“In general, prayers made by an assembly of many practitioners are very powerful and cannot be compared to the prayers of one or two people.
The scriptures give the analogy of a broom.
If we try to clean a floor with a few bristles we shall make little progress, but if we gather many bristles to make a broom we shall be successful.”
Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Heart Jewel with time for meditation
See calendar for dates and times.
This practice is central to Kadampa Buddhism.
In the first part, we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa and pray for three things: to remove or purify our negativity, to accumulate positive energy or good fortune, and to receive blessings (positive transformations of mind).
This prepares us mentally for our Lamrim meditation on one of the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.
After the meditation, we request the Dharma Protector of our tradition, Dorje Shugdän, to help us overcome any obstacles to our practice and to create conditions for us that will nurture and increase our Dharma realizations.
Long Protector Prayers (known as ‘Kangso’ or ‘Melodious Drum’)
29th of every month (check calendar for times).
This is a monthly practice of making offerings and requesting the Dharma Protector of our tradition, Dorje Shugden, to remove obstacles and to create favourable conditions for our spiritual practice.
This puja includes a tsog offering. For tsog pujas, we gather together to pray and make special offerings.
You may bring a food, drink or flower offering with you to this puja if you wish.
~ three and a half hours
Liberation From Sorrow
8th of every month (check calendar for times)
Buddha Tara is a female enlightened being with close ties to Kadampa Buddhism.
Her name means Liberator, and she is renowned for her swift, compassionate actions.
Like an enlightened mother, she protects and rescues us from negativity and harm, always guiding us in the direction of wisdom and compassion.
By showing us the inner path to freedom, she strengthens our ability to overcome obstacles and offers us the keys whereby we can unlock our full potential.
Everyone is welcome to benefit from Tara’s chanted prayer practice, Liberation from Sorrow.
Offering to the Spiritual Guide
10th & 25th of every month (see calendar for times).
Offering to the Spiritual Guide, or Lama Chopa in Tibetan, is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra.
It was compiled by the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen, as a preliminary practice for Tantric Mahamudra.
The main practice is meditation on reliance upon our Spiritual Guide, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and training the mind (Lojong), as well as both the generation and completion stages of Highest Yoga Tantra.
By relying upon our Spiritual Guide as one with Je Tsongkhapa, our compassion, spiritual power, and especially our wisdom will naturally increase.
Prayers for those who have recently died (Powa)
See calendar for date and time.
Through practising transference of consciousness, known as ‘powa’ with faith, compassion and concentration we can transfer the consciousness of those recently deceased to a higher rebirth or to the Pure Land of a Buddha.
The Powa Ceremony can be done either by a group of practitioners or individually on behalf of one or more deceased persons, or countless deceased beings.
By engaging in this practice we also create a great collection of virtue, which will also lead us into the pathway to a Buddha’s Pure Land.
Quick Path to Great Bliss
The extensive self-generation practice of Vajrayogini, the female Buddha who is the manifestation of the wisdom of all Buddhas.
Sojong
See calendar for dates and times.
For ordained Sangha only.
Wishfulfilling Jewel with food offering
See calendar dates and times.
This prayer booklet includes two special practices revealed by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.
By engaging in the Guru yoga practised in conjunction with Je Tsongkhapa we can purify negativity, accumulate merit and receive blessings, and attain a very special compassion, wisdom and spiritual strength.
By relying upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favourable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our spiritual realizations.
These two practices are the very essence of Kadampa Buddhism.
The practice of Wishfulfilling Jewel also includes special torma and tsog offering sections.
If we practise this regularly and sincerely, we will develop pure Dharma realizations, and eventually come to experience the supreme joy of full enlightenment.