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Guru Puja with Tsog

Repeats every 152 weeks until Sat Dec 24 2016 except Sat Jan 07 2017. Also includes Tue Jan 19 2016, Wed Feb 03 2016, Wed Feb 17 2016, Fri Mar 04 2016, Fri Mar 18 2016, Mon May 02 2016, Mon May 16 2016, Tue May 31 2016, Tue Jun 14 2016, Wed Jun 29 2016, Thu Jul 14 2016, Fri Jul 29 2016, Tue Oct 11 2016, Tue Oct 25 2016, Wed Nov 09 2016, Wed Nov 23 2016, Fri Dec 09 2016, Fri Dec 23 2016, Mon Feb 06 2017, Tue Feb 21 2017, Tue Mar 07 2017, Thu Mar 23 2017, Thu Apr 06 2017, Fri Apr 21 2017, Fri May 05 2017, Mon Nov 13 2017, Tue Nov 28 2017.
12:00 pm Monday, January 4, 2016

Guru puja (Lama Chöpa)  is a practice of making offerings and requests to all the Buddhas and holy beings, but especially the root guru, who, according to the teachings, is the root of the path to liberation. It is a practice recommended by FPMT's Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who says:

This practice of Guru Puja is very profound, with many extra benefits, and is very quick to bring enlightenment. The lam-rim prayer, the prayer of the steps of the path to enlightenment, in Guru Puja has lam-rim and also lo-jong, or thought transformation. Generally, the whole of the lam-rim, from guru devotion up to enlightenment, is thought transformation. If your mind is not transformed into the path, how can you have realizations of the path? There’s no way, without transforming your mind.

As part of the puja, we perform a special practice called tsog which has extensive offerings. According to the Liberation Prison Project Tibetan calendar, on the 10th and 25th of every Tibetan (lunar) month, Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, “Those who have received an initiation into Highest Yoga Tantra have a commitment to perform tsog” on these days. Kadampa Center holds pujas with tsog on these dates (when they don't conflict with other programs).

Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice. This puja is recited partly in English and partly chanted in Tibetan. (It is possible to read the English translations of the whole puja, and there is optional sheet music available to help learn the Tibetan tunes.) Traditionally the offerings for the sangha and puja are sponsored by Dharma students, especially if they want to dedicate the puja to their spiritual teachers or loved ones in need of support and prayers.

Sponsorship of a Guru puja is $70 - click here to sponsor this puja.

Location at Kadampa Center: 
Gompa