If you enjoy meditating with others, chanted meditations are a great opportunity for you to engage in group meditation. These chanted meditations are also known in Sanskrit as “puja”, meaning “offering ceremony”, or as “sadhanas”, which means “methods for accomplishing attainments”.

More information about sadhanas

Using ancient prayers translated into English, sung to beautiful tunes, we receive the blessings, protection and guidance of the holy beings. We can make requests for ourselves or for others who need help or protection.

These spiritual practices create a strong connection with the Buddhas, and help us purify our negativity and fill our mind with positive, healing energy.

A ‘tsog’ puja includes a food offering and you may wish to bring a small offering with you.

All pujas other than those specifically for Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners are open to everyone.

Details of the times of our pujas can be found each month on our calendar. We engage in a number of different pujas, the regular ones include:-

Wishfulfilling Jewel

This is the heart practice of Kadampa Buddhism and Kadampa practitioners engage daily in either these prayers or the shorter version, ‘Heart Jewel’.

On a monthly basis we engage in a longer version of this practice called ‘Melodious Drum Victorious in all Directions’. This puja lasts just over three hours and includes a small break.

Offering to the Spiritual Guide

This very special puja is engaged in on the 10th and 25th of each month and also on other holy days. The prayers typically last just over an hour and a half and include a tsog (food) offering.

Liberation from Sorrow (Prayers to Green Tara)

Tara has a special connection with Kadampa Buddhism and we engage in this practice at the Centre on the 8th of each month. These prayers take around 45 minutes.

Occasionally we also engage in the practice of ’24-hour’ Tara prayers, when we recite the prayers every four hours over a 24-hour period.

Powa

Once a month, if possible on the first Friday of each month at 6pm, we say special prayers for those that have recently died. These prayers include a special practice of ‘transference of consciousness’ for the benefit of the deceased, in conjunction with prayers to Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion.

Prayers for World Peace