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Guru Puja with Tsog - Celebrate our Teachers!
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Guru Puja with Tsog is returning to Kadampa Center!
In his recent visit to Kadampa Center, Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Delek advised us that it is most beneficial for our community to come together twice a month to do Guru Puja with Tsog practice – and especially for students who have taken Highest Yoga Tantra initiation. On July 1, 2024, at 6:30 pm, we will hold our first monthly Guru Puja with Tsog practice, led by Geshe Sangpo. One or both of our precious Geshes will attend these pujas. If there is sufficient interest and support, we may expand the practice to twice a month on the traditional Tsog days.
With the return of this practice to our gompa, we are introducing some new elements:
- Geshe Sangpo will lead the puja in Tibetan
- Students are requested to participate fully in the practice by bringing food offerings,
- coming at the posted time (6:30 pm) to help with setup, and
- staying after the prayers to help with cleanup.
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. As part of the puja, we perform a special practice called Tsog, in which we make extensive food offerings to the teacher, and share the food among ourselves as well.
Traditionally, students who attend also bring food offerings – fruit, cupcakes, candy – festive items that can easily be shared among all present. This creates great merit for all of us bringing offerings! When everyone participates in this way, our gompa is blessed with a bountiful offering to make to the guru. Because this is a community practice, all students who attend will participate in preparing for the puja – setting up the offerings in the gompa – as well as in returning the gompa to "default" setup following the prayer service. Students are requested to arrive at the posted time and remain to assist with cleanup.
This puja also includes chanting music and playing instruments - cymbals and the drum. Geshe Sangpo has kindly offered, if students are interested, to teach us how to play these instruments so we can fully take part! Please let your SPCs know if you are interested.
Anyone is welcome to attend pujas, even if you are unfamiliar with the practice. This puja is chanted in Tibetan, and we will have the English translations of the whole puja available to follow along. We plan to occasionally read the lamrim verses in English so both English- and Tibetan-speaking students can hear these teachings. 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.
Sponsoring the puja is a two-step process
Step One: is dedicating your generosity (click here).
Step Two: is making the sponsorship donation
Dedications may be very simple - "For my mother, Rosemary" - or they might encompass more extensive spiritual wishes, such as "May these teachings be the cause to liberate all sentient beings," or wishes for the teacher's long life, to benefit a person who is ill - any heart-felt positive intention! You also can dedicate for more than one intention.
Sponsorship of a Guru puja is $75 - click here to sponsor this puja.
