Tibetan Practices
Learning about and engaging in various traditional practices.
The ordinary view is that reality is "out there" and that it "has nothing to do with me." The Buddhist view is that things arise due to causes and conditions, particularly karmic causes - from the imprints created by our own actions - and from the process of mental imputation. That's good news; that means we can change reality. However, we have to do some karmic action to make it happen. And we have to work on our own minds. That's why we do these practices which have been handed down to us by a long lineage of realized masters from centuries past.
The ordinary view is that reality is "out there" and that it "has nothing to do with me." The Buddhist view is that things arise due to causes and conditions, particularly karmic causes - from the imprints created by our own actions - and from the process of mental imputation. That's good news; that means we can change reality. However, we have to do some karmic action to make it happen. And we have to work on our own minds. That's why we do these practices which have been handed down to us by a long lineage of realized masters from centuries past.
PujaPuja is a Sanskrit word which means offering. A puja is a ritual that generally involves:
Everyone is welcome to come to these pujas and join in. It is very beneficial for the energy of the Dharma center and for the individuals who participate. When people travel to India, Nepal, or in some cases Tibet, where they have a chance to visit a Tibetan monastery or nunnery, they are often struck by the power of the chanting with a hall full of monks or nuns. We don't have a lot of monks and nuns, but we can still get together and create some powerful energy. Why do pujas? Performing pujas and sutra recitations creates merit and purifies obstacles for:
Tsog Twice a month, based on the lunar calendar, Tse Chen Ling offers one of the central practices of our tradition, Lama Chopa Tsog. Tsog means “gathering,” and Lama Chopa means “offering to the Spiritual Guide.” It is a profound practice of purification of negative karma and accumulation of positive energy, or merit. During the puja/offering, extensive prayers are recited in order to affirm our commitment to the spiritual path and to seek inspiration from our teachers. All are invited to participate. Feel free to bring offerings of flowers, food, or anything else you would like to offer. You can find more information about this puja and upcoming schedules on the Lama Chopa Tsog page. Tsog is generally performed on the lunar 10th and 25th. See Tibetan calendar here. Medicine Buddha and Tara pujas Years ago, Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommended these two pujas to our group (and to the FPMT centers in general) because they each cover so many situations. Each of the twenty-one Taras and each of the seven Medicine Buddhas addresses specific types of problems and brings specific types of success, which taken all together cover just about everything we could want.
Find more info about these pujas and upcoming schedules on the Cittamani Tara Puja page and Medicine Buddha Puja page. |
Green Tara, the one who rescues swiftly
Sadhanas
Sadhana is a Sanskrit word that means something like 'practice' or as the Tibetans say, 'means of achievement.' A sadhana is similar to a puja but can include more meditation, visualization, and mantra recitation. In general, the sadhanas that we do at the center are open to everyone, not requiring any empowerment. Often there are alternate ways of visualizing based on whether you have the empowerment for that practice or not.
Sutra and Shastra Recitations
Approximately once a month, we recite a sutra. Reciting means reading aloud.
Sutra is a Sanskrit term meaning the canonical teachings of the Buddha. Examples of sutras that we would recite are:
Shastras are the commentaries by the great scholar-saints of ancient times and are often the subject of special advanced classes, such as:
As with the pujas, you are all very welcome to join in these recitations. |