In the afternoon after His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings we went for tea with the geshe from one of our centers and some of his students. Geshe-la insisted I give the best advice for the center, and we talked a little about the difficulties. I said one needs an open heart; there are different views, so apply the views that are more beneficial. Like a road blocked by rocks, first you have to recognize the blocks so that you can clear them away.

One of the ladies sitting next to me had pain in the jaw and so she asked how to deal with it. So then I told her it is very important to do this prayer every day: When you have happiness think: “May all sentient beings have happiness and peace”.

When you have suffering, problems, cancer, aids, relationship problem, whatever, think: “May all sentient beings’ oceans of samsaric sufferings be dried out”.

The idea is to do tong-len practice from time to time each day. Especially when you do this practice of taking the sufferings you collect limitless skies of merit each time because you are taking the sufferings for numberless beings and purifying not only this life’s negative karma but also past life negative karma. So the stronger you generate compassion for animals or human beings, then many eons of negative karma get purified. And when you do the practice of giving you purify today’s, this life’s and past lives’ negative karma. It purifies many eons of negative karma.

Colophon: Dictated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to Ven Yangchen in New York City, September 23, 2006. Lightly edited by Claire Isitt.