We learn - for example, at this year's US Festival, where Gen-la Dekyong granted the empowerment of our Wisdom Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden - that the function of our Dharma Protector is to dispel obstacles and provide favorable conditions for our spiritual practice. The last phrase is important, because the conditions may not at first appear favorable. As Gen-la said, our idea of favorable conditions is that everything goes our way. She asked us to examine that assumption: "How does that train your mind?"
If you're sincerely relying on Dorje Shugden, however, you can be sure that everything that arises is for your benefit, and that is how I tried to view my cancer.
A couple of days ago, my oncologist told me I was in remission from cancer, which everyone would recognize as a favorable condition. For me, it means I can not only attend Summer Festival, but probably even have some energy while I'm there. It also means I need to keep my practice as strong as it was when I had cancer, and it means I need to take advantage of my energy to put even more effort into it.
May everyone have favorable conditions.
In Eight Steps to Happiness Geshe-la says "'Self' and 'other' are relative terms, rather like 'this mountain' and 'that mountain ... 'This' and 'that' therefore depend upon our point of reference. This is also true of self and other. By climbing down the mountain of self, it is possible to ascend the mountain of other, and thereby cherish others as much as we presently cherish ourself."
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Thanks so much... : )
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