Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche after one Sangha person passed away 

Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche after one Sangha person passed away 

17 May 2013
Tushita
Scribe: Ven.Sarah Thresher

If you are not able to do Medicine Buddha puja then you can do short Medicine Buddha practice:

Visualize the Medicine Buddhas inseparable from His Holiness stacked up above the head [of the Sangha person who had just passed away].

Do motivation, then the seven limb prayer at least seven times for each of the limbs and extensively for offerings and rejoicing in order to collect a lot of merit.

Then recite each Medicine Buddha’s name seven times and made request for [the Sangha person who just passed away] to be born in a pure land or gain a perfect human rebirth and meet with Dharma at a young age and actualize the path in that life.

After reciting each name the Medicine Buddha absorbed to the one below.

When the last Medicine Buddha had been requested and was on the crown of the Sangha person who has passed away, recite the very long mantra 3 x followed by a round of the short mantra. Light rays radiating out from the mantra at Medicine Buddha’s heart and purifying and blessing the person who has passed away and all sentient beings. Then the Medicine Buddha absorbed to the heart of the person who has passed away.

Finally there was a requesting prayer to Medicine Buddha and dedications.

Afterwards can recite King of Prayers and Lama Tsong Khapa’s “A Prayer for the Beginning, Middle and End of Practice”.

Rinpoche’s comment was that:

“So this gives some idea what sangha can do when somebody dies. Do short medicine Buddha with meditation. Can do the longer one but with this shorter one there is more meditation. Otherwise can do lama chopa and when you get to the powa prayer. Just repeat three times slowly chanting the powa prayer. Main thing is visualization, as you recite powa prayer visualize the consciousness going up to the heart of Maitreya Buddha.”