Chanted Prayers
Daily, weekly, and monthly chanted prayers
Chanted prayers are an important component of training in spiritual life. They help us to still our mind, connect with enlightened beings, and receive blessings.
Below is a list of the chanted prayers we practice together in English at the World Peace Temple. Please check the Event Calendar for any schedule changes. All of these are free of charge. Everyone is welcome.
Heart Jewel Prayers
Check Event Calendar for date & time.
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 minds for silent 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 realizations of Buddha's teachings. (1 hour)
Tara Prayers - Green Tara Chanted Prayers
Held on or near the 8th of the month.
At Kadampa Centers worldwide, the eighth of the month is Tara Day. Tara is a female Buddha, whose name means “Rescuer. She is the embodiment of swift compassion. If we rely upon Tara sincerely and with strong faith, she will protect us from all obstacles and fulfill all our wishes. Everyone is welcome and invited to join us for Tara’s chanted prayer practice, Liberation from Sorrow. (1 hour)
Wishfulfilling Jewel
Please check the Event Calendar for the daily schedule.
This practice is the heart essence of Kadampa Buddhism and is a more extensive version of Heart Jewel described above. 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. (1-1.5 hours)
Powa Practice for the Recently Deceased
Check Event Calendar for time. You're welcome to email prayer requests to Epc@MeditationMD.org
Once a month the Center engages in a lovely ritual practice on behalf of those who have recently died. The practice involves 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 of Buddha. Food and flower offerings (tending toward white) are welcome. (1 hour)
Offering to the Spiritual Guide (OSG)
Held on the 10th and 25th of the month. Check Event Calendar for time.
This is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with the 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)
Melodious Drum
Held on the 29th of the month. Check Event Calendar for time.
This monthly practice consists mainly 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 in 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)