One visitor to our site has had a recent spat of bad luck, and she is wondering if itmight be due to a gift she received a little while back.

Question: My mother purchased what she thought was a Tibet prayer box as a gift for me. However, I do not believe that is what it is... My fiance & I have had a tremendous amount of bad luck since I started wearing it.. I have fallen down the steps, he has fell outside in the ice & in mud, all of our fish died, my belongings that were in a storage facility inside all have water damage, & a pipe in our newly purchased home burst and splattered water & sewage all over my basement. I am not a superstitious person. However, I think it is more then a coincidence that this stuff is happening. I did some research and I think it is a pagan spell box how do I dispose of it? If you have any information I would appreciate it as I do not want devil worshiping stuff in my house let alone on my person. Thank You, Bad Luck Girl

Answer:Dear Bad Luck Girl:

Thanks for the note. I am truly sorry to hear about your bad luck, and I do hope things work out better, especially since it sounds like you will be having a wedding soon.

As I am Thai, and not as familiar with Tibetan religious objects as I would like to be, I am probably not the best person to provide advice to you.

If you live in a big city, there might be a Tibetan restaurant or a group that helps support Tibetan causes in the area, and they might be able to tell you the best way to dispose of the item. If not, then there might be a Nepalese group, since many of the beliefs in Tibet are similar to those in Nepal.

I know that for us people from Thailand, if we have a problem such as yours, we would take it to a local Thai Temple in America and ask the monks what to do. And while there are many Thai temples right here in America, unfortunately there are very few Tibetan Buddhist temples in America, so this might be very difficult for you as well.

We also have a growing Directory of Buddhist Temples that includes all denominations, so we encourage you to visit there as well (and please list a temple if you know of one not already in our directory).

I would NOT recommend throwing the item into the trash, nor would I recommend giving the item to someone else and hoping that despite its history with you, it will bring them good luck. Further, I would NOT recommend giving it to someone you dislike and hope that it brings them bad luck either.

I know you are not superstitious, so I would like to mention a solution that you will hopefully feel comfortable with. I would recommend that you go out of your way to do nice things for people. Just small things like holding the door open for people, or helping little old ladies across the street, or when you see someone at work who you know has spent a lot of time trying to make themselves look nice, you comment on how well they look, or giving your seat up on a bus to the elderly.

I am not saying you were not nice before. It's just that no matter which faith you follow, there is always a belief that if you do well, then you will be rewarded. And in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, while they believe that certain amulets and talisman might influence your luck a little one way or the other, no one believes that those items will ultimately overcome your karma - your collection of merit earned by good deeds versus the bad you have done.

Thanks again and let me know further what happens.