Lama Zopa On His Poor Health and Practice

This is an article I got in my e-mail with all the random stuff that FPMT sends me, mostly I only flip through it, but this was really good. I thought you all might like it.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Own Update "So I guess you know I didn't take care well, [didn't do] daily exercise, didn't get to do daily walking and so forth, [I was] very weak. So then I think my self-cherishing thought went up, then paralysis happened. The doctors all think it's getting better, [I am] past danger, they all think I will get better soon. "[I] try to think a little bit [that I am] receiving the suffering, experiencing the suffering of all sentient beings, especially from whomever suffers [from high]

By propping his clasped hand on the table in front of him, Lama Zopa Rinpoche is able to keep his hands in the mudra of prostration while he offers his food, May 2011. Photo by Ven. Holy Ansett.

blood pressure, diabetes and paralysis. Also I pray to try to do this. It is an incredible opportunity, when I do that it purifies many, many, many – wow, can you imagine? – many eons of negative karma, wow, wow, so it is the quickest path to enlightenment.

"In the hospital I try to practice. I dedicate past, present, future merits to any people who come into my room or this hospital, or into the hospital before this. That any person who from now on comes into this room, any sick people who come, may they immediately recover from their sickness. Then any person who sits in my bed [in the hospital] from now on, may they immediately recover from their sickness, or if they die, may they never ever be born in the lower realms, may they get reborn in Buddha's pure land. I try to pray like this a few times a day. So wonderful, positive, to bring benefit here, so I try to do what I can.

"Then I realized today, usually I try to do 10,000 OM MANI PADME HUM [mantras per day], I increased this year to 20,000 OM MANI PADME HUM [mantras per day], and I turn the prayer wheel. I try to do three times the very, very, very long mantra, then the middle one, then OM MANI PADME HUM. [Rinpoche lists some of the benefits from reciting these mantras.] When I recite, I turn the prayer wheel, so this hand turns the prayer wheel and this hand [moves the] mala. So today and over the last few days I didn't get this done, so today I tried, but I can't use this hand, I can't turn the prayer wheel. I recite 20,000 mantras and then from time to time I turn the prayer wheel, but I can't do both, not possible. So incredible, with your hands free you can recite and turn a prayer wheel and count mantra, wow, wow, wow, what merits, the cause of enlightenment, with bodhichitta, incredible, unbelievable, unbelievable, with both hands free. So I realized how precious it is if you can use both hands, so precious.

"Then normally I do prostration to my altar, so before I always prostrate with two hands to my Gurus, Buddha, [but now] I can't use both hands, so I realized how fortunate it is if one can prostrate with both hands. With two hands it is so easy to create the cause of enlightenment, so easy to get the highest success in life. I told people you are so fortunate you can do that, I can't do that, so I realize how precious the body is, how you can [use it to be] so precious, so easy to create the cause of enlightenment.

"Thank you very much for the Medicine Buddha pujas, for everybody's prayers and practice.

"I am just experiencing my short comings of self-cherishing mind. According to one view, I lost and it won, that is according to one view. Then according to another view this [sickness] is the best thing to achieve enlightenment, the quickest way to achieve enlightenment.

"Thank you very much. Here I am the most fortunate person."