Chanted prayers or meditations are special methods for purifying negativity, accumulating merit and receiving blessings. They help us to develop and maintain a positive mind and are a powerful preparation for meditation.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Heart Jewel & Wishfulfilling Jewel
The Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa combined with the sadhana of his Dharma Protector
These two prayers (Heart Jewel is a condensed sadhana) include two practices revealed by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri. The first is a special Guru yoga in which we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa, who himself is a manifestation of Manjushri. By relying upon this practice, we can purify negativity, accumulate merit, and receive blessings. In this way, we will naturally accomplish all the realizations of the stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra, and in particular we will attain a very special Dharma wisdom.
The second practice is a method for relying upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugdän. Through this, we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favourable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our Dharma realizations. If we rely upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugdän sincerely, our faith in Je Tsongkhapa will naturally increase and we will easily gain experience of the pure Buddhadharma transmitted directly to Je Tsongkhapa by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.
These two practices are the very essence of the New Kadampa Tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. If we practise them regularly and sincerely, we will reap a rich harvest of pure Dharma realizations, and eventually come to experience the supreme joy of full enlightenment.
An extensive explanation of these sadhanas can be found in the book Heart Jewel, by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
Offering to the Spiritual Guide
Offering to the Spiritual Guide is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. The main practice is relying upon the 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 stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra.
There are many benefits from practising Offering to the Spiritual Guide. These are explained in the book Great Treasury of Merit, which contains a complete commentary to the practice.
Melodious Drum Victorious in All Directions
The extensive fulfilling and restoring ritual of the Dharma Protector, the great king Dorje Shugden, in conjunction with Mahakala, Kalarupa, Kalindewi, and other Dharma Protectors.
A Dharma Protector is an emanation of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva whose main functions are to avert the inner and outer obstacles that prevent practitioners from gaining spiritual realizations, and to arrange all the necessary conditions for their practice. Beings in this present time have a strong karmic link with Dorje Shugden, and so he is the Dharma Protector who is most able to help them. Therefore it is said that now is the time to rely upon Dorje Shugden. Dorje Shugden 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.
Tara Chanting or Liberation from Sorrow
Tara is a female Buddha, a manifestation of the ultimate wisdom of all the Buddhas. She is our common mother, our Holy Mother. She protects us from all internal and external dangers, she provides us with all the necessary conditions for our spiritual training, and she guides us and inspires us with her blessings as we progress along the spiritual path.
Tara means ‘Rescuer’. If we rely upon Mother Tara sincerely and with strong faith she will protect us from all obstacles and fulfil all our wishes. Since she is a wisdom Buddha, and since she is a manifestation of the completely purified wind element, Tara is able to help us very quickly.
Prayers for World Peace
“Learning to cherish others is the best method for establishing world peace in general, and for our own peace of mind in particular. If everyone sincerely prays to be able to cherish other living beings, then gradually through the power of this prayer, everyone will actually cherish each other. The world will then be permanently at peace, and pure and everlasting happiness will pervade the entire world.”
Prayers for World Peace are on the last Friday of the month at 7-8pm. Please see our calendar for dates. Everyone is welcome.
Powa or Path of Compassion for the Deceased
We perform this practice of transference of consciousness, known in Tibetan as “powa”, on behalf of someone who has recently died. It is traditionally done within forty-nine days of a death.
To prepare for this ritual practice, we begin by arranging beautiful offerings such as candles and flowers. Then, with a mind of strong compassion for all sentient beings in general and for the deceased in particular, we begin the sadhana.
A full and practical explanation of the practice of powa can be found in the book Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully.
