SPIRITUAL: Special Event Puja

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They became the seven Medicine Buddhas, and the puja is prayers and offerings to create merit and make requests of the Buddhas. Just some of the benefits of this practice include healing of mental and physical suffering, helping those who have died, as well as removing obstacles and creating the causes of enlightenment.

Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice, and this puja is recited in English. Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and puja are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the puja to someone who is ill, dying, or generally in need of support and prayers. Sponsorship of a Medicine Buddha puja is $50 - if you'd like to sponsor this puja, please contact pujas@kadampa-center.org for instructions about making the donation and sending your personal dedication.

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They became the seven Medicine Buddhas, and the puja is prayers and offerings to create merit and make requests of the Buddhas. Just some of the benefits of this practice include healing of mental and physical suffering, helping those who have died, as well as removing obstacles and creating the causes of enlightenment.

Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice, and this puja is recited in English. Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and puja are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the puja to someone who is ill, dying, or generally in need of support and prayers. Sponsorship of a Medicine Buddha puja is $50 - if you'd like to sponsor this puja, please contact pujas@kadampa-center.org for instructions about making the donation and sending your personal dedication.

Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses and diseases of sentient beings. They became the seven Medicine Buddhas, and the puja is prayers and offerings to create merit and make requests of the Buddhas. Just some of the benefits of this practice include healing of mental and physical suffering, helping those who have died, as well as removing obstacles and creating the causes of enlightenment.

According to the Liberation Prison Project Tibetan calendar, this is an auspicious day for Medicine Buddha puja, so students are encouraged to say Medicine Buddha prayers and puja at home. (Kadampa Center holds Medicine Buddha pujas aproximately once a month at the center, depending on other classes and events.)

Extensive preparations are required for a Hayagriva puja, and the visiting Sera Je monks will be making butter sculptures and preparing offerings for the puja all day. Students and visitors are welcome to drop in to see the monks at work.

The Sera Je monks are touring to raise funds to benefit the Sera Je Secondary School. In addition to accepting donations, they will have available for purchase a variety of gifts and Tibetan imports for sale.

A 100-Offerings Hayagriva puja will be performed by visiting monks from Sera Je Monastery for the health and long life of our Precious Teacher and Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as well as for the success of Kadampa Center. Hayagriva, while wrathful in appearance, is actually a deity of great compassion and one of the aspects of Avalokiteshrava. It's an important practice performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for bringing world peace. The puja also has many added benefits, such as removing obstacles for projects, and helping people who suffer from illness (particularly strokes) and spirit harm. The puja will last several hours and be chanted in Tibetan. Visitors and students are welcome to come and go at anytime during the ritual, as well as during the day to see the ritual preparations.

The Sera Je monks are touring to raise funds to benefit the Sera Je Secondary School. In addition to accepting donations, they will have available for purchase a variety of gifts and Tibetan imports for sale.

Instead of the weekly 9:00am teaching, we will be having a special prayers ceremony to consecrate statues and holy objects. Statues had to be registered in advance and prepared on Saturday, however anyone may bring other altar items for blessing such as thangkas, prayer flags, and malas (please label all items with your name - many look similar and we want them to get back to their correct homes). A table will be set up in the gompa for these items (starting August 18th) which must be brought in before the ceremony starts. Please pick up your blessed object as soon as possible after the ceremony ends. The prayers will be chanted in Tibetan, and everyone is invited to come listen and meditate during the ceremony. It's recommended you attend if possible if you have a holy object being blessed.

Guru Puja is a practice consisting of making offerings to and requesting inspiration from the Spiritual Master. Spiritual vows and commitments which might have degenerated are also restored through the practice of tsog offering (feast offering). In this practice, we unite our minds with the holy mind of the Spiritual Master, who is considered the root and life-force of the spiritual path in order to receive blessings and generate realizations on the path to enlightenment.

We need merit, or positive energy, for our enlightened potential to grow and become perfect and one of the best ways to do that is to make beautiful offering and prayers to the Three Jewels and to our Spiritual Teachers. This is what happens in the Guru Puja. A special type of offering called tsog is made. Here we offer platefuls of fruits and biscuits, which are distributed afterwards to the participants. The tsog can be eaten by oneself or shared with friends who have faith in the Three Jewels, but should not be given to animals or thrown in a dirty place.

Written by Ven. Sangye Khadro

The center will not be holding a puja, but according to the Tibetan calendar it is the day for performing tsog offering (and is a commitment for anyone with a Highest Yoga Tantra Initiation according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche).