My most dear, most kind, most precious wish-fulfilling one,

Thank you for your emails. I am very sorry it took so long to reply.

Regarding practice, recite the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas [Confession of a Bodhisattva's Downfalls to the Thirty-Five Buddhas]. Even if you do just a few prostrations correctly, it collects the most unbelievable merits.

If you can't do the actual prostrations—even just a few—then you can do them with your two hands in the mudra of prostration and visualize numberless bodies, as tall as mountains covering the whole ground, while doing prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas or to Lama Chöpa merit field, which has the Thirty-five Buddhas there. The essence is the guru, so if you have received teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, then you can think that all the buddhas are manifestations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Recite the prayer, the names, and physically put your hands in the mudra of prostrations. If you have received a great initiation then you can visualize yourself as Thousand-arm Chenrezig, the size of a mountain, filling all the four corners [four directions], covering all the ground as you lie down and stand up. As much as you can, visualize that. Lama Tsongkhapa said in the Lamrim Chenmo that it collects the same amount of merit as if you actually had that many bodies doing prostrations.

Lama Tsongkhapa did 700,000 prostrations by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddha and then he received realizations so easily, like rainfall. So many of the lineage lamas of the lamrim and Lama Tsongkhapa regarded this practice as extremely special, so powerful, to recite the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas and to prostrate. So anyway at least you should be reciting the names, with your hands in the mudra of prostrations and visualizing. At least do that, and if you can do a few actual prostrations that is very good, if possible.

But you are not only reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names; you can also visualize nectar coming from them, white nectar purifying yourself and all sentient beings. This is very good.

Regarding your health, I checked and there needs to be a puja done, called jung shi torma [torma of the four elements]. I will do this for you. It needs to be done at least three times, so I will do this for you.

You also need to have the whole Kangyur recited and dedicated for you. This comes out best to be done at Kopan Monastery. You could email them and get the cost, as offerings are made to all the monks who do the recitation. If you can't afford this, then it could be combined with someone else who needs the same recitation. You can email back and Holly can let you know when someone else needs this, so that you could join in with them. [Just to let you know this doesn't come out often, so it could take some time until it comes up again for someone else. – Holly] If you don’t have enough money to sponsor this by yourself, then when others need the Kangyur read, you can combine with them, so all the monks should think of your name when reading and then you can give some donation toward the recitation. [This would probably need to be discussed with the other person who is sponsoring it.]

One monk needs to read the Sutra for Entering the City of Vaishali five times for you.

This is my advice at this time. Please try it.

With much love and prayers ...