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Guru puja with tsog with Khensur Rinpoche ~ Sat May 18, 6:30-7:30 PM
During this holy month of Saka Dawa, and with the blessing of the presence of Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Delek, we will offer a Guru Puja with Tsog Saturday, May 18 at 6:30 pm. What a wonderful opportunity to deepen our connection to this teacher, who so kindly spoke of our community, and create skies of merit on his last day in Raleigh!
As part of the puja, we will also make extensive, festive offerings of food - called Tsog. It's very beneficial and creates great merit for students to participate in providing these offerings, either by bringing them to the puja or by contributing financially to it (see puja sponsorship below).Appropriate food offerings include fruit, cake, muffins, individual bags of cookies, nuts or chips, or bottled or canned drinks. It's a party! We will be sharing the food during the puja. Please note: If you bring offerings, please be sure to arrive before 6:10 pm so there is time to place them on the altar.
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Khensur Rinpoche spoke about Guru Puja in his teachings Sunday, noting that the puja contains the lamrim and thought transformation prayers - the very essence of liberation.
Join us in person or online!
- in person at Kadampa Center ~ the very best way to participate!
- via Zoom, register HERE
- via livestream on YouTube HERE
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.
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.
It is a practice recommended by FPMT's Spiritual Director Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who said:
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.
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. The whole puja is translated into English, right below the Tibetan, in the book we use, so anyone can follow along. 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 making the sponsorship donation - Full Sponsorship of a Guru puja is $75 (CLICK HERE to sponsor this puja or to donate in any amount)
Step Two is dedicating your generosity (CLICK HERE to submit your dedication)
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.
