and all the merits of the three times collected by numberless buddhas and numberless sentient beings, may bodhicitta, the source of all happiness and success for all sentient beings, be generated in the hearts of all the sentient beings of the six realms, and especially in the hearts of everybody in this world, including all the students, center benefactors and volunteers in the FPMT organization. May bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all those who rely upon me, all those for whom I have promised to pray, and all those whose names have been given to me. May it be generated in my heart and in the hearts of all my family members, those who are living and those who have died. May the bodhicitta that has already been generated increase.

“Due to the three-time merits collected by me, the numberless buddhas and the numberless sentient beings, may I, my family members, all those who rely upon me, all those for whom I have promised to pray, all those whose names have been given to me, all the students, benefactors, and volunteers in the FPMT organization, and all sentient beings, be able to meet perfectly qualified Mahayana virtuous friends in all our future lives. From our side, may we always see them as enlightened, may we always do only actions most pleasing to their holy minds, and may we always fulfill their holy wishes instantly.”

Recite the Extensive Dedication Prayers and seal the merits with emptiness. [See the FPMT Catalogue for dedications recommended by Lama Zopa Rinpoche].

Please make your life most meaningful with the thought of bodhicitta day and night and in every action that you do.

With much love and prayers ...