Blessings for a Year
Medicine Buddha
Friday 24th January 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Medicine Buddha is a Buddha doctor whose blessings help to improve the mental and physical health of ourself and our loved ones.
His left hand holds a bowl filled with medicinal nectar and his right hand holds a medicinal plant.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Maitreya
Friday 21st February, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Buddha Maitreya is the embodiment of the loving-kindness of all the Buddhas, whose function is to guide all beings along the stages of the path to enlightenment. His hands are in the gesture of teaching Dharma, holding the stems of two lotuses symbolizing his omniscient wisdom. The lotus on his right supports the Wheel of Dharma and the vase on his left is filled with life-giving nectars. On his crown is a stupa symbolizing his Spiritual Guide, Buddha Shakyamuni.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha One Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara
Friday 28th March, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Thousand Arms Avalokiteshvara, the Compassion Buddha, the embodiment of the universal compassion of all enlightened beings. By relying on Avalokiteshvara we naturally increase our own compassion. In this aspect Avalokiteshvara has eleven faces—the ten faces of his emanations of the ten directions and the face of his root Guru Buddha Amitabha—indicating that he benefits living beings through his countless emanations. His thousand arms indicate that he is the synthesis of the thousand Buddhas of this Fortunate Eon, and the eye in the palm of each hand indicate that he watches over and cares for infinite living beings.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Green Tara
Friday 25th April, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Tara is a female Buddha, a manifestation of the ultimate wisdom of all the Buddhas. By relying on Tara we can swiftly be freed from all fear.
Tara promised Atisha, the Founder of the Kadampa Tradition, that those who practice Kadam Lamrim - the stages of the path to enlightenment - would receive her special care, protection and blessings throughout their life, and in life after life.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha White Tara
Friday 9th May, 6:30pm - 7pm
White Tara is a female enlightened being whose function is to bestow long life, wisdom and good fortune. With these good qualities we can easily attain enlightenment and fulfil the real meaning of our human life.
Blessings for a Year
Wisdom Buddhas Je Tsongkhapa & Dorje Shugden
Friday 27th June, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
These two enlightened beings are in truth the same person appearing in different aspects. Wisdom Buddha Manjushri appeared in this world as Je Tsongkhapa (1357 - 1419), a Tibetan Teacher who wrote unusually lucid texts clarifying the meaning of all of Buddha’s teachings, saving them from decline and preserving them for future generations. It is Je Tsongkhapa’s presentation of Buddha’s teachings that Venerable Geshe-la principally relied upon when creating our Modern Kadampa Buddhist texts.
Dorje Shugden is also Wisdom Buddha Manjushri, appearing as the Protector of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings, helping faithful Kadampas to gather all the inner and outer conditions they need for successful practice.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Manjushri
Friday 18th July, 2pm - 3pm
Manjushri is the Wisdom Buddha, the embodiment of the wisdom of all the Buddhas. By relying upon Manjushri, we will naturally increase our wisdom. Wisdom is a virtuous, intelligent mind that understands its object unmistakenly and functions to dispel deluded doubt. Since it is a virtuous mind, wisdom always causes happiness; it never causes suffering or problems. Moreover, because it understands its object unmistakenly, wisdom always leads to correct paths and correct actions; it never deceives living beings. Wisdom is like an inner Teacher that we carry in our hearts, and like a Protector that protects us from engaging in wrong actions and having to experience their unpleasant results. With wisdom, our mind is always balanced and comfortable. If we practise this sadhana regularly and sincerely, we will definitely improve our Dharma wisdom, and eventually we will attain the ultimate peace of full enlightenment.
His right hand holds a wisdom sword symbolizing his wisdom cuts through ignorance. His left, the stem of an upala flower that supports the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, indicating that by relying on Manjushri we can develop the wisdom eye understanding the entire meaning of Buddha’s Perfection of Wisdom Sutras.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Prajnaparamita
Friday 22nd August, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Prajnaparamita is a female Buddha who is the manifestation of Buddha’s perfection of wisdom. By relying upon her we can dispel the ignorance that is the main source of our suffering.
Her four arms indicate that she is the synthesis of all Buddhas of the four directions. She holds a vajra and a scripture of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. Her remaining two hands are in the mudra of meditative equipoise. Together her hands teach us that through training in meditation on the perfection of wisdom we can accomplish the higher perfection of wisdom, the union of great bliss and emptiness, through which we can attain enlightenment very quickly.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Vajrapani
Friday 26th September, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Vajrapani is an emanation of Buddha whose function is to destroy the delusions of living beings by bestowing special power upon their body and mind. Everyone is welcome to attend these beautiful prayers.
Vajrapani appears in a wrathful aspect, displaying his power to overcome all outer, inner, and secret obstacles to spiritual practice.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Shakyamuni
Friday 17th October, 6:30pm - 7pm
Buddha Shakyamuni is the Founder of Buddhism in this world; all Buddhist traditions trace their lineage back to him. Faith in Buddha Shakyamuni is the spiritual life of all Buddhists and at the heart of all successful Dharma practice. Join us for these short but powerful prayers helping us to strengthen our connection to him.
Buddha Shakyamuni holds a begging bowl filled with three nectars indicating that he has conquered the "demons" of uncontrolled death, a contaminated body and mind, and delusions, and is touching the ground indicating his power to subdue all negative forces.
Blessings for a Year
Buddha Vajrasattva
Friday 7th November, 6:30pm - 7pm
Vajrasattva, the Buddha of Purification, the manifestation of the minds of all the Buddhas, appearing specifically to purify the negativities of living beings. He is the same nature as Buddha Vajradhara, differing only in aspect.
Anyone can rely upon Buddha Vajrasattva to help them purify the negative karma which gives rise to suffering and blocks their spiritual path.
Blessings for a Year
The 35 Confession Buddhas
Friday 19th December, 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Buddha taught a powerful purification practice called, ‘The Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps’ in which we rely upon thirty five Buddhas who have a special karmic link with the people of this world. Through the power of their blessings we can swiftly purify even the heaviest negative karma. Everyone is welcome to attend these prayers.