Support at the Time of Death

When your prayer request is given to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, his office will give a packet of mani pills and a blessing string, which will be sent to you (this is why we request your address).

Mani pills are little herbal pills which are made by the monks of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's personal monastery, Namgyel Monastery, in Mcleod Ganj, India. The pills are kept in the center of the main temple during the annual Mani Prayer Festival, when hundreds of monks, nuns and laypeople congregate to recite the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. This is the mantra of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), who is the manifestation of enlightened compassion. So, it is believed that these pills are imbued with that energy. You can take one or two pills and just suck them as a means to find reassurance, and to increase the power of your own compassion. You can also take these when ill as a blessed substance to help your mind and body to recover balance.

Blessing strings are cords which have been blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Usually students will tie the string around their neck, and consider that the string provides protection. The protection is mainly that by wearing the string we are reminded of the qualities of the gurus and the Buddhas, and in that way we encourage ourselves to develop those qualities ourselves. Blessing strings can also be placed on students as they are dying, again to provide the blessings of the guru and Buddhas.

The pills and the blessing string should be treated with respect (so don't put them in dirty places or throw them away with normal household rubbish).