My most dear, most precious, most kind, wish-fulfilling one,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. I am very happy that you are involved in the practice of Dharma. As Lama Tsongkhapa mentioned, this is only one time you have received a perfect human body.

First of all, a human body is extremely rare and even more rare is the qualified human body with eight freedoms and ten richnesses. This is extremely rare. So it’s a most incredible opportunity to practice Dharma, to realize emptiness and especially to actualize bodhicitta, which makes the life most beneficial for every sentient being, not only for you, but for every single hell being, every single hungry ghost, every single animal, every single being that can be seen, that you see in the ocean, the smallest—I’ve heard, but I don’t know the name—that you see with machines, and the large whales like mountains, and the many kinds of beings that look like flowers, like rocks, like plants. Then in the ground, in the bushes, there are tiny insects, the flies in the sky, the insects in people’s bodies and animals’ bodies, and in the trees outside. There are all kinds, all kinds. Even [parasites] are sentient beings, by going into the body through the mouth and causing disease. Also, every single human being, sura, and asura being, intermediate state being. There are also numberless universes, I’m not only talking about this world.

As you might know, by following the Lesser Vehicle path, that doesn’t teach bodhicitta, so there’s no enlightenment, only liberation from samsara, lower nirvana, only the four noble truths. On the basis of renunciation of samsara, we see how it’s filled with the nature of suffering and we see how other sentient beings are suffering in samsara, then we generate great compassion. Then from great compassion, bodhicitta arises, the thought to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, for them to be free from the oceans of samsaric suffering and to bring them to enlightenment.

On the Mahayana Sutra path we have to collect the merit of wisdom and the merit of virtue for three countless great eons. We have to do both together, but not by one mind. [By following this path] it takes three countless great eons to complete the two merits and achieve enlightenment.

In tantra, in the two lower tantras, Kriya and Charya tantra, there’s a special path or technique for one mind to practice wisdom and virtue, so in one life we can achieve enlightenment. We can complete the merits of wisdom and virtue in one life, because Vajrayana means one mind practicing method and wisdom together, so that’s what makes us achieve full enlightenment in one life.

For example, after we purify in emptiness, then we generate into the deity. That wisdom generates into the deity, so that mind is focusing on the deity, on that aspect, the deity’s holy body, that is method, and at the same time being aware of the nature of the deity’s holy body. Even though it appears to exist from its own side—it appears that way for sentient beings—we don’t believe in that, we don’t apprehend that.

For example, while we’re dreaming, recognizing it’s a dream. Or we cross the sand and when we look back, it looks like there’s water running, but there’s no water, it’s due to the sunlight on the sand. When we look back it looks like there’s water, but it just comes from that [mirage]. So there’s no clinging, thinking, “There’s water running.” So like that. That’s the wisdom. That is according to the sentient being, not an enlightened being.

We realize the nature of the deity’s holy body is empty, that it does not exist from its own side, but at the same time, it is like that. It exists, but it’s like it doesn’t exist. It’s unbelievably subtle, it’s like it doesn’t exist. That’s not the way it’s explained. One mind is practicing method and wisdom together, so that ceases the obscurations and brings our mental continuum to enlightenment, to buddhahood.

Vajra is the one mind practicing method and wisdom together. Vajra, inseparability, and yana is the vehicle that is bringing us to enlightenment. So we can achieve enlightenment in one life even with lower tantra.

So now highest tantra is the same, but the mind realizing emptiness, the subtle mind experiences great bliss nondual in emptiness. Focusing on the deity’s holy body, method, then the nature of that is empty. It doesn’t exist from its own side, it’s totally empty, and we see that. The nature exists but it’s like it doesn’t exist, it’s unbelievably subtle.

There’s no nature from there. “From there” means truly existent, the real one, but it’s merely imputed by our mind. While we’re seeing this, it’s empty. It appears to exist from its own side, but the apprehension that it’s true is completely false and we see that nature. So that’s one mind practicing method and wisdom together, unified. So then through that path we achieve the result, the unified holy body and mind. By practicing the Maha-anuttara Yoga path, then we achieve buddhahood, the unified state of Vajradhara in one brief life of degenerate times.

According to my observation, your main deity is Yamantaka. Also, according to my observation, for you to come to realize emptiness, it seems you have a good opportunity for that. So, work hard on that and meditate on emptiness every day.

Regarding shamatha, it doesn’t seem you will have much success. With shamatha, there’s the actual realization, fully characterized, then there’s another similar one, but that may be difficult. It’s good to try that, leave it like that, then you know how to meditate.

I suggest that you study the lamrim text, Liberation In The Palm Of Your Hand, from beginning to end. Just do it one time. If your goal in this life is bodhicitta, then you need to have renunciation before that. Renunciation means future life’s renunciation and this life’s renunciation. So this life’s renunciation is the first Dharma, Buddhadharma, unstained by worldly concern.

Your practice, your realization, has to start with correctly devoting to the virtuous friend, seeing the guru as the deity, seeing the guru as a buddha using logic and quotations, then looking at the guru as a buddha. That realization becomes the root of the path to enlightenment, then you need to have the realization of renunciation, the graduated path of the lower capable being in general, then the graduated path of the middle capable being in general and then the graduated path of the higher capable being.

In terms of effortful lamrim practice, go through the lamrim outline five times.

Also do 80,000 prostrations by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas. You can do this sometimes in the form of a retreat, with three or four sessions, then at other times if you are working you can do one or two sessions. So you can finish the prostrations like that, sometimes in retreat and sometimes more loosely.

For effortless practice, even if shamatha realization doesn’t happen, it’s good to know how to do the meditation. You need some idea of that, knowing how to meditate, how to overcome at least the gross sinking thought and the subtle sinking thought, like that.

The other important thing is to do everything—eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, doing your job, studying, everything—with bodhicitta, the thought of benefiting sentient beings. That’s so important. If you have bodhicitta realization, of course everything is for sentient beings, even breathing, each breath.

Even if you don’t have bodhicitta realization, you can attempt to practice it as much as possible. That’s so important. Then everything—eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, doing your job, everything—becomes a cause of enlightenment. That means everything becomes a cause of happiness for sentient beings, then enlightenment and their enlightenment, that’s the most important. Collect much merit and pray to generate bodhicitta in all the lifetimes, like that.

Again, according to my observation, retirement is best for you. Then you can spend more time on Dharma, on lamrim practice. You are most welcome to enlightenment, and goodbye to samsara. [Welcome to] lamrim practice and goodbye samsara.

If you have important questions, you can ask me and I’ll try to answer as best I can.

With much love and prayers ...