Quoting Voula Zarpani <voulazarpani@...>:
Dear Micahel,
here is yesterdays update. Haifa has been under serious attack this
morning as we were waiting to have the biopsy. We were hurried down
to the shelter and stayed there for several hours. some time later
the doctors made every effort possible
to perform the biopsy even as
the sirens were ringing and rockets started falling again. All test
are now completed. Rinpoche has to rest in the hospital for 6 hours.
Right after that we are leaving Haifa for Cecaria, a small town to
the south. Rinpoche and Alak, and Amy are flying out of Tel Aviv 6.30
am Tuesday, with Swiss Air.
Will write more later. PLEASE PASS ON THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE TO
EVERYONE. I have to run in order to complete all necessary
preparations for Rinpoche's release from teh hospital.
much love,
V
We have received so many emails from all over the world, full of good
wishes, prayers, concerns, questions and of course much love. Many
people have asked whether there are some specific practices that
should be done for Rinpoche´s health and Rinpoche has indicated
that the best practices to be performed in this occasion are the
recitation of the Samantabhadra´s Prayer (the King of Prayers) and
Medicine Buddha mantras.
Today we spend most of the day discussing various pending issues.
Rinpoche has given a number of specific instructions regarding the
completion of various projects, such as translations especially
of his biography- publications, financial matters and so forth.
Rinpoche has made it very
clear that he wishes to see certain things
finalized and clarified as soon as possible. I will be contacting
some of you to pass on Rinpoche´s instructions within the week.
In the afternoon Rinpoche spoke about his recent experiences to the
core group of the Friends of Dharma, who have invited us to Israel .
The talk has been videotaped and I am sure that at some stage it will
be transcribed. Here are some of the points that Rinpoche made:
Soon after I was informed about the results of my CT scan, people
asked me whether I wished to publicize my condition or not. I always
thought that trying to hide one´s age or state of health, is very
strange. So I asked my translator to let people know what is going on.
I am fully aware of the fact that the disease, especially at this
stage, is incurable. But I am not sad, or disappointed in any
way.
When Professor Oliven Arye informed me of the presence of a tumor in
my liver, I thought immediately that he was so very, very kind. He
was extremely kind to me. We all practice tong-len with the specific
aim to prolong the life of HH the Dalai Lama. Of course I have
recited certain verses from Lama Choepa many times: And thus
compassionate gurus, we seek your blessings that all karmic debts,
obstacles and suffering of mother beings, may without exception,
ripen upon us right now and that we may give our happiness and virtue
to others and thereby invest all beings in peace., as well as
In order to rescue all beings from the vast seas of existence we seek
our blessings to become adept in bodhichitta through a pure selfless
wish, and by love and compassion conjoined with the visual technique
of mounting, giving and taking upon your
breath. But it was more or less mere theory for me.
When I was told that
I have cancer, I did not feel sad or upset. On
the contrary my mind was uplifted, and it felt light and open. I
thought: Finally, I have the chance to put this theory into
practice now! My prayers have come true. How wonderful!. I intent
to use whatever time I have left in order to deepen my practice of
tong-len. What would be the benefit of trying to conceal my
situation? I think it is far better that people know that I have come
to manifest this tumor and now I can really practice. I don´t want
you to be sad. I want you to be happy and inspired since I now have
such a wonderful opportunity to practice in a way that all
bodhisattvas do. My doctor has been so kind to me. Why would I ever
want to hide the fact that I am now practicing in the footsteps of
the bodhisattvas?
Towards the end of the talk Rinpoche expressed his wish to record his
experiences as the disease develops further. He believes that this
material can be very useful to many other cancer patients, their
families and hospices, everywhere in the world.
Finally Rinpoche has explicitly said that he wishes to reduce the
number and duration of interviews once he returns to Dharamsala.
I am aware that many of you are worried about the rapid deterioration
of the situation in Israel and its neighboring countries. Rinpoche
has decided to travel back to India with a more direct flight, as
soon as the biopsy is completed and he is released from the hospital.
We expect to be ready to fly as early as Monday or Tuesday. Although
we can hear airplanes flying above Haifa all day, the atmosphere here
is still peaceful, and hopefully it will remain
so for the following
days.
I will keep you updated,
Voula
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