Problems With Children

Problems With Children

Date Posted:
October 2005

Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student regarding her children’s problems. Her thirteen-year-old daughter had been hospitalized, and had been abused by the student's father. Her seventeen-year-old son was involved in drugs and Satanism, and was on medication. [Please note: If you or someone you know is experiencing any form of violence and abuse, or if this advice brings underlying issues in relation to past abuse to the surface, please seek help from a suitable support service in your region.]

My very dear one,
My apologizes for the many eons that it took to answer your letter.

According to my observations, it would be best for you to practice Medicine Buddha puja every day. This is beneficial for your whole family. Of course, you also dedicate it to all sentient beings achieving enlightenment, to all holy beings’ long lives, and for all their wishes to be fulfilled.

Totally rely on Medicine Buddha every day and make prayers to Medicine Buddha that the best things may happen to your family. Don't only make prayers for this life but for all future lives. Pray for a good rebirth after this life, that you can meet the Dharma and actualize the path, or that you will be reborn in a pure land and become enlightened. Pray to be free from samsara as quickly as possible and to be able to enlighten all sentient beings as quickly as possible.

Set up many offerings in front of Medicine Buddha, many water bowl offerings, light offerings, fruit offerings, and food offerings, and change these offerings every day. Water is very easy to offer, so you can have more water bowl offerings. The food that is taken off the altar is then blessed food and can be eaten or given to people.

The other thing that would be very beneficial for you to do is to recite the mantras below every day thirty times.

The following mantra is the Buddha's name in order to have success:

DE ZHIN SHEG PA SA DZIN GYÄL PO LA CHHAG TSHÄL LO
TADYATHA / OM DHARE DHARE / DHARANI BÄNDHE SWAAHAA

So, please make many offerings to Medicine Buddha, and after each practice dedicate the merits. Here is a dedication you can use:

Due to all merits of the three times, may bodhicitta ripen within my heart, my family, the leaders of countries, violent people such as terrorists who are harming the world, as well as all sentient beings.

You can also make other dedications.

With much love and prayers...