Heart Jewel

This short prayer includes two practices revealed by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri. By engaging in the special Guru yoga practised in conjunction with Je Tsongkhapa we can purify negativity, accumulate merit and receive blessings, and attain a very special wisdom. By engaging in the special method for relying upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden we can overcome obstacles to our practice and create favourable conditions so that we can nurture and increase our spiritual realizations. These two practices are the very essence of Kadampa Buddhism. If we practise 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.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Heart Jewel at 8am.

Tuesday Heart Jewel with guided Lamrim meditation at 5pm.

Thursday Heart Jewel with guided Lamrim meditation at 7am.

Saturday Heart Jewel with guided Lamrim meditation at 7.30pm.

On the 10th & 25th of each month, plus on most celebration days / 1hr 40 minutes

please check our calendar for the start time a few days before

Offering to the Spiritual Guide

Offering to the Spiritual Guide, or Lama Chopa in Tibetan, is a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction with Highest Yoga Tantra. It was compiled by the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen, as a preliminary practice for Tantric Mahamudra. The main practice is meditation on reliance upon our Spiritual Guide, but it also includes all the essential practices of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and training the mind (Lojong), as well as both the generation and completion stages of Highest Yoga Tantra. By relying upon our Spiritual Guide as one with Je Tsongkhapa, our compassion, spiritual power, and especially our wisdom will naturally increase. A complete commentary to this practice can be found in Great Treasury of Merit.

8th of each month / 40 minutes

please check our calendar for the start time a few days before

Liberation From Sorrow

The Liberation from Sorrow prayers include praises to the twenty-one manifestations of Tara. Because these are Sutra, the actual words of Buddha, they are particularly powerful and blessed.

Tara is a female Buddha, a manifestation of the ultimate wisdom of all the Buddhas.

Her name means 'Rescuer' because she rescues us from all outer and inner fears. Ultimately she rescues us from all suffering and guides us to full enlightenment.

Like a mother she protects us from all internal and external dangers; she provides us with all the necessary conditions for our spiritual training, and guides us and inspires us with her blessings as we progress along the spiritual path.

29th of each month / 3hrs 30 minutes

please check our calendar for the start time a few days before

Melodious Drum, Victorious in all Directions

Dorje Shugden always helps, guides, and protects pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their positive wishes and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities. This extensive sadhana - ritual prayers for spiritual attainments - is called ‘Kangso’ in Tibetan, which means ‘Fulfilling and Restoring Ritual’. Usually performed once a month in Dharma Centres, it is used for fulfilling our heart commitment to practise Lamrim, Lojong and Mahamudra and to rely upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, regarding him as inseparable from our Spiritual Guide and Buddha, and for restoring any degenerate or broken commitments we may have incurred. Also included are Praise to Manjushri, the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa, self-generation as Heruka, and the ritual for fulfilling and restoring our commitments with other Dharma Protectors.

1st Tuesday of each month / 45 minutes

please check our calendar for the start time a few days before

Powa Practice

(Transference of consciousness for the deceased)

This practice of transference of consciousness, known as ‘powa’, can be done either by a group of practitioners or individually. The purpose of doing this is to lead countless deceased beings to the Pure Land of a Buddha.

We understand that throughout this world millions of humans and billions of animals die every day from so many different causes. If these living beings have the opportunity to take rebirth in a Buddha’s Pure Land, they will attain permanent liberation from suffering and experience pure and everlasting happiness. Our practice of this powa offers them this precious opportunity. By engaging in this practice we ourself will create a great collection of virtue, which will also lead us into the pathway to the Pure Land of a Buddha.

We perform this powa practice on behalf of those who have recently died, traditionally within forty-nine days of their death.