Lama Chopa and Tsog for Saka Dawa
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Saka Dawa marks the day of Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment and parinirvana (passing away). It is a Buddha Multiplying Day where karmic results are multiplied by one hundred million, as cited by Lama Zopa Rinpoche from the Vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.
We will celebrate this special day with a Guru Puja (Lama Chöpa), 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. When coming to a tsog, bring a food offering to share. This is usually a snack item that can be easily passed out. (We have a request from some participants to consider bringing more healthful offerings, perhaps nuts, crackers, fruit.) All are welcome! Offered free – donations appreciated. |
Refuge Tree
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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. All the lam-rim realizations—guru devotion, perfect human rebirth (its usefulness and the difficulty of finding it again), impermanence and death and so forth—are lo-jong, thought transformation. When you say “general lo-jong” it covers everything, but when you say “lam-rim lo-jong” it specifically covers the part of bodhicitta, such as the paths of integrating the lifetime practice into the five powers and the five powers to be practiced near the time of death. The lam-rim prayer in Guru Puja has lam-rim, thought transformation and, after the six perfections, the generation and completion stages of tantra. There are verses that show those paths.
— Lama Zopa Rinpoche (advice from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive)