APRIL SCHEDULE
 
Heart Jewel 
  • Mondays at 5:30pm: April 1, 8, 22
  • Wednesdays 5:30pm: April 3, 17, 24
Wishfulfilling Jewel
  • Sundays at 3pm: April 7, 21
  • Sunday, April 14 at 6pm 
Offering to the Spiritual Guide
  • Saturday, April 6 at 2pm
  • Wednesday, April 10 at 4:30pm 
  • Monday, April 15 at 5:30pm (Buddha's Enlightenment Day)
  • Thursday, April 25 at 5:30pm
Melodious Drum
  • Monday, April 29 at 4:30pm
Powa
  • Saturday, April 20 at 3pm 



Heart Jewel Prayers

The daily puja at Kadampa Buddhist Centers is Heart Jewel, which is a Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa combined with the condensed sadhana of his Dharma Protector and a short mediation on Lamrim. This puja includes two practices revealed by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri. The first is a special Guru yoga in which we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa, who himself is a manifestation of Manjushri. By relying upon this practice, we can purify negativity, accumulate merit, and receive blessings. In this way, we will naturally accomplish all the realizations of the stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra, and in particular we will attain a very special Dharma wisdom.

The second practice is a method for relying upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden. Through this, we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favourable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our Dharma realizations. If we rely upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden sincerely, our faith in Je Tsongkhapa will naturally increase and we will easily gain experience of the pure Buddhadharma transmitted directly to Je Tsongkhapa by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.
These two practices are the very essence of the New Kadampa Tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. If we practice them regularly and sincerely, we will reap a rich harvest of pure Dharma realizations, and eventually come to experience the supreme joy of full enlightenment. (1 hour 7 min.)

No sessions on Jan 1 or Jan 8

Powa Prayers

Once a month the Center engages in a beautiful ritual practice on behalf of those who have recently died. The practice entails a transference of consciousness, whereby through chanted prayers and mantras, the participants assist in directing the consciousness of the recently deceased directly to the Pure Land. Food and flower offerings are welcome. (1 hour.)
If you would like to add someone who has recently passed away to our Powa prayers, please join us.
 

Long Protector Prayers (Melodious Drum)

This extensive monthly practice consists principally of prayers to our Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden. A Dharma Protector is an emanation of a Buddha or Bodhisattva whose main functions are to avert the inner and outer obstacles that prevent practitioners from attaining spiritual realizations, and to arrange all the necessary conditions for their practice. Dorje Shugden always helps, guides, and protects pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their wishes and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities. This practice includes a tsog offering so you can bring a vegetarian food offering with you if you wish. (3.5 hours.)

 

Offering Spiritual Guide Prayers

This is a special Guru Yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra that is a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra. The main practice is relying upon our Spiritual Guide as a Buddha and making praises and requests, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path and training the mind, as well as both the generation stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra. By relying upon Je Tsongkhapa our compassion, wisdom, and spiritual power naturally increase. This practice includes a tsog offering so you can bring a vegetarian food offering with you if you wish. (2 hours.)
 

Wishfulfilling Jewels Prayers

Prayers to Je Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden
This practice is the heart essence of Kadampa Buddhism. In the first part we visualize our Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa and make prayers and requests to purify negativity, accumulate merit, and receive blessings. This prepares our mind for a twenty-minute meditation on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. After the meditation we make prayers to our Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden. Through this we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favorable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our pure Dharma realizations. This practice includes a tsog offering (feast offering) so you can bring a vegetarian food offering with you if you wish. (1 hour 15 minutes.)