Guest Contributor – Stephen Tang
Article submitted by Stephen Tang
[Winning article for “A Chance To Bring Home Medicine Buddha — For Free!!”
Dear Tsem Rinpoche,
My mom just called me saying that my grandma is diagnosed with kidney cancer. I am not entirely sure how serious this is, but my grandpa passed away from lung cancer two years ago. She has always been healthy and enjoy playing ping-pong, and she was the Hong Kong elderly ping pong champion several years ago.
She enjoys taking care of her grand daughters. One of them is studying in New York right now and I just sent her her the bad news. The other two are a baby and a 2 years old. She also love taking care of the older grand daughter’s cats MiuMiu. I was not brought up by my grandma and has not been entirely close to her; especially I left Hong Kong more than ten years ago, and every time I go back I ignored her in exchange for “enjoying” myself with friends. Now that I am writing this short article / letter I realize how i little I know about her…..
Although I want to help but don’t exactly know how to directly benefit her. My mother recently revisited a nunnery where she used to visit during a financial crisis in my family several years ago; and she made a donation for the nunnery’s shrine for Medicine Buddha. Maybe Medicine Buddha for her to take refuge against the suffering of cancer. Sorry I cannot find a picture of my grandma but I do start to remember how she looks like now.
On March 10th, 2013, my mom called me again to give me an update about my grandma after they visited the nunnery that my mom visits in Hong Kong. My grandma is starting to accept the fact of her disease, and starting to show interests in different Buddhas.
My mom then passed the phone to her. My grandma started asking questions about Amitabha and Amitayus, and now she knows Amitayus is related to longevity! She also asked me what I learn from the dharma center in Toronto. Hopefully, I can share with her some lamrim teachings in the future. My parents and uncle transffered her file to another hospital. She will get better with our wish and blessings from Medicine Buddha!
Yours Sincerely,
Stephen
My grandma (far right) and grandpa (center) on his birthday party two years ago. He passed away from lung cancer several weeks after the birthday party.
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Thank you so much for that story. The time we have lost is gone, but what else we can do now probably is more important.
If you have studied the Lamrim teachings thats wonderful, I do hope you can share it with many people that you come across and your family. Nothing can give us any form of real happiness, and there is no much happiness or peace for those of us who are not acquainted with Dharma as the Dharma brings us closer to reality. Medicine Buddha practice is very powerful purification for our future lives.
Dear Stephen,
I hope everything is well for your grandma, may you and your family always be blessed by Medicine Buddha.
[…] 10. Stephen Tang – http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/guest-contributors/stephen-tang.html […]
Dear Stephen
Thank you sharing your story. It is good to know that she is getting some Dharma knowledge and show interests in Buddhas.
May your grandmother bless by Medicine Buddha and get well soon.
Dear Stephen Tang,
Thanks for sharing ur grandma story with us, may her receive Buddha blessing and do the prayer continuously. May she get well soon and always good health good fortune…
Dear Stephen,thank you for the sharing.I am sorry for her condition but at least she had live life to the fullest.She must be a very strong and determined person as she is active in sports at her age. I am glad that she is taking interest in Dharma.It is never too late for your grandma to show interest or take refuge in the Buddha.
I certainly hope the Medicine Buddha could help her improve her health to her former self and nurture her with Dharma along the way.
When I read through the story of your grandmother, I felt the honest of this story and you are not trying to cover any facts to win this Medicine Buddha, yes, you are right, many of us nowadays do not know how to respect our seniors at home, our grandparents as well as our parents.
It is very important that we do something to benefit them before it is too late, more over, without them, we won’t be here to have time ‘enjoying’ with our friends or our life. That is very beautiful of your thought that you want a Medicine Buddha for her blessing, any holy items are the best gift we can give to the people close to us, because any material gift does not last and they have no meaning. Very thoughtful of you.
It is sad to hear what your grandmother has to go through, yes, it is very though, but looking at it at a brighter side, sickness and death is a stage everyone has to pass through, but she is fortunate that she has you who can bring blessing of Buddha to her and that is what we all needed the most.
Thank you Stephen for sharing your story. Wish your grandmother has smooth recovery.
With hand folded
Nice story to know and also sharing with us about your grand mother. It is really heart warming that you can reconnect with your grand mother through Buddhhism. Thatttt she asked you about Amithaba and Amitayus. I sincerely hope that your relationship with her will get better so that the remaining years of her life will be happier. May her health be better.
It is also said that liberating animals will lengthen someone’s life and improve health. This meritorious act can be done by you for your grand mother.
Dear Stephen,
I love your story because it is indeed very honest of you especially of how you had neglected your grandmother. Many young people today makes this mistake because they treasure the fun and the friendship outside with people that are their peers. This is bad because we will lose out when our loved ones are no longer with us and we are unable to express our love and appreciation for what they have done for us.
Also, it is a sad that this is what most people do – they would only pursue Dharma when they are old and they finally realize their mortality. This is not meant to embarrass anybody but it is quite the norm especially amongst the older Asian generation. Dharma is really not just for the old but also for the young. In fact, it is better we practice the Dharma when we are younger and more able-bodied for this.
Dear Stephen,
Thank you for sharing your story about your grandma. I’m sorry to hear that she has cancer. According to Buddha, sickness is one of the four main sufferings everyone will suffer, the others being birth, old age and death. These are unavoidable for any of us. I know that Medicine Buddha will bless your grandma and as you were asking what else you can do, you can dedicate merits to your grandma which will bless her in this life and future lives.
Through Rinpoche’s kindness, we can do this easily via:
– Offerings of monks’ robes
http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/new-offering-of-monk-robes.html
or
– Offerings to monks’ welfare and education
http://www.buddhas-space.com/post/41186316164
or
– Butterlamp offerings
http://vajrasecrets.com/offerings-sponsorship/offerings/lamps-for-life.html
or
– A Slice of Heaven
http://vajrasecrets.com/offerings-sponsorship/offerings/slice-of-heaven.html
These are great opportunities to benefit our loved ones which will bring them permanent benefits according to Lord Buddha because when we support the Sangha, we would gain many merits. This is because the Sangha has devoted their lives to the Dharma and ensure that the Buddha’s teachings endure.
All best wishes to your grandma and your family!
Thank you for submitting this article about your grandmother and I am happy that you have reconnected back with her. Your grandma is a very brave woman and accepted her sickness. Her interest in the different Buddhas as well Amitabha and Amitayus will definitely plant seeds and strong imprints on her. May your grandma and your family be blessed by Medicine Buddha.
Dear Stephen,
Thank you sharing your story. I am sorry to hear that your granma is not feeling well. Like what Rinpoche said, “No matter how busy we are, take a moment to remember someone’s kindness and be humble”. I sometimes ‘ignore’ my granma as she always ask the same questions and there is nothing much to talk about. But I will always remember her kindness for she took care of me when I was young.
I am glad that you are now keen to share Dharma with your granma. It will be wonderful for her to have this blessed Medicine Buddha. Hopefully she stay strong and continue her spiritual journey.
Thank you Stephen for your submission of your story about your grandmother. It is good news that your mother have started to show interests in different Buddhas. This is a very good sign. I do hope that the Medicine Buddha will bless her mind stream and give her some peace.
It is also good to know that because of your grand mother’s illness, you have become more sensitive and that you realise that you may have neglected or taken for granted. Hence a negative outcome has been in a way positive way for you to reflect and actually made you become more caring. I see this as a good sign actually. So for that I congratulate you for this beautiful realisation and would like to encourage you towards this further and I feel that this will be the beauty and positive energy that anyone can give to someone who is ill. And with Medicine Buddha to bless and enhanced this healing positive energy further.
Dear Stephen,
I am happy to read that your grandmother has started to show interests in Buddhas, this makes her being able to get connected and receive the blessings of Buddhas more easily.
I wish that your grandmother can find peace in Medicine Buddha and that she can feel and get better soon.
Dear Stephen
Thank you for your lovely story of your grandmother. Indeed many of us today tend to neglect the fact that we have many seniors from our family members whom have contributed in our upbringing one way or another. It is not a put down but as the generation and age gaps grow further, our commitments in life differs from theirs, creating this void in between.
I am very happy that Dharma or rather Medicine Buddha has reconnected your grandma with you in the best way! It is said, to even hear Medicine Buddha’s name, see his holy image and even to think “Oh, it’s Medicine Buddha!” will plant very strong imprints and blessings upon the person.
May this Medicine Buddha bless you and your family!