Group Meditations
-to heal and uplift our hearts and minds-
For success in any activity, whether worldly or spiritual, we need certain conditions. Mainly, we need a lot of merit or positive energy, freedom from negativity and obstructions, and the blessings of holy beings. By relaxing with a mind of faith and enjoying these chanted prayers, we can accomplish all three of these, transforming our mind from negative to positive, from unhappy to happy.
These chanted meditations that combine singing and visualization, known as ‘pujas’, follow a range of Buddhist prayer booklets prepared by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and published by Tharpa Publications. These prayer booklets, known as sadhanas, can also be used for individual practice and are available from Tharpa Publications - www.tharpa.com or at our bookshop.
There is no cost and no registration to participate in these group meditations. Everyone welcome.
Heart Jewel with Lamrim Meditation
The heart essence of Kadampa Buddhism, this practice helps to purify our negativity, accumulate merit, receive blessings, overcome obstacles to our practice and create favorable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our pure Dharma realizations. It combines the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa with prayers to our Dharma Protector Dorje Shugdan and prepares our mind for a twenty-minute meditation on Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. (1 hour) Please check the calendar for the most current schedule.
Wishfulfilling Jewel Puja
This is the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa combined with more extensive prayers to our Dharma Protector Dorje Shugdan. We make a special food offering known as a tsog offering to create a vast amount of positive energy for ourselves and others. Please bring a food offering. (1.25 hours) Please check the calendar for the most current schedule.
Offering to the Spiritual Guide Puja
A special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra, this is a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra. The main practice is relying upon our Spiritual Guide as a Buddha and making praises and requests, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path, and training the mind, as well as both the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. This practice includes a tsog offering so please bring a food offering with you. (2 hours) Offered on the 10th and 25th of each month - please check the calendar for date and time.
Liberation from Sorrow, Praises and Requests to Tara
By offering praises and requests to Arya Tara, the female Buddha who is our swift compassionate mother, we come under her special care and protection. By offering praises and requests to Tara we increase our wisdom and compassion. Occasionally for special reasons we do a 24-hour Tara practice, in which we recite these prayers every four hours for a twenty-four hour period. (1 hour) Offered on or around the 8th of each month - check calendar for date and time.
Vajrasattva Puja
Through practicing the meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva, we can completely cleanse our mind of delusions and negativity. This is a very powerful method of purification. (~.75 hour) Offered on the 1st Sunday of each month at 4:45pm.
Quick Path (Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners only)
Everyone who has received a Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment has a commitment to practice six-session Guru yoga. This six-session yoga has been specially arranged for those who have received a Vajrayogini empowerment. (2 hours). Please check calendar for the most current schedule.
Long Protector Puja
These monthly prayers are to our Dharma Protector, Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugdan. A Dharma Protector averts inner and outer obstacles to our gaining spiritual realizations and provides necessary conditions for our spiritual practice. Dorje Shugdän always helps, guides, and protects pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their wishes, and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities. This practice includes a tsog offering so please bring a food offering with you. (3.5 hours) Offered on or around the 29th of each month - check calendar for date and time.
Powa Ceremony
The practice of transference of consciousness, known as "powa," is performed to lead countless deceased beings to the Pure Land of a Buddha, where they will experience permanent liberation from suffering and everlasting happiness. We perform this powa practice on behalf of those who have recently died, traditionally within 49 days of their death. This practice helps us develop compassion for all living beings. (1 hour) Offered on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 5pm.
Precepts
The practice of taking and keeping the eight Mahayana precepts is a special practice of moral discipline that is performed with a strong motivation to benefit others. In this practice we take eight precepts and vow to keep them purely for a period of 24 hours. In so doing we acquaint ourself with the practice of pure moral discipline and thereby make our human life meaningful. (~.5 hour) Offered on the 15th of month at 6:30am.